Banana Nut Muffins

If you are a banana lover like myself, you probably go through a lot of bananas on a weekly basis. But every now and then, bananas will turn overly ripe so it's important to have a few go-to recipes so those bananas don't go to waste. If you find that your bananas are extra brown and spotty but you aren't ready to use them just yet, peel them, slice them into chunks and place in a resealable plastic bag and store in the freezer. You can also use frozen banana chunks in smoothies. 

BANANA NUT MUFFINS
Serves: 12 muffins
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

Topping:

• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 tsp cinnamon 
• 1 tbsp honey

Muffins:

• 1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter (room temp)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp honey
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup mashed bananas (3 medium overripe bananas) 
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup 2% or 4% yogurt

Instructions 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. 
2. Make the topping by combining the walnuts with the honey and cinnamon until evenly coated. This mix will be sticky. Set aside. 
3. For the muffins, use a medium bowl and whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. 
4. In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar and honey until fluffy (about 2 minutes). Add the eggs and beat until fully combined. Add the mashed bananas, vanilla and yogurt and beat until blended with an electric mixer. 
5. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until well blended. 
6. Spoon the batter into the muffin tin until the cup is full. Sprinkle with the nut topping. 
7. Baked muffins for ~25-28 minutes until the top is golden. 
8. Let muffins cool for 5-10 minutes. 

Lure of the Lake 3-mile open water swim recap

Shortly after IM 70.3 Chattanooga, Karel started to search for another race before we do Ironman Canada at the end of July. Triathlon options were limited so I came across an open water swim event just an hour away in the town of Lake Lure. We ran this option by our coach and she gave us a big yes for the 3-mile distance. I told my swim partner Kristen and she also registered. 

After a crazy tough week of training, we were able to get a good night of sleep on Friday evening. We woke up at 6am and left the house around 7:20am to pick up Kristen who lives about 1.5 miles away. With a 10am start, we didn't feel too rushed to get to the venue but we also wanted to give ourselves enough time in the case of rain. The weather predicted storms for the morning but luckily the weather worked out perfect for us - light drizzle and clouds.

I had a waffle with butter and yogurt before we left and then I made a PB&J sandwich on cinnamon raisin bread for the car. Around an hour before the start, I had a banana. I also sipped on 100 calories Carborocket 333 in a 26 ounce water bottle in the 90 min before the race. I packed a bag of sport nutrition and snacks for the rest of trip/workouts.

It was a beautiful drive to the lake (north of us) and we arrived around 8:30am. After we picked up our cap, chip and shirt, we got body marked and then waited around until 9:40am when we began our warm-up. The event was small (just over 100 athletes) but the event was well supported with nice volunteers and a well-marked course by Set Up Events. I enjoyed the low-stress race environment as it reminded me of when I started the sport - no pressure to perform. I still try to keep a great sense of joy when I race and to remember that this is a sport that I choose to do.

I wore my ROKA Maverick Pro wetsuit and warmed up for about 5 minutes in the lake. I included a few fast efforts to get my breathing up. The water temp was around 75 degrees so the race director allowed wetsuits. I could have been fine without one but Karel and I wanted to wear our wetsuits for practice for IM Canada (which will likely be wetsuit legal).

The start was a rolling start - very low key. I started near the front with Karel and Kristen right behind me.

The course was two out and back loops where you keep the orange buoys on your left. There were 3 sets of two buoys and then a turn buoy. Overall the course was well marked and it was easy to stay on course. The water was fairly calm and there were pockets of warm and cool water. After each loop, you run out of the water on the sand for a few steps and then quickly re-enter the water.

Knowing that I was carrying around a lot of fatigue going into this race, I wasn't sure how I would feel. I was surprised that I felt so strong. I swam a strong-steady effort, similar to what I would do in an IM. I found myself in the lead with Kristen and another girl (not wearing a wetsuit and likely a teenager) and we lead the entire race. Kristen and the other girl swam away from me on the way back from the first loop and I was able to get fairly close to them on the way back out of the second loop, but then I got dropped again. I've really been working on my mental game when I train, trying to tune out my thoughts and feelings and to just act with my body. I've been able to work through some tough moments in training and persevere by turning off my brain and not getting absorbed by my thoughts.

I accidentally hit the wrong button my Garmin so my watch didn't start timing the swim until a few minutes in so I never knew my total time or distance but I did manage to look at my watch around 4200 yards in (IM distance) and I saw 56 minutes which was exciting to know that all my swim training is paying off.

I tried super hard to catch Kristen and the other girl by giving all that I could on the way home but I ended up falling short - coming in 1 minute behind the first place and around 40 seconds behind Kristen. The exciting part was that we were 1,2,3 - so the overall winners were all females! Yay girl power!

I finished the event feeling proud of my effort, especially with all the fatigue I'm carrying around. I loved being out in the nature and being in my happy place - swimming. I swim no less than 4 times a week and most of my swims are well over 4000 yards and it felt good to not feel too tired during this event and to feel my swim training paying off. As a life-long swimmer, I know my ability to make gains in the swim are small so I have to work super hard for even the slightest gains.

Karel finished a few minutes behind us so we cheered him on to the finish. He said the event went by fairly quick.

The event was around 5200 yards (per Karel's Garmin) so a bit short of 3 miles (which is 5500) but still a long event for plenty of practice in open water.

Results: 
Kristen (my swim partner): 1:07.04 (2nd overall, 1st masters)
Marni: 1:07.40 (3rd overall)
Karel: 1:12.18 (6th overall)
Also congrats to our athlete Leyla for finishing 9th overall in 1:14.52.

After the swim, we chatted with a few athletes and then Karel and I quickly changed into our running gear as we had a tough run workout to complete (build effort run). New to the area, our run options were limited to going up or going up. It was a really tough run and we both struggled mentally and physically but we got it done (1:05 run for me). Despite feeling great on the swim, I worked through a lot of mental demons during this workout. I wanted to quit so many times but I self-managed and was able to complete the session - not exactly as planned but it was the best that I could on the day.

Whereas in my early years of training and racing I'd put a lot of pressure on myself by having expectations and feeling like I needed to prove something in every session/race but over the years, I've learned that you can never predict the future and if you love what you do, success doesn't have to be tied with results. Although I am competitive and work hard for fitness gains, I really enjoy training and the self-discovery and personal growth that comes from every training session. Above all, I'm grateful and thankful for my body for staying healthy and injury-free and for letting me train harder than I've ever trained before. 

The female athlete and her hormones

Sadly, sport, science and exercise are still dominated by men. For example, women are grossly understudied when it comes to research on exercise physiology and sport performance. A big part of this is due to menstrual cycles. When a female has monthly hormone cycles, there are two phases to consider when it comes to exercise physiology and performance. Although it's well-documented that menstrual disturbances (ex. amenorrhea) can result from chronic energy imbalance (either increased energy expenditure or insufficient caloric intake), most research on performance, nutrition and exercise is done on men - with no menstrual cycles to plan for or fuss over.

So where does this leave female athletes who have to train and race with fluctuating hormones? How many coaches talk to their female athletes about their period and how to manage training and racing during this time of the month? What about the uncomfortable symptoms that female athletes experience before and during their cycle, like bloating, low energy, mood changes and cramping?

Thankfully, there are a few loud voices in the research setting that are letting scientists (and the public) know that you can't study men and then downsize the info to fit women. Among this chatter is the way we look at and talk about menstruation. So what about those of us who have a normal monthly cycle and have to train and race with fluctuating hormones?

As a female athlete, I'm impacted by my monthly cycle on, well a monthly basis. My changing hormones affect me for ~2 weeks of every month. I've gotten my period on race morning, the evening of a race, the day after a race, the day before a race, a week before a race and two weeks after a race. I suffer from a range of physical and mental symptoms every.single.month. As you can image, being a female athlete is not easy - especially when my performance and body is impacted by my hormones on a monthly basis. I'm not one to make excuses but I can honestly say that I perform a whole lot better when I'm in the low hormone phase of my cycle. With this comes an understanding of my body and how my hormones impact my physiology and performance. I'm proud that I have a healthy body that menstruates regularly but I sometimes think that life would be a lot easier as an athlete if my hormones were stable throughout the month.

Although there are tips and strategies to help minimize the effects of fluctuating hormones, I believe that the first step is knowing why things are happening and that you are not alone in the monthly battle (or acceptance) with your hormones.

To continue the conversation and to break down the stigma associated with the impacts of a female athlete and menstruation, here are a few things to consider as it relates to hormones:

GI ISSUES - Have you ever noticed that your stomach feels a bit off around your cycle? When the uterus shed excess lining/tissue due to fluctuations in hormone levels, the rise and fall of estrogen, progesterone and prostaglandins cause changes in the muscles of the GI tract. Digestive issues are very common - like gas, diarrhea, loose stools, constipation and bloating. Progesterone is contributed to constipation whereas estrogen tends to increase GI motility, causing diarrhea or loose stools. This is something to consider when training or racing as your GI system may not be working at its best.
Personal note: In the week before my cycle and the first day or two of my cycle, I typically have to stop to go the bathroom during run workouts, which is something that normally doesn't happen to me when my hormones are low. I've learned to accept this and make sure I plan my running routes accordingly. I've also learned that some foods don't sit well in my belly before my period so I avoid them and find a temporary replacement option. 

THERMAL CONTROL - Once again, fluctuations in estrogen and progesterone can affect the regulation of fluid balance. An increase in progesterone in the luteal (high hormone) phase can cause an increase in both skin and core temperatures. This can also alter the temperature when sweating begins in a hot environment. Thus depending on the weather, some women are at an increased risk of a heat illness and dehydration during the luteal phase, specifically during prolonged exercise in hot conditions. This can also cause early exhaustion or fatigue due to the strain on the cardio system. This is something to consider when training and racing in the heat.
Personal note: I feel my body temp increase before my cycle. This often affects my sleep. I also have to use more water to cool my body during training and I find that respiration is higher (and so is HR) in the days before my cycle. I increase my sodium by pre-loading before my workouts/races during this time and also make an extra effort to stay up on hydration.

ACHES AND PAINS - Your muscles, tendons and ligaments have receptors for estrogen so it makes sense that during the menstrual cycle, the structure and function of these tissues may change and you may also experience more muscle and joint pain and stiffness. If you have ever noticed that you experience more niggles, aches and pains around your monthly cycle, it could be due to an increase in estrogen causing your tendons and ligaments to loosen. This can cause instability in certain joints, like the pelvis and knee. Be mindful of how and where you train/race throughout your menstrual cycle as tissue instability may lead to injury.
Personal note: This is something that affects me every month - my SI joint gets out of whack so I make sure to see a massage therapist and I also use KT tape on my back. I find that I get more "twisted" with my hips/back so I have to keep up with certain mobility exercises. I also know that I don't recover as well from intense sessions before and during my cycle so I stay diligent with some type of protein recovery drink during this time. I also communicate with my coach so that I don't do too many intense run or bike trainer sessions during that time of the month. I also stay up on my Mg12 cream to help with my muscles. 

MOOD CHANGES - It's true that females will "act differently" before and during the high hormone phase of the month. Connected to the rise and fall of hormones (specifically estrogen), these peaks and valleys of hormones can cause mood swings. Making things worse, stressful situations can make PMS even worse. It's very normal to experience symptoms like being oversensitive, crying more easily, getting angry, feeling sad or feeling more anxious or depressed.
Personal note: I have found that communication is key. I let Karel know that my menstrual cycle is likely coming soon so he knows that if I say something that may be out of character for me, he knows it's not me talking but my hormones. I also get more tired easily so I may not be acting like myself. I also find that I do better with social and outdoor workouts during this time as I happier when I am with other people or outside. I try to avoid social media as this can make me feel anxious and sad at times. 

SLEEPING ISSUES - Although you may be tired from life/training, menstrual cycle insomnia is a real thing. When estrogen is kicked up a notch, sleep disturbances are common. You may feel more drowsy and exhausted and you may notice that your sleep is more restless. You may even feel like you need a daily nap. Coupled with a raise in body temperature and feeling restless, REM sleep may be compromised.
Personal note: I'm a great sleeper for ~2 weeks of every month. I make sure to let my coach know when I'm not sleeping well as this is likely more to do with my hormones than training stress but it still impacts my recovery. There are some nutritional strategies to apply here (ex. Tart Cherry juice) but I feel the most important thing is to try to keep your room environment suitable to sleeping - with no electronic or light distractions and to avoid going to bed with a brain that is filled with running thoughts and emotions.

BLOATING - This is where I feel most female athletes struggle - with body image during PMS. A drop in progesterone can cause period bloating, which can be uncomfortable and can also negatively affect your self-image or confidence. Although you may feel like you've gained weight/fat and you may notice that your stomach is protruding, this is all due to the body retaining more water and salt due to changes in progesterone and estrogen. It's important to pay attention to your thoughts during this time as low self-esteem, poor body image and body dysmorphia can trigger disordered eating habits such as restriction and overexercise. Or you may feel too uncomfortable to exercise. Logically, it's important to know that nothing about your physical self has changed and that exercise can do wonderful things for your mind and body.
Personal note: Although this is when most of us females will feel most uncomfortable in our own skin, it's very important not to make radical changes in your diet or exercise regime. Restricting food will only lead to compromised health and performance. Accept what's going on with your hormones and make sure not to let your thoughts impact your actions. I find that wearing looser clothes and not spending energy on how I "feel" helps me get through this time of the month. Plus, I remind myself how awesome I feel when my cycle is over and when I'm in the low hormone phase, I call that my superwoman phase where I feel like I can take on the world and I can crush my workouts. I also try to schedule more work projects, writing and daily to-do's during my low hormone phase as I am much more productive. During the high hormone phase, I give myself permission to put a few less things on my daily plate. 

Warm weather training and appetite loss

A hearty bowl of stew in the winter and a refreshingly cold bowl of fruit in the summer.
Have you noticed how your appetite changes based on the season?

This change is partly as a result of the body needing less calories to function at an optimal body temperature - less energy is needed to maintain homeostasis. Even though in the heat, the body slows down a bit to try to conserve energy to not overheat, if you are an athlete who trains high volume/intensity and you only listen to your appetite to direct you when to (or not to) eat, your loss of appetite can result in a massive energy deficit. While you may think that this energy deficit will help with weight loss/body composition changes, training in an extreme energy deficiency affects normal body functioning, which can affect metabolism, immunity, heart health, bone health, menstruation, endocrine health, recovery, muscle strength and power and mood changes.

Another reason for a loss of appetite in the heat relates to the act of digesting food generates heat. If your body temp is high, your body will suppress the appetite in an effort to reduce the work load until your body temp returns to normal. This is not a good thing when you are in need of nutrition post workout to replenish and repair.

In hot weather, you may have noticed that you are more likely to desire fluids over solid food or maybe you have no appetite for anything. In these scenarios, a cold smoothie or pre-made recovery beverage is often the gold star post-workout drink so that you can drink your calories (and sodium) instead of chewing them. Be careful not to overhydrate on plain water, especially when you've lost a considerable amount of sodium in your sweat.

Tip: If making your own smoothie, follow this order of ingredients to make the perfect consistency smoothie: Liquids, soft foods, powders, frozen foods, then sticky ingredients.

A few other tips to help stimulate your appetite post workout - cool yourself as quick as possible -either with ice packs or cooling towels or in a cold shower. You should notice that when your body temp returns to normal, the appetite quickly increases. Post workout, start your recovery with liquids and light foods (easy to digest) instead of not eating or attempting to eat a heavy meal. Aim for small snacks and meals throughout the day. If you are experiencing a strong headache or nausea after your workout, in addition to loss of appetite, this is likely a sign of dehydration and that your workout hydration strategies are inadequate.

Just because you don't have a subjective desire appetite to eat, this doesn't mean that your body is not in need of calories. To repay your body, who worked extremely hard to help you complete a given workout, figure out the best foods/drinks and strategies to refuel, rehydrate and recover after your hot-weather workouts. In this scenario, not eating because you don't feel hungry can be damaging to your performance and health. 

Happy Global Running Day!

I've had a long-term love-dislike relationship with running. As a lifelong swimmer, weight bearing sports have never come easy to me - specifically running. For many years, I struggled with how to hold my body on land as I felt like my upper body wasn't connected to my lower body when I ran. My hips/glutes have had the most niggles so I'm lucky that I've never had any lower leg issues due to running. In the water, I immediately know how to hold my body. Interestingly, before I was a triathlete I was a runner and I loved running and it did come easy to me. But then, like many of you, I got injured and since then, running has had its highs and lows. Sometimes my body doesn't enjoy running and it's really really hard for me, but that doesn't mean that I give up every time it feels hard or that I've convinced myself that I can't improve as a runner. Like with many things in life, I'm on a quest of continued self-development as I strive to improve many areas of my life/self. Running is one of those areas where I am patient in the journey but I'm also incredibly grateful for what my body allows me to do - even on the days when I don't feel good when I run.

It doesn’t matter if it takes you 6 minutes or 16 minutes, a mile is still a mile.

No matter your fitness level, running is a great sport to challenge your mind and body. But even better, running does not require a gym membership, you can do it almost anywhere (and anytime) and it comes with a list of benefits including body composition changes, fitness gains, stress relief and self-confidence.

Even with the endorphin-rush as you move your body quickly with one foot in front of the other, running does come with a few downfalls.

Running is rather hard on the body (weight bearing) and not every human body is destined to be a runner. Running requires good flexibility and range of motion as well as exceptional cardiorespiratory endurance and muscular strength. Injuries due to overtraining, poor biomechanics, improper shoe choice or increasing mileage too quickly are very common in runners of all fitness levels.

To help you in your running journey, here are three of my best tips:

1. Build a strong body – As great as it feels to check-off an hour run off your training plan, it’s important that you build a strong foundation before you run to increase speed and distance. Learn how to run well (with good form and proper breathing techniques) as you work to become strong and resilient. Strength training should enhance your cardio routine as a component of your run training. Don't rush the process by adding too much intensity or volume. It's better to get your body stronger and more efficient with a lower intensity/volume plan than to skip steps only to realize (after the fact) that you never took the time to nail the basics - like learning how to maintain good form when you are tired and take in nutrition while running easy. It’s recommended to also include cross-training and strength training to target the hips, glutes, lower back and core to ensure good pelvis strength.
   
2. Consistency is key – At the beginning of any running plan, most runners struggle with consistency due to soreness and the difficultly of running several times per week. Or there's the tendency to do too much too soon. Because prior fitness, current fitness and limitations should be considered when designing a run training plan, remember that if you cannot properly adapt and recover from your run workouts, you'll struggle to remain consistent. Develop a training plan (or work with a coach) that allows you to make progress with the least amount of training stress. Don't wait until a setback occurs to realize that you should have done things differently.
   
3. It’s not just about the running miles – Far too many runners are obsessed with running miles. Step away from being controlled by your gadgets and get more out of your runs by learning how to listen to your body, run for time and become one with your body. Don't feel like you have to hit certain paces/distances just to feel successful with your workout. Walking during a run is not failing. Figure out what you need to do to stay healthy and to enjoy your running journey. Sometimes just going for a walk is better than nothing. Remind yourself that good sleep, a positive attitude, good stress management, attention to sport nutrition (ex. fueling before, during and after workouts), balanced daily nutrition, a healthy immune system, good mobility, proper pacing and knowing how to run in different environmental conditions will not only help to take your training to the next level but you'll get more out of your running experience. 

Sport Nutrition refresher

There's no right time to focus on your sport nutrition and daily diet as it should be an ongoing focus. Unfortunately, many athletes neglect proper eating until a setback occurs. It’s never too late in your life (or season) to appreciate the power of food and proper fueling. By staying up on your sport nutrition, macros and micros and hydration needs, you can protect your health, delay fatigue and consistently improve fitness.

When it comes to performance, nutrition alone doesn’t limit performance but it can certainly affect how your body performs. The best fitness routines and training strategies are only beneficial if your body is fueled properly.

Upon writing my book, Essential Sport Nutrition, my goal was to create a go-to source of practical and effective nutrition strategies to fuel and nourish your active lifestyle. On a basic level, nutrition is important to reduce risk for disease and to provide a source of energy to perform activities of daily living. For the extremely active, what (and when) you eat will help you meet performance goals without a health-related setback. Sport nutrition can appear confusing but it’s an essential component to enhance the adaptation to exercise. When you put principles into practice, you’ll find it much easier to perform to your potential.  

Performance involves more than the latest gear, strong muscles and a great coach. Whether you’re training for a competition or exercising to stay fit, fitness improvements are built off solid nutrition habits. Supply your body with the right nutrients at the right times and you’ll consistently be rewarded with high energy, great health and quick recovery.

Your body has increased energy demands during exercise. The food you eat throughout the day and during training provides your body with energy, electrolytes and fluids. Eating appropriately also reduces risk for sickness, injury and burnout. If your body doesn’t receive or have appropriate fuel, you’ll perform well-below your capabilities. As the duration or intensity of exercise increases, the body may not be able to keep up energy demands, resulting in fatigue. When you fall short on your requirements, you will sabotage your physical health and your psychological well-being.

Although sport performance and activity enjoyment depend on many different, yet intertwined, components – body composition, strength, endurance, psychology, sleep - many athletes are misled to believe that there’s one “right” way to eat. This reductionist way of applying sport nutrition research often ignores long-term health and performance consequences in an effort to adhere to a “quick fix” approach, typically to boost performance and/or change body composition. In my book, I have chosen to take a more all-inclusive approach to practical nutrition strategies to help you enhance sport performance, fitness and long-lasting health.  I hope you find my book easy-to-follow and simple to apply to your active lifestyle. 

At a glance, each section in this book includes sound information and practical strategies on a variety of sport nutrition topics:


Part One – Nutrition basics. Learn how what you eat affects your body and the components of a performance-focused diet. 

Part Two – Sport nutrition application. Learn specific guidelines on how to fuel around workouts and what to eat on rest days.  Get to know the facts behind supplements and performance enhancers.

Part Three – Optimize performance by understanding your individual nutritional needs, dependent on the specifics of your sport. Discover safe nutrition strategies for body composition change and learn to eat for recovery, brain and immune system health. 

Part Four – Put education into practice with delicious, athlete-approved meals, intended to meet your fitness needs.

With no standard prescription for sport nutrition, each section in this book will help you move closer to creating a personalized nutrition plan while gaining knowledge and appreciation for sport nutrition. Don't wait until it's too late to dial-in your daily diet and sport nutrition regime. 

ORDER HERE. 

If you already have my book, if you could leave an honest and authentic review on Amazon, I'd greatly appreciate it! 

Weekend (riding) recap

How fitting that today is World Bicycling Day today as we spent much of our weekend on two wheels. Not only do I love riding my bike but I absolutely love riding my bike in and around Greenville. Our terrain forces you to improve your skills (mental and physical), resilience and endurance - there's no easy riding here. 

Our athlete Robb flew from LA to Greenville to spend two days of private training with us in route to IM Ireland and IM Whistler. Robb is a strong cyclist (who loves challenging courses) so we made sure he got his money worth with lots of time in the saddle, exploring all that our challenging terrain has to offer. Our coach gave us the ok to load the up the weekend with cycling miles so it was a win-win for us all.

On Saturday we set out for a long ride up and over Cesar's Head. The weather was a bit "cooler" (in the upper 70's) which made for a refreshing start to the ride. Up in the mountains it was even cooler which was a great relief compared to the mid 90+ temps we have been experiencing lately. The official climb up Cesar's Head is 6.2 miles (from the veer off point, ~2000 feet elevation gain) but in reality, it's closer to 7.2 miles as you have to climb to the veer off point. After the descend, we headed toward Dupont State Recreational Forest which is mostly rollers before a 4 mile section of super punchy and technical climbing and descending. Then it was more rollers before we arrived to Flat Rock for our bottle-refill/croissant stop. Then it was a fast 1:36 hr back home as Robb was leading the way and he was pushing the effort. In total, we did 4:48 hrs of riding, 83 miles and ~6200 feet elevation gain. After the ride we did a ~21 minute run off the bike. A solid day of training!

On Sunday we set out for what was suppose to be a ~4 hour ride but the bad news was that we got a little lost and the ride turned into a 5 hour ride. The good news was that we discovered a few new routes because of the unplanned detour. Despite going through all types of Ironman emotions and physical highs and lows throughout this ride, it was a really enjoyable time spent on two wheels. We finished the ride with 5:02 riding time, 94 miles and ~5500 feet of elevation gain. This ride took us past Clemson and then back through some beautiful twisty roads with lots of rollers. Before the last climb back home, we finished with a solid 30+ minutes on Pumpkintown where Karel was pushing the pace while Robb and I stayed right behind his wheel.

Over 48 hours we accumulated 177 miles, almost 12000 feet elevation gain and close to 10 hours of riding. Thank you body! And no honks or close calls with cars. If anything, the roads were pretty quiet. Thank you cars for letting us share the road with you.

Here are a few pics from the two rides.

A shout-out to a few of the Trimarni affiliates who made for happy riding this weekend:
-Alto Cycling
-Mg12
-Solestar
-Ventum
-Roka

-Castelli
-PR lotion
-4iiii

73 questions for my 37th Birthday

1. What are you most excited about these days?
That it's summer and the weather is warm! 

2. What’s your favorite holiday?
Thanksgiving.

3. Favorite season?
Summer. 

4. Where does one go on a perfect road trip?
To a race. 

5. What is the best activity when home on a rainy day?
Writing. 

6. If you could switch lives with someone for a day who would it be?
Campy. 

7. What is the best thing that happened this year?
I signed a contract to write two more books!

8. What’s your New Year’s resolution?
I don't set resolutions.

9. What’s your favorite exercise?
Swimming.

10. Best way to decompress?
Talking Campy for a walk. 

11. What’s your favorite country to visit?
Europe.

12. Last country you visited?
Europe.

13. Country you wish to visit?
South Africa.

14. What’s your favorite ice-cream?
Mint chocolate chip. 

15. What makes you smile the most?
Animals. 

16. What’s the coolest thing in the world?
Nature. 

17. What is the cutest thing in the world?
Baby animals. 

18. How do you know if you’re in love?
I never get tired of being with that person. 

19. If you could go to any concert past or present, what would it be?
The Beatles.  

20. What’s the best gift you’ve ever received?
Homemade or personalized gifts are my favorite but today, Karel gave me the gift of a baby gorilla adoption as part of the Ellen Fund. Here's a video of our gorilla adoption. 

21. Favorite fashion trend of all time?
Scrunchies. 

22. What’s your favorite movie of all time?
Charlotte's Web. 

23. What was the movie that made you cry?
I can't remember. 

24. If you could make a documentary, what would it be about?
Animals (but it would be a happy documentary). 

25. If you could have one superpower what would it be?
Go back in time to relive certain moments of my life. 

26. What is the skill still unmastered?
Skiing. 

27. What is the best thing that happened to you today?
Celebrating my birthday!

28. Do you like surprises?
Yes. 

29. If you could do a flash mob where would it be?
Any public space where people need to laugh/smile. 

30. Do you like cupcakes?
No. 

31. Do you usually bake cupcakes?
No. 

32. What’s your favorite desert?
Carrot cake. 

33. Is there a desert you don’t like?
Pie. 

34. What’s your favorite bakery?
Anywhere in Europe/Czech. 

35. What’s your favorite food?
Blueberries. 

36. It’s brunch, what do you eat?
French toast. 

37. You are stuck on an island, you can pick one food to eat forever without getting tired of it, what would you eat?
Pretzels. 

38. Favorite color?
Pink.

39. Favorite superhero?
Super Grover. 

40. What do you usually order in Starbucks? (or in your favorite café)
I leave that to Karel. I share whatever he gets. 

41. Who is the last person you texted?
An athlete of mine. 

42. What’s your favorite activity to do in your hometown?
Ride my bike. 

43. What’s the next book you plan on reading?
Daring Greatly by Brene Brown. 

44. What do you love in your pizza?
Mozzarella and basil. 

45. Favorite drink?
Water. 

46. Dark chocolate or milk chocolate?
Dark chocolate

47. What’s your favorite band?
I like all music with a good beat. 

48. Favorite solo artist?
Pink. 

49. Favorite lyrics?
Not sure. I like quotes a lot though. 

50. If your life was a song what would the title be?
Don't waste a day. 

51. If you could master one instrument what would it be?
The harp. 

52. If you had a tattoo where would it be?
I have one tattoo on my ankle but if I got another one, it would be on the inside of my wrist. 

53. To be or not to be?
To be. 

54. Dolphins or koalas?
Dolphins. 

55. How do you like your coffee?
Not too strong with a little milk. 

56. What’s your favorite curse word?
I don't curse - I leave that to Karel ;) 

57. What color of dress did you wear to prom?
Purple. 

58. Diamonds or pearls?
Diamonds. 

59. Cheap shampoo or expensive?
Cheap but good ingredients. 

60. Blow dry or air dry?
Blow dry. 

61. Heels or flats?
Do running shoes count? 

62. Pilates or yoga?
Pilates. 

63. Jogging or swimming?
Swimming.

64. One thing you can’t live without?
Being outside/nature. 

65. What’s one cause that’s dear to your heart?
I have three - animal rescue, mental health and body image. 

66. Who would you want to shoot a love scene with?
There are a few male professional triathletes that I will leave nameless....Love you Karel :) 

67. What’s your favorite sport?
Triathlon. 

68. Do you have a morning beauty ritual?
Put my hair in a poof on the top of my head. 

69. What’s your favorite thing to wear?
Sweatpants and a hoodie in the winter. Shorts and a tank top in the summer. 

70. What’s the priciest thing you’ve ever splurged on?
Not sure but probably something travel related like comfort seats for a long plane ride. 

71. Do you play any musical instruments?
Not anymore but I played the piano for over 8 years. 

72. What is your favorite book of all time?
Goodnight moon.
73. What is something you always travel with?
My computer. 

A necessary recharge - taking a break.

Going into IM 70.3 Chattanooga race week, our coach told us that we would be taking a week break from triathlon training before getting into our training for Ironman Canada. Karel and I were really excited for this break. While we love training, we aren't injured and we aren't burnt out, we know that a physical and mental removal from sport is a necessary part of being an athlete. Certainly, it's much easier to enjoy a planned and intentional break than a break that is forced and unplanned due to injury, sickness, life or burnout. In other words, a necessary recharge is a way to help the body better adapt to training stress.

We were told from our coach that we could swim, bike and run (since these are great activities for overall health) but the goal is to return to training on Monday the 26th feeling excited to put in some hard work for the next 8 weeks. We were also given guidelines as to what we could do IF we did swim, bike or run in terms of duration per workout and total duration spread over the week.

Here's what my recovery week looked like:
Monday - planned 65 minute ride to spin out the legs from the race/travel
Tues - 20 min outdoor pool swim
Wed - 70 minute EZ spin
Thurs - 30 min strength + massage
Friday - 28 min outdoor pool swim + dry needling with my PT
Saturday - 2 hour kayaking
Sunday - 80 min bike + 18 min run
Total: 7 hours and 15 minutes of "exercise"

This break was just what we needed - mentally and physically. Campy got to go on a lot of walks, I swam outdoors twice in my mom's neighborhood pool (without lane lines and a lot of current flowing around) and I rode my road bike three times.

Throughout this week break from training, I enjoyed living a slightly different lifestyle. One week of minimal exercise does not result in any change of muscle mass, strength and endurance so I never felt the need to do more exercise to maintain fitness or significantly alter my nutrition because I was worried about weight gain. If anything, I've worked my body so much over the past six months that it deserved a break and lots of nourishment to help with recovery.

I also liked having a bit more time and energy to get some extra things done around the house and some to-do's that have been lingering on my to-do list. I also enjoyed having more free time. I enjoyed not having to wake up with an alarm and having a workout plan for the day. It was nice to have a normal appetite throughout the week and to have a more low key evening - with a bit more time relaxing on the couch. I don't believe that athletes should have massive changes in the diet between peak training and off-season eating for the foundation of the diet should always be a healthy and nutritious diet and then when training increases, it's supported by additional calories/carbohydrates and sport nutrition. In other words, there is always wiggle room in the diet when an athlete increases training volume but you shouldn't feel like your diet needs to be restrictive when you go from 10+ hours of training a week to less than an hour a day.

If you are feeling unmotivated to train, training feels like a chore, you are constantly feeling flat, you are a bit more moody than normal, your appetite and sleep habits have dramatically changed and you struggle to put together quality workouts, you are in need of a break. If you have been struggling with health issues, remind yourself that training breaks the body down. If you are already broken, it's very hard to adapt to training stress. Let the body repair itself before you start training again. While exercise may help improve your health, if you continue to train with compromised health, you may be putting in double the work for half the (or no) results.

There will be times in your season when you need to train in a fatigued state. You must still do everything possible to support the training (nutrition, sleep, fueling, hydration) as your body will be tired, training may not always be "fun" and your muscles will feel sore and heavy. But if your body is unable to recover from sessions, you feel like it takes a lot more work to experience performance gains, you train through sickness/health issues or you are no longer seeing positive adaptations from your training investments, you've crossed the line from quality training to haphazard training.

Every athlete needs a break - mentally and physically. Don't be afraid to temporarily step away from structured training so you can maintain longevity in your sport. Physical overload is good to a point but too much progressive training without proper recovery does more harm than good. Most of all, if you do take a break, make sure you really enjoy the break so that you return to training feeling recharged.

The break was just what I needed. I started the week feeling exhausted, sore and enjoying a break from training and now I'm rejuvenated, healthy, rested and excited to train again.

Adventures with Campy

It's no surprise how much I love Campy. For the past 10+ years, Campy has been living the best life ever as I've made sure that no day is ever wasted for my furry little pooch. Because a dog's life is so short compared to us humans, I always make the effort to make memories together.

Campy and I love being outside and exploring nature. The hotter the weather the better as we both love the heat. Campy loves being in the car and he's always up for a road trip. He loves smelling/exploring new places.

As part of our week-break from triathlon training (more on this in a future blog), Karel and I decided to do a different outdoor activity - Kayaking! Of course, I couldn't imagine being outside, making memories and enjoying the sun without Campy.

We all had our first experience Kayaking at Lake Jocassee and we had a great time. Not only is this lake absolutely beautiful but it's also pet friendly. Kayaking gave us a great workout and it was a nice change from our normal Saturday routine of triathlon training. The water was refreshingly cool and the views were incredible. I'm not sure exactly how Campy felt about his life jacket and being on (and in) the water but he was really chill throughout the adventure and he slept like a champ for the rest of the day. Most of all, Campy loved spending time with us as we enjoyed this adventure together.

I love adding memories to Campy's book of life. At 11.5 years of age, I'd say he's got a rather filled book so far but there's still plenty of years to keep the memories coming. What should we do next?

Here are a few pics from our recent adventure with campy:

Sport nutrition application - the year-long fueling approach

It's well-documented that if a workout is less than 60 minutes, there is no need to take in any carbohydrate. However, for workouts lasting more than an hour, carbohydrate has been shown to improve performance.

Despite scientific literature telling athletes when fuel is or isn't needed, I encourage my athletes to use sport nutrition all-year long, regardless of the workout duration. For me and Karel, we never train without eating before a workout and we always have sport nutrition in our bottle(s) when we workout. 

While this may appear as if I don't understand exercise physiology or that I am putting my body at a metabolic disadvantage, that couldn't be further from the truth.

Consider these facts:

• It can take up to 8 weeks to train your gut to adapt to the mechanics of fueling and exercising.
• It can take several months of trial and error to figure out which sport nutrition products have the right types / amounts of carbohydrates and tastes for your personal preferences and needs.
• It can take several weeks to find the right hydration set-up and hydration belt/pack to make fueling/hydrating simple and effective while exercising.
• Training and racing in cold weather is significantly different than training and racing in hot weather. Carbohydrate absorption is highly compromised if it doesn’t occur with the correct amount of fluids and sodium, particularly in the heat. Learning how to take in sport nutrition in cooler temps is critical before fine-tuning your sport nutrition in hot temps.
• Nutrition is typically the most common reason/excuse why athletes fail to perform to their full abilities on race day. Interestingly, the athletes who often struggle to take in nutrition on race day have yet to master fueling in training. 

With all this in mind, athletes who routinely practice with sport nutrition in the early part of the season find it easier to adapt to peak/race-specific training. The gut is more primed to take in nutrition, there's no need to guess as to what sport nutrition products may work during workouts and with appropriate fueling, workouts are easy to execute which means more consistent training and faster fitness gains. 

Although research may say that, physiologically, you don't need to take in calories during your short workouts, consider the many performance benefits of practicing with sport nutrition for several months before you really need it.

IM 70.3 Chattanooga - gear and nutrition recap

Marni Race Day Nutrition 

Pre Race Nutrition (race day)

-2 waffles, peanut butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon
-Cup of coffee (Nescafe Gold Instant)
-Small glass of water
-Small glass of water w/ 1 scoop Osmo pre-load for women

-In the 90 minutes before the race - 16.9 ounce plastic water bottle filled with 2 scoops NBS Carbo Hydration (100 calories/25g carbs/300mg sodium)
-~15-20 min before race start - 3 Skratch Rasberry chews

Bike: -Front bottle cage - 26 ounce bottle w/ 6 scoops NBS Carbo Hydration Strawberry Lemonade (240 calories/60g carbs/720 mg sodium).
-1.2 Liter (40 ounce) Ventum hydration system - 4 scoops INFINIT custom nutrition (pink lemonade flavor) mixed with water in a bottle, then poured into hydration system (total: 500 calories/122g carbs/1012mg sodium)
-Rear bottle - 26 ounce bottle w/ 2 scoops INFINIT custom nutrition (grape flavored) (250 calories/62g carbs/506mg sodium) - only consumed a few sips, used as back-up fuel/hydration.
-Bag of Skratch chews in bento box (opened in advance) - not consumed, used as back-up fuel.

-Water at aid station 2 and 3 for cooling (and a few sips)

Run: -Naked Running belt (size 3)
-2 x 10 ounce flasks - each with 1 scoop Carborocket Hydration Raspberry Lemonade (108 calories/27g carbs/331 mg sodium per flask)
-Sip of coke at mile 9 (not planned, just on impulse)
-Water at each aid station for cooling/sipping

Karel Race day nutrition

Pre Race Nutrition (race day)

-Quaker overnight oats (mixed in the morning), 2/3rd Rasberries and lemon bar.
-Espresso from Nespresso machine (brought from home)
-Glass of water with 3/4 scoop NBS pre load

-In the 90 minutes before the race - Water bottle filled with 2 scoops NBS Carbo Hydration (100 calories/25g carbs/300mg sodium)
-~15-20 min before race start - -Nutrend Magneslife strong

Bike: -Front bottle cage - 26 ounce bottle w/ 6 scoops NBS Carbo Hydration (240 calories/60g carbs/720 mg sodium).
-1.4 Liter (47 ounce) Ventum hydration system - 12 scoops NBS Carbo Hydration mixed with water in a bottle, then poured into hydration system (total: 480 calories/120g carbs/1440mg sodium)

-SIS Electrolyte Gel - consumed in last 30 minutes of the bike (87 calories/22g carbs/300mg sodium)

Run: 
-2 x 10 ounce flasks (stored in kit pockets) - each with 1 packet Skratch (80 calories/21g carbs/380mg sodium per flask)
-1 Enervit sport gel

-Water as needed for cooling/sipping 

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MARNI GEAR

Swim
-PR lotion (applied before arriving to race venue)
-Castelli San Remo one-piece Trimarni kit

-Lulu sport bra

-R2 Compress Sport Calf Sleeves

-TYR 2.0 Special ops clear goggles

-ROKA Maverick X wetsuit

BIKE

-Ventum One
-Alto cc56 front wheel (tubeless)
-Lightweight autobahn tubeless disc
-Bontrager Velocis Women road shoes
-Giro Air attack helmet with shield
-Socks: Compressport pro racing ultra light
-Garmin Edge 500

RUN

-Nike 4% running shoes
-Garmin 235 watch
-Garmin HR monitor
-Roka custom sunglasses (SL-1 series)

-Trimarni BOCO visor 

-Perfect Fitness Perfect cooling towel

-Naked Running Band (size 3)

KAREL GEAR

Swim
-PR lotion (applied before putting on wetsuit)
-Castelli San Remo one-piece Trimarni kit

-Michael Phelps Xceed goggles

-ROKA Maverick X wetsuit
-Garmin 735 XT

BIKE

-Ventum One w/ custom Kcycle paint job

-51 Speedshop mono bars with FSM extensions
-Shimano Dura Ace Di2 groupset
-Dash Strike Custom Saddle/Post combo
-4iiii powermeter
-Front Alto CT 56
-Rear ALTO CT 311 Disc

-Continental Force 24mm tubular tires
-Giro Aerohead
-LG Tri Air Lite shoes 

-Garmin Edge 820-Scosche Rhythm 24 HR monitor

RUN

-Nike 4% running shoes (1st generation)
-Garmin 735 XT
-Roka custom sunglasses (SL-1 series)

-Trimarni BOCO trucker running hat

-Socks: Compressport pro racing ultra light 

IM 70.3 Chattanooga Race Report

Pre-race
We arrived to Chattanooga on Thursday afternoon. With this being our 4th time Chatty for a race, it was nice knowing that we are familiar with the area. It was a fairly stress-free 4.5 hours of travel and Campy was super excited for his road trip. He loves the car and of course, being with us. The week going into the race was extremely rough for me. My body was exhausted from my last block of training and my hormones making me feel blah (more on this in a later blog). Karel was on and off - one day he felt pumped to race and then the next day he felt flat and tired. A lot of this was from lingering fatigue from St. George 70.3 just two weeks ago. Whereas Karel doesn't overthink, I experienced a roller-coaster of emotions, thoughts and physical issues on race week. Thankfully, come Friday I started to feel a lot better and the closer we got to the race, the more excited I was to race.

We booked a cool Airbnb townhome (pet friendly) just 2.5 miles from the race venue which made it easy to relax, spread out and get into the race zone. As usual, Karel's back was bothering him in the 48 hours before the race so it was another one of those unknowns of how his back would affect him during the race.

With this being a key race for our team, we had nearly 30 athletes racing (a mix of coached athletes and educational team members). It was so awesome to see so many Trimarnis around the race venue and to have (almost) everyone in one room for our typical pre-race pizza party + course/race discussion. A huge thanks to the YMCA for letting us host the event in the top floor meeting room. We ordered pizza from FIAMMA pizza company and it was so delicious.

After a bike and run on Saturday morning, we went to the race venue to set up our team tent in the Tri club village (thank you Run In for letting us borrow a tent!) and then a few hours later we returned to the venue to check in our bikes. Campy wasn't allowed in the transition area so a nice volunteer watched Campy For the rest of the evening, we watched ITU triathlon racing and cycling all while eating and visualizing our race performances.

Typically I sleep somewhat ok before a race but I got no sleep before this race. I was tossing and turning all night and it felt like I was awake the entire night. I tried not to get frustrated and reminded myself that even if I don't sleep, I can still perform well. Around 2am, I moved to the other bedroom hoping that a different bed/room may help. I may have managed to sleep a little but before I knew it, the alarm was going off at 3:45am. I felt exhausted and super tired on race day morning but just stayed calm and told myself that I would wake up once I arrived to the race venue.

Race morning
After taking a few sips of my morning coffee, I made my standard pre workout/race meal. Karel and I don't do much talking with one another on race day morning as Karel likes to be alone with his own thoughts so I just let him do his own thing. Luckily I had Campy there to talk to :)

After getting dressed in my race day gear, I did a quick jog/walk with Campy around the block to help wake up my body and to get my system going. Karel did his jog as well and around 5:15am we packed up the car with our gear and water bottles/flasks and headed to the race venue. We had already planned where we were going to park on the street so that made it easy to quickly find parking just a few blocks away.

After getting body marked, I helped Karel pump up his disc wheel and then my disc wheel (two person job) and we each set up our transition area. Whereas in IM 70.3 FL I felt flustered as it had been a while since I had to lay out my gear by my bike, I felt like this time around was much easier. Although I always seem to feel like I'm forgetting something. I made a bathroom stop before heading to our team tent to drop off a bag and then we walked to the bus area.

A little after 6am, we took the bus to the swim start (about a mile away) and it was already filled with athletes. The swim was a rolling start, seeded by expected swim times.We were tole pre-race that the swim may be shortened due to the current, which was not something we wanted but it was out of our control. Karel did a short jog warm-up and since I did most of my jogging by the transition area, I felt pretty good before putting on my ROKA wetsuit. It was great to see so many of our athletes near the swim start - so much positive energy.

Around 6:40am, I lined up near the front with no more than a hundred athletes ahead of me (I think). Karel lined up with two of our athletes (Al and Thomas) a few rows ahead of me. The planned 7am age group swim start was delayed as the pros (who swam the entire swim course) needed to pass our first buoy before we could start. Finally, sometime after 7:20am, the horn went off as the official start for the age groupers.

.75 mile swim (Shortened from 1.2 miles)
The swim was quick but we still had to work for it. Because of the shortened swim, I made sure to give a bit stronger effort than usual to try to make up as much time as I could before the bike. I was swimming hard right from the first stroke - which is not how I usually start a race but knew with the short swim, I had to go for it. I was really focused on swimming the shortest line possible to the swim exit (buoys on our right) and also with each stroke, I focused on catching as much water as possible and moving it forcefully behind me. I felt great in my ROKA wetsuit and found the water to be perfect - not too cold, but just right in the low 70s. I was bummed about the shortened swim but grateful that the swim wasn't cancelled. Before I knew it, the swim was over. The best part of my swim was exiting the water and hearing Karel's voice next to me. We both ran up the ramp together but it wasn't long before Karel's speedy legs ran away from me. That was the last time I would see Karel until the end of the race but I was happy that we exited the water (and that I beat him in the swim ;)

Karel's recap:
I was bummed that they adjusted the swim - short and all downstream. Even if I am not the fastest swimmer, I wanted the challenge of swimming upstream. Anyway, I didn't let it bother me. I couldn't change the situation so why waste any mental energy on it. I tried to swim very strong the entire swim, right from the first stroke. I felt very solid during the swim but if it would have been longer, I would have had to ease up a bit with my effort. Overall I'm happy with this swim. 

56 mile bike
After making my way through the long transition, I quickly took off my wetsuit, put on my helmet and cycling shoes (and socks), powered up my Garmin and rolled out of the transition area. The mount line was packed with athletes so I kept running with my bike (close to the barricades) until I had plenty of clear space to mount my bike.

For the first few miles getting out of town, I used this as my "warm-up" to ease into my race effort. I was happy I was on my bike and looked forward to the next 56 miles. Neither Karel or myself race with time goals or metrics goals so racing is entirely by feel - as we are constantly adjusting and adapting to the dynamics of the race. I actually never looked at my total time during this ride as my Garmin screen was set on lap intervals and I would lap the screen to focus on a specific section of the course at a time.

Once I got into GA, I settled into my race effort. I would check in with my power at times but otherwise I just focused on riding my bike well. It's hard to say how I felt on the bike as my watts were higher than normal and I wasn't feeling that pep in my legs. In other words, I felt really strong and could see I was working hard so I didn't expect to feel fresh. Breathing felt good and I reminded myself to keep my pedal stroke smooth (advice of my coach who gave me the OK to push the bike). I didn't feel like there were any big groups around me but I did have to navigate around guys ahead of me here or there. I would either stay draft legal until I felt like there was a good time to pass (typically on an uphill) or I would have to slow down a little which affected my rhythm. I spent a lot of time riding alone or with just a handful of people in the far distance. I spent a good chunk of the race riding in the sights of my athlete Al (either behind or in front of me) which was great to have another Trimarni athlete nearby.

I wouldn't say that this is a hilly course but there are hills - more like rollers. I started to feel better on the rollers and my legs started to open up. Once I got to the Andrews Hill (the "steep" hill on the course), I stood up to climb it and I instantly felt a lot better. I took advantage of the downhill to gain some free speed and then felt like I was really "racing". The last climb into Chickamauga felt good - a nice mix of aero, sitting and standing for me and then I enjoyed the descend right after that climb (although I felt like I still had to work for the descend).

It was cloudy out and a little windy but knowing that it was going to be a hot day, I made sure to use water from the aid stations (#2 and #3 aid stations) to keep my body cool. The water was cold which was refreshing.

The ride back to town was a little more filled with cars/traffic so that affected my rhythm a bit. Overall I felt really strong on the bike and within each section of the race, I focused on giving my best effort. I didn't have any issues or low moments although my ride side of my back felt a little tight in the middle of the race. It didn't concern me too much but looking back, it may have been my SI joint feeling loose due to my hormones (more on this later). This wasn't the first time I felt like this so I just put it out of my mind the best that I could.

I finished all my planned nutrition (sport drinks) and had a little left in a bottle as I brought extra just in case I lost a bottle at the railroad crossings (there are a lot of them in the first/last 7 miles so I was extra cautious over them).

After finishing the bike, I was looking forward to the run. Even though I worked hard on the bike, I reminded myself of all the runs I've completed off hard bikes and how much I really do love to run off the bike (seriously - my fav runs are brick runs).

Karel's recap:
I'm super stoked with this bike. I felt strong throughout the ride and felt good in the 2nd half of the ride. I had almost no back pain so that is a huge victory for me. I felt like I was really racing the bike instead of just suffering through like in past races with back pain. I was in a good group of guys who were racing strong and all staying draft legal. There were many surges where I had to dig deep to pass a group of guys or to accelerate to stay with someone that I felt was riding strong. Some guys would pass me right back only to slow down forcing me to squeeze on my brakes to get out of the draft zone. I would then have to collect myself to make another pass. This made it hard to keep a good rhythm but overall, I felt really strong and also felt like I could finally push the bike, stay on top of my pedal stroke and not force the effort. At the end of the bike I was in a really good headspace to hit the run (my favorite part of triathlon racing). 

13.1 mile run

Photo Nicole Rambsey

I tried to make my transition as quick as possible so I was putting on my watch, visor and glasses as I was walking and then started to jog. I knew the competition was tough here so I didn't want to lose any extra time in the transition area. My friend Chris M. shouted to me that I was in 3rd place in my AG so that made me happy. Immediately, I found my running legs and felt like I had a good stride. I was willing to push the run as my run form and fitness has been really good lately but my right leg was giving me some trouble during this race - for all 13.1 miles. Although it was not noticeable to an outsider, my right leg felt weak and unstable. This is not anything new for me as it's something that I often deal with. Typically I can get it to stiffen up with a few tricks of stretching my back and popping my hips but this time around, it felt a bit different. I contribute it to my hormones loosening up my joints so I just accepted that it would be something I would have to race with but it wasn't going to slow me down. So with my right leg feeling like a wet noodle, I just couldn't run any harder/faster as I was using a lot of mental energy to keep good form. I'm not concerned about this as it was just a bad-timing issue. I also blame my shoe choice (4% Nike) as I feel with the layout of this course, using so much water to keep myself cool and the shoes already being a bit unstable, the shoes were not a good choice for me for this race. The inner in my right shoe was also moving which made the shoe feel really loose. Just a bit of background info as no race is ever easy or perfect - there's always something to deal with and it's usually something that you don't plan for or expect.

On a good note, I never had any low moments and I really enjoyed the course. I was passed by a few girls and I was able to stay with one or two of them for a few miles at a time. I was a bit discouraged to hear I moved to 4th in my age group in the 2nd loop so my mission for the next 6 miles was to get on that podium! I do feel that I had a sub 1:40 in me for this race but I had to deal with the cards I was given. I wasn't able to work the uphills like I usually do but I really tried to push it on the downhills and any section that was shaded. I took two quick reset breaks to try to fix my leg but it didn't help much. I pushed the last mile as I was running next to another girl and Karel was cheering for me with less than 1/2 mile to go (he had already finished). I sprinted as hard as a could - ouch that was painful - to the finish line.

I was thankful for no GI issues, bonking or low moments. I never felt too hot so I feel my choice of a cooling towel and visor worked well. Since I always bring my own nutrition with me when I race (in my Naked Run belt), I could use the aid stations for ice/water and fuel whenever I wanted to on the course.

Karel's recap:

Photo Nicole Rambsey

In T2 I racked my bike, put my socks on and then my Nike 4% shoes. I stepped into my race belt with bib number and grabbed my flasks which I kept in my kit pockets. I also had my sunglasses and hat in my hands as I was running through the transition. Since I like to hold something when I run, I held an Enervitine Cheerpack in my hand.

The only thing I can say about this run is wow. This was one of those runs that don't come very often for me. I felt great from the first step and actually felt like I was running faster/stronger as the race went on. It was hot and humid out but I never felt bothered by the heat. I ran happy and enjoyed seeing some of my athletes out on the course. I gave myself a bit of a boost when I could see that I'm running faster than anyone around me - this was giving me more and more strength and energy. At the end of the first lap my friend Chris told me I was 1st AG with about a minute lead. Hearing this gave me more energy. I kept running strong as I didn't know if some fast runner started way behind me in the swim. At one point I was passed by two pro males and I thought I could try to pace behind them on the bridge. Ha - that lasted about 400 meters! This run went by super fast and before I knew it I was running down the finish shoot. Finishing this race knowing that I gave all I had on the day and I felt so good from start to finish was a great feeling. I can't believe I won my age group and was 7th overall amateur. This was a great race as my 3rd 70.3 in 5 weeks. 

Post race:
After the race, I found Karel and we chatted about our day. I grabbed two slices of pizza and some pretzels and then walked to our team tent to cheer for and wait for the rest of our athletes. Karel went back to the townhome to rescue Campy (and to shower/eat) and I stayed at the venue for the rest of the race. Karel and I stayed until every one of our athletes crossed the finish line. It was so much fun to hang out with our athletes and to hear about their races.

As our last planned 70.3 of the 2019 season, we are feeling healthy, fit and strong and we are both excited to train for our last two races of the season..... Ironman Canada (in 9 weeks) and Ironman World Championship (in 20 weeks). 

Thanks for the cheers and a big thank you to the 2019 Trimarni team affiliates and supporters!
It was so great to see so many familiar athletes on the course, some of my nutrition athletes and thank you to the amazing volunteers! 

Gear and Sport Nutrition Race Recap coming soon.

IM 70.3 Chattanooga - Quick Recap

I remember a time not too long ago in my triathlon journey when my love for training outweighed my love for racing. Sure, race day was something I always looked forward to but with every race came expectations, pressure, competition and worry about the unknowns. Race day was stressful whereas there was nothing to worry about when I trained - as no one was watching.

Over the years, I've studied Karel and his love for racing. He loves to race. If he could, he would race every weekend. I've noticed that he always displays a few special "race day" qualities. Applying these strategies to my own pre-race and race day thought processes has allowed me to love racing as much as I love training.

Here are a few takeaways of how to enjoy racing and to get the most out of your race experience:

• Don't chase results, PR's or podiums. Race the competition - whoever shows up on race day. 
• Preparation builds confidence. 
• Rely more on RPE over metrics to race more proactively (instead of being reactive and robotic). 
• You don't need to prove anything to yourself or to anyone else on race day. 
• Accept that everyone has to race with/in the same conditions. 
• Understand that something/everything won't go well/right on race day. 
• Don't waste energy on things out of your control. 
• Focus on your own pre-race routine. Stay away from people who suck away your energy (including forums/blogs/social media).
• Don't race with expectations or outcome focused goals. 
• Always decide on the best tool for the job. It's good to have a plan but you also need to know how to adjust. 
• Your mind should be as strong as your body.
• Don't be afraid to fail.
• Something good can come from every race. 
• Don't race another athletes's race. 
• Don't race with an ego, race for the joy of racing. 
• Stay humble and confident. 
• Know that you are always a work in progress. 
• Don't let one race define you or your season. 
• Avoid putting too much energy into one race day performance. 
• Reflect on your race in a productive way so you learn from each race. 

IM 70.3 Chattanooga was a first-time event for me and Karel. Although we've raced in Chattanooga in the past, this course was something new for us to conquer. We really love the city and the community loves to welcome this event. The volunteers are incredible.

The competition was stiff, the weather was warm and the swim was shortened. Karel put together an incredible race where he felt strong all day - and got stronger as the day went on. Just two weeks after IM 70.3 St. George and 5 weeks after IM 70.3 Haines City, Karel's strategy of racing himself into great fitness (on top of some great quality training in between) proved to - once again- work really well for him. I placed 4th in my age group. There were so many strong girls in my age group and I knew it would be tough to get on the podium at this race. While I could be disappointed with my placement, I am not. I felt incredibly strong for all 70.3 miles. Even when I heard from a friend that I was in 4th AG, I didn't stop smiling as I felt like I was winning my own race. I am far from upset as I put together the best race that I could on the day.

We had 29 Trimarni athletes on the race course and it was so much fun to share the course (and race experience) with them all. I just love racing with our athletes. And....thee Trimarni coaching and nutrition team placed 3rd Tri Club!! Way to go team!!

As a takeaway from our race, it's totally normal to be disappointed after a race. Those "perfect" races don't come very often so it's expected that there's going to be a learning experience, highs and lows from every race. Most importantly, make sure your race day goals (or expectations) are for the right reasons. We all love to celebrate PR's and podiums, but most importantly, race for the happiness and joy that is racing brings to you. Racing should always give you a great sense of personal accomplishment. No matter what, be thankful and grateful for your healthy mind and body. It's a gift to be able to do what you/we can do with our bodies.

Race Results

Marni - 4th AG (35-39), 10th overall amateur female

.75 mile swim: 14:52 (1st AG, 5th fastest female)

T1: 4:01

56 mile bike: 2:31.03 (4th AG, 10th fastest female)

T2: 2:48

13.1 mile run: 1:40.10 (6th AG, 18th fastest female)

Total: 4:32.53

Karel - 1st AG (40-44), 7th overall amateur male)

.75 mile swim: 15:17 (6th AG)

T1: 3:13

56 mile bike: 2:21.33 (5th AG, 27th fastest male)

T2: 2:21

13.1 mile run: 1:22.12 (1st AG, 3rd fastest male, 4th overall)

Total: 4:04.34

How to avoid GI issues on race day

Photo by Deuce Bradshaw.

Unwanted in training and competition, GI issues frequently impair performance and recovery. The three main causes of GI symptoms include physiological (reduced blood flow to the gut), mechanical (bouncing/jumping) or nutritional (diet/sport nutrition). For example, during exercise, blood flow to the digestive system is impaired so the stomach may reject ingested food or fluids, sending them out of the body - either up or down.

Common upper and lower GI issues include:

UPPER GI ISSUES	LOWER GI ISSUES
Nausea	Intestinal cramping
Vomiting	Side stitch
Stomach pain/cramps	Gas
Bloating	Loose stools/diarrhea
Belching	Intestinal bleeding
Heartburn/reflux	Urgency to defecate

Severity differs depending on the athlete and sport.

For example, the high-impact nature of running may jostle the gastric system, contributing to lower GI issues. In cycling, posture on the bike may increase pressure on the abdomen causing upper GI issues. Among swimmers, swallowing air from short and rapid breathing may cause belching.

Additionally, using a straw-based hydration system or gulping fluids (especially carbonated drinks) may cause aerophagia – which is a condition of excessive air swallowing, contributing to GI issues.

To reduce the risk of GI issues during exercise, follow these practical guidelines:

• ·     If you get gassy with dairy and fructose, consider a lactose or dairy-free alternative and avoid grapes, apples, asparagus, melon and juices when gut flow may be compromised (ex. high-intensity training, competition day).
  
•       Reduce/avoid high-fiber food such as cruciferous veggies and high-fiber cereals/grains and replace with potatoes and plain breads in the 4-24 hours before intense or long duration activity.
  
•       Avoid high-fructose foods such as soda, candy and juice, as well as carbonated drinks around workouts/competition.
  
•       Stay well-hydrated before, during and after exercise. Dehydration can exacerbate GI symptoms. Drink frequently in smaller amounts on a schedule throughout your race instead of big gulps randomly occurring when you feel overly thirsty to reduce the risk of a sloshy stomach.
  
•       Allow 4-6 weeks to train your gut to improve intestinal absorption with ingested foods and fluids. Don't wait until race week to try out your race day nutrition plan. Consider the formulation of your sport nutrition products to ensure optimal digestion and absorption. In other words, don't concentrate your products.
  
•      Trial and error to figure out what works/doesn’t work before and during training/competition. Keep your pre race and race day fueling and hydration plan simple so it's easy to execute under pressure/nerves/stress.
  
•       NSAIDs and aspirin are associated with an increased risk of GI complications, mucosal bleeding and ulcers. Avoid as much as possible, and avoid before and on competition day.
  
•      Stay calm and relaxed. Stress can exacerbate GI issues. 

Don't believe everything that you see on social media

Within the endurance sport world, it's not uncommon to see/hear of athletes manipulating training and the diet in an effort to change body composition, to improve health or to boost performance.

Although endurance sports welcome all body shapes and sizes and training approaches, many athletes accidentally fall into the mindset that to be successful, an extreme style of eating and a rigorous training plan is necessary This begs the question "is training for an athletic event just a socially acceptable way to disguise an obsession with exercise and disordered eating habits?"

Even if you are not obsessed with training miles, body image or the marginal gain approach, it's still rather easy to become extreme with your choices when training for an endurance event - especially if you are following the journey of another athlete. There are many athletes who have been forced away from the sport due to injury or health issue (mental or physical), only to spend years trying to put together all of the broken pieces that occurred from a body that was damaged by extreme choices - such as restrictive eating and overtraining.

Endurance sports often attract a specific personality type - driven, hard-working, competitive, perfectionist, type-A, etc. It's not uncommon for individuals with underlying eating, body image and obsessive-compulsive behaviors to enter the world of endurance sports - only to realize that these issues are exacerbated when training gets more serious. Behind the hidden lens of social media, it's difficult to know if a driven, dedicated and hard-working individual - who is sharing his/her tips, giving advice or sharing his/her personal journey - could be a person who has a very unhealthy relationship with food, exercise and the body.

With so much misinformation circulating over the web, via word of mouth, on YouTube and on social media, often given by inexperienced, unskilled and qualified "experts," I caution you to not believe everything that you see, read or hear. Athletes and experts are not always transparent and this can have a detrimental effect on you, the "follower" or "client." Social media provides a very skewed reality.

And this isn't limited to athletes. Coaches are also to blame. Inadvertently, a coach may reference weight as a limiter to performance, suggesting that a way to improve health, performance or body composition is to weigh daily, cut out certain food groups and avoid carbohydrates at certain times of the day. The coach may then blame athletes for lack of progress or compliance if results are not achieved. Instead of flexibility and freedom, your life becomes an obsession of food, numbers, results and data.

Conquer your inner critic

Have you ever noticed that you are constantly talking to yourself? While you may not always be aware of what's going on in your mind, there's often a conversation or two going on in your head.  Don't worry - you are not alone in this. We all have an inner voice.

Interestingly, most people are incredibly hard on themselves and have a really harsh inner critic. For athletes, saying things like "You are too fat" or "You are so slow" or "You are not ready" or  "You should just give up" or "You will never be successful" are not productive thoughts - especially if you are approaching a workout or race.

You may not realize how much your inner critic is telling you that you are never good enough. These destructive thoughts may be difficult to identify, especially when you are stressed, nervous, overwhelmed or anxious.

One of the biggest mistakes of the inner critic is acting on your thoughts. If you hear that you are "too fat" you may suddenly feel the need to diet or overexercise. If you hear that you are "not ready" for your upcoming race, you may suddenly feel the need to validate your fitness/race readiness by trying to prove to yourself that you can do the distance or specific efforts/paces. Or you may even give up before you have a chance to try, all because you've convinced yourself that you are not good enough.

It can be difficult to live a fulfilling life with so many private conversations going on in your head. Because these thoughts can greatly influence how you feel, act and behave, overtime these self-destructive thoughts can affect your self-worth, self-confidence and may negatively impact your overall health, relationships and quality of life.

It's time to stop being a victim to your own verbal abuse. Become aware of these thoughts, ask yourself if you'd say the same things to a dear friend or close family member and then examine the evidence to determine if these thoughts are accurate. Even if you do feel that your thoughts are true, it's ok to be a work in progress. No one is ever 100% ready or perfect. 

When your inner voice is being overly critical, acknowledge that your thoughts are probably an exaggeration and are not speaking the truth. For every insult that you hear in your head, challenge that thought with a more compassionate response. This may be difficult if you are not use to recognizing your strengths and capabilities but it's important to learn how to speak to yourself in a more kinder and respectful way. 

Wetsuit Testing

As a lifelong swimmer, wearing a wetsuit is not something that I need when it comes to open water swimming. I actually would much rather swim without one. However, if a triathlon is wetsuit legal, I'll be sure to wear one as it does keep me warm in cold water and it gives me a little lift to make swimming faster a bit easier. Because I've spent over two decades mastering my body position, alignment and tautness in the pool, the wetsuit doesn't give me a huge advantage when I swim in the open water. Whereas for Karel - who just learned to swim in the summer of 2012 - the wetsuit gives him everything he needs to "speed up" his swim times. For me, I don't get the same significant advantage.

For the past five plus years, we had a great relationship with Xterra wetsuits. The Vengeance was our wetsuit of choice and it worked really well for us. My fastest wetsuit legal open water time in an Ironman was 57.04 - set in Ironman Austria in 2016. Karel also had several great Ironman and 70.3 times with his Vengeance wetsuit.

After partnering with ROKA this year, we purchased our new wetsuits and wondered - will this wetsuit be as fast and comfortable as our Xterra wetsuit??

After St. George 70.3, Karel was wondering if his new Roka Maverick X wetsuit was really as fast as his previous Xterra Vengeance wetsuit as he wasn't so thrilled with his swim time. So, we decided to put them to the test with a wetsuit pool test, prescribed by Gerry Rodrigues. 

Gerry R. with Tower 26 posted a podcast (and video) on how to test wetsuits. He stressed the importance of testing a variety of wetsuits, instead of just purchasing a wetsuit based only on price, popularity or hype. We have had a few of our athletes use this test to try out different wetsuits and not surprisingly, even though we have partnered with ROKA, some athletes found that other brands worked better for them. 

After an exhausting week of training as we gear up for Ironman 70.3 Chattanooga on Sunday, we decided to do our wetsuit test on Sunday afternoon in place of our normal Sunday PM swim.

After warming up for around a 1000, we did the test which was:
5 x 100's at race pace w/ 10 sec rest (per wetsuit)

We used our smartphone stopwatch to record the times to be as exact as possible. Karel went first with his ROKA suit and then I went second in my Xterra wetsuit. We swam a 100 yards right before the test just to adjust the wetsuit and to get a good feel of it in the water. After we both completed the first round, we put on the other suit. Whoever was on deck recorded the times with paper/pen and gave the 10 sec countdown so that this was a blind test (not knowing what times you did until it was complete).

Along with the times, we also recorded our immediate feedback with each wetsuit. With years of experience with our Xterra Vengeance wetsuit, we always found it comfortable to put on. But after comparing it to the ROKA, we noticed how much better our arms felt with the ROKA. We felt like the ROKA was more fitting, allowing for a more natural swimming feel. We both agreed our arms were more tired in the Xterra whereas with the ROKA, it felt much more efficient and smooth. Karel immediately mentioned that his RPE was going up in the Xterra and in the ROKA he never felt tired. Subjective feedback is important when doing a wetsuit test for a wetsuit may be fast but if it exhausts you or feels uncomfortable, it's probably not the right wetsuit for you.

The purpose of this blog is not to say that one wetsuit is better than another. As I mentioned above, we have athletes who don't wear ROKA simply because it doesn't work for them. Try out a variety of brands well in advance of your upcoming race so that you can feel confidence and comfortable when swimming in the open water.

Here are the results of our test:
As a reference, Karel usually swims 1:22-1:25 for 100 yards if doing half IM effort with short rest in the pool. As a comparison, I typically swim 1:14-1:16 for 100 yards if doing half IM effort with short rest in the pool. You can see how much the wetsuit helps both of us, but specifically how much it helps Karel as a non-swimmer. 
Karel ROKA
1:10.22
1:11.05
1:11.35
1:10.63
1:10.51

Marni ROKA
1:10.40
1:10:35
1:10.67
1:09:78
1:09:40

Karel Xterra
1:10.70
1:11.76
1:12.02
1:11.97
1:11.99

Marni Xterra
1:10.60
1:10.42
1:10.25
1:10.05
1:10.00

My Sport Nutrition Fueling Regime

It doesn't matter the training session, you'll find me utilizing some type of sport nutrition product. Come race day, I have great confidence and experience in my race day fueling plan, which also helps me reduce the risk of race day GI, bonking and dehydration issues.

I have no hesitations or concerns consuming sport nutrition products in all of my training sessions because I feel these products extend far beyond helping my body maximize performance and adapt to training stress. I believe my good relationship with sport nutrition products has helped me ward off illness over the past 12 years (no sickness since 2007!) and help reduce my risk for injury (last injury in 2013!). I've also been able to do a lot of incredible things with my body over the years. Thank you body!

In our current society, sport nutrition has come very far. There are so many different types of sport nutrition products designed for your sport and most are very well formulated to provide your body with exactly what you need to perform at your best. And most of them taste pleasantly good and use natural ingredients (no chemicals, food dyes or sweeteners). Despite plenty of research demonstrating the benefits of consuming sport nutrition in training and racing to help delay fatigue, minimize excessive dehydration, protect the immune system and optimize performance, many athletes still struggle to understand how to best use products effectively and/or there are many athletes who refuse to consume sport nutrition products in training and racing because they feel they don't need it or the products are "unhealthy".

For the purpose of this blog post, I'm assuming that most athletes understand the importance of consuming sport nutrition products during training and racing but there's a common struggle when it comes to the application of sport nutrition and finding the right product to meet your physiological and taste bud needs.

Here is a past blog post explaining why your sport nutrition products may not be working for you.

Here is a video explaining what products I use for swimming, biking and running. Below the video I have included links to the companies along with a few discount codes. Happy fueling!

Carborocket - discount trimarni
NBS - discount trimarni
INFINIT - discount trimarnicoach
Osmo 
Vite Nutrition - discount trimarni25
Clif 
Skratch
Naked Running Band - discount trimarni15
Amrita bars (not mentioned in the video but I love the protein bars!) - discount trimarni

Ironman 70.3 St. George Race Recap - Karel

Race week was very tough for me mentally and emotionally. On Monday, we made the incredibly difficult decision to say goodbye to Smudla - my best furry friend for the past 16.5 years. Tues was even worse for me. I was able to do my workouts but I felt like I was just going through the motions as I was completely empty inside. My sleep was off and so was my appetite. It was a rough week. I didn't even get around to packing my bike until late Tuesday afternoon. It was probably good that I was able to get away as I was constantly seeing and thinking of Smudla all around the house - even though she was no longer there.

My flight left early Wed morning and I arrived in Vegas around lunchtime. Robb (our athlete and friend) picked me up at the airport and we arrived to St. George in the afternoon. After grocery shopping and then checking in to our rental house near Snow Canyon, I went for a short jog just to shake off the travel. It was a very long day of travel and my back was bothering me during the plane ride but it was nice to move some blood before dinner.

On Thursday I did my mini triathlon - swam in the lake, biked on some of the course and then ran. The water was cold (low 60's) but after my head unfroze, I was ok. I had my new Roka wetsuit which felt good in the water. After the bike and run, my legs felt much better than on Wednesday - much more springy.

Friday was the typical pre-race warm-up of a short spin followed by a short run. Since we stayed at the top of the hill on the bike course, I rode down to the expo to show off my freshly painted (by Kcycle) bike at the Ventum booth (I told Rachel I'd stop by). I then biked easy going back up the hill. My run off the bike was mostly flat around the subdivision. Overall I felt fine. Being around our athletes helped me clear my mind a bit but anytime I was alone and tried to visualize and focus on the race, I would think about Smudla and it would make me really sad.

Robb, Diane and I arrived to T1 right when it opened so that we could check in our bikes. New this year was having bags for the bike (with all gear including shoes in the bag). These bags hung on a rack instead of having us set up our own transition area.

Pre-race Meal:

The standard for me: Oatmeal and coffee. Then a half of the Skratch bar about an hour before the race and sipping on a NBS drink. SIS gel right before I lined up for the swim. I also had Osmo pre load the day before the race (morning and evening) and on race day morning.

Race morning procedure/warm-up: The usual jog warm up and bathroom stops at the race site. No swim warm-up allowed - which I feel is dangerous considering the water was only 62F. I also used the PR lotion which I feel really works. 

Bike nutrition: NBS carbo-hydration drink (hydration system and bottle) + 1 x SIS gel.

Run nutrition:1 flask with Precision hydration 1000 and one flask with Skratch. I also had one Enervitine cheerpack and a few licks of base salt too. I don't have just one fueling plan but instead I think about the course and the conditions and what I feel will work best for me on the day.


1.2 mile swim: 31:04

I was a little late to line up for the swim so I was a little more back of where I wanted to stand but still I was in the 30 to 34 min crowd (self-seed rolling start). They started 3 of us at a time, every 5 seconds. The water was cold (62F) and since I usually don’t do well in the cold water, I wore my Xterra neoprene booties (allowed in US races if the water temp is below 65F). My goal was to swim comfy to the first buoy to avoid any possible chest tightness due to the cold water and due to the lack of a swim warm-up. I felt fine and quickly find a good rhythm. Because of the cold, I didn't do my usual “take out speed” but just swam comfortably so that I wouldn't panic. The water was crisp and clean and it was easy to see the other swimmers and kicking legs. No kicks in my face for me this race :-)

Overall I felt good throughout the swim but I just couldn't get into that maximum sustainable effort. I was moving fine and passing some slower swimmers, but then at one point I noticed that a girl that I
passed was still on my side. I tired to swim away from her but she was still there. I backed off and swam on her hip for some time, thinking it is basically my speed. But looking back, I’m not sure if it was a good decision or if I should have just taken a breather and then kept on pushing. I stayed on her hip for the entire back stretch. Sighting was a bit difficult on the back long stretch due to chop and sun but I think I was able to stay pretty straight. Looking at my swim file after the race, the lines were not as straight as last year and my Garmin showed about 100 yards more in distance compared to previous year. The swim time at the end wasn’t what I was expecting but when I saw the slower time at the clock I didn't make any assumption because you never know what the other athletes did. I was in a good head-space as I exited the water and ran towards my bike bag.

T1

I grabbed my bag quickly and dumped my helmet and bike shoes down on the ground. I quickly slipped off my wetsuit (I didn’t use the strippers) and bent over to grab my helmet and shoes. That made me dizzy and I wobbled a little and had to grab a chair. My head was spinning - probably from bending down right after the cold water. I kept on moving and the feeling passed as I made my way to my bike.  I had my bike shoes in my hands and put them on right in front of my bike. The transition was long and I didn’t want to run in my cycling shoes. The shoes were not allowed to be clipped to the pedals otherwise I would have had them clipped in to my bike. My bike was close to the bike exit

so it was a short run and a very quick hop on the bike at the mount line.

56 mile bike: 2:26.26

I really like the St. George bike. It has everything I like in a bike ride - lots of good climbing and also some nice long descends. It is also easy to break the course down into segments, which makes it go by quickly. It is a very honest course and you don’t really see any AG draft packs on the course.

There is a big hill around mile 2 of the bike and it's very easy to push too hard there and then pay for it later on as the HR and power goes skyrocket high. I made it up that hill pretty comfortably and used the following descend to collect my legs and to get ready for the actual bike ride.

With this being my third time racing here, I knew the course very well. I mentally broke it down into several segments and focused on the best execution possible on each segment. I made sure not to think too much in the future but just stay in the present moment.

The first segment was around the lake and then getting out to the main road ~30 min or so. Then it was the first big hill on the main road, followed by 2 other major hills with long and fast descents in between. Then it was the road to the Red Hills Parkway (also part of the run course) which then heads towards the Snow Canyon. The ride gets more and more beautiful as the race goes on. Then it
was the Snow Canyon section (about 4.5 miles) and then the final descend into St. George.

Nothing new, my back really bothered me very early on and it was very difficult to pedal. Normally my back starts to bother me mid ride and lasts until I get off the bike but this time, it actually got better as the ride went on - probably from being able to change my position on the climbs and do more out-of-the-saddle pedaling. I also did some out of the saddle stretches, together with my breathing exercises from Scott (my PT) which helped me manage my back pain. I was able to manage the 2nd half of the bike and felt much better with less back pain. It never really went away but it was tolerable. I'm use to this as I just can't seem to ride without some type of back pain. I got passed by 3, maybe 4 guys during the bike ride. I felt really strong in the Canyon and enjoyed the final descend into town.

Overall I'm really happy with this ride and how it went. I tried to push harder but I just don't have that power like I used to have in my old cycling days. I can’t live in the past and I need to work with what my abilities are these days. I passed a lot of guys going up the Snow Canyon and that felt good. There were no winds today so it helped with overall faster bike times compared to the previous 2 years. I was feeling good at the bike finish and I was excited to run. On the descend into town, I was rehearsing the T2 and the start of the run and I was ready to chase down some of the faster cyclists in my age group.

13.1 mile run - 1:23.22

I quickly racked my bike, ditched the helmet and put on my running socks and shoes. I don’t use socks on the bike so it takes me a few seconds longer to put them on in T2. I usually wear my Naked Running belt but in the week leading up to the race, I realized in a training run that I can easily put my 2 flasks into the rear pocket of my new Castelli San Remo (one piece) Tri suit and they stayed there secured without bouncing around. So I did just that and just had a race belt with the bib number to put on. I grabbed my running hat, glasses and flask and started moving out through T2 to the run exit. During that time I put the flasks in my pockets, hat on my head and sunglasses on. I kept my Enervitine cheer pack in my hand. Sometimes I like to hold on to something when I run and it felt good.

The run is very difficult and it can break some souls if you are not mentally prepared for it. It broke
me the first time around three years ago! Last year I was much better prepared mentally for it and managed to have a good run. I was hoping I could match my run from last year which was 1:25.

I mentally broke the run into several segments again just like the bike. First was the 3 mile hike up the hill. I didn’t want to look at my watch until this segment was done. I don’t run by paces or HR on my watch anytime when I race but since I have done this race twice before, I knew how long it should take me to get to the top of the hill around 3 miles and wanted to check in with myself around that time. I felt pretty good and just focused on from, breathing and tried to find some fluidity in my stride (if you can call that going uphill). I saw a friend at mile 1-ish aid station who cheered me on and said something like “go run them down”. It gave me a spark of energy. Thanks Lee!

I was moving well and kept on passing other athletes - some that I recognized from passing me on the

bike. That always feels good. I got to the top of that hill and finally glanced on my watch. I was pleased to see a faster time compared to last year and I was ready to tackle the next segment.

Next came the rolling hills (mostly downhill) to the first turnaround. It went by quickly and I found a really good rhythm. I was drinking from my flasks and took a sip of the cheer pack gel. My next segment was the middle part - 1st and 2nd turn around with more uphill running. I felt good running the hills and I kept telling myself that I am really looking forward to the monster hill that comes on the way back and peaks at around mile 9-ish. I remember the first year - that hill totally broke me and even last year it was very difficult to conquer. Not this time. I was ready for that beast. The run course has absolutely zero shade and if it is sunny, there is no escaping it. It was sunny but I could still feel a little bit of breeze and never felt too hot. Our new Castelli suit felt awesome - I even kept it zipped up all the way.

I got the the bottom of the monster and start climbing up. I kept a good pace and was knocking down the monster one step at the time. Just before the top, I saw our athlete Robb heading the opposite direction and he cheered on me. I wanted to cheer back but I was in the hurt box. I focused on the last few meters of the uphill and just nodded my head to him as I was cheering for him from the inside.

From the top of that beast, it was mostly downhill with just a little bit of rise up for next mile and then it was all downhill to the finish. In my head the run, I convinced myself that after the monster hill, the run was done. I still had about 3 miles to run but it was all downhill. I kept on pushing and was able to pass more people (several in my AG).

I went by my friend Lee who cheered me on again and I just keep on pushing towards the finish line. I glanced on my watch and new it would be a better time than last year. That felt good. I sprinted to the finish line even though there was nobody else on the red carpet - but you just never know with these rolling starts.

I missed out on 3rd place in IM 70.3 Florida a few weeks ago by 18 seconds and I wanted to make sure I gave it all I had all the way to the finish line.

I crossed the line with time of 4:26-ish and sub 1:24 run which was 2 min faster than last year. I was
super stoked with that but I still didn’t know where I finished. It took me some time to get my morning gear bag and powered up my phone….. and there it was (a text from Marni). I placed 2nd in my AG (40-44) in very competitive field that was way stronger than the previous year. I was super happy and I knew I gave it all I had. There was nothing left in the tank and nothing that I could have done better.

I really love St. George. It is a super hard race but it's a very honest course with beautiful scenery. If only the water was a bit warmer :-)

The town and community of St. George is great and they really welcomed and supported the athletes and the event.

I’m super stoked to see that the IM 70.3 World Championship will be in St. George in 2021 and hopefully I will be at the start line as well. I’m also pumped to hear the return of the full Ironman to St. George next year - although I still can’t even comprehend how the heck anybody can do a full on this brutally hard course......but there is a 99%  chance that Marni and I will be there in May next year to tackle the full. It is one of those bucket lists races that I need to do.

I like what Sebastian Kienle said "people want to sign up for an Ironman as big challenge but then they seek a flat, fast and ‘easy” course. It is like ordering a gallon of ice cream and wanting to have it without any calories." Bring on the calories St. George!

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Thank you to the Trimarni affiliates and supporters