The 365-Day Running Journal - a look inside

We are getting close to the release date of my new book "The 365-day Running Journal." With only a few weeks to go, I wanted to share a few snippets of educational material that you can find within the journal to help you get more out of your exercise regime. While this book is called a running journal, you don't have to be a runner to log your workouts, record your milestones and maintain motivation through inspirational quotes and tips.


Cross Training
Running more doesn’t always lead to running better. Although a certain amount of training stress and specificity is needed for training adaptations, running harder, longer or more often is not the answer. As with any type of sport, there are potential side effects to the age-old “more is better” myth. To reduce the chance of an overuse injury, you need to let your run-specific muscles heal. Cross-training can be defined as engaging in different types of activities from your main sport. Since running is full-body, load-bearing activity, cross-training lessens the corrosive nature of moving your body in a forward motion. When you aren’t running, strengthening and recovering your running-specific muscles will help you maintain better form for your next run-specific workout. Although it’s tempting to credit running improvements to hard or long running, to stay healthy, you need to be open to supplementing your run training with other activities. 

Warming up/Cooling Down
Warming up is one of the most important aspects of your workout, yet it’s regularly overlooked and undervalued. Although it’s tempting to skip your warm-up to jump right into your workout, you are missing out on the only time to prime your muscles, tendons and joints to do their job more effectively.  When you are sedentary, your muscles are at rest. Only about 20% of the blood pumped by the heart is directed to the skeletal muscles. For your muscles to work optimally during exercise, you need to gradually increase your heart rate to start pumping more blood to the muscles. In other words, when you warm-up, you are literally warming up your cold muscles. 

Equipment 
Starting from the ground up, the most important item is a quality pair of running shoes. With so many brands out there, visit your local running store to get a free gait analysis with the help of a qualified shoe expert. Don’t make the common mistake of selecting a shoe brand based on design and color. Based on your running gait, fitness level, past injury history and fitness, your shoe expert will consider the appropriate cushion level, arch support, upper, midsole and shoe type for your needs. Keeping in mind that shoe sizes vary by manufacture (and shoe model), it’s important to have both feet measured. Because your feet swell during the day, try on shoes at the end of the day. Lastly, shoes should be snug but leaving about a half inch of extra space in the front of the shoe will allow your foot to comfortably move without rubbing.

Designing a training plan
There are many ways to train for a run event. A training plan takes away the guessing so that your workouts are organized, systematic and personalized to your specific training objectives. A training plan will help optimize performance over a specific period, while reducing risk of injury, fatigue and burnout. Not discounting your goals, a well-structured plan should be adaptable, factoring in time constraints, travel, environmental factors and unexpected life situations like injuries, events and sickness. Although a coach can help you become the best version of yourself, the idea of hiring a coach may seem a bit daunting, expensive or unnecessary at this point in your journey. While having a coach is not a requirement, an effective training plan is a must. Here are a few tips for designing your own fully customizable workout schedule.

Sport Nutrition 
There will come a point in your athletic journey when your daily diet will no longer provide all the energy that you need to support your workouts. Failure to nutritionally adjust to an increase in training volume and/or intensity increases the risk for injury, sickness and burnout. Sport nutrition recommendations can be confusing as most tips conflict with healthy-eating advice. For example, many people run in order to lose weight. Asking an individual to eat before a morning run may conflict with the belief that a fasted workout will burn more body fat. Additionally, nearly all sport nutrition products – like gels, energy chews and sport drink powders – are loaded with added sugar. And as we all know, our society already has a problem with over-consuming sugar-sweetened beverages. However, the nutrition consumed before, during and after specific run training sessions is designed to support your training sessions, whereas your daily diet supports your workouts and your overall health needs. 

Click HERE to order for the September 24th release date. 

Injury and mental health

Injuries are an unavoidable part of sport participation. While there are ways to reduce your risk and some injuries result from accidents, almost every athlete will experience some type of injury during an athletic career. While some injuries can be managed with just a little disruption to training (I call these niggles), some injuries cause substantial physical and mental stress. 

It's normal to feel frustrated, annoyed and sad when you experience an injury. Depending on the severity of the injury, your emotions may change on a daily basis. Every person has his/her own emotional reaction to an injury as well as how to best emotionally cope with a setback. It should be noted that injury process doesn't just include the time immediately after an injury until the injury is healed but it also includes the rehab process and the time needed to return to optimal fitness.

Because sport/exercise/training is often used as a healthy coping mechanism to manage stress, to boost self-esteem, to optimize health and body composition and to increase self-confidence, athletes may struggle to find healthy coping behaviors during an injury. The psychological response to an injury may trigger the following:

1. Disordered Eating - When an athlete is no longer exercising regularly, it's an assumed response to want to restrict calories and carbs in order to avoid weight gain. While a small change in eating habits may be necessary, feeling like you don't deserve to eat or feeling intense fear of weight gain may trigger disordered eating. For some individuals, when self-identity is threatened, the incidence of disordered eating or an eating disorder may increase.
2. Depression - Sport increases self confidence. Great feelings come from completing a workout, relieving stress through exercise and socializing with others. When you can no longer do what you love to do, you may question your own self-worth. Feelings of anxiety and stress due to a re-injury or lack of confidence in your return to training may cause extreme worry. There's also the emotional exhaustion that comes from spending an excessive amount of time and energy on the should of, could have and if scenarios.
3. Isolation - You may feel like everyone can train but you. Seeing people at the gym or outside may cause anxiety, sadness and a sense of alienation. When you feel like you no longer fit in with your community or friends, this may cause isolation and a loss of interest and withdrawal from healthy behaviors or proper recovery/rehab. 

There's no right time for an injury. If you suffer from an injury, allow yourself to mourn. You don't have to be "strong" by hiding your feelings. Your emotions are an important part of the healing process. You must feel to heal. While it's difficult to do, try to stay positive and keep everything in perspective. Use the success stories of others to give you hope. Maintain a positive outlook.

While rehab and therapy may not be as fun as training, don't cut corners or waste time doing nothing. Work as hard with your injury recovery rehab as you did with your training. Don't be all or nothing. If your injury allows you to still continue some part of your training or a different mode of activity, do it. While  you may not want to do it because it's just not as fun as what you did before, do what you can to get back to where you want to be. While you may feel upset and maybe even embarrassed, don't isolate yourself from others. Seek the support of people who can lift you up. Be patient - injuries don't follow a defined time-line. Rushing the process may result in a re-injury or a delay in healing. Sometimes the quickest way to heal an injury is to go slow.

Lastly, seek help. Use the time away from sport to work on your nutrition, sleep habits, personal relationships and/or mental health. Seeking out the help of a professional, therapist or counselor is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength and determination to overcome a setback.

Running Journal Giveaway!!

A big thank you to Meg and Kelly with Fillnow Coaching for hosting a giveaway for my new book "The 365-Day Running Journal." Check out their Instagram to read the many inspiring responses of how others would use this journal for health, wellness and fitness. If you are interested in hosting a giveaway to help me promote my new journal/book with your athletes/community, just send me an email.

I just realized that I never selected a winner for my last giveaway on August 28th, so I'd love to give you one more opportunity to select your favorite running store for a chance to be entered in the giveaway for my new book.

When it comes to running gear, we love to shop local.

Spending money at your local running stores helps keep the money local. They also take up less space, and make less waste. Not to mention, they usually buy locally and live locally. Lastly, your voice gets heard. If there is something you want to see sold in a store, or you have a problem, the owner/staff truly care what you think and what you need. For a local run store, their entire business revolves around the fact that you are their customer and they want to do right by you.

Comment on my Facebook page (pinned post on the top of the page) and tag your favorite local run store (don't forget to share the location - city/state) and I'll randomly select a winner. You, and a run store, could receive a free copy of my new book "The 365-day Running Journal."

For more tips, quotes and educational material, don't forget to reserve your copy for the September 24th release (and gift one to a friend). Order HERE.

IM Kona: 5 week countdown

This was an exciting weekend as we watched the Facebook live coverage of the Ironman World Championship in Nice, France. We had four athletes racing (along with a few of my nutrition athletes) and it was great to track them throughout the event. The professional races (all women raced on Sat and men on Sunday) were super exciting to watch. The bike course looked exceptionally challenging but then again, it also reminded us of our riding in Greenville. Except in Greenville, we have much worse road conditions. But we lucky to have narrow, quiet roads, long climbs, twisty descends, punchy hills and everything between  - except for flat roads. Sadly, we have none of those where we live.

As for my training, I was able to get back into a routine this week - although my mind was not always present. As the week went on, my head space/mental state got a bit better. Karel and I often swim together and we enjoy riding outside together. When it comes to running (back when I was running more regularly), we would often start runs together and then finish around the same time. This week was a little different as we had our long rides on different days. I had ~5 hours of solo riding which meant a lot of hours with my own thoughts. Thankfully, my mind was in a good place and I was able to put together a good ride. We finished Friday evening with pizza from Sidewall - in honor of Grandpa Joe who would have turned 96 on that day. He wanted a pizza party for his birthday so we made sure to yum with him in our thoughts.

As for my training last week.....
Swim: 24,000 (5:55 hours)
Bike: 10:10 hours (long ride 97 miles/5:10)
Run (a combo of treadmill running and water jogging): 2:33
Strength: 40 minutes
Total weekly training hours: 19 hours

I'm happy to report I'm progressing slowly with my running - all on the treadmill but I'm feeling a bit better with each run. Yes, I want things to progress more quickly but I must be patient with my body. I'm undecided if I will race Kona (or just do the swim/bike) depending on how the next few weeks go. While I am bummed about the situation I am in, I just love being in Kona for the World Championship and we have 3 athletes racing (plus Karel) so I will be in great company when it comes to being surrounded by positive energy.

Karel has been putting in some solid training. Although his back still bothers him on the bike and often during the day, he is running super strong and surviving his swim sessions ;)

For his long run on Sunday, the workout was a 90-minute negative split run. Here's how it went down for Karel.

1:40.49 total run time
15.2 miles
6:39 min/mile average pace
139 average HR

Mile splits:
7:26
6:54
6:25
6:42
6:34
7:05
6:36
6:29
6:08
6:07
6:10
6:11
6:06
6:09
7:46
7:07

Dealing with FOMO

Source

Although Karel and I had our plans set on focusing on IM Kona this year, Karel and I are having a serious case of FOMO (fear of missing out) in looking at all the incredible pictures of athletes at the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Nice, France. What a beautiful race venue! But thankfully, we have four amazing Trimarni athletes who are participating and we can virtually share the experience with each of them.

As it relates to social media, we can quickly see that people often post pictures and updates showing the highlights of life - the good moments. From this perspective, social media can be viewed as "fake" because we only see the best side of what's happening in the lives of others. However, this is not always the case. When used properly, social media is a way to connect with others, share experience and document important moments in life. Behind every smiling post is a story.

As I scroll through social media and see picture after picture of athletes in beautiful Nice, France, as much as I'd love to be there, I am not destroyed by envy. It's actually the opposite - I'm so super excited for others to experience a World Championship event in such a beautiful location! I know the work it takes to get to the start line - and not every journey is a smooth one (I can attest to that!). We must remember that anytime an athlete posts a picture in the days leading up to an event, we must not forget the sacrifice, investments, work and struggles that were needed to get to the start line. The accomplishment lies in the journey, not the final destination.

When it comes to social media and FOMO, we must not resent other people's successful moments. Bitterness robs you of your mental strength and can affect your emotional well-being.

Here are a few tips to help you deal with FOMO: 

1. Don't compare - Comparison is the thief of joy. Comparing yourself to other people isn't a healthy way to measure your self-worth. We all have our own journey to follow and our own obstacles to overcome. Most of all, we all have our own unique talents, strengths and experiences.
   
2. Be accepting - It's often said that it takes 10-years to become an overnight success. Don't diminish someone else's accomplishment as you don't know what he/she had to overcome (or how long it took) to get to where they are today. Acknowledge achievement without judgement. Be proud of the success of others.
   
3. Don't assume - When you make an assumption, you are filling in blanks with your interpretation of what you see or hear. Assumptions can spiral into negative thinking - believing that you aren't good enough, smart enough, working hard enough....... When you look to social media for validation that your assumptions about yourself are correct, you may believe that everyone is successful, except for you. Before you make an assumption, ask yourself if what you are thinking is the truth - about others and about yourself.
   
4. Acknowledge your strengths - Just because you think the grass is greener on the other side, this doesn't mean that you need to follow in their footsteps. Chase your own dreams, accept that you can't do it all (or be great at everything), create your own definition of success, keep your eyes on your own path and most of all, recognize your own strengths. Instead of wasting your precious time comparing yourself to others, spend it figuring out what is meaningful to you.
   
5. Stay present - Take the time to enjoy where you are now, instead of constantly chasing the next accomplishment or searching for the next "best ever" experience. Appreciate what you have instead of focusing on what you lack or feel you need to be happy. Be grateful for what you have in life right now, in this moment.

When life happens

Life can be extremely difficult, sad and unfair.

On Sunday afternoon, Karel drove three hours (each way) to pick-up our two new family members - Ella and Felix. Just shy of two months old, we couldn't wait to welcome these two beautiful furry ones to their forever home. Although we didn't plan on getting another cat after Smudla passed away in April, we really wanted to rescue these two adorable kittens.

Instantly we feel in love with Ella and Felix. Campy was scared and curious of the kittens and Madison (our 11.5 year old cat) was not very happy. This was my first time having kittens to take care of as both Campy and Madison came to us (as rescues) when they were ~1 year old.

Unfortunately, on Monday morning I received the news that my almost 96-year old Grandpa Joe passed away peacefully in his sleep. Thankfully, I had a Facetime "call" with him on Sunday and I was able to speak with him one last time. Coincidentally, my mom (his daughter) was in town so she was able to spend a lot of time with him before he passed away. Instead of a funeral, my aunt threw a memorial service on Wednesday to celebrate his wonderful life. I flew up to Fort Wayne Indiana on Tues and traveled back home on Thurs morning.

On Monday before I booked my flights, I noticed that Felix had a little cough - I couldn't tell if it was a hairball or a reverse sneeze as he only did it a few times throughout the day. Karel and I Facetimed several times while I was away as he was having so much fun with our entertaining kitties. Karel mentioned that Felix still had his cough so we asked a few friends if we should be concerned. Most mentioned it was nothing concerning but perhaps taking him to the vet would ease our worries.

On Thursday, we noticed that Felix was not eating. He was also breathing a little heavy and he was very lethargic. This worried us so we took him to the ER animal hospital around 9pm. Felix had to be put on Oxygen and they told us he may have the feline herpes virus and to give him antibiotics. Both kittens needed eye drops when they came to us. After we left the ER around 12:15am, we had a very restless night of sleep worrying about Felix. On Friday morning, Karel took Felix and Ella to the vet to get them checked out and the vet wanted to keep Felix all day due to his respiratory issue. He was kept in an Oxygen chamber to help him breath. We skipped our morning swim and managed to gather just enough energy for a very short run (I ran on the treadmill and Karel ran outside). When the vet called around 4pm, we received news that they were very worried about Felix and that we needed to take him back to the ER animal hospital. Ella stayed at the vet all day so that she could keep her buddy company - although she had more fun playing with all the vet techs and running around. We picked up Ella and Felix around 5pm and made our way to the ER animal hospital. They quickly put Felix in an Oxygen chamber and we waited until we saw the vet. The vet was very worried and she suggested that we do x-rays to determine what was going on. We agreed, even though it was risky to do the x-rays due to the stress of everything going on. The X-ray showed extreme fluid around his lungs (Pneumonia). The prognosis was not good but we wanted to give him a chance to fight it. We went home from the ER around 7:30pm and cried and worried about our little Felix.

On Saturday morning, the vet called around 6am and told us that Felix was declining. We then had to make the decision if they should give CPR in the case anything happened and we decided against it as it was just too much for his little body to handle. We had planned a long bike ride (5-6 hours) with friends from out of town on Saturday morning at 8am but it was a struggle to even think about the thought of riding. We mustered the energy to get started, hoping that being around our friends who help clear our mind, but around 2 hours into the ride, Karel and I couldn't focus and we were no longer benefiting from the ride. We just wanted to go home to Ella (my mom was watching her as we were super scared and worried about her as well). After 3.3 hours of riding, we were so relieved to finally be at home. Later that evening, we received the news that Felix did not survive. This was devastating to hear and our life felt like it turned upside down.

After my hip/back issue in early July, scratching my cornea in early August, my Grandpa passing away and now losing Felix, I feel like my positivity tank is running really low. I just can't find the silver lining to this recent loss. What should have been a happy time for us, turned into something so heart-braking. We are sad, confused and upset.

I hesitated to write about this recent sadness on my blog - which serves as an inspirational, motivational and educational place for athletes and fitness enthusiasts - but I feel it's important to show the difficult times as my life is far from perfect.

Grief is a natural response to loss. I know this well from losing my dad to cancer in May of 2014 - just three days shy of my 32nd birthday. The pain of loss can feel overwhelming - especially when it's a loved one or family member. With all kinds of unexpected emotions, grief can easily disrupt your physical health - making it difficult to eat, sleep, think straight or exercise.

For any athlete training for an important competition/event, it's normal to want life to be easy and smooth so that all energy and focus can go toward the preparation of the big event. Many times, athletes try to remove additional stressors in an effort to focus purely on training. However, when life happens - it can be difficult to gather the energy to train, let alone have the motivation or energy to exercise.

Any type of loss can cause grief. Whatever the loss may be for you, you should never feel ashamed that you need time to grieve. Healing happens gradually. We all grieve in different ways. But the important thing is to focus on healthy ways to cope with the pain that you feel when it comes to loss. 

For athletes, you may find it easy to give up on training all together in an effort to grieve. This is ok. You may also choose to pursue your training to help you cope with the loss. This is also ok.
What's not ok is to ignore the pain or keep it from surfacing. As this may lead into unhealthy coping mechanisms such as food, drugs, alcohol or extreme exercise to numb uncomfortable feelings and emotions.

As an athlete, you have likely taught yourself how to be very mentally tough. Feeling sad is a normal reaction to loss - this doesn't mean you are weak. It's ok to show your feelings, write about them or talk to close friends and family. Some people cry and others don't We all have our own ways of showing that we are sad.

Because there is no timetable of grieving, it's understandable that you may have good and bad days. While time may help you find it easier to move on with life, this doesn't mean that you forgot about your loss. Grief triggers many different and unexpected emotions and it can be a roller coaster of ups and downs, highs and lows.

Although we are continuing to train for IM Kona, are expectations are realistic and reasonable for all that we have been through. More so for myself, my training has had so many interruptions this summer, I will just be thankful to get to the start line.

This is life and sometimes life happens. I share this with you to encourage you to always take care of yourself as you grieve. And just because life happens, this doesn't mean that you have to give up on your training or races. Because a major loss can quickly deplete your energy and emotional reserves, you can't push your physical and emotional needs to the side. Although it's been extremely hard, we are trying to maintain our hobby of triathlon. The lifestyle of swim/bike/run does bring us happiness and it's important to continue making time for our own needs. Some workouts have been a struggle to complete and others just didn't get done but we are making the effort to get back to our routine. Again, it's very important not to use alcohol, drugs or food to numb the pain of grief or to give you a temporary mood boost. Face your feelings and express your feelings in a creative way. If grief becomes complicated, you are unable to perform your normal daily activities, feel like life isn't worth living and you begin to find yourself depressed or anxious, contact a grief counselor or professional therapist for help.

While this has been a very difficult time for us, our hearts are being filled with the love and cuteness of our sweet Ella - who also goes by the names of Ella Bella and Monkey. She's topping the scales at 14.5 ounces and she looks up to her older sister Madison and big bro Campy.

Body Positivity for Runners

Positive Body Image

The 365-Day Running Journal, Pg 18.

Whether you are a casual jogger or an experienced racer, you may believe that changing your body composition will help you reach your running goals. After all, how many times have you heard the mistaken belief that lightening-up will speed you up? With any type of sport, it’s normal to look to others and see where you stack up based on performance, training volume and body type. While running can be a great activity to help shed excess body fat to improve your overall health, there’s a downside to competitive leanness. Chasing the idea that weighing less will enhance performance may deprive you of the fuel and nutrients that you need to optimize performance and to maintain great health.

The media is oversaturated with images of fast runners with six-pack abs, lean arms and long slender legs. Constant exposure to these images can make you believe that you are not built like a runner - increasing body consciousness, lowering self-esteem and intensifying body dissatisfaction. Constant bombardment of an unrealistic body type can make it easy to mistakenly slip into unhealthy or disordered eating behaviors, while increasing your risk for sickness, hormonal disturbances, mood changes, injury, negative energy availability and burnout. The perceived ‘runners body’ is not something you need to strive for. Success looks different on everyone. Instead, learn to embrace the unique traits and qualities that enhance your running journey. Not every athlete body is going to look the same.

Runners come in different shapes and sizes. If you watch any race – marathon to 5K – you’ll see all different body types celebrating across the finish line. Let’s get real - your smartwatch doesn’t know how much you weigh.

Own your body image. Run because you love to run. You define your own success. If you are avoiding signing up for a race because you fear being judged, crush those mental demons. Let go of comparison and be proud of your strong body. Your body belongs at any race distance. Never let your insecurities define you. Run because it tests your courage. Instead of bashing your body, thank your body. Be proud of the function of your body and all that it’s capable of achieving. How you perceive yourself largely influences your actions. Discard the bathroom scale if it leads to self-destructive thoughts. Wear clothes that make you feel good about yourself when you run. Create goals that make you feel proud of your body. And most of all, figure out how you need to eat, sleep and train in order to stay healthy for the long-term. How you need to look may be different than how you think you need to look. The process of developing a positive body image takes time but to love your body in motion is worth the patience and hard work. Running doesn’t care what you look like.

For more educational information, tips and quotes, don't forget to reserve your copy of my latest book "The 365-Day Running Journal" for the September 24th release (and gift one to a friend).

Click HERE to pre-order.

Grandpa Joe: A life well lived

On Sunday evening, we lost a beautiful soul. Just shy of 96 years, Grandpa Joe touched the lives of so many. While it's never easy to say good-bye to a loved one, Grandpa passed away peacefully in his sleep - without suffering from any disease or illness. Certainly, a goal of us all to live a long and fulfilling life!

When I was dating Karel in 2006, we traveled to Reno to bike around Lake Tahoe.

I remember how worried Grandpa was about us and spent the entire day awaiting for our arrival. We finished the ride with ice cream - Grandpa's treat. Then for my honeymoon in 2009, Karel and I traveled back to Reno in the winter and Grandpa loved that we could share a bit of his hobby on the ski slopes.

My grandpa took up skiing at the age of 50. He taught his three daughters and all of us grand kids how to ski. His long-time wish was to be cremated and for his ashes to be scattered over Mt. Rose.

Karel loved hearing stories of “way back when” and Grandpa had a way of making Karel feel part of the family from the first day when they met. Then again, they did bond over a good alcoholic drink.

Grandpa always supported my active lifestyle and loved Karel. He would constantly tell me "Marni, you picked a good one."

I remember when I told Grandpa that I fainted before the IM 70.3 World Championship in 2017. I told Grandpa I got up too quickly out of bed. Grandpa saw this as a valuable lesson. He told me, "Everytime when you get out of bed, rub your head for a minute or two. This will help you so that you don’t get out of bed too quickly."

Grandpa loved being independent. It was very important to him to maintain his independency for as long as possible. It wasn't until this last year that he was admitted into a nursing home.

Grandpa embodied resiliency. While I didn’t know Grandpa personally when he was young, I do know that he survived a lot. He was in the Army and Navy in World War II and earned a purple heart.

He was our resilient Joe. We even named one of our coffee blends after Grandpa.

Many of my friends were blessed with the opportunity to meet Grandpa Joe but here are a few things that will always remind me of Grandpa:

Beer and wine – It was hard to turn down an invite when Grandpa opened a new bottle of wine. He didn’t like to drink alone.

Photography – Grandpa loved to capture memories. There was always an opportunity to take a picture. Grandpa loved his camera. And not just a phone......a real camera. He would often develop pictures and turn them into cards that he mailed to family members.

Good food – Grandpa had a tremendous appetite! Especially salmon and nuts. I couldn’t believe how much food he could eat at a buffet! Grandpa spent the last two years in Fort Wayne, IN (where my aunt and uncle live) and Grandpa was part of a group called the ROMEO'S - Retired Old Men Eating Out. It was a great opportunity for Grandpa to connect over good food with "old" people in the community.

Good music – Classical and jazz were some of his favorites. He had a lot of great stories from his upbringing in New Orleans.

Reading – Grandpa had an exceptional mind throughout his entire life. He was a great reader. He would always tell me how proud he was of me and my writing and that I should one day write a book. He was so proud of me when that dream came true.

Quick with his words – Along with his sharp mind, Grandpa was great with words. Giving a speech on the fly was one of his specialties. Grandpa would often email me witty sayings and kind words after reading our weekly Trimarni newsletter. For example, when Karel became a US Citizen this past September, Grandpa emailed me and said “Karel now that you is one of us you can now listen to our tales of woe or pay our bills. Just really want to say – Congrats and much good wishes. Love Grandpa.”
And when I wrote about bike safety tips, Grandpa said “You sure are “wheeling” in the right way. And when I wrote about stretching the comfort zone, he said “How true it is-You always want to delay the learning curve of uneasiness. Put it off till tomorrow!!!!” Stretching the comfort zone is always needed if you want to be successful!!!!” “And lastly, for the holidays, When you see Merry give her my love and also to you two. Much LOVE-Grandpa”

Memory - Grandpa remembered everything. Before Karel and I went to Whistler, Grandpa told us where we needed to visit (the Glacier) and could recall specific details of the ski town. Everytime Karel and I traveled, Grandpa always had a recommendation for us.

Naps – Grandpa was an exceptional napper – anytime, anywhere. While this may be an old age thing, this was one of the many things that Grandpa excelled at.

Skiing - Grandpa moved from Cleveland to Reno, Nevada to be closer to the mountains. For anyone who has lived by the mountains or travel to the mountains, you know how therapeutic nature can be during any season. Grandpa loved the snow and the slopes. I’m so happy that he was able to live so many years in a place that made him truly happy, with someone who he truly loved (Barbara) in his second marriage after my grandma passed away from breast cancer. Grandpa didn't care for snowboarders....of course, three of his five grandkids picked snowboarding over skiing.

Smiling – Grandpa could always find something to be happy about. Genuinely, he was a positive and joyful person. After my dad passed away, I lost the person who I spoke with on a daily basis. This was quickly replaced by Grandpa as I always knew he was just a phone call away.

Dancing – Grandpa was never shy and loved to shake his hips on the dance floor.

Smart - Grandpa was book smart and life smart. As an engineer for several phone companies, he had wisdom and knowledge of everything. He truly had an answer for everything!

Great story teller – Grandpa had a unique ability to tell stories with such great detail.
Had a vivid and sharp memory. I can only imagine that Grandpa and my dad will have some great discussions and will continue to share stories together.

Grandpa was loving, supportive, kind – he was never judgmental but he was also never shy to express his opinion. He always reminded me that life is all about being happy. If something doesn’t make you happy, don’t do it. He had a great sense of humor (often a bit vulgar), loved being around family and really enjoyed making social connections. He was extremely active all of his life and even in his later years, when he was no longer able to ski, he turned to other modes of activity like Tai Chi and sitting in the hot tub. He was brave, courageous and he also had a lot of pride in customs and traditions.

Although we will all miss Grandpa Joe tremendously, he lived a long and happy life, surrounded by people that meant the world to him. He had a special way of making everyone feel special.

We will always love you Grandpa Joe and we will never forget the impact you made in this world and the many lives and hearts you touched. 

7 week IM Kona countdown

Time is flying by and I'm happy to report that I am now running! Although it's only been a few 10 minute runs on the treadmill (three of them), I'm thrilled with my progress. I'm a firm believer in frequency over quantity when it comes to a return to activity after an injury for the body needs time to adapt to training stressors and frequent exercise will allow for slow but gradual adaptations. Also, in my situation, I'm learning new motor patterns and finding myself wanting to go back to old bad habits of arching my back (anterior pelvic tilt), using my back and hamstrings to move me forward and not engaging my glutes. So in an effort to fix these things, I need constant exposure to this movement - which means continuing with PT, strength and marching.

My movement specialist has been great as she touches me in the right spots so I can feel what muscles I should be using and where my body should be moving. She is also a stickler for posture. I'm also continuing to water jog and my deep water run workouts have become much more intense. I am typically exhausted after I finish them! In addition to daily strength, I feel like I am carrying around a lot of run fitness and stress without really running!

On Friday, Karel and I went out for our long ride. I was shocked how strong I felt and how much my glutes were working! If only I could carry this over to running right now! I enjoyed my time with Karel as it had been several week since we went on a long ride together. We thought we selected a more flat route (well, nothing is flat here in Greenville) where the miles would go by quicker. Although we did average 19.1 mph (which is super speedy for us here on our Gville roads), we still managed to collect over 5000 feet of elevation in 4.5 hours.

The swimming yards are accumulating and I find myself spending a lot of time in the water. Not complaining though as the pool is my happy place.

Weekly training stats 8/19-8/25
Total training hours: 19:55
Swim distance: 20,000 yrds (4:39)
Bike duration: 11:31
Run duration (treadmill running + water jogging): 2:45
Strength: 1:00 (not including PT work)

In addition to training, I spent all of last week finalizing my manuscript for my third book. I'm so relieved to put that behind me as writing two books over the course of 6 months required a lot of mental energy from me. But I'm super excited for my followers to read my third book. Hint: If you like, love or are interested in triathlon, I think you'll love my 3rd book.

Oh and lastly, we have two new additions to our furry family! More on this later but for now, a little bit of cuteness.

Your best run tips for beginners!

Running, like any other individual sport, teaches you many life lessons. It's simple, and yet deceptively complex.

People run for different reasons, such as weight loss, health or stress relief. Running doesn't discriminate. With every run, you're presented with a new challenge, a time to reflect and an opportunity to problem-solve. It's your cherished "me time," a way to run from, for or to something. It connects you with your community, helps you explore nature, inspires you to travel the world, and temporarily removes you from the stresses of life.

The confidence and feeling of accomplishment from any type of run will carry over into your daily life, reminding you that you have the strength to conquer anything that comes your way. Running is the ultimate badge of perseverance.

More than just a blank space to document your training miles, the 365-day Running Journal is designed to teach you more about yourself as you give meaning to your life as a runner.

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

Thank you to everyone who entered my last giveaway on Facebook. What GREAT tips!! Here are your best running tips for beginners.

• Enjoy the process! Embrace every improvement and celebrate each one! 
• Don’t get so bogged down in perfection that you miss the progression! Your body is a beautiful gift ❤️full of potential and ability! Have fun!
• It’s ok to walk, or to stop and recover during a workout, or take a whole day off. It’s starting again and moving forward that matters.
• Increase weekly mileage slowly to minimize injury and wear the right shoes! 
• Slow down, higher cadence.
• First, invest in quality running shoes, preferably fitted by a knowledgeable and experienced runner!
• The first mile is always a lie. Do what you can to get through it. The motivation will follow!
• Consistency is key. If we only run on days we feel good we will never make progress. 😎
• Run the Mile You are In.😃 
• Take it slow! Making sudden changes are a recipe for failure.
• Comparison is the thief of joy. Run your own race and don’t compare your journey to others. Find your running tribe and embrace them!
• Walk if you need to. Short stride, fast feet.
• Don’t stress over pace, heart rate, etc...just get out and have fun!
• Find yourself a good group of like minded people and train together as you can motivate each other as you will not all have a tough day at the same time! Running with friends is so much fun! Also you can challenge each other to slowly increase your mileage and help each other get out of your comfort zone a little bit more every run. And believe that “yes, you can run little farther and harder every time”... run happy ❤️🏃🏼‍♀️❤️
• Focusing on a distance can be really overwhelming, especially if you've never run before. Instead break it down further. Try starting out with two minutes or five minutes, whichever sounds more doable, and then every couple runs try to bump it up by thirty seconds.
• Don’t rush the process. The shiny things will come. Focus on nailing the basics
• Just get moving! If you’re training for an event like a 5K or a 10K or half marathon and are following a plan, remember that something is always better than nothing when getting out for your workout! If your day gets hectic or you run short on time it’s always better to do something Compared to just throwing in the towel on that days work out.
• Buy a good pair of running shoes and good socks that fit well and it may take a few times to figure out which pair are the best for you.
• Have fun and don’t take things to seriously. 
• Run and walk easy enough so you'll want to run again the next day. 
• Strength training is as important as the miles you put in. 
• Make your Easy Runs “EASY”!
• 1. 😊Pick a goal and a coaching program (couch to 5k, couch to 10K, etc.) and STAY CONSISTENT. Don’t get ahead of yourself, don’t make up workouts, just follow the program. 2. Create sustainable habits: warm up, cool down, stretching.
• Consistency is key. 
• Less is more. Focus on strength and fundamentals before distance.
• If you remember the “why”—the “how” is easy. 🙏🏻
• Every run is not a race! It's ok to be slower today than you were yesterday. With consistency over the long term you will get faster and suffering will become optional.
• You CAN run for “fun,” or just the simple joy of moving your body. And you are a runner if you run, even if you’re slow or just want to go for an easy run.
• Enjoy being outside and relish it as your “me” time. Focus on the adventure/path you’ve chosen for the day and take in all the beautiful sights, sounds, and feelings.
• You don’t need fancy gear or gadgets to start running - just a good pair of shoes and enjoy each step of the process.
• Run well before you try to run fast.

For more running tips, motivation and education, don't forget to reserve your copy for the September 24th release of my next bookThe 365-day Running Journal. Click HERE to pre-order.

Fine-tune your sport nutrition strategies for your next race

Preparing for a triathlon is much more than checking off workout to improve fitness and booking travel accommodations. Nutrition plays an important role in race day readiness. Whether you are training for an Ironman or a local sprint triathlon, nutritional preparation is key.

How you fuel during a race primarily depends on the duration of the event and your racing intensity (which is based on your fitness level). Nevertheless, proper fueling will help you maximize recovery, fuel your workouts appropriately, boost your immune system and to maintain a healthy body composition, alongside building confidence for race day. While triathletes can get away with a haphazard sport nutrition strategies (or not fueling at all) during short workouts, competing at your best requires you to constantly fine-tune sport nutrition strategies to help minimize the fluid, electrolyte and fuel depletion that may compromise your performance and health on race day.

Because proper sport nutrition should be part of your ongoing training - and not something you only do during your long workouts, in the few weeks before your race - here are several useful tips to help you immediately dial in your fueling and hydration for your upcoming race(s).

1. Start training well-hydrated – Consume 12-16 fluid ounces in the one to two hours before training and an additional eight to 12 fluid ounces in the 10-20 minutes before training. Because the emptying of liquids from the stomach is influenced by the volume of fluid in the stomach, an increase in volume will increase emptying – helping you optimize hydration during your workout.
2. Begin drinking early in your training session – Within the first 10-15 minutes of exercise, start hydrating with a sport drink and drink on a regular schedule. Aim to consume 5-8 ounce fluid every 10-15 minutes. One ounce usually equals one large gulp. You may need to set a timer to remind yourself to drink. Big gulps will encourage a large volume of fluid to empty from the stomach more quickly. Because dehydration causes fluids to empty from the stomach more slowly, falling behind on your fluid intake may lead to GI distress (ex. bloating or a sloshy stomach) in the later miles of your workout (especially when running off the bike).
3. Use a well-formulated sport drink – The ideal sport drink should contain 10-14g carbohydrate (glucose, sucrose, fructose and/or maltodextrin) and at least 120 mg of sodium per every 8 ounce of water. This will help stimulate drinking, facilitate intestinal absorption and maintain body fluids. To avoid taste bud fatigue, learn to develop a taste for different sport drinks (flavors and textures). As you train your gut to tolerate sport nutrition during exercise, you can gradually work your way up in calories, carbohydrates and fluids to find the sweet spot of fueling enough to support your energy/fluid needs for a given intensity, but not too much that you risk GI distress.
4. Monitor signs of dehydration – Most fluid-related issues are related to poor understanding of fluids needs, lack or limited drinking opportunities, aversion to sport drinks (ex. “too much sugar), mismanaged drinking strategies and an inability to match excessive sweat rates with fluid intake. Reduced performance, headache, fatigue, dry mouth, dizziness, loss of appetite, chills and increased thirst are common signs of dehydration. Practice drinking while you are biking and running and have a plan as to how to carry your nutrition and to replenish your fluid/calorie supply appropriately.
5. Stock your muscle and liver glycogen stores before demanding training sessions – To fuel your upcoming training session, replenish fuel stores from an overnight fast and restore depleted fuel from a previous session, consume a small to moderate size pre-training meal – similar to the foods and fluids that you will consume on race day. As a general rule, allow 3-4 hours to digest a large meal (450-800 calories, 1.5-3 hours to digest a medium-size meal (250-450 calories) and 30 -90 minutes to digest a mini meal or snack (100-250 calories). Eating in the 1-3 hours before a long workout has consistently shown by research to enhance the quality of your training session and will bring confidence when planning (and consuming) your pre-race meal. 

Extensive scientific research has focused on nutrient timing – what and when you eat/drink before and during exercise. Unfortunately, nutrient timing is a confusing topic because most strategies conflict with the nutrition advice that targets weight loss and healthy eating. Although the above sport nutrition advice may appear “unhealthy” because of the recommended amounts of calories, carbohydrates/sugar and sodium, implementing smart and well-practiced fueling strategies around and during your workouts is critical for your health and builds confidence for your upcoming race. By following the above guidelines, you can reduce your risk for sickness, fatigue and injury so you can achieve race day readiness by staying consistent with training and perform at your best on race day.

For more information on sport nutrition, check out my book: Essential Sports Nutrition.
You may also be interested in my latest book: The 365-day Running Journal

8 week IM Kona countdown update

It felt great to get back into structured training last week. I was a bit nervous for my long ride on Friday (4.5 hours) as it was my first outdoor ride since IM Canada so I recruited my friend/athlete Al to join me for company since Karel is out of town. Karel was in Mont Tremblant supporting our athletes who were racing there (both did amazingly great!). I've also been recruiting my swim partner Kristen for my swims - on Thursday we had a toughy of a workout. The main set was 4000 (after a 500 warm-up) and the workout was a lot of building, pacing and specific intervals to hit. Our arms were super tired at the end!

Although I'm still not run training yet, I did my first run (on the treadmill) this morning - yay! Celebrating the small milestones.

While I've never had a bone related injury, I'm well familiar with soft-tissue injuries and the biggest thing stopping me from running over the past few weeks was the tugging and tightness that I was feeling. While not true pain, it was not comfortable so I didn't want to risk running through it. And I'm not talking about normal muscle soreness uncomfortable but the uncomfortable where I would have to change my gait and put all my attention into my leg/back instead of truly enjoying the run. However, over the past few weeks, I am spending time in the pool with deep water jogging with an aquabelt. I find it helpful to maintain my run fitness but also for neuromuscular control to keep the running movement going. Thankfully I can still bear weight so I am still loading my bones with walking. I feel like I'm making some great progress with me weaknesses - which involve turning off my hamstrings and lower back and learning how to better active my glutes. I've been working with a movement specialist and it's tough stuff! My glutes have been on fire! Although I've wanted to give up on my return to running many times over the past few weeks, I know this is part of being an athlete. Rather than thinking about this process as a return back to running, I see it as a great opportunity to learn more about my body.

Total workout stats last week:
Swim: 19500 yards
Bike: 9:57 hours
Run (water jogging): 2:17
Strength: 90 minutes (not include PT sessions)

It can be tough to stay dedicated to training when you are dealing with a setback but time is going to pass by anyways so you may as well focus on what you can do in the moment so you maintain fitness and strength and build confidence for race day. Plus, training is also exercise (and stress relief) for me and I still find great joy in moving and using my body so I want to dedicate time to myself everyday, doing what I love with my body.

Since it's just been me and the Campster since Wednesday, we have been spending some quality time outside each day. Alongside marketing my second book, I have my next book (third book) deadline approaching so much of my day has been spent writing, writing and writing. I feel like writing a book is a lot like training for an Ironman. It has its highs and lows, there are moments when you can't wait to do another and then you never want to do it again. But someone, you keep going back for more. Yep, that's a lot like writing a book.

This has been a busy time for me with coaching and nutrition consultations. Athletes need a lot more attention and care toward the end of the season and with key races approaching, there's a lot more attention to detail around this time of the year. I've had to cut back my nutrition consultation work load because of this third book that I'm finishing up but the athletes I am currently working with are working hard to make great things happen for race day. I truly love nutrition consulting so I can't wait to get back to my full work load in several weeks.

My scratch cornea is finally healed and I've made up for lost time by taking Campy for lots of walks and doing lots of snuggling (careful as to not scratch my eye again :)

Coach vs. the Dieting Athlete

In many sports, it is considered beneficial to achieve a leaner body composition for locomotive efficiency — in other words, the less you weigh, the easier it is to move your body. Within the sport of triathlon, triathletes are not immune to this mindset and will often manipulate the diet in order to achieve a lower body fat percentage. Although there are safe and healthy ways to change body composition, triathletes can be very rigid and inflexible with their thoughts and actions. When a driven, perfectionistic, competitive, achievement-oriented triathlete is constantly exposed to diet discussions, advertisements, articles, endorsements and images on social media, a general interest in weight loss may manifest into an unhealthy obsession.

With so many ways to enhance performance and to optimize health, two of the most popular sought-after strategies by athletes include diet and body composition changes. When done correctly, performance may improve. However, it’s not uncommon for athletes to engage in unhealthy weight control methods, resulting in great emotional and physical consequences. Whether for aesthetics, competitive leanness, body dissatisfaction or in pursuit of an ideal “race weight,” athletes often place unrealistic expectations on performance and their bodies. What may start as an innocent attempt to lean-up or to lose a few pounds, can easily spiral out of control, undermining health, training, recovery, performance and mental well-being.

Earlier this year, I was asked to contribute an article to the USAT Performance Coaching Newsletter - an educational newsletter provided to all USA Triathlon coaches. For the month of June, the USAT Performance Coaching Newsletter was dedicated to nutrition. As we all know, for optimal performance, nutrition is just as important as training. For triathlon coaches, it is important that you are familiar with nutrition guidelines and recommendations as well as understanding how to effectively speak to your athletes about nutrition and body image.

If you are a coach, you have a responsibility to take care of your athlete - physically, emotionally and mentally.

When your athlete feels pressure to achieve a leaner body composition, an increased fascination with nutrition, body fat, weight and calories can develop into an unhealthy group of eating behaviors called disordered eating. Typical disordered eating behaviors include obsessive counting calories, clean eating, carrying out food rituals, fasting, avoiding sport nutrition products, having an off-limit food list, or avoiding certain foods or food groups for non-medical reasons.

If you are concerned that your athlete may have an unhealthy relationship with food and the body, start the conversation with a non-judgmental tone in order to make your athlete feel safe and cared about. Making it clear that you care about your athlete’s health and well-being, you may say, “I’m worried about you because I’ve noticed that you are struggling to complete your workouts lately.” You may also say, “you’ve been experiencing a lot of injuries/sicknesses lately. It may be best to consult with a professional to make sure you can adapt to your upcoming training load.”

The most common precipitating factor in the development of an eating disorder is dieting. What starts as a well-intentioned diet plan, slowly transforms into skipping meals, undereating, removing specific foods or entire food groups from the diet and sacrificing calories before and after workouts. An eating disorder is a serious psychiatric condition that affects all types of individuals. Eating disorders are complex and multifactorial. Interestingly, athletes are at higher risk for an eating disorder compared to the rest of the population. A disciplined, goal-oriented athlete can be guilty of chasing perfectionism. Feeling great pressure to succeed, restricting food can become an easy way to exert control. Constantly pushing the body to the limits, athletes don’t realize how much food and fluids are needed for training. Lastly, many athletes believe that leanness is an essential factor in improving performance. With these realities in mind, it’s not difficult to understand why so many athletes suffer from eating disorders and disordered eating behaviors.

With several different genetic and socio-cultural triggers, risk factors for an eating disorder include dieting, need for control, weight stigma, body dissatisfaction, perfectionism, anxiety, biochemical imbalances, traumatic life events, behavior inflexibility, nutrition misinformation, low self-esteem, and being teased or bullied. With a strong stigma behind eating disorders, it’s important to show support to those who are struggling and to emphasize that help is available.

As a coach, routinely remind your athletes that optimizing performance should not require excessive training and restrictive eating. Resorting to destructive methods of manipulating body composition will only sabotage performance and health.

Pay attention to any warning signs that your athlete may be eating too little and training too hard. Fatigue, anemia, compromised bone health, hormonal imbalances, hair loss, notable weight loss, lack of energy, a decline in muscle mass and strength, mood changes, amenorrhea, restless sleep, and overuse injuries are common signs of an energy imbalance. Inadequate caloric intake relative to energy expenditure (RED-S) will result in extra stress on the body – increasing the risk for injury, sickness and burnout. 

Encourage athletes to maintain healthy training and eating behaviors that will favor long-term health and longevity in sport. It’s encouraged to partner with a Board Certified Sport Dietitian to provide effective, safe and personalized nutrition advice to athletes. If you are concerned about an athlete’s weight or health, a Board Certified Sport Dietitian can counsel athletes who are struggling with the physical and emotional consequences of dieting.

As a coach, how much emphasis do you place on body image? Do you often talk about weight loss, body fat or dietary trends to your athletes? Body composition is a sensitive and personal issue yet far too many coaches share an overvalued belief with their athletes that a lower body weight will improve performance. Inadvertently, you may be placing your own values and attitudes regarding weight, dieting and body image on your athletes. As a coach, you should never assume that reducing body fat or weight will enhance the performance of your athlete. Every athlete has his/her own optimum performance weight where the body functions the best and this body type is achieved through consistent training, nutritious eating and proper fueling and hydration. Acknowledge an athlete’s strengths beyond the physical, for athletes are more than just a look. Making remarks about body composition and performance can trigger or exacerbate disordered eating thoughts and behaviors. Don’t be the coach who makes stereotypical assumptions about the ideal body type for athletic greatness.

As a coach, use your power and authority. In today’s fad-diet, body image obsessed society, it can be difficult for athletes to keep a healthy perspective on body image. Help your athlete understand the importance of maintaining a healthy body composition – even if that image doesn’t look like the idealized image seen on social media. Protect the physical and psychological well-being of your athletes by discouraging dieting and enforcing health and performance-promoting eating habits.

Extreme nutrition habits are extremely trendy while discussions of health are lacking. Be a role model and encourage your athletes to care for their mental and physical health. Eating is not cheating. Meeting daily nutritional needs and supporting training sessions with proper sport nutrition is a necessary component of athletic success, and it keeps sport fun and health-promoting.

My article can be found in the 2019 June issue of the USAT Performance Coaching Newsletter.

In route to Ironman #16!

The past two weeks has been an interesting ride. While I've been incredibly busy with coaching and nutrition consultations as this is an important part of the season for most triathletes, I did minimal training. After returning home from Ironman Canada/Whistler, I was excited to ease into a week of light training before starting my "official" start of Ironman Kona training on 8/12 (today). However, the universe had a different plan for me as Campy accidentally poked me in the right eye with his nail while he was stretching, which left me with a tremendous amount of pain and discomfort for five continuous days. It wasn't until this past weekend that I finally started to feel better. My mom told me that my dad's greatest fear for me as a baby was our cat Sasha poking me in the eye. Of course, as an optometrist, he would worry about something like that. Here I am 37 years later and I end up with a scratched cornea. Without being too dramatic, this was extremely painful. I couldn't go outside due to the sunlight on my eye, I couldn't focus on anything without experience a bad headache and nausea, I had to squint all day and I even struggled indoors if the light was on. I couldn't even go outside to walk Campy. Ugh, it was a rough week! But thankfully I have healed. Because of this eye situation, I wasn't able to train because I had little energy to do so - and I was instructed absolutely no swimming due to risk for infection. It wasn't until Friday when I was able to finally dip in the pool. I felt a little fitness coming back this weekend but I wouldn't call it "training."

On top of the eye situation, my leg/back is much better but I am still hesitant to run on it. I am not in pain and I feel I've made a lot of great progress but I don't want to take any risks right now. I am working with several specialists to help me re-learn some movement patterns, fix my twisted pelvis, relax my tense muscles and overworked hip flexors/hamstrings/QL which are taking on all of the work instead of my glutes, and I'm hopeful I'll be running soon. My coach Cait gave me some great advice for me to not focus on Kona right now but instead, just take the next three weeks to focus on returning to running. This way I won't rush the process or waste unnecessary healing energy. Although I "only" have 9 weeks until the Ironman World Championship, I am super excited to share this race course with Karel and two of our athletes. I have no expectations or pressure to perform so this journey is all about keeping the training fun and always focusing on what I CAN control.

Despite the setbacks, I am really looking forward to getting back into structured training this week. Although I was in a bit of a funk last week, as soon as I saw my packed training schedule in Training Peaks for this coming week (swimming, biking, strength and water jogging in place of running), I started to get super excited for this upcoming journey. I can't control the situation I am in but I can control how I deal with the situation. The good thing is that I don't feel injured but my body hasn't given me the green light just yet to get back into running. All is good because I can direct that energy on my coaching and nutrition athletes and get a lot of positive vibes from those who are doing incredible things in training and on race day.

As I gear up for my 5th Ironman World Championship (and 16th Ironman), if there are any specific topics you'd like for me to blog about over the next 9 weeks, please let me know. You can either comment on my Facebook, send me a PM or send an email.

And lastly, I have some very exciting news!!

I'm thrilled to announce that I have a new book coming out next month. If you are a runner, friend of a runner, active individual or run-store owner, this book is for you. The 365-Day Running Journal makes it easy to log your daily running progress and keep track of your goals, races and personal records. Additionally, the journal is filled with inspiring quotes, helpful tips and 13-monthly essays on motivation, body image, running form, and more. Casual, competitive or experienced - it doesn't matter what you call yourself. This running journal reminds you that it’s not always a race―but simply about doing what you love. Over the coming weeks, I'll be sharing excerpts, sneak peeks and more on my Trimarni Facebook page.  To reserve your copy for the September 24th release, click HERE to pre-order. As always, thank you for your continued support.

A tribute to Bethany - Keep triathlon fun

I've been filled with emotions over the past week after learning of the passing of Bethany Rutledge. Bethany passed away in her sleep while taking a nap. Bethany was a leader, mentor and hero in the Atlanta triathlon community. Far and wide, anyone who met Bethany could instantly see her love for triathlon, her twin boys, her husband/family, writing, dogs and life. To learn more about Bethany, here are a few beautifully written letters:

Remembering Bethany
Remembering Bethany - Triathlete Magazine
Obituary

Times like this really shake me up. While the loss of a loved one can change your life, it can also change the way that you live your life. Ever since my dad passed away in 2014, I've made a conscious effort to live each day to the fullest. Regardless of the day or what obstacles I have to overcome, tasks I need to complete or how I am feeling, I try to live the day as if it is my last. Knowing that I can't quit my job and travel the world with Karel and Campy, there are still daily decisions that I can make in an effort to make the most of the day. One thing that makes me feel alive on a daily basis is the sport of triathlon.

When I think of the role of triathlon in the life of Bethany, I think FUN. As a leader in her tri community, she was very accomplished but also very humble. While I didn't know Bethany on a very close level, I know she welcomed everyone into the sport. This allowed athletes and exercise enthusiasts to feel like a triathlete without judgement.

I love the sport of triathlon. I've been racing competitively for the past 13 years and I couldn't imagine my life in any other way. It's my passion, hobby and business. Bethany always did an exceptional job of changing the way that outsiders look in at our sport. But as an insider looking out, we need to continue to keep triathlon fun.

Triathlon is a fun sport. Triathlon, like any other sport, offers a stress release, an opportunity to exercise, an escape from the office to nature, the opportunity to feel accomplished and the strength and tools to overcome failure. But if you hang with the wrong people, read too much or become too serious about it, it can quickly becomes overly competitive, draining, exhausting and obsessive.

For many, fun may seem counter-intuitive to peak performance. But fun is what keeps you in a sport - it's also what got you started. As people get older or more accomplished, it's easy to lose the ability to have fun. When fun is removed from sport (or never found), sport becomes a burden in your life. You can't quit figure out why you do what you do. When you have fun and truly enjoy yourself, you are more capable of dealing with everything else in life and there's purpose with your training and racing.

We all know that life isn't always fun.

Life is tough. It's often serious, sad and difficult. Triathlon is a beautiful escape from life. Triathlon shouldn't be all serious and hard work. Sure, being dedicating and working hard makes you a better athlete but if you are overly serious, competitive and extreme, you probably aren't having much fun. 

Bethany did an exceptional job leading the way to show others that triathlon and fun can coexist. Incorporating fun into your triathlon training and racing should not be difficult to do but if you have lost sight of why you are a triathlete (or why you started the sport), you may have lost the fun in triathlon. It's important to your physical, mental and emotional health as well as to your athletic success to keep your sport fun.

Surround yourself with like-minded individuals that make you feel great about yourself - and your decision to be a triathlete. Don't fall into the trap that you need to look, eat or train a certain way to call yourself a triathlete. If you are scared to get started, join a club/coach and find someone who can help guide you. Success looks different on everyone. Triathlon is not about podiums, PRs, body image or fancy equipment. It's about enjoyment, passion, development, personal exploration, building self confidence, overcoming fears, physical activity, health, learning new skills, supporting others, socializing, improving body awareness and of course, having fun! Having love for your sport, your body and your health is more important than results.

If you are a triathlete, coach or future triathlete, help me keep triathlon fun.. I know Bethany would want it that way.

IM Canada: Post race

Surprisingly, I slept pretty well on the night of the Ironman. We stayed up until around 11pm as we first watched the last stage of the Tour de France and then watched some of the IM Lake Placid coverage. I have found through experience that the more I push the run, the more damage I feel in my legs - which affects how I sleep and recover post Ironman. Because of so much walking throughout 26.2 miles, I luckily didn't experience the typical extreme tissue/muscle damage that occurs during 26.2 miles in an Ironman. I was still very sore and had some familiar aches in my left leg but overall, it wasn't as bad as I expected. Karel, on the other hand, was having a rough night and apparently I slept through it all. He was sore all over - head to toe.

We kept Monday as a chill day and reserved it for 1) Awards 2) Eating.

The award ceremony was outside in the Olympic Village area (just behind our condo) and we were joined by several of our athletes who were still in town. It was great to catch up with everyone and hear the stories from the race. It was awesome to share the podium with my athlete Ericka, who not only qualified for her first Kona but won overall female amateur. What an exciting day for her. Every time I saw her on the course, she gave me so much positive energy. I somehow managed to place 5th in the 35-39 age group so that was a huge surprise for me. Karel won his age group and received a nice customized jacket (so did all of the AG winners). Gin also placed on the podium for the 70.3 event. We waited for the roll down for a few of our athletes to see if they could get a slot for 70.3 worlds but the slots were quickly taken by other athletes.

After the award ceremony, we went back to our condo to get a little work done throughout the day but overall, it was a chill day. Later in the day we went to Hunter and Gather restaurant for a well-deserved real meal. Of course, Karel got some ice cream afterward.

As for the next few days, we enjoyed our time in Canada by doing a little sight-seeing. Even with a tired body, we were still able to see a lot. Since we didn't do any eating out prior to the race, we looked forward to trying some of the local eats. Before my ART apt on Tuesday in Squamish, we ate lunch at Saha Eatery (Mediterrean food).

We also hit up a local chocolate shop before lunch. We rode the Gondola in the afternoon and took a short hike to a scenic overlook point. It was a packed day but a great one.

On Wednesday we made the hour drive to Joffre Lakes. Although the parking lot was packed, luckily the trails were not overly crowded. The almost 10K (~4 hour) hike was pretty intense and technical but it was well worth it. The views were incredible.

We brought some food to keep us fueled along the way during the hike but had a quick stop in Pemberton at Blackbird bakery. Karel got a cappuccino and quiche and I (finally) got a cinnamon roll - oh how I love cinnamon rolls!

Thursday was our travel day and with a red eye and a lot of driving to do, we kept this day pretty low key. My friend Jennifer Ward suggested a local cafe for us to get some work done. We then ate lunch at Naked Sprout before hitting the road around 2:30pm. It was a cooler/cloudy day and we really lucked out with weather on race week/day.

The drive to Vancouver was absolutely beautiful. Because we drove in the dark when we arrived, we never got to experience the beautiful sights of mountains and water. However, once we got to Vancouver, the traffic was ugh. It took us over an hour to go 12 miles. Luckily we allowed plenty of time before our 10:30pm flight. After returning our rental car, we waited in the airport until we could check in, had some dinner at Freshii and then went to our gate.

We were able to kill some time by getting some work done and by the time we boarded the plane, we were ready to go to sleep. Of course it's a bit hard to sleep on the airplane but we managed to get some on and off sleep for the next 5 hours.

When we arrived to Atlanta at 6:40am, Karel had his first ever experience going through customs as a US Citizen. We were shocked how smooth and easy it was compared to all our struggles and troubles in the past with him as a green card holder. After getting our bikes (which were free again on Delta!) and our luggage, we took the two shuttles to our car and then hit the road. It took us a good 3ish hours to get back (plus a stop at Panera for breakfast) and after picking up our excited pooch from my mom's, we all crashed in bed for a solid 2 hour nap.

As for the rest of the week post race, I didn't do much exercise - just a 1800 yard swim on Friday evening. I wanted to fully heal my body to make sure my body and mind were ready for the next 10 weeks of training in route to IM Kona. Karel and I both felt like we were mostly recovered from the IM (physically) by Saturday - but of course, there was still some deep damage inside (especially for Karel). We were mostly just tired (Sleepy) from the travel.

While I was excited to easy back into training this week, I was hit with a curveball as Campy accidentally stuck his nail in my right eye on Monday evening as we were snuggling in bed.....so I am not able to do anything until it heals. I am in a lot of pain as it feels like I have glass in my eye but it should heal soon. I'm thankful for Voss Vision for seeing me under this emergency situation. I can't help but laugh a little as my dad was an Optometrist and I know he would have loved to have "treated" me with this type of situation. My dad saw everything with eye injuries so this would have been something minor from his point of view (although it feels super traumatic for me! haha)

My coach Cait told me that it's just a sign from the Universe that my body still needs time to heal from the Ironman.

IM Canada race recap: 26.2 mile run

I had a great team helping me overcome an injury to my back/hip that occurred ~3 weeks before the race. During this time, I was unable to run but with every day, I felt myself improving - oh so very slowly. I am grateful to Scott, my PT for the dry needling and exercises which helped my body go from pain to relief. I am also thankful to Frank, my massage therapist, for his time and energy in helping to fix my twisted body. I would also like to thank Valerie - from Physiofocus for seeing me before and after IM Canada (in Whistler). I also had Chris Johnson, PT do some tests on me on Friday before the race (thank you Chris for your time and help!). With many hands helping my body, I was able to arrive to the race feeling like my body had overcome an injury. While I still wasn't out of the woods yet, I felt relieved that I was no longer in pain. I'd also like to thank Karel who was so supportive during this time. I knew it was hard for him to see me not running but I found energy in seeing him excel in his training, knowing that he was going to put together a solid performance at Ironman Canada.

Over the course of these three weeks, I choose positivity. During this time, I had a choice - be upset and mad or be happy. I choose happy. Sure, I was bummed about the situation I was in but life was still good. I also choose not to feel pressure during the healing process. I knew my body would heal (and it still is) but I couldn't rush the process or predict the future. There was a chance time would run out and I wouldn't be able to run on race day but in the meantime, I made sure never to waste a day. There was still so much to be thankful and grateful for, life was still worth living, and I remained excited for the opportunity to start my 15th Ironman. Part of me was still optimistic that I was going to be able to run a few miles off the bike but I also had to mentally prepare myself for a DNF due to not being able to finish the run. While the situation was not how I envisioned my race going several months ago, I was constantly reminding myself that no one is forcing me to finish. Any pressure that I feel to finish this race is from myself - and I don't need to run through pain or risk a further, more serious injury. Reminding myself of this helped to ease any frustration or worry about the run. My coach Cait told me to assess the situation for 1-2 miles and if I felt pain and my form was altered, the best thing to do is to stop. While I couldn't control the situation - or plan for the future - I could control how I reacted to the situation.

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As I started to run out of the transition area, I assessed my body. I took each step very carefully and remembered the advice from my coach and also all the mental training I did going into this moment to prepare myself for what may happen over the next few miles. I have never been in this situation before so there was a lot going on in my mind during the first mile of the race. Because of the extreme body awareness that I needed to place on my body, I removed any pressure of "needing to perform." Whereas I was racing the swim and the bike (and leading the race as overall female amateur), I was no longer focused on what others were doing as all my energy was on myself.

The first few miles of this run course are a bit technical - up and down and on and off gravel. There were a few turns as well. I actually love this type of running but it was hard for me to settle into a good running stride and to truly assess how I was feeling. After one mile, I didn't feel any pain in my groin - which was the reason why I was unable to run for the past three weeks. I felt a little tugging around my knee/inner thigh but it wasn't painful. After another mile, still no groin pain. I was really happy about this but still a little concerned that things may get worse. After two more miles, I was still without pain. At this point, all I felt was a bit of tugging around my lower leg. While I knew it wasn't normal soreness from an Ironman, I also felt like it was something that I could safely run through - so long as I was smart. Nearing 4-5 miles, I started to take a bit more walk breaks. I wanted to make sure that I could keep restarting the run after I walked as any tightness or flare-ups would likely occur while I was trying to restart the run. I was successful in this approach and I also felt like the walk breaks were helping me avoid anything serious happening. While it didn't feel like my normal Ironman run, I was able to keep good form.

After a few miles, I saw Karel and he gave me the biggest smile as he wasn't sure if I was going to be able to run. He later told me that this made his day and he was able to run more relaxed knowing that I was able to run. Shortly later, my athlete Ericka (who later on went on to win the amateur race and qualify for Kona) passed me and we had a little discussion. I told her to not change what is working - no need to go any harder/faster and to keep doing what's working with walking and nutrition.

As the miles went by, I found myself walking a lot but also running. As I was nearing the first loop of the run (13 miles), I couldn't believe that I went this far - my first true run in 3 weeks. Again, it wasn't the run feeling I am use to in an Ironman but it wasn't painful. Because of all of the energy that I was spending on my body, I failed to do a good job with my nutrition. While I had my flasks (1 flask of NBS carbo hydration and 1 flask of Carborocket hydration) and sipped on them, I wasn't doing a great job being consistent with my intake and listening to my body as it relates to when I took in nutrition. Because of this, I had a few quick bathroom breaks. I didn't get upset or frustrated as my focus was not on racing but just being in the moment. During these times, I accepted it as one of the many things I was going to experience during this Ironman.

As I was nearing the end of the first loop, I saw my athlete Gin who raced the 70.3. I stopped when I saw her as I had just convinced myself that I was only going to run the first loop and it was way more than I thought I would be able to run. I already felt so accomplished! Plus, Karel was getting close to the finish so I thought it would be fun to stop and see him finish. But Gin told me I was looking really good and that I was 2nd overall amateur. I was kinda shocked by this but it also gave me some good energy that even thought I felt like I was no longer competing, I was still having a "good" race. I told Gin that I wasn't sure what I was going to do as I was ready to pull the plus on the race but something inside of me told me to keep going. Gin was great as she was calm and cool about the situation and even as a coach, I appreciated her support and enthusiasm without putting thoughts into my head. She told me she would be at the same place so I told her I'd run a few more miles and then assess the situation once more. During the next few miles, I had a longer walk break as I really needed to think about the situation. Knowing that I was not in pain and I felt confident that I was not doing more damage to my body, I felt like the only thing that was making me want to quit was the uncomfortable soreness in my legs - both legs. It took me several miles to realize that this was Ironman soreness and not injury soreness. Knowing that I had an injury-card to pull out at any time for a good excuse for a DNF was making me feel like it was OK to stop. But when I searched deep inside of my thoughts, I realized that it was not a valid excuse. I needed to work through this discomfort of the Ironman and get myself to the finish line. Although I was still listening closely to my body and walking anytime I felt like my form was suffering, I was using my experience of racing so many Ironmans to mentally stay strong and to work through the low moments that occur during the last 13 miles of racing in a 140.6 mile event.

I was taking full advantage of the aid stations and finding happiness wherever I could. Whereas I am normally a bit more focused when I am racing the run at the end of an Ironman, I made sure to really enjoy this run - plus it was so beautiful! I would high five kids whenever I saw them, I said hi to all the dogs on the course (I do that anyways, even when I am racing the run), I was making the effort to cheer on other athletes and I was even celebrating little milestones like reaching certain points on the course. For example, when I got to mile 20, I said out loud "wahoo!" as I never thought I would make it this far. When I saw Ericka at her mile 23, I told myself, "just 3 more miles until you are there!" I was finding everything possible to give me energy. Karel gave me a ton of energy every time I saw him and I also loved seeing our first timer Reid out on the course. I even celebrated seeing 9-9:30 min/miles on my watch as I felt like I was doing pretty well with all my walking. It was all these small things that kept me smiling and really enjoying the run. Once I committed to finishing the race, I made sure to enjoy every mile and to not wish for the race to be overwith. Yes - I wanted to sit down and rest my legs but I was finding joy in finishing what I didn't think I could start.

As I was nearing the last mile of the race, I was extremely happy. I couldn't wait to share stories with Karel and hear all about his race. I was super pumped to see my athletes at the finish line but they were all there cheering for me with less than 1/4th mile to go. I gave out some high fives and smiled ear to ear as I saw them all there cheering.

As I ran down the finish line chute, I gave away a few more high fives, lifted my arms up and crossed the finish line that I didn't think I would see. After 15 Ironmans, I can honestly say that every race requires something different to go from start to finish but that finish line always feels incredibly good.

Karel, who finished a good 90+ minutes before me, was there to see me finish. He was so happy for me and knew I could do what I didn't think I could do. Thankfully I was able to still walk after the race and I somehow managed to be better off than Karel - who ended up in medical, needing a few cups of chicken broth to bring him back to life.

I'm grateful to my body for what it allows me to do. I really try hard not to take my body/health for granted. I was worried about this race as I didn't want to damage my body on the run, but somehow, my body surprised me. I want to send a huge thank you to all those who cheered me on and I'd like to give a big congrats to all my athletes who raced the 70.3 (and to Ericka for smashing the women's field and to Reid for finishing his first Ironman!)

Karel's run recap:
Wow! I’m speechless and so stoked about this run. How is it possible, I only did one 2hr run in training 😉 Soon as I finished the bike, I stopped thinking about what I did wrong with my pacing and my focus was purely on putting together a good run. From the first step, I felt great! I tried to run with a very controlled effort and the faster paces were coming with ease. I felt great rhythm and was moving pretty good. Everything felt really good until 18.5 miles where I started to feel the typical Ironman toll. I had a few low moments where my mind had to work really hard to keep my legs moving forward, but I was able to bounce back from these low moments. The last 7 km was really hard and last 4 km I was just on autopilot - I was still running OK but I felt like I had no control over the movement of my legs. And the last 1 km was so long! That finish line took forever to come. Crossing the line and seeing 3:04 on my watch was a really great feeling .... and then I collapsed on the grass and went to medical (no IVs, just chicken broth to bring me back to life). Later on I found out the results of the race and I was very happy. During the race, I never knew where I was in my age group or overall so I just had to race my best effort on the day. Overall this Ironman was definitely one of the hardest courses but also one of the most spectacular races.

IMCA Race Recap: 112 mile bike

The first few miles of the Ironman Canada bike were a little technical as there were speed bumps, bumpy roads and a few twists and turns. I didn't want to do anything silly in these early miles so I treated it as a warm-up, especially since my body was still adjusting to the bike position after the swim and I was finding myself a bit cold from being so wet from the swim. Once I got on the main road (Sea to Sky hwy) I started to ride into my Ironman event.

The layout of this course was rather simple as there were four main segments. To Callaghan Climb, Callaghan Climb, to the far turn around, riding back to town and then you repeat. This allowed me to break the course up into small segments so that I could focus on executing each segment to the best of my ability. Although I didn't have any metrics to abide to, I lapped my computer at each segment so that I could check in with my metrics just to see how my numbers (specifically lap normalized power) was correlating to my RPE. I primarily rode the entire bike by feel but checked-in with my metrics every now and then, especially on the first loop.

My strategy was to ride the first loop relatively easy (feeling like I had three more effort gears in me) and to then ride the second loop strong (feeling like I had two more effort gears in me but using a gear or two as needed depending on how I was feeling). I resisted the urge to push hard on the first loop, especially since I was so cold. I found myself shivering at times but climbing the 8 mile climb in Callaghan helped. The descend was extremely cold for me but thankfully, I warmed up after the turn around. This helped me enjoy the second lap a lot more.

I didn't find this course overly challenging as my training really prepared me to ride my bike well on this course. I don't think I could have executed the bike course any better. The first loop was rather quiet with riders whereas the second loop was a little more busy with the 70.3 athletes. However, with the layout of the course and the long hills/descends, I didn't find it difficult to ride my own race, often not seeing any riders directly in front of me. This is the second Ironman I've done on my Ventum and I am absolutely in love with how it rides. It's not only smooth with how it handles (similar to a road bike) but I feel incredibly in-control while descending, especially in the wind. This not only helps me ride better but I expend less energy as I can ride more relaxed and efficient.

For nutrition, I front-loaded my calories so that I took in a bit more in the first loop of the bike due to the cooler temps. Because I did warm-up, I knew that my calories would digest and absorb a lot better in the first loop - especially with all the climbing. My nutrition was as follows (well-practiced in training):

First loop (on my bike): Skratch PB&J bar (consumed after the Callaghan climb in small bites spread out over an hour), aero bottle (CarboRocket 333 black cherry, 2 1/2 scoops 260 calories), Ventum hydration (1.2 L - 4 scoops + water of INFINIT custom formula Fruit Punch, ~500 calories), rear bottle (Infinit Custom formula Pink Lemonade, ~250 calories).

Second loop (in special needs): Aero bottle (NBS Carbo-hydration, 5 scoops, ~200 calories), Ventum hydration (same as first loop, I used a large plastic water bottle so it was already mixed and filled up my hydration system in special needs), rear bottle (CarboRocket 333 black cherry, 2 scoops 220 calories).

I aimed to drink ~10 minutes (4-5 sips) and always listened to my body before I took in nutrition to assess how I was feeling. Although a hilly course (7500+ feet of elevation gain), there was plenty of time to be aero but also great opportunities to sit up and stand, which helped stretch the legs and hips. I looked for opportunities to gain "free" speed so I made sure to take advantage of the faster sections of the course where speed came easily with little energy expended.

On the first loop, I didn't finish my rear bottle (which was more of a back-up bottle) but on the second loop I finished about 3/4ths of everything. I had one low moment around mile 80 of the bike but it went away in around 20 minutes. These things happen during Ironman racing and after troubleshooting the situation (is it pacing, nutrition, just a low moment?) I realized it was just a low moment and it will pass...and it did. I only grabbed water at the last aid station to cool myself off as I was getting a little warm. I eased up in the last few miles with a slightly higher cadence just to get the legs ready for the run.

I loved seeing my athlete Erick and Karel on the course. I cheered for them both every time I saw them. I also saw a few of our athletes doing the 70.3 which made me happy to see those familiar faces.

Because the run was still a big unknown for me, I put all my mental energy into the swim and bike. I knew that I had great fitness going into the race and even if the run didn't happen, there was still a lot I could gain/experience in this race so I kept my mind in a positive/can-do place.

The course was absolutely beautiful and I loved being surrounded by the mountains. The volunteers were exceptional and it was nice to have two lanes closed for us on the bike course. The course was really well marked and the weather was just perfect for the entire day. I liked the set-up of the course as the climbs were long enough that I could still settle into a good rhythm. The ride back to town was the slowest as it had a bit more elevation gain but there were still segments to gain some speed and shake out the legs.

Although my athlete Ericka rode a few minutes faster than me, I exited the bike as the overall amateur female by 3 minutes. I didn't know this until after the race but this was certainly a high note and a reminder that the Ironman is filled with highs and lows and you need to hold on to whatever positives you can find. It's a long day filled with a lot of uncertainty and just because a race doesn't go as planned, there is always something to be grateful and thankful for.

After I dismounted the bike, I jogged to my run gear bag (a volunteer handed it to me) and went into the changing tent. The tent was filled with other females from the 70.3 but a volunteer came over to me and helped me with my gear. I was a bit nervous as to what would happen on the run since I haven't really ran in 3 weeks but I tried to stay positive and reminded myself that my main focus is on Kona. I made a quick stop in the port-a-john and then headed out on the run by focusing on my form and trying to run as easy as possible.

For the record, the bike was 109 miles (not the full 112 miles)

More to come......

Karel's bike recap: 
OK so I really messed this up 😬I wanted to start and do the first loop a little more conservative to feel strong on the 2nd loop. I felt great and despite seeing a high power I kept on going thinking the powermeter is not working right. Well it was working and I paid for it after 50 miles. I also got distracted by a few Uber bikers who passed me - I made the mistake of thinking I’m failing and the race is not going well. First time up to the Callahan mountain I went up pretty fast but it felt easy. 2nd time around it got real for me. At that point I was in a very low moment and after the descent, I even experienced a few pre-cramp signs and had to really ease up to shake it off. The returning leg back to town was very tough mentally and I had to be careful not to fully cramp. I was also dealing with my typical back pain. During those rough times I focused on riding well in terms of posture and staying aero - not to create any extra drag. I still managed 5th fastest AG time and still hit the T2 in 2nd place AG (I looked these up after the race). During the race I had no updates and had no idea of my position due to the rolling start. I’m glad I was able to overcome the lows and the wrong pacing on the bike to still finish it well. For nutrition, my only source of liquid nutrition was NBS Carbo hydration (5 scoops per bottle). I started with 2 bottles worth in the hydration system in the frame and then another bottle between the aero bars. I had two more bottles in special needs. I also had one water and one base bottle from the aid stations. I also consumed 1 Skratch Bar (lemon raspberry) and 4 Skratch Chews. One Enervitine cheerpack at special needs and 1 SIS gel. Nutrition wise, everything worked well. It was cool so I didn't feel like I needed a lot of liquid but I still took in calories. I never have a specific nutrition plan when I race - I kinda wing it as I go along but have plenty of stuff with me and pick and choose based on how I feel. 

IMCA Race Recap: Pre race + 2.4 mile Swim

Photo: David McColm

Saturday was a smooth day. I woke up around 5am after a solid 8 hours of sleep. Since arriving to Whistler, I've been going to bed around 7:30pm PST (asleep by 8-8:30pm PST) and waking up without an alarm around 4:45-5am.

After my normal 2 waffles + syrup + peanut butter pre-workout snack, I headed out on my bike around 7:30am for an easy spin on the race course. I used the first 45 minutes to include a few efforts to wake-up the legs and then finished off the ride with a recon of some of the run course (easy spinning). Karel went out shortly after me and did his own thing but we unexpectedly saw each other on the run course (biking). I attempted a jog off the bike but I was still feeling some tugging in my adductor/groin so I didn't try to run through it. It left me a little sad with less than 24 hours before race day but I also reminded myself that I can't waste energy on something out of my control.

After our morning workout, we each had a big carb-rich breakfast at our place and then finalized the packing of our gear bags. I put out all my gear on my bags on Friday so it was easy to stuff the bags. I also pre-portioned my sport nutrition in baggies for the bike and run (and special needs) so it was easy to fill my bottles on Saturday evening (stored in the fridge overnight).

Around 11am, I walked my bike and gear bags to T2 (5 minutes away from where we are staying). I dropped off my run gear bag in T2 (two transition layout) and throughout this time, I sipped on 1 scoop NBS pre-load in a bottle of water. Karel rode his bike to the lake (T1) and I rode the bus. Our bikes were transported behind us on a Uhaul (wrapped in heavy duty blankets).

After arriving to the lake (about 20 min ride), Karel met me inside of the transition area. I had him give my bike one last look over before racking it on my rack. Karel and I were on the same rack, just a few spots down. 

To help clear my mind from the unknowns of the run, I decided to walk the 1.8 miles back to the lodge where we are staying. Whistler is incredible because of all of the walking/biking trails. And the sights are incredible. I really enjoyed this walk. While I knew it would be energy to walk (instead of taking the shuttle) back to our place, I felt like I needed to be in nature - and walking doesn't bother my hip/back - just hopping forward. 

As for the rest of the day, it was pretty low key. We chatted with a few of our athletes, Karel visualized with his music (in bed) and we ate and hydrated throughout the day. I had an early dinner around 5pm (eggs and Basmati rice) and I went to bed around 6pm and fell asleep around 7:15pm. I was really tired throughout the day - I couldn't wait to go to bed - but I know that's a sign that the body is ready to race. It's a weird feeling as it also feels like the body is too tired to perform but I've experienced this many times before and I know that when I am tired on the day before the race, it just means my body is doing it's final touch-ups before race day. 

Race morning came early with a 3:15am alarm. I slept fairly well until 12:30pm and then it was a bit of tossing and turning. Thankfully, I woke up fairly rested. After eating my normal pre-race meal (waffles, PB, banana, syrup) and sipping on NBS pre-load and a cup of coffee, I packed my bags with bottles and extra stuff for the morning and we left our place around 4:40am.

We walked down to T2 to put our run flasks in our bags. Because of the bear population, we were told not to put any nutrition in our bags/bikes until race morning. After getting body marked at the bus line and dropping off our special needs bags, we boarded the buses. Somehow Karel and I got on different buses after I dropped off our special needs bags but we met up at the race venue.

The bus ride was nice as it gave me an opportunity to relax my mind before getting to the transition area. After putting my bottles on my bike and my computer, I double checked my gears, brakes and tires (well, Karel did) and then it was time to get on the wetsuit.

It was in the upper 40's on race morning and I was a bit cold (even dressed in warm gear) so I opted out of a swim warm-up and instead, just stepped in the water and put water down my Roka wetsuit to help adjust it. I wished my athlete Ericka a great race and went over to the swim line-up after dropping off my morning clothes bag. My feet were super cold standing on the grass so I used a plastic bag to stand on before the swim start. I had a throw away bottle of sport nutrition (NBS carbo-hydration) that I sipped on in the morning and also took in an Enervitine cheerpack "gel".

I met up with Karel in the swim line-up as we both lined up near the front. I let Karel stand a few rows ahead of me as I didn't want to swim right next to him but instead, I wanted to be behind him in the case that I swam faster than him, I was hoping I would see him on the bike.

Photo: David McColm

The race started at 6am for the age groupers (5:50am for the pros) and they had us go off 4 at a time in rows, every few seconds (at the beep). The start was a little rocky so I took my time getting in the water and then as soon as the water got to my knees, I started swimming. It took me about 2 minutes to start the race after the official race start.

The water temperature was perfect - in the upper 60's. The only issue was fog on the lake, which made it a little tough to see the buoys at times. The buoys were set up 100 meters apart and the course was set up as 750 meters down the lake, 200 meters across and then 750 meters back and then 200 meters across - Two loops without exiting the water.

Immediately I found myself working well with those around me. I love the rolling start for this reason - so long as athletes seed themselves properly. I stayed close to the buoys without even trying and I felt like I did a good job staying on course. The first loop went by really quickly and I was feeling really good in the water. It took me about 300 meters to get into a good rhythm but when I found it, it never went away. I like to build my effort as the swim goes on so I found myself feeling stronger on the second loop, where I tried to pick up the effort. Somehow, I spotted Karel swimming and then I passed him. Since we do so much of our swimming together, I know his swim stroke really well. I was happy to see him and also happy to pass him :)

The course got really crowded on the second loop which not only made it hard to stay on course at times but also to see the buoys with the fog. I found myself needing to sight a bit extra - I first would sight for the buoy until I saw it and then I had to sight to find clean water/clear path to swim.

I was a little confused as to how we were going to exit the water but once we made the last turn, it was a straight shot to the swim exit. I couldn't believe how fast that swim went and I didn't have any low moments. Because I don't wear a watch when I swim, I didn't know my swim time until I exited the water. Later I learned I swam 57 minutes which made me super happy. Karel swam 58 minutes which was a great swim for him - especially since he just learned how to swim in 2012.

I kinda expected my endorphins to take over but I didn't realize they would be so strong so early in the race. I found myself running to the transition tent and I didn't even think about it - I was running and no pain! I felt a little tugging in my inner thigh but it wasn't painful. Wahoo!

When I got into the women's changing tent, I ran to the far end and had a volunteer help me out. I chose to wear compression socks so I had the volunteer take off my chip as I put on my sock and then put it back on - that was her task for me ;) I put on my shoes and helmet and opted no arm warmers and gloves (even though I had both in my bag). I was warm from the swim but by 10 miles of the bike, I regretted that decision as I was so cold.

As I was running to my bike, we ran by a line of 70.3 athletes getting ready for their swim start at 7:20am. I spotted our athlete Jim and gave him a high five. I grabbed my bike, started my computer and ran my bike to the mount line. I veered to the far left side to make room to mount my bike. Because we had a hill to climb right out of the transition area, I had my bike in an easy gear to make it easy to get momentum up the hill.

The highlight of this moment was hearing Karel's voice behind me as we both started the bike at the same time. I can't recall that ever happening so it put a big smile on my face to see him for a hot second until he rode away from me. I wished him a great race and off he went.

More to come..................

Karel's swim recap:
Super happy with this swim. I think it was my best Ironman swim ( not counting Chattanooga :-) First loop went really great, clear water and I felt very controlled with my effort. As soon as I started swimming, I felt really good in the water. Sighting was a little tricky as there was steam on the top of the lake and you couldn’t really see the buoy until you got closer. I had to clear my goggles twice as they got foggy. 2nd lap was more congested with athletes starting their first loop but nothing too bad. Overall it was a great start to the day. AG 4th place but moved to 2nd at T1.

Ironman Canada - Quick Recap

Ironman Canada has been on our racing bucket-list for the past few years. We were immediately drawn to the challenging bike course. We find that the more difficult the race course, the more satisfaction we feel when crossing the finish line. It's also a lot easier to reflect on the race as a whole when there's more to think about than just a finishing time. Although Karel and I "race" the Ironman distance, the real race is always with ourselves - overcoming physical and mental obstacles, pushing through fatigue and self-doubts, exploring our limits and finding reasons and meaning to get to the finish line. With this being my 15th Ironman, I have a lot of experience knowing what it takes to get to the finish line and a big part of that battle is arriving with a strong and healthy body and a positive attitude.

Whistler exceeded our expectations. The community was exceptional nice, the Ironman volunteers were wonderful, the Ironman staff put on a great race and the course was incredibly beautiful. It was so great to share this course with 13 of our athletes and to see so many familiar faces on and off the course.

I'm so happy that we could check this race off our bucket list, especially since it's the last year of holding the Ironman in Whistler. There was a big question mark if I would be able to finish the race due to a recent hip/back issue that occurred three weeks before the race (which prevented me from running forward without pain/tugging in my adductor/groin - luckily, I could swim and bike just fine and I was able to walk, hop sideways and run backwards without pain :). I kept me run fitness through water jogging and was able to reflect back on my previous training with confidence that I had exceptional swim, bike and run fitness thanks to consistent training. While I was disappointed that I wouldn't be able to "race" the run and had to incorporate a lot of walking and stopping to help me get to the finish line so that I did not do more damage to my body, my primary focus was to race the swim and bike and to take the run mile by mile - assessing the situation and stopping the race if I experienced pain or change in my running form. I was not willing to run through pain just to finish my 15th Ironman (especially with Ironman Kona in 10 weeks). 

Karel arrived to this race with exceptional fitness. His training was extremely consistent - although there were a few modifications for extra recovery between a few hard sessions. But thankfully, he didn't have any setbacks or injuries throughout this season and has been able to train really hard. He still suffers from back aches while riding but through some PT/breathing work, it's (mostly) manageable for him. Going into the race, Karel was looking forward to racing on this course and giving his best on the day. He uses visualization (with music) to get into the zone and reflects on previous races to help him get into a good head space. We each have our own way of getting excited to race an Ironman but we both felt excited to experience this race course.

I am thrilled with my swim/bike combo and how I was able to pace the bike. I started the run as overall female amateur but at that point, it was less about racing and more about listening to my body and focusing only on myself. Karel had a great swim but suffered a few low moments on the bike due to pacing - but as usual, once his feet touched the ground, he was in his happy place and he ran himself a PR Ironman run. 

While our fitness was great going into this race, it never makes racing any easier. There are always nerves, worries, unpredictable moments, low moments to overcome and the mental games you experience as your body experiences more and more fatigue. But nothing feels as great as crossing that finish line, knowing that you worked through all the tough moments and finished what you started.

More on the inside details from the race but here are the quick stats from the race:

Marni 

2.4 mile swim: 57:48 (2nd AG, 7th female)
T1: 3:30
112 mile bike: 5:39.33 (2nd AG, 16th female)
T2: 3:39
26.2 mile run: 4:22.41 (12th AG, 61st female)

Finish time: 11:07.09, 5th AG (35-39)

Karel
2.4 mile swim: 58:30 (4th AG, 22nd male)
T1: 3:15
112 mile bike: 5:17.06 (5th AG, 27th male)
T2: 2:20

26.2 mile run: 3:04.04 (1st AG, 2nd male, 2nd overall)
Finish time: 9:25.13, 1st AG (40-44), 4th overall male, 5th overall