Our "MINI" YOLOMITES Ride

On June 15th I received a group the weekly email from Jeff M., which highlighted the weekly/weekend rides and past events in and around Greenville. The email was promoting an upcoming ride called the Yolomites (which combines YOLO - you only live once and DOLOMITES - cycling heaven in Italy).

Last year I heard about this local curated event and ever since, it had been on my mind. I love doing physical feats for the first time and I have never ridden over 115 miles. The Yolomites ride is as follows (starting from Lex Mullinex Park)

• First Loop: Watershed, Mine Mtn, Skyuka, White Oak, Hogback, Grade, Green River Switchbacks, down watershed to car. 77 miles, ~10,000ft of climbing.
• Second Loop: Watershed, Olivet, down Olivet, down Watershed back to car. 26.5 miles, ~2600ft of climbing. 
• Third and fourth Loop: Cliffs - Mountain Summit to the very top, North side of Panther, back down Panther, Down Mountain Summit, back to car. 25 miles, ~3800ft of climbing 
  Total: 130 miles, 16,234 ft of climbing. 

The funny thing is that this ride doesn't even include all of our "famous" climbs that we have in and around the area!

Karel and I love cycling adventures, especially around Greenville. There are so many hard, challenging, beautiful, scenic climbs where we live and the roads are very bike friendly. Anytime we are in need of an adventure, we can simply bike from our driveway and head to the mountains. We have put together several rides where we map out a route and try to conquer our idea. Often times, we finish the ride saying "that seemed like a good idea at the time." 😁

I thought it was crazy to ride 130 miles and 16,000 feet elevation gain on some of our most challenging climbs outside of Greenville but I was just crazy enough to come up with my own version - calling it the "mini" Yolomites. I mapped the route, invited a few friends and talked Karel into my crazy adventure. Here's the route.

With the route loaded in our computers and bottles filled, Alvi, Kenny, Karel and I started from our house around 8:30am and finished the ride around 4pm, with right around 7 hours of riding time. It was great to have the company and a lot of laughs were shared along the way. 

As for the ride, I was surprised how quickly the day went by. It was hot and very windy. Because I kept my computer on the map setting, I never knew the time of the day, how far we had ridden or how much we had left to ride (that is until Alvi would remind me that we still had x-number of miles or feet of climbing left ;) 

Karel was feeling empty from the first pedal stroke but he was able to finish off strong (must have been the ice cream from our one stop in the town of Saluda). 

We kept the effort pretty chill throughout the ride as it was a long day in the saddle. Karel and I wore our hydration packs that we use for mountain biking/gravel riding (Karel wears USWE and I have a CamelBak). Having our hydration packs was a game changer as we had plenty of fluids and calories so we never had to ration on drinks to rely on a store stop. Alvi and Kenny brought an extra bottle but I'd say that we were probably a bit better hydrated thanks to our packs. It was also nice to be able to keep one frame bottle of water to use for cooling as it got into the 90's during our ride. 

I started with two bottles of Skratch Superfuel (400 calories per 26-ounce bottle) and then 4 scoops INFINIT (custom formula) in my 50-ounce hydration pack. I brought along 2 baggies (each with 2 scoops INFINIT, ~240 calories total each bag) to refill my bottles along with a packet of FLUID (which I gave to Karel because he didn't have any more sport nutrition at our stop). I also had a Picky Bar and a few honey stinger chews. We refilled bottles at the top of Skyuka (3:20 into the ride) and again in Saluda (5:30 into the ride). At our store stop in Saluda (around 5:30 into the ride), I had 3/4 Mexican coke and a few bites/licks of Karel's Lemon Pie ice cream. I felt really good throughout the ride and I feel I paced myself really well on the climbs. I felt very confident on the descends and had a lot of fun flying down the climbs. My only low moment was on the watershed descend which came shortly after our store stop. That is pretty typical to feel a drop in blood sugar after a stop, especially when descending and not giving much effort. It actually felt good to push a bit up Callahan mountain - I instantly felt my energy levels go up and stayed strong until we got back home. Alvi got a flat from a nail in his tire a few miles from our house (6 miles away) but aside from a quick stop to regroup at the top of climbs, we had 36 minutes of "stopping" plus 7 minutes for Alvi to fix the hole in his tire. 

It took us about 1-hour to get to our first official climb (out of six) of the ride. 

Watershed climb - 8 miles
Mine Mountain - 5.4 miles (more descending than climbing)
Skyuka Mountain - 4.2 miles
Hogback Mountain - 3.8 miles
Saluda Grade - 6.6 miles
Callahan Mountain - 1.5 miles

If you'd like to learn more about some of our epic climbs in and around the area, you can check out this blog post that I wrote a few years back. It's crazy that we are still discovering new routes and new climbs. We had never been on Mine Mountain before (but have ridden by the road a million times) and it is now one of our favorites. The road condition was great and after a short climb, there was a very fast and fun descend to take us to the Saluda grade. 

With 5 weeks until IM Lake Placid and 9 weeks until we start the 7-day Haute Route Alps, we are having a lot of fun with our training. 

On top of Skyuka

And in case you were wondering, out of 30 starters for the Yolomites ride, 4 people completed the entire ride. The fastest was Jeff who finished in 8:55.36 and Kathleen finished in 9:24.22. Mark White, who painted the route, set up the coolers and made the signs, finished the ride at 2am. Talk about grit and determination! 

Here are some pics from our adventure on two wheels....

Starting out and heading toward the Watershed

Fresh bodies one hour in


Too tired to stand. On top of Skyuka. Such a hard climb with long grades above 12%. 

Karel thinking about how to get a ride back home ;) 


Life is better again. Lemon pie ice cream hit the spot. 

Climbing the Watershed. So peaceful.

Riding toward Skyuka. Such a hard climb and fun twisty steep and fast descend. 

On top of Hogback. 

Riding Mine Mountain for the first time. Loved it! 

Who loves climbing Skyuka? At least the view is a thumbs up! 


Riding to another climb...

Finding more mountains to climb. 
Find

Enjoying the views and quiet roads. 

I talked them into this crazy idea. 

Climbing Skyuka. 

The amazing route markers that made us laugh every time we saw one. 

Hot Weather Training - Health and Safety Tips

 

Heat. 🔥

The summer presents a vulnerable time for endurance athletes who are training outside in an effort to gain fitness for an upcoming event.

High heat and humidity challenges the limits of the cardio system, central nervous system and skeletal muscle system. Maintaining core body temperature and keeping body fluids in balance are key priorities for your body. Training in a hot environment can put your body under a significant amount of physiological strain, which can negatively impact your health.

By understanding how the heat can impact your health and performance, you can do a better job of keeping yourself healthy this summer.

IM 70.3 Blue Ridge - Race Recap

 

After two races in 3 weeks (Ironman St. George and IM 70.3 Chattanooga), it felt like we were pros at packing. To be honest, we didn’t really unpack much from racing in Chattanooga 1.5 weeks ago.

We left Greenville around 8am and it was a really smooth and beautiful drive to Roanoke. It took us around 5 hours with stops and the scenery was incredible. Instead of heading straight to our Airbnb, we made our way to the town of Buchannan for Karel to do a shake-out ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway (miles 23-48 on the race course). Karel already had his bottles prepared (and in the cooler) so after a quick change at the gas station, he started his ride. He was joined at the start with our athlete Claire who was also shaking out her legs from the travel on the course.

It wasn’t the best feeling ride to start after sitting for 5 hours and then climbing for 30+ minutes but Karel took it pretty easy and it was nice for him to be on the course (last year I pre-rode the course and Karel drove). I drove in front of Karel, stopped for a few pics and then carried on. Even though Karel rode for almost 26 miles (1:33), it went by fast for me as I was stopping at the scenic points and taking pictures. It was nice for me to also see the course again from the car. Although it was our original plan for Karel to pre-ride the course and for me to drive, I got my period on Thurs morning so I was feeling tired and crappy so I was happy to do nothing that day. I had hoped to get on my bike after we unloaded at our Airbnb but I was exhausted from the day so I just enjoyed Chiptole with Karel (after a Kroger grocery shop) and focused on getting a good night's sleep.

On Friday morning we drove ~45 minutes to our athletes lake house for an open water swim. We had a handful of our athletes meet us there for a warm, ~35 minute wet-suit swim. After the swim we drove back to the Airbnb (we booked the same place as last year in the downtown area) and after we ate, we took a nap. We were both exhausted.

Because of the logistics of this event, you need to check in your bike when you check in for the race. Because we were not checking in until Saturday, there wasn’t much for us to do on Friday. We were both struggling this week with being really tired and running low on motivation so we mustered some energy to get on our bikes in the afternoon and pre-ride the run course for an hour. It was nice to see the run course as it was different than last year. I prefer looped courses so it was good to mentally see each part of the course to help me break it down into segments for the race.

Around 6pm, we picked up pizza from Grace’s Place Pizzeria and enjoyed a team dinner (and pre-race chat) with our 20+ athletes (and supporters) that were racing.

On Saturday morning, we rode on the run course and then backtracked the last few miles of the bike course (which was also new this year) as part of our pre-race warm-up. We dropped our run stuff off at our athletes house which was on the run course so that we could do a quick brick run from her house. After riding for around 50 minutes, Karel went for a 22 minute, 3.4 mile brick run and I went for a 12 minute, 1.6 mile run. We both ran until we felt good and surprisingly, we both felt really good running. This came as a huge relief (and a bit of a surprise) as we were really tired going into this race.

After our warm-up  we biked back to our place, enjoyed some homemade French toast and then ate pretty much the same things that we have been eating before the last two races. I enjoy Amy’s no chicken chicken noodle soup, bagel w/ peanut butter, jam and banana, yogurt w/ berries and banana and veggie burger w/ a slice of cheese and corn chips (not necessarily in that order). I also always have 2 waffles w/ peanut butter and syrup before I do my pre-race workouts.

We got our run gear together and double checked our bikes (charged the night prior) and drove 2 miles to the race venue at River’s Edge Sports Complex around 11am. After dropping off our bikes in a supervised area, we picked up our race packet, got our swim shuttle time cards and our parking passes and then went back to our bikes to put on the race numbers. We then dropped off our bikes so that they could be shuttled to the cove (no cars/biking allowed at the reservoir prior to race day). We then put our bib numbers on our belts and double checked our run bags and hung those on the run racks in T2.

As for the rest of the day, besides eating, Karel watched Unbound Gravel and I watched a few episodes of We Crashed on Apple TV. We prepared our sport nutrition bottles for race day and went to bed pretty early – around 7pm – as we were both really tired.

RACE DAY
I slept horribly on Saturday night. I pretty much saw every hour on the clock from 8 until 2am. I have no idea why I slept so bad since I slept so well the two nights prior. I eventually moved to the couch to see if changing positions would help and sure enough, I was able to fall asleep around 2pm, only to wake up to my alarm at 3:15am. I relied on past experiences and trusted myself that even though I was extremely tired, I knew I would still be able to perform.

We had our pre-race meals (oatmeal concoction for Karel and a bagel w/ nut butter, jam and banana and yogurt for me) and then each went for a short jog outside (kinda sketchy in the downtown area so we stayed close to our building) to help get the system going. We left our place at 4:00am, parked in the parking garage across from the venue and then walked to the bus to board around 4:30am. The shuttle took around 30 minutes to get to the venue (plus the additional time waiting in a church parking lot due to tight roads around the lake, only letting a few buses in at a time).

When we arrived, we walked to the packed transition area and Karel pumped up our tires with his cordless inflater (he removed pressure from our tires overnight since it was a warm 80-degree day and our bikes were out all day). We filled up our hydration system and placed the front bottle on our aerobar cage and then we were set to go to the bathroom and warmup. There wasn’t much room to warm-up in the transition area so a handful of Trimarnis gathered together and we did some mobility in one spot before putting on our wetsuits. It was great to have so many familiar faces around to keep the energy positive.

Around 6:15am, we made our way to the swim start area to line up with our respective swim times. Karel and I lined up around the 27-30 min swim wave, along with a few other of our athletes. Although it was a cool morning (in the upper 50’s), the water was warm (75 degrees) so I was anticipating being a bit uncomfortable for the swim. I poured some cold water down my wetsuit to get myself ready for the swim. I also sipped on a plastic bottle of Skratch and threw it away right before the swim start. It took a few minutes for us to get to the end of the dock and shortly after 6:30am, we jumped into the water for 70.3 Blue Ridge.

1.2 mile Swim
Marni – 29:15
Karel – 29:18
I remembered this swim to be a fast swim as it was easy to navigate on the course. There was a bit of sun in our eyes after the 2^nd turn buoy (going into the 3^rd and last turn buoy) so I trusted those in front of me to lead the way until I was able to sight the turn buoy. Although Karel and I didn’t start right next to each other, I was able to see Karel for most of the swim (I recognized his orange ROKA goggle strap). Although we weren’t right next to each other, we somehow stayed together for most of the swim but I made an extra effort to pick up the pace at the end to make sure I could beat Karel out of the water. I tried to push the swim but I felt like I only had one speed. When I exited the water, Karel was right there next to me and we both ran to our bikes at the same time.

T1
Marni – 3:10
Karel – 2:45
We didn’t say much to each other in the transition but as we were getting our bikes off the rack, I told Karel to get in front of me as I knew he would be able to run much faster with his bike than me. It was a very long run (almost 0.2 mile) to the mount line and Karel was moving so much faster than me. This was the last time that I saw Karel until the run.

56 mile Bike
Marni – 2:47.19
Karel – 2:39.35
The first few miles of the bike are fun – twisty turny tight country roads (similar to some of our terrain). I passed a few girls in those early miles. Around 5.5 miles in, I was passed by a girl who was riding extremely strong. She later went on to win the overall female title in a crazy fast time on this course. I tried to stay with her and I was somewhat successful. She was very strong on the flat sections so that was where I really had to work hard. It was a bit chilly out (in the low 60’s) but I found myself warming up nearing the end of the first part of the course. Although it was net downhill to Buchannan, there were enough rollers to get the legs working. Plus, we had a bit of headwind as well.
The first hour went by fast before we made the turn to start the ~5 mile climb to the blue ridge parkway. I was able to stay with her on the climb but near the top, I got dropped. It wasn’t that my legs were done but she was so much stronger than me and I couldn’t hang. I wanted to ride the climb hard as I knew I would be able to recover in the last 10 miles of the course. I wasn’t doing a great job with my nutrition as I was finding it hard to keep a good schedule with drinking as I was working really hard on the climb (it took me 31 minutes to climb 4.7 miles – the “claw”). This part of the course was marked with turn signs letting us know how many more turns we had until the top (8 in total – although there were a few that were not accounted for 😊).  By this point, there weren’t a lot of other riders on the course around me which was good and bad. I found the middle section to be much easier than the last time I did the course, even though there was a bit of wind. I think knowing the course better than last year helped me break it down mentally. The next ten miles were rolling – the climbs were long and steady and the downhills were fast enough to shake out the legs. Finally, once we got to the start of the long “downhill” I was really excited to use my improved bike handling skills from winter group riding and mountain biking. The next 8.6 miles were super fun and fast – I average almost 27 mph. I was passed by another girl (the one who beat me by 2 seconds last year) before the descend and at this point, the two girls ahead of me were out of sight – and I tried to get them out of mind.
I enjoyed being on my bike but I was also ready for the bike to be overwith. I started to feel a small battle with my thoughts after the descend but with 10 miles left to go, I tried to push the negativity to the side. I saw a girl ahead of me on a road bike and she was riding the climbs really strong but not as fast on the downhills so I used her as motivation to keep myself pushing.
Karel had a great bike with no back pain. He was really happy with how he rode the course and riding the course on Thursday helped as he could break it down into segments.

For nutrition, I used Skratch Super Fuel for all my bottles (~600 calories in the hydration frame and 400 calories in the front bottle). Karel used C90 in the hydration frame (740 calories) and 2 servings C30 in the front bottle (240 calories).

The last few miles were a bit more technical through neighborhood streets and it was much more hilly than the last few miles of the 2021 course. This new course was also about 1 mile longer than last year. When I got close to T2, I was relieved to be done with the bike and I was actually looking forward to the run.

I dismounted my bike and ran my bike on to the grass field to my rack.

T2
Marni – 2:07
Karel – 2:09
I quickly put on my running shoes (Nike Zoom) and Naked Running band and as I was running out of transition, I put on my visor and sunglasses. I had two 10-ounce flasks (each with 1 scoop C30) and when I got to the fluid station at the end of the transition area, I asked a volunteer to fill up one of my flasks while I filled up the other one. This was the same approach that I took for St. George (to fill up bottles right before I ran) instead of leaving my bottles w/ sport nutrition and water in it during the day before in the transition area. Karel did the same with his 12-ounce flask – he started with C30 and then refilled it with a packet of Green Tea Matcha Skratch as he was running. He also had one Maurten gel on the course. Karel had a few sips of coke, I didn’t use any coke on this course.

13.1 mile run
Marni – 1:44.37
Karel – 1:23.07
Once I started running, I felt ok – not great but not bad. The first mile was nice as there was a bit of undulation with the terrain to help change up my run rhythm. As I was nearing the first mile, I felt like I needed to go to the bathroom (#2). I normally don’t have to go to the bathroom in a half IM but I think the combo of my period starting on Thursday and being a bit off with my sport nutrition intake on the bike and probably not emptying myself completely on race day morning contributed to needing to go again. I stopped at the first port-o-potty as I didn’t want to take any risks waiting for the next one. It was a quick stop to go to the bathroom but because it was getting warmer out (low 70’s) my tri kit was a bit sticky so it took me a bit to get it back on. Plus subconsciously, I think I was enjoying not running and was delaying my time to go back out and start racing again. The stop took around 1:45.

I was looking forward to seeing Karel as well as seeing how many girls were ahead of me. The first 3.5 miles to the turn around felt long but I just focused on one mile at a time, looking forward to each aid station. The course was mostly flat but there were enough inclines on the running path to help change up my gait. I got a pick me up when I saw Karel as he was making his way back from the first turn around and he told me I was in 4^th place. Once I saw the top 3 girls pass by me, they all looked really young so I assumed I was winning my age group. Part of me wanted to push it to see if I could catch the 3^rd place girl but part of me was just happy to find a good rhythm and not suffer too much. I think my mind was protecting my body and not letting me push it like I did in Chattanooga 70.3 two weeks ago. My mind knew I was carrying around a lot of fatigue and it was trying to keep me safe. I had a lot of mental demons on the run and I was so close to quitting around mile 4-5. I hit a really deep low spot and the rest of the run just felt impossible. I took a quick walk break at the aid station and just told myself to get back to mile 6-7 (the split in the course) and then I could walk or quit. Thankfully, I changed my mind and I started to find my energy pick up again. I was keeping up with my nutrition and using water for cooling. I was having trouble finding ice at all the aid stations so it was nice when I had it to hold in my hands. I started to get more of a pick me up when I saw more of our athletes out on the course. Even though I was running pretty well pace wise, my mind was still trying to get me to quit. Each aid station was a great pick me up and I was really looking forward to the last half of the course – which had much more to it with more inclines/declines in the road, bridges and more turns. I really like dynamic run courses. I saw Karel on his way back with only a few miles left and he was really pushing it. He had moved up several spots and I was inspired by his effort.

The last two miles were rough and the last mile seemed to take forever but I was so happy to finally make the turn on to the bridge and make my way to the finish line.

I met up with Karel and we were both relieved and happy to have completed this race and to have successfully raced 3 long distance triathlons in 29 days. Karel won his age group by almost 8 minutes and I won my age group by 18 minutes. It was strange that both me and Karel struggled a bit mentally in this race but that we both were able to deliver a strong performance. Karel had an incredible run (faster than what he did in Chattanooga 70.3).
Marni – 5:06.52, 4^th overall amateur female, 1^st AG (40-44)
Karel – 4:37.00, 5^th overall, 1^st AG (45-49)

After our race, we hung around the finish line and waited for all of our athletes to finish. It was so awesome to see their faces of relief, happiness and exhaustion as they crossed the finish line. It was fun to exchange race stories with one another at the awards ceremony and see several of our athletes get top 5 podium awards as well as World 70.3 slots. Karel and I turned down our slots for 70.3 Worlds in St. George in October as we have two international trips planned for August and late September but we plan to be in St. George to spectate our athletes who will be racing. And a big congrats to our team for placing 1st overall Tri Club at IM 70.3 Blue Ridge!! 

I still can’t believe what we were able to do with our bodies and minds within 4 weeks. Neither one of us went into our races with expectations, a race plan or any pressure to meet a specific outcome. We felt free in the mind to do what we love to do which is swim, bike, run in a race day setting.

And no race is complete without doggy cuddles. This little girl was extra cute! 

IM 70.3 Blue Ridge - Quick Recap

 

Our racing block was a success.
We completed three long distance triathlons in 29 days. 

May 7th - Ironman World Championship (St. George, Utah)
May 22nd - Ironman 70.3 Chattanooga (Chattanooga, TN)
June 5th - Ironman 70.3 Blue Ridge (Roanoke, Virginia)

The past 4 weeks have been fun, exciting, challenging and empowering. 

FUN
Although traveling can be stressful, we love our race-cations. In St. George, Karel re-connected with his friends from Czech. We were reunited with the beauty of the red rocks in and around St. George. In Chattanooga and Roanoke, we had over 20 Trimarni team members participating in each race. It was so great to see familiar faces. We love racing and being able to travel to three different places in a month was a lot of fun. Each race provided us with a different race experience and unique course features. The community support, volunteers and professionalism for each race was incredible and we felt welcomed (and safe) at every race venue. 

EXCITING
I forgot to mention that Karel finished 4 races in 6 weeks! He completed his first 8-hour mountain bike race (and won it!) in Tennessee two weeks before IM St. George. We did not feel overwhelmed by this racing block but instead, focused on one race at a time. We went into this racing block healthy, resilient and strong - even though our training over the past few months was a bit unconventional. It was exciting to have so many unknowns going into Chattanooga and Blue Ridge, as well as how we would perform at IM St. George. Karel had not raced an Ironman distance since 2019 and going into the race, he was a bit ambivalent about continuing to race long distance triathlons. But racing with no pressure or expectations provided freedom to enjoy the day. We both surprised ourselves with great performances and I shocked myself with my first ever podium finish at the Ironman World Championship. We both felt really good at IM 70.3 Chattanooga and I had my fastest ever 70.3 performance - just shy of the age of 40! And Karel won his age group. And with both 70.3 events, Karel found himself running faster and faster! We recently won our respective age groups at Ironman 70.3 Blue Ridge and Karel finished 6th overall and I was 4th female amateur. It was exciting to see what our bodies were able to do at each race.

CHALLENGING
The travel, logistics, packing and unpacking and saying good-bye to our furry crew every other weekend was tough. Balancing these races with work was also a challenge. But the hardest challenge was keeping the body moving after each race to help with the recovery. The first few days after the Ironman were rough but the body finally started to come around in the 10 days before Chattanooga. But then again we were "only" carrying the fatigue from an Ironman. Going into Blue Ridge, things got tough - very very tough. We were tired, exhausted and we could feel a bit more deep soreness lingering around. Trying to recover from Chattanooga 70.3 and Ironman St. George proved to be a big challenge - and we felt it. It was harder to "show up" to workouts, even though we weren't doing a lot between each race compared to what we would have done in the lead up to a 70.3. I was very tired going into Blue Ridge and I couldn't seem to get enough sleep to feel rested. The races were finally catching up to me (as to be expected) and I was feeling tired. Karel seemed to be a bit more energized than me going into Blue Ridge so I wonder if my hormones and getting my period on Thursday of Blue Ridge race week also affected me. We started and finished this racing block with two very challenging bike courses (7000 feet elevation on the bike in St. George and 4000 in Blue Ridge). We asked a lot from our bodies to race in heat, on hills, in cold water, in warm conditions and so much more. 

EMPOWERING
Anytime you do something for the first time, there are unknowns. We learned so much about ourselves over 4 weeks - in training and on race day. We have so much more gratitude for our body and mind and what they can do on race day. We stayed healthy between every race - free of sickness, burnout and injury. We put our energy into what we could control to keep us healthy. Even when we were tired, sore and exhausted, the body was still willing to work and the mind was there to keep the body going. With each race, we didn't race with any goals, metrics or an outcome focus. We simply stayed in the present moment. With each race, we become a smarter, more strategic, better and more confident with our abilities. Although we didn't gain fitness from race to race, we certainly became better racers. 

Last year at Ironman 70.3 Blue Ridge, I crossed the line first but because of the rolling start, I finished second. I lost the race by 2 seconds. Returning this year, certainly I wanted to finish first but I also knew it would be greedy of me to expect that I could race at my best after racing twice before Blue Ridge. I knew that I could be competitive but I also didn't feel the pressure that I needed to win to feel satisfied. Last year, Karel watched the race on the sidelines due to a broken hand, just a week out of surgery. I wanted so badly to share the course with Karel last year and I was so thankful that we could share the course together this year. Racing is so much more than needing to prove something. It's a day to explore the abilities and capabilities of your body and mind. 

Often times, the pressure felt on race day becomes paralyzing. Athletes become overwhelmed with the need to prove something and racing becomes demoralizing. Racing should be fun. It's a celebration of months and months of hard work. Racing is also exciting, challenging and empowering. Racing should be shared and celebrated with others.

During our pre-race team talk/pizza party on Friday, Karel and I talked to our athletes about having an explorative mindset on race day. Instead of racing with a mindset of "I have to do this" we wanted our athletes to race with a mindset of "let's see what I can do." Racing should not feel like a test - pass or fail. In each one of our races, we went in with no expectations but instead, a mindset of "let's see what happens." 

It was an incredible experience to see what our body and mind could do race after race after race. We learned so much about racing and about ourselves.

Now it's time for a well-deserved reboot as we recover from the past month of racing and prepare our body and mind for the next block of racing adventures. 

Race report coming soon......

IM 70.3 Blue Ridge Results
Marni: 5:06.52, 1st AG (40-44), 4th overall female
Swim: 29:15
T1: 3:10
Bike: 2:47 
T2: 2:07
Run: 1:44.37

Karel: 4:37.00, 1st AG (45-49), 6th overall 
Swim: 29:18
T1: 2:34
Bike: 2:39
T2: 2:09
Run: 1:23.07

Goodbye 30's .........

 

When I reflect on the past ten years, I can't believe how much happened in my life. I learned a lot. I made mistakes. I struggled a lot. I celebrated milestones and achievements. I did a lot of things for the first time. I cried. I worried. I stepped out of my comfort zone. 

Life is hard. Life is short. Life is uncertain. 
Life is exciting. Life is fun. Life is amazing. 

Age is just a state of mind. You are as old as you think you are. 

I worked incredibly hard in my 30's.

Now that I am 40, I guess it's time to ask myself "what's next?"

40 things that happened in my 30's. 

1. Started my business Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition. 
2. Moved from Jacksonville, Florida to Greenville, SC. 
3. Bought a house and two cars. 
4. Paid off the house and two cars. 
5. Traveled to Europe 4 times. 
6. Raced in Europe 4 times. 
7. Wrote three books. 
8. Did a lot of public speaking. 
9. Wrote articles/quoted in various magazines (Triathlete, USAT, Runner's World). 
10. Traveled to Napa, San Diego, Dallas, Denver, Salt Lake City, Florida and Laguna Beach as an Oakley Women Ambassador. 
11. Lost my dad to cancer. 
12. Dealt with the passing of our cat Smudla, my grandpa Joe, our friend Lukas and my best friend Laura. 
13. My grandma Kitty and Karel's dad passed away from COVID. 
14. Survived a pandemic. 
15. Raced in 13 Ironman distance triathlons. 
16. Finished my first Xtreme Triathlon (3-day event) and won the event, along with Karel. 
17. Won my first Ironman as overall amateur female (IM Chattanooga '17). 
18. Rescued our cats Ella, Sylvi and Asher. 
19. Raced in 4 Ironman World Championship events. 
20. Placed 5th at the Ironman World Championship (2022). 
21. Celebrated 10 years of marriage.
22. Learned how to gravel bike (and crashed twice). 
23. Learned how to mountain bike. 
24. Participated in 3 trail running events. 
25. Celebrated 30 years of being a vegetarian. 
26. Became board certified in sport nutrition (twice). 
27. Celebrated 10 years of being a Registered Dietitian. 
28. Karel broke his hand. 
29. Wrote a monthly column for Triathlete magazine.
30. Worked with over 300 athletes for nutrition. 
31. Coached over 150 athletes for long distance triathlon. 
32. Traveled to Arizona, Canada, New York, Tennessee, Florida, Wisconsin, Czech Republic, Austria, Utah, Virginia, Georgia, Hawaii and Alabama for races. 
33. Karel became a US citizen. 
34. The Trimarni coaching team placed in the top 5 Tri club for two years in a row. 
35. Held over 15 group triathlon training camps. 
36. Campy celebrated his 14th birthday with us (going on 15 in October). 
37. Celebrated 30 years of competitive swimming. 
38. Learned/learning how to look after my mental health. 
39. Took up string art. 
40. Got three tattoos and two more ear piercings. 
    Bonus: 
41. Ate a lot of pizza. 

I had several people ask me if I was doing anything BIG for my BIG 40th birthday. 
To be honest, today will just be another day for me - with the addition of enjoying my birthday tradition of carrot cake. 

However, that doesn't mean that I won't celebrate. 
Birthdays are not just an age celebration. They are life celebrations. 
I don't need a big celebration. I will celebrate the small things that are big things. 

Since my dad's passing in 2014 (3 days before my 32nd birthday), I quickly learned how short life can be and how quickly life can change. I promised myself that I would never take a day for granted. This meant not waiting for the perfect time to start/do/finish something. Although we do have an exciting trip to Europe planned in August (a trip that was supposed to take place in August of 2020), I will continue to do things that make me happy and make me feel alive. 

I am grateful for every day - and every year. I never want to take life for granted. 

I will continue to celebrate the life I am creating for myself. 
Cheers to 40 years on this earth. 

Thank you for being in my life. 💞

Celebrating 30 years as a vegetarian

I recently celebrate my 30th anniversary as a vegetarian. Sometime around the age of 10 in the month of April, I told my parents that I didn't want to eat meat anymore. I am not sure what caused this decision but from a very early age, I've had a strong love for animals/creatures. My parents thought it would be a short phase but as the years went by, I never grew out of it. And despite many people in my life telling me that I would need to eat meat in order to participate in sports, I never let my decision to be a vegetarian impact my athletic lifestyle.

Over the past three decades, I've learned a lot from my own journey as a vegetarian. To celebrate my anniversary, I thought it would be fun to share some of my most commonly asked questions when people hear that I am a vegetarian. 

1. What kind of vegetarian are you? I am a lacto-ovo vegetarian. I consume eggs and dairy products as part of my vegetarian diet. Although I've had many times when I've considered becoming a vegan, I feel my lacto-ovo vegetarian diet works well for me as I can keep my body in good health with eggs/dairy, I have a lot of variety with my diet, I find it easy to eat when traveling (especially internationally) and I can still respect animals through my food-related decisions.
   
   
2. Where do you get your protein from? My protein sources include: tofu, tempeh, beans, lentils, whole grains, eggs, cottage cheese, milk, protein powder, yogurt, veggie burgers and edamame. The majority of my diet is made of real food sources.
   
   
3. Do you take any supplements? I take an Iron pill once a week to maintain my ferritin levels. I do not take any other supplements.
   
   
4. Do you get uncomfortable if someone else eats meat in front of you? No. Karel is not a vegetarian and he eats meat several times per week. I do not focus on what other people are eating as I stay attentive and present when I am eating. I do get very uncomfortable if someone talks about hunting or hurting animals. When this happens, I ask the person to please stop talking about this topic or I leave the conversation. I do not watch documentaries that involve hurting/killing animals and I have tremendous difficulty watching movies that involve hurting animals.
   
   
5. Do you tell other people to become vegetarians? No. As a vegetarian, I do not feel I am responsible for making the dietary choices for other people. As a dietitian, when someone asks for advice on how to become a vegetarian, I always ask "why" they want to stop eating meat.
   
   
6. Do you feel healthier as a vegetarian? When I became a vegetarian, I was not a healthy vegetarian. I didn't eat a lot of vegetables and I ate a lot of processed food. When I learned about "healthy" eating in college, I ate a lot of vegetables but my diet turned very low calorie because of so many food eliminations. In both scenarios, I was not a healthy vegetarian. I don't believe that 'not eating meat' necessarily makes you a healthier person. I believe every person should eat a plant-based diet but it's up to you where you want to get your protein from. It's rare for me to get sick. I've never had a broken bone or stress fracture. I do feel healthy. 
   
   
7. What's your best advice for becoming a vegetarian? I would avoid giving your diet a name as restriction often leads to binging. You do not have to start off as all or nothing when wanting to change your dietary patterns. First, address your reasons for making a dietary change. Secondly, figure out a few areas that you'd like to improve in your current diet. To maintain good health as a vegetarian (or in any restricted diet), you need to be great with meal planning, have variety in your diet and be proactive with your eating decisions. However, these strategies are important for any style of eating.
   
   
8. Do you find it difficult to eat out? Personally, I don't enjoy eating out. It's costly and time-consuming. However, this doesn't mean that I don't eat out. I prefer to order-out when we do "eat out." I look for places that have plant based sources of protein (ex. tofu/tempeh/veggie burger) and I like to try new foods (or food creations). I also know that if I eat a meal that doesn't include a plant protein, that nothing bad will happen to me (except I may not be satisfied after the meal). 
   
   
9. Do you find it difficult to be an endurance athlete as a vegetarian? Being an endurance athlete is hard no matter the style of eating you choose. I feel the strategies that I use to maintain a nutritious vegetarian diet - like planning ahead and knowing how to make a balanced meal - are important skills for all endurance athletes. Because I'm always thinking/planning ahead to ensure I meet my energy needs, I feel I do a great job nourishing and fueling my body to support my endurance training. Plus, as an endurance athlete, most sport nutrition guidelines do not include meat/fish so that makes it a bit easier to fuel my body appropriately during workouts.
   
   
10. Do you ever have a cheat day or a day when you just want to eat meat? No. I've never "cheated" as a vegetarian. I don't think of my eating choices as a diet because my primary reason for not eating fish/meat is for animal reasons. I don't crave meat or miss it. 

If you are looking to adopt a more plant-based style of eating, I encourage you to pursue your own definition of what plant-based means to you and how it can be good for the environment, good for animals, good for your lifestyle and good for your health.

If you are considering transitioning to a more plant-based diet, there's no need to immediately title your diet as 'vegan' or 'vegetarian' to take advantage of the many health, ethical and environmental benefits of a plant-based diet. When adopting a different style of eating, start with the mindset “less is best.” Make small changes by learning about nutritious plant-based substitutions for every animal food reduction. A slow gradual process is less extreme, it’s easier on your body and intuitively, it’s more gentle for your mind. And it's ok to try something and overtime, realize that it's not the right fit for you or need to figure out how to make it the right fit. With every new style of eating, there is a period of adaption and learning.

Starting a new style of eating (especially for health reasons) and restricting food groups or demonizing certain foods can lead to feelings of deprivation, guilt and shame - not to mention a risk for nutrient deficiencies or heightened cravings. Extremes and absolutes are never healthy. Strict and restrictive eating can run and ruin your life, health and emotional well-being. Often times, it can create disordered eating patterns. If you struggle with body image and are seeking a vegetarian/vegan diet in an effort to gain control over your eating or to change body composition, I encourage you to reach out to a sport dietitian with experience in plant-based eating and disordered eating.

To incorporate more plant-based nutrition habits into your diet, choose small changes that allow for a health-promoting and sustainable approach. Your eating choices belong to you. If you choose to reduce, minimize or avoid certain foods for ethical, medical, religious, health or personal reasons, your diet should remain simple, flexible, varied and nourishing. Your personalized style of eating is constantly evolving. Keep it practical, enjoyable and sustainable.

IM 70.3 Chattanooga Race Report

We left Thursday in the late morning and drove through Knoxville, TN in route to Chattanooga. The drive took us around 5 hours with traffic/construction by Asheville, bathroom and a stop at Chipotle and Trader Joe's just outside of Chatty. We arrived around 4pm and checked into our Airbnb. Karel just purchased a Sea Sucker bike mount for the top of the car and although I was worried our bikes would fly off, they stayed really secure during our drive. The device is super easy to use and really practical for travel (and it only weighs 11 lbs so it would be great to travel with when we rent a car for races). 

It's getting a bit harder to travel with Campy because he needs to be with one of us at all times (he can't be left alone in the Airbnb because he gets confused and anxious). He also gets tired more easily which means he can't be on the move for long periods of time. But we love making memories with him. At the age of 14.5 yrs old, I am not sure how many more race-cations we have with him but I treasure every trip he gets to take with us. 

Our friends Don and Kathleen joined us for dinner at our place and it was fun catching up. Our best friend Alvi arrived around 8pm at our place. We went to bed shortly after he arrived and had a great night of sleep (until I had to let Campy outside to pee around 4am). 

We met most of our athletes at the Dam around 8:30am on Friday. With all the times we have been at Chatty (at least 5), we have never swam at the Dam. It was nice to get in a 30 minute open water swim - although the water was really warm for a wetsuit swim. For many of our athletes, this was their first open water swim of the year so it was good for everyone to get used to their wetsuit and get a feel of the open water again. 

With over 20 of our team members racing IM 70.3 Chattanooga, it was so great to have such a big group in Chatty. Kathleen "babysat" Campy as we swam (Thank you Kathleen!).

After the swim, we drove back to the Airbnb (located by the National Cemetery) and Karel and Alvi went out for a 90 minute spin on the course. I stayed with Campy and had a meal and worked on the computer until they arrived home around noon. I headed off for my ride around 12:30 and rode on the course from our place and then climbed up the descend from Chickamauga to the top and then turned around. It was nice to spin my legs and to be reminded of the beautiful country scenery that reminds us of where we live/ride in Greenville, SC. 

After the ride I quickly made myself a tempeh sandwich and we drove 2.5 miles to downtown to pick up our packets. Most of our athletes arrived at 2:30pm but we didn't get there until 3pm due to my late start of my ride. Luckily, most of our athletes checked-in together so they all had bib numbers close to one another. Because Alvi, Karel and I checked-in together, we had bib numbers next to one another which meant racking our bikes next to each other. 

Campy got his finisher picture taken, made a quick stop at Publix and then drove back to our Airbnb. 

As with all of our team races, we invited all of our team members over for a pizza party (our treat) from Home Slice Pizza (they have a lot of great options, especially for vegans and vegetarians). We also gave a pre race talk with course tips as well as suggestions for racing the first big race of the year. 

Karel stayed busy on Thursday, Friday and Saturday as several of our athletes has mechanical issues with their bikes that needed Karel's expertise. On Saturday morning, Alvi and I went out for our pre workout spin - we started at our place and rode toward downtown and then rode the course starting from the transition area to the town of St. Elmo. We then turned around and headed back to our place. It was a nice 45 minute spin to wake up the legs. I followed it up with a quick 8 min run around the block. I pushed the run just a little bit to see how my legs felt and it felt pretty good. I didn't feel like my recent performance at Ironman St. George two weeks ago was still in my legs but then again, I hadn't done anything longer than 3.5 hours over the past two weeks. 

My mom and her partner Alan arrived on Friday afternoon and they went for a bike ride on Saturday. Alvi drove his car and Karel and I rode with my mom and Alan. They joined us as we checked in our bikes on Saturday around 1:30pm. We oriented ourselves with the swim in/bike out/bike in/run out and then showed my mom the start of the run course and the best places for spectating. On a piece of paper, I wrote down Karel and my predicted swim/bike/run times (a range of 5-10 minutes) as well as the best places to stand to see us and cheer. 

Unfortunately, Alvi's car had an electrical issue when we were about to leave so we waited with Alvi as he tried to find a shop that was open on the weekend. After 30 minutes of waiting, Karel drove me, my mom and Alan back to our Airbnb and Karel went back to get Alvi once the tow truck was on the way (thankfully Alvi's car was fixed on Monday around 11am). 

I packed up my gear, prepared my bottles for bike and run and ate frequently throughout the rest of the day. I had french toast and eggs for breakfast, No chicken Noodle Soup (Amy's Organic), a bagel, animal crackers, pretzels, sweet potato, veggie burger, cheese and yogurt. 

I watched a cute movie on Netflix (Senior Year) on my Ipad in bed while Karel watched the Giro on his computer. Around 7pm I walked Campy and took him next door to my mom's Airbnb so that she could take care of him through the night and then on race day. Unfortunately, it stormed throughout the night and Campy woke up howling so my mom didn't get the best night of sleep. 

RACE DAY
The weather was predicted to have rain and storms on Sunday (race day). I checked the radar and it looked like we would get rain throughout the day but it looked like the storms would hold off until the afternoon. We received word around 4am that it was wetsuit legal (73 degrees) - which I kinda prepared for. I had a yogurt and bagel w/ PB, syrup and banana around 4am and then around 4:30am, I went for a quick jog around the block to get my system going. Surprisingly, I woke up excited to race without any nerves. I also slept really well which was unusual the night before a race. I felt alert and energized. 

We left the Airbnb around 5am, parked by the wooden bridge (plenty of street parking) and then walked to the transition area. It drizzled a bit during our drive downtown but then it stopped. 

Karel pumped up our tires with his cordless air compressor and then I put my nutrition on my bike and laid out my transition area. Before the swim, I realized I forgot to put out my cooling towel but I figured it would rain so I would be ok. Compared to the Ironman, it felt like I didn't have much stuff in my transition area but then again, I was "only" racing for less than 5 hours (and not almost 11 hours). 

We had decided earlier on race week that we would walk to the race start (we encouraged our athletes to do the same) which was a great way to keep the body moving (I get sleepy on race buses) and to remind myself of the run course. It was a quick 25 minute 1.4 mile walk and we ended up arriving right at the front of the swim staging area. We arrived around 6:25am so I was feeling a bit rushed to put on my wetsuit (it was already feeling warm and humid out). After putting on my wetsuit, rubbing lube around my neck/armpits to prevent chaffing and applying Amp Human on my arms/shoulders/legs, I dropped off my morning clothes bag and then found myself being pushed toward the front as the swim volunteer started encouraging everyone to start lining up for the swim. I didn't get a chance to give Karel good luck wishes so I was a bit sad that I wouldn't see him again until the end of the race (or on the race course). I later learned that Karel was still putting on his wetsuit when people starting lining up and that is why he didn't enter the water until 25 minutes after I did (I was near the front). 

While waiting in line, I sipped on Skratch in a throw away plastic bottle and poured water down my wetsuit to prevent the neck area from sucking on my chest (and to cool me down). My friend Leah (who I had never met in person before) lined up right behind me so it was nice to chat with her for a few minutes before the start. 

1.4 mile swim
Because of the current of the river and the location of the swim start, this race is .2 mile longer than the typical half IM swim. The current wasn't running fast but it was enough to give us a little push down the river. As I made my way on the dock after the 7am Age Group start (professionals went off at 6:50 and 6:55am) I waited a few seconds before going into the water as I wanted to let the swimmers ahead of me get going so I would have some space to jump in and start swimming. Because of the layout of this course, it's not a direct line to the swim exit (point to point). Instead, the buoys are placed more like a curve. Instead of only sighting on the next upcoming buoy, I would sight on the following buoy to ensure that I was taking the most straightforward line possible. I never found it to be cluttered with athletes in the water but I did have to adjust my stroke a few times to swim around slower swimmers. Nearing the end of the swim, the water got really choppy so I adjusted my stroke to ensure I was still catching water. As I made my way around the only turn buoy to the stairs, it became very congested with athletes so it took a few extra seconds for me to get out of the water. Although Karel started way behind me, he had a great swim and felt really good in the water. He feels like his wetsuit has helped him reset his body position and catch and he is now (kinda) enjoying swimming again. As for myself, I love swimming and it's a sport where I feel the safest with my body and mind. 

T1
Once I got off the stairs, I ran to the long steep ramp to take us up to the road by the transition area. The ramp was a little slippery so I had my hand close to the railing just in case. I spotted my mom cheering which was a nice surprise. The transition from swim to bike was a long one (there were over 3500 athletes racing!) but eventually I got to my bike. Alvi was finishing his transition as I was starting. I quickly took my wetsuit off, put on my helmet, socks and shoes and ran out of the transition area. I wore calf sleeves and socks for this race so that I could have a quicker transition time. Plus, in a full, compression socks are more comfortable than calf sleeves and socks. Luckily at that time, there weren't many athletes to navigate through as I ran my bike to the mount line. There were athletes mounting right on the mount line so I ran a bit ahead of them and close to the barricades so that I would have space to get on my bike. 

56 mile bike
I was really excited for this bike ride. Because I had to be smart and pace myself at Ironman St. George, I was looking forward to the opportunity to push and take some risks on this bike course. My legs didn't feel good running from the swim to the transition area but after a few miles on the bike, my riding legs came around. There was headwind and crosswind on the way out to Andrews ("bottom" part of the course) so I knew this section would require a bit more effort. I was very careful for the first few miles due to the railroad tracks and being mindful of other athletes on the course. Once I crossed into George after St. Elmo, that is where I started to "race" my race. Around this time there were only a few athletes (males) ahead of me and I never saw any groups. I found myself behind one guy (draft legal) and it just felt a bit too easy. I needed to pass him but I wasn't sure when to do it. In the near distance, I saw 3 guys riding and once I committed, I pushed hard, passed the guy in front of me and burned a few matches riding really hard to get to that next group of guys. It was fun playing cat and mouse with some of the guys and this made the miles pass by really quickly. I ended up passing a girl that I know from online Jenna and I said "Are you Jenna?" She responded yes and I told her I was Marni. We ended up riding the rest of the bike close to one another - she was riding really strong. It was just under 26 miles to get to the Andrew's hill and it took me 1:08 (22.4mph). I didn't focus on my power but instead, just went by feel knowing that the way out would require a bit more work than on the way back. The Andrews climb felt good as I got out of the saddle and then I enjoyed the fun descend afterwards. I felt better with steady state efforts in Chatt compared to St. George but I could feel myself riding away from others on the uphills and trying to hang on on the flatter segments. I just love this course as it goes by so fast and it's so much fun.  I never saw Karel and I was expecting him to pass me. Karel was really happy with his bike as he didn't have any back pain and he was able to enjoy the ride. 

For nutrition, I only used Skratch SuperFuel Raspberry and filled up my hydration system with 1.5 bottles (650 calories worth and 1.2 liters water) and had 1 bottle between my aero bars to refill my hydration system (400 calories and 26 ounces). I ended up consuming everything (~1050 calories and 66 ounces) plus a few sips of water from the aid stations (and used water to cool down my body). 

It wasn't too hot out because it was cloudy but it started to feel a bit warm nearing the back half of the ride. I ended up passing Alvi and we rode close to each other for several miles and then he rode away from me. Once I got to the "climb" in Chickamauga, it didn't feel like a climb as I felt myself flying up it. I really enjoyed the descend and pushed the stretch back to St. Elmo. For the next 30 miles, I averaged 23.6 mph and it took me 1:17. I had one of my fastest bike times for a half (just a little bit slower than last year) and I felt really good. After the Andrews climb, my legs really opened up and I felt like I had new fresh legs. 

For Karel's nutrition, he had C90 in his hydration system (2 bottles worth = 720 calories and 50 ounces) and between his aero bars, he had a bottle with 2 scoops C30 (240 calories and 26 ounces) for a total of 960 calories and 76 ounces). 

Going back into town, I was super careful as I didn't want to make a mistake and crash. I probably eased up a bit too much - oh well. I removed my feet from my shoes and dismounted my bike just before the line. 

It felt nice to feel my feet on the ground. I ran my bike to my rack and quickly put on my running shoes and hydration belt. I put my flasks in my belt and ran off with my hat and visor. I decided to wear my watch under my wetsuit on my wrist so that I had it on for the entire race and I didn't have to fumble with it during the run. I knew I needed to have quick transitions at this race as every second/minute counted with the tough competition. 

13.1 mile run
I found my running legs pretty quickly after the bike. I've always ran well in Chattanooga so I reminded myself of that when I started the run. I was the 2nd amateur on the run course (Jenna was just ahead of me) but I saw my friend Meg Fillnow entering the transition area as I started running so I knew it was only a matter of time before I would begin to get passed by the faster runners. I try to use my strengths (swim/bike) to the best of my abilities and just trust myself to do a good job of not slowing down on the run. As I made my way up the hill, I spotted my mom and Campy. I also had a cheer from someone who said that they said hi to Campy and that made me smile. I love this spectator friendly course as well as how the course is broken down - there are so many little segments to check off. The miles went by really fast and I felt really good. Anytime my watch beeped at the mile, I looked down and I was so surprised (in a good way) with how fast I was running. I questioned if I would be able to keep up the pace but then pushed that thought to the side and just focused on one mile at a time. I was passed by a few girls on the run but I was happy with how I was feeling and how I was running. I was just running my own race. Before the second loop, I saw my mom on the wooden bridge with Campy and that made me happy. I still hadn't seen Karel so part of me was worried that something happened but I figured my mom would have told me if anything happened to Karel. The second loop got a bit more crowded with athletes starting their first loop so the aid stations got a bit more crowded. I was using water to cool myself and grabbing ice at every aid station to pour down my sports bra and then I'd grab the ice and hold in my hands. I never felt hot during the run and I didn't need any walk/reset breaks. I was shocked how good I felt running! 

I caught up to Alvi and we ran together for a little bit up the hill and then I was passed by my friend Jackie (the overall female professional winner) on the bridge. I gave her a cheer. I spotted Karel twice on the course and then he finally passed me on the bridge with less than a few miles to go. I started to get a bit tired around mile 11 and Karel told me to dig deep and stay committed. Even though I was passed by several girls, everyone was super supportive. We were all cheering each other on and telling one another how strong each other looked. The vibe was really encouraging and I know that brought out the best in one another. I'm pretty sure I was smiling the entire run - I was having a lot of fun and the miles went by so quickly. 

The wooden bridge was hard the 2nd time around and my legs were starting to feel really tired but I was still running happy. 

Karel's nutrition was 1 flask of C30 and then he had a packet of Green Match Skratch that he used to refill his flask in the 2nd half of the run. He used water from the aid stations and had a few sips of coke. 

For my nutrition, I had 2 flasks, each with 1 scoop C30. I finished both throughout the run and used water at the aid stations. 

I looked at my watch when I made my way to the finish line before starting the run down the hill and I knew it would be close to break 1:40. I pushed as hard as I could be ended up 2 seconds short. I was getting updates from our friend Thomas about my placement so last I heard I was in 2nd place and I ended up 2nd in my age group and 5th overall female amateur. Karel started the run 7 minutes down from first place in his age group and thanks to Thomas giving Karel some updates, Karel ended up running him down to win the 45-49 age group with one of his fastest half ironman run times in several years. 

It was great to see Karel there and I was joined by my mom, Alan and Campy at the finish line. We waited for the rest of our athletes to finish and we enjoyed hearing about their day. 

We rode our bikes back to our Airbnb to spin out the stiffness from the race and then rode back to the awards around 4pm. We weren't too sore after the race but felt the soreness the next morning (it was a rough night of sleep). Although we got our awards, the ceremony was cancelled just after the 45-49 age group due to an approaching storm. We rushed back to our car and headed back to our Airbnb. We enjoyed burgers and fries (veggie burger for me) from Slicks with Kathleen and Don and our friends Ashley and Zach (who we hadn't seen in a few months). 

Karel and I had so much fun racing and we are thankful that our bodies were able to stay healthy and strong during this race, just two weeks after Ironman St. George. And we are excited to do it all again next weekend in Blue Ridge for the 70.3! 

Marni - 4:41.48, 2nd AG (40-44), 5th female amateur
Swim: 27:55 (2nd AG)
T1: 3:38
Bike: 2:27.51 (2nd AG)
T2:2:24
Run: 1:40 (5th AG)

Karel - 4:23.55, 1st AG (45-49)
Swim: 28:00 (5th AG)
T1: 3:36
Bike: 2:24.28 (7th AG)
T2: 2:55
Run: 1:24.59 (1st AG)

Racing is a lot like a project - a bunch of tiny projects that you are familiar with but requires an open mind and no assumptions. And each tiny project within the project requires a tool. The more experience you gain in training and on race day, the more tools you collect to use for the race day project. Sometimes you will pick the wrong tool and sometimes you don't have the tool you want and you will need to improvise. Many times you have to change tools quickly. But that's racing - constantly figuring out what is the best tool for the job. Continue to add 'tools' to your race day bag. There's never a bad race, only lessons learned and tools collected. 

 

IM 70.3 Chattanooga - Quick Recap

 

A few years ago in 2018, Karel completed two Ironman distance triathlons within three weeks (IM Kona followed by IMFL held in Haines City, FL). Karel finished IMFL in a very depleted and exhausted state. His body and mind was not fully recovered from the Ironman World Championship and his body was empty by the time he started the marathon run at IMFL. But in this experiment, he learned a lot about himself. Had he not accepted this challenge, he would have never discovered his physical limits and capabilities. 

Fast forward to the present, we were both a bit unsure how we would perform at IM 70.3 Chattanooga after completing the Ironman World Championship in St. George just 15 days prior. It was only last year that I did my fastest turnaround between two races - IM 70.3 Chattanooga and then IM 70.3 Blue Ridge two weeks later. I had a lot of trust in my body that it was healthy enough to accept this challenge but there were still a lot of unknowns as to what type of damage was lingering around inside my tissues and muscles. 

To help with the recovery after the Ironman, we had a few priorities between the two events: 
-Keep the moving and get back to structured training as soon as the body allows
-Get as much sleep as possible
-Keep up with daily mobility
-Keep the body fueled, nourished and hydrated
-Listen to the body

Here's what my "training" looked like between Ironman St. George and IM 70.3 Chattanooga: 
-Day after race (Sunday): 2 hour nap after a restless night of sleep and a 20 min spin. Karel did a 2 hour spin. 
-Monday: ~30 min swim and a ~80 min spin
-Tuesday: Travel day (red eye from Monday)
-Wednesday: AM: 35 min run. PM: ~90 min spin
-Thursday: AM: 3600 yard swim. PM: 50 min run
-Friday: AM: 3500 yard swim
-Saturday (1 week post race): ~3 hour bike with a main set of (30 min as 5 min over/under HIM effort followed by 15 min smooth followed by 2 rounds of 15 min strong w/ 5 min EZ). Followed by a 27 min brick run. 
-Sunday: ~60 min run followed by a 1 hour spin (riding easy to the bakery downtown)
11 hours training: 115 miles bike (all outside), 20 miles run, 7100 yards swim
---------
IM 70.3 Chatt Race Week
Monday: 2100 yard swim
Tuesday: AM: 4600 yard swim. PM: 90 min bike + 40 min run (short intervals in bike and run)
Wednesday: 50 min run
Thursday (Travel 4.5 hours to Chatt): AM: 2700 yard swim
Friday: 2100 OWS, 95 min bike on course
Saturday: 50 min bike + 8 min run (pre race warm-up)
8.5 hours training (68 miles bike (all outside), 12 miles run, 11,600 yard swim)

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I was looking forward to this race for a few reasons. The first being that it was our first team race of the year and I love connecting with our athletes before, during and after the race. We had over 20 team members racing and it was so nice to see everyone. Secondly, I was excited to race on this course. Karel and I love racing in Chattanooga. We have raced here a combined 10 times and we love the scenery, the city, the community support and the spectator friendly course. Lastly, I was excited to do something for the first time. I was really looking forward to the opportunity to see what would happen when I race for 70.3 miles two weeks after racing for 140.6 miles. 

Whereas I was very nervous going into Ironman St. George, mentally, it was a completely different experience going into IM 70.3 Chattanooga. It wasn't that I didn't care about the race but after finishing something so epic and hard like Ironman World Championship in St. George, this race felt "easy" in comparison. It's funny how the brain works. Less gear, less things that could go wrong, more things within my control and less time moving my body. 

But I still didn't know how my body would perform. Even though I had kept myself moving after the Ironman, my legs would sometimes give me signs that reminded me "hey, you just did an Ironman." But overall, I felt healthy and my mind was excited to race. 

In reflecting on Ironman St. George and IM 70.3 Chattanooga, I was excited to compete in both races. But the nervousness I felt for St. George didn't happen for IM 70.3 Chattanooga because I had already gone through the motions and emotions of racing. Although I knew I didn't gain any fitness between the two races, what I did gain was racing experience. I had more trust in my body because of what I accomplished two weeks ago. 

In life, it's normal to be afraid of failure. We will often avoid unknown situations because of the long list of "what if's". Avoiding discomfort is comfortable. 

The next time you do something for the first time, celebrate your bravery. Even if things don't go as planned, view trying something new as an experiment. Sport is so much more than a placement or a finishing time. When you race, you learn things about yourself that you just can't learn in a training session. And I truly believe that racing makes you a stronger, wiser and more confident individual for life. Don't be afraid to try hard things. 

       

                    1.4 mile swim: 27:55                                             1.4 mile swim: 28:00
                     56 mile bike: 2:27.51                                             56 mile bike: 2:24.28
                    13.1 mile run: 1:40.02                                          13.1 mile run: 1:24.59

Thank you Ruthanne for passing along this great poem....


Poem by South African writer and cyclist – Tegan Phillips

Whenever you hear – in your ear – the whisper of some kind of crazy idea

Don’t doubt- you’re too this or too that or just too – this adventure was chosen especially for you

So begin with your plans, your diagrams, and your dreams and don’t feel bad when they laugh at your schemes – or set them a light with their fire machines

Just get going, keep going, and when you feel stuck – and you think the adventure gods don’t give a damn. Remember it’s part of the fun, for things to go wrong – otherwise how could we ever get brave and get strong

Yes, despite how it seems, these things in the sky – are cheering us on, so we might as well try
Take as long as you need, to sit down and cry – but then get your butt – right back up – and hold your head high

Because even if you think that your quest feels small – with every step forward you’re crushing a wall and with every wall crushed, your life grows a bit more – until you look back – and can hardly believe how it once was before

So say yes – next time you hear that call – say ‘ok, I’ll try’ – and then get out that door

And when people come saying – ‘for you this can’t be’ – just say – is it humanly possible? Because if it is – then so long as I’m human – it’s possible for me.

IM World Championship St. George - 26.2 mile run recap

 

GEAR
Karel: Shoes Nike Alphaflys, SL-1x Roka Sunglasses
Marni: Shoes New Balance FuelCell, Perfect cooling towel, SL-1x Roka Sunglasses
(Shoes from Run In)

NUTRITION
Karel: 10-ounce Nathan flask filled with NeverSecond C30 (Citrus) stored in kit pocket, carried packets of precision hydration 1500 and had 3 maurten gels (2 non-caffeine and 1 caffeine). Water/ice at aid stations. One sip of coke.
Marni: 2 x 10 ounce flasks filled with NeverSecond C30 (Forest Berry), carried packets of C30 and NBS but didn’t refill. Sipped coke at aid stations throughout as needed + water/ice. Naked Running band. Nathan 10 ounce flasks. 

 

I knew the first two miles would be uncomfortable because I've raced on this course 3 times (70.3 distance). The first few miles are on a long slight gradual uphill. It's never fun running uphill to start a run but then again, we live on the bottom of a hill so we are accustomed to starting every brick run on a hill. Mentally, Karel and I both appreciated that we didn't have to take the running path all the way to Red Hills Pkwy (like in the 70.3) but instead, we went under a tunnel to the other side of the road and this really helped break things up. In feeling the hot temp (low 90s) on the bike - along with the sunny sky and wind, I made the decision in the first few minutes of the run that I would walk the aid stations starting with the first aid station. I don't see walking as failing to run but an intentional strategy to help delay fatigue (and other factors that can limit performance). I knew that this would be the best strategy for me to help me avoid a massive slowdown. My run fitness was good and I was healthy but I knew that I wouldn’t be running anything fast on this day. I didn't have any time goals going into this race but I was realistic with myself that my current run fitness was around a 3:45-3:50 marathon. I prepared myself the best that I could but it takes me a while to get faster (and more confident) with my running and I usually peak with my marathon running in the mid to later summer. I didn't want to rush my marathon preparation to try to get faster and then risk injury. Instead, I focused on getting as strong as I could over the winter and spring with trail running, a lot of hill running and running off the bike. I was ok knowing that I wasn't fast relative to the other top ladies but I felt confident that I could put together a steady run. I was a little nervous about my stomach since I was on the 2nd day of my menstrual cycle but thankfully by gut was fine.  

With a long and exciting season of racing, this year is all about staying healthy and strong. My run fitness was what it was on race day – I never tried to force anything with each workout to try to get faster. I just let my body adapt as it wanted. Because of how I felt on the bike, I knew my number one goal needed to be to keep myself from getting too hot - as that would affect my form, effort and increase the risk for GI issues. Throughout the entire run, I never once looked at my watch during the run – it made no point to me to see my pace as I had more important things to focus on like taking care of my nutrition and cooling. There was so much freedom in not knowing my swim or bike time or run pace until I crossed the finish line. Ironman racing is all about listening to the body, reacting quickly and being proactive. Here's the file of my run (walking only at the aid stations). 

I loved this run course because there was so much to it – so many ups, downs, turns, out and backs and spectators. It was the perfect course for me to mentally breakdown and focus on one mile at a time. Although this wasn’t a fast marathon for me, I think it was one of my best paced marathons as I never had a massive slow down or low moments. I had a few quiet voices in my head like “you still have 13 more miles, how are you going to do this?” or “wouldn’t it be nice to just walk a bit longer.” But those voices were really quiet on the day and I could push them aside and stay focused on the task at hand. I was actually enjoying the run and my mind was working well with my body. 

Karel didn't have the best run preparation going into this event. First off, he was enjoying mountain biking way too much and he wasn't putting in the miles for this event. Additionally, twice over six months Karel had a knee issue (falling while playing in the woods on his mountain bike) that prevented him from running for several weeks at a time. He didn't run for 3 weeks in March and his longest run was 13 miles in April. However, the resiliency, endurance, efficiency and fitness that he has established over many years was there on race day and he felt really good on the run. He didn’t feel fast but he felt strong and durable. He also didn’t have any low moments like “why in the heck am I doing this?"  which tends to pop up a few times in most Ironman events we do. I saw Karel twice and he gave me a cheer both times. Karel also included walks (reset breaks) in his run (19 of them) to either refill his flasks with water (he would pour the packet of sport drink in his flask as he was running and then stop to refill at the aid station) or he would walk when he felt like he needed a reset. 

Here's the file of Karel's run. 

I saw a lot of other familiar faces out there which really kept my energy levels up. I held on to ice from each aid station (stuffed it down my sports bra as well) and my cooling towel really helped to keep me wet. I could squeeze the towel anytime and I instantly felt refreshed (until I dried off due to the 90 degree dry heat). I new that the heat would be the big factor so I kept the nutrition coming in (in small amounts at each aid station) and then a sip from my flasks as needed as well. I didn't feel that more nutrition would help me run any faster but instead, I needed to keep my blood sugar up to keep my brain communicating with my muscles. I also knew that more nutrition would not stop the hurt (fatigue) in my legs. I have never cramped in a race or training session and I am not a big sweater (or a salty sweater) so I wasn't overly concerned about sodium - however I did have a vial of salt in my hydration pack incase I needed a lick of it. I relied on my flasks (sport drink) in my hydration belt for those instant low moments when I feel my blood sugar dropping but otherwise. It's nice knowing that I can drink when I want to drink. It's also easy to sip my flasks on downhills. I always washed down coke or my sport drink with water when I was at the aid stations. I felt like every time I drank (coke, water, sport drink), it was digesting easily in my gut and my gut was still working well. This was a great sign that my body was functioning well. I didn't have any GI issues or serious low moments. I was passed by several girls but I didn’t let it affect my race or get in my head. I was focused on me and what I needed to do to safely and successfully get to the finish line. Although I was feeling the effects of the day, my body continued to work for me from start to finish. I never had the familiar IM run feeling of wondering if my next step would be my last step from extreme soreness, fatigue and depletion. 

As I was nearing the final big hill, I gave myself permission to walk it but my legs were feeling somewhat good so I shuffled my way up. It was windy throughout the run which made some of the inclines feel a bit harder. I saw a girl in my age group - Kristen - running really well as we passed each other on one of the out and backs so I anticipated that she would be passing me soon. I never gave up on myself (even though I wasn't sure where I was in my age group) as I know anything can happen in the last 6-10 miles of the marathon in an Ironman. She passed me on the path back to Diagonal and shortly after I see Tim Don (professional triathlete and Zwift Coach) on the side and he tells me “You are 5^th age group, you are doing great.” I couldn’t believe it. 5th place???!!

I kinda thought I was near the top of my age group but had no idea that I had a chance to be on the podium (for the first time) at the Ironman World Championship. At this point (mile 23), I stopped my walk breaks and just committed to giving it my everything to the finish line. I was so worried that I was going to be passed and be knocked off the podium so when I made the last turn on the looooong out and back (almost a mile) before the finish line, I finally got a look to see who was behind me and I was relieved that I didn’t see any females. I still pressed on to the finish and smiled with joy (and relief) when I reached that finish line. There's something special about an Ironman finish line - no matter what you went through during the event, the finish line makes it all worth it. 

26.2 mile run (~1500 feet elevation gain)
Marni: 3:57.17, 5th AG 
Karel: 3:20.35, 11th AG

Total time: 
Marni: 10:53.16
Karel: 9:58.48

I collapsed into the arms of a volunteer (it felt so good to stop moving) and Karel was there at the finish waiting for me. He walked over to me and told me that I was 5^th in my age group. I couldn’t believe it (I had to check the tracker at least a dozen times in the evening just to make sure it wasn't a mistake). A day when I had no expectations and I went into the race with my most unconventional training for an Ironman. Wow - I was 5^th in my age group.

The volunteers were exceptional and the community really welcomed us with excitement and hospitality. There are certain courses that suit my physiology (I like hard courses with tough weather conditions) and this one certainly suited my strengths with the hills and elements. But I learned during this race that this race also suited my psychology. I need a lot of stimulation when I race. I am not an athlete with a mindset that likes to just settle into one rhythm and be alone out there. I love being out in nature – seeing the incredible landscapes. I love when the race day elements give me an edge and I can be strong, skilled and smart (not "fast"). I love seeing farm animals when I ride. I need to see people walking their dogs so I can smile at every dog. These are the things that help me race at my best.

Kona may have suited my physiology, but it didn’t suit my psychology.
St. George was the perfect Ironman course for me. I loved every mile of it. 

After the race, Karel and I shared stories from our day while snacking on some salty french fries. We didn't leave right away because Karel had his typical bout of post-race nausea that happens to him after every Ironman. Since it was almost an hour after he finished and then I finished, I think all sitting and standing got to him. Medical came over to him and told him that he "looks ok - I've seen worse today." Truthfully, the area after the finish line was interesting - I've never seen so many athletes vomiting after a race. I was sore and exhausted but overall, I felt ok and didn't have any issues. I was able to pee after the race (a good sign of hydration) and had a somewhat good appetite. I changed into my post race clothes in the port-o-potty and then as we were heading back home, Karel decided that he needed a sub from Jimmy Johns. 

The night of an Ironman is always rough. We slept about 3 hours (~11pm - 2pm) and then we had another two hours of tossing and turning before we finally got up. We started to watch the coverage of the race from Ironman Now which was good entertainment for us and our post race insomnia. 

After cleaning up our mess of race day gear in the garage, we went to the local pool to sit in the hot tub with our friends Sara and Lisa. Thankfully no major post race chaffing! IYKYK. 

We said good bye to our Czech roommates and then we drove to the town for the awards ceremony. 

It was such an honor to stand on the Ironman World Championship podium in my new age group (40-44). I'm still in denial that I will be turning 40 at the end of the month but I'm incredibly grateful for what my body has allowed me to do over the past 16 years in endurance sports. 

In Kona for the World Championship, the top 5 athletes on the podium receive an Umeke - which is the Hawaiian word for bowl. For the St. George edition, we received a handmade glass bowl. Thankfully it returned home with us in one piece! 

For the next day in a half (Mon afternoon and Tues), we were in need of some good sleep but we also wanted to move our body to help shake out some of the race soreness. With a lap pool in our community, a swim was on my mind on Monday morning. And to our surprise, the Ironman World Champion - Daniela Ryf was there swimming! We talked with her for a brief minute and she told us "it's not about the wins but the process." The words of a 10x World Championship winner could not be more true! 

Thank you for the support and for reading my blogs. I hope you gained some valuable information or at least, a bit of motivation or inspiration for your next adventure. Don't forget to thank your body for being awesome. 

IM World Championship St. George - 112 mile bike recap

 

112 mile bike (~7200 feet elevation gain)
Marni - 5:45.38, 2nd fastest AG time
Karel - 5:28.50, 19th AG

GEAR
Bikes: Ventum 
Karel – Lightweight autobahn disc, Alto CT 58 front, Bont 0H+ cycling shoes. Crank 165 (54/39 chainrings), Rudy Project Nytron road aero helmet.
Marni – Boyd 60/90 tubeless with Schwalbe Pro one TT tires. Crank: 155 (53/39 chainrings), Endura D2Z Helmet Aeroswitch, Bont Riot TR+ tri shoes.

NUTRITION:
Karel – Started with: 1 bottle + 1.5 liters worth, each with NeverSecond C90 (360 calories). Picked up at special needs: 1.5 liters in a Smart Water Bottle of NBS Strawberry Lemonade Carbo-hydration (~400 calories for hydration system) and a bottle of NBS. Consumed 1 Supra bar (nibbled throughout). Water at each aid station for sipping and cooling.
Total calories: ~1900
Total hydration: 152 ounces + water from aid stations

Marni – Started with 1.2 liters + 2 bottles worth, each with Skratch Superfuel Raspberry (400 calories). Picked up at special needs: 1.2 liters in a Smart Water Bottle of Skratch Superfuel Raspberry (600 calories) for hydration system and a bottle of Skratch Superfuel for front aero bottle and a bottle of 200 calories NBS Carbohydration lemon for rear bottle (last bottle).
Total calories: ~2600
Total hydration: 184 ounces + water from aid stations

When I started the bike, I felt pretty good. The nerves went away once I started swimming and the familiarity of racing an Ironman started to come back. Having experience on this course helped as I knew what the conditions (hot and dry air and windy) and terrain (long climbs) would be like.

I stayed pretty conservative starting out as I wanted to arrive to the Veyo loop (after mile 56) feeling strong. I really liked how the course was broken down as I could focus on one segment at a time. I hit lap on my computer for each specific segment on the course, even though I was not focusing on any metrics. It just helped me focus on staying in the moment and feeling out each effort for each segment and checking in with my metrics as needed. My fueling strategy was pretty simple - take ~6 gulps from my hydration system every ~10-15 minutes and grab water from all aid stations to use for cooling/sipping.

Although we do a lot of punchy climbs where we live, my strength is the steady climbs. We have a lot of 20-40+ min steady climbs where we live and those are the type of climbs where I can just settle into a rhythm. For St. George, the longer climbs were very similar to what I train on outside in Greenville and what best suits my riding style as I can sit and get out of the saddle. I don’t feel as strong in the aero position.

My descending and bike handling skills have really improved over the past few years but more so, over the past few months thanks to mountain biking and gravel biking. The first half of the bike wasn’t too windy although it started to pick up as I got closer to Sand Hallow. Overall, the course isn't technical but the wind requires good bike handling skills. 

Because I was lapping my computer, I didn’t know what my time was throughout the ride. Because I didn't want to make assumptions if I was having a "good or bad" race on the bike, I just focused on one segment at a time. I feel like I did a really good pacing the first half as the miles went by really quickly.

It started to get really warm around mile 30-35 and I could feel myself getting hotter. This was my big focus for the race - to ride strong but not overdo it on the bike. 

Every now and then on the course, I would do a check-in with myself:
Am I peeing? Yep - hydrated.
How do my legs feel? Strong - fueled.
Am I staying relaxed in my upper body?
How is my mindset?

I kept checking yes each time I checked in.
The only thing that was concerning (but not alarming) was that I felt tired/sleepy a few times but I didn’t let this worry me – I was just hot because it was nearing 80 degrees and it was sunny. Plus, I did wake up at 3am and I was riding my bike for 112 miles in 80+ degree desert heat (thus being a little tired at times).

I made sure to drench myself with water at each aid station – even though the water would rapidly dry within a few minutes. My sports bra was holding on to a little water which helped me keep my chest cool. Karel and I both wore the lightest helmets we had as we didn’t want the extra weight (or heat) of a heavy and ventless aero helmet affecting our head for this difficult course.

I’ve done a lot of challenging courses (Placid, Wisconsin, Whistler, Austria) and this ranks at the top of the list due to where the big climbs occur – in the back half. But I would say that the nature of this course, with the longer climbs (no punchy short climbs) minimized spikes in the HR as you could settle into a rhythm on the hills and then take advantage of the downhill without needing to recover from a punchy effort. Although this course wasn't flat, there were plenty of long segments to stay in aero. I felt the best when I could get into a rhythm on the climbs and then take advantage of the downhills.

Although I didn't have any expectations for this race, I  wanted to deliver my best result on the day. To do that, I resisted the urge to go with other girls as they passed me. There were times when I would catch back up to someone on an uphill or downhill but the steady state efforts were challenging for me as I didn't have the power like the other girls. And I was ok with that.

I enjoyed the kudos from the other guys on the course who were telling me that I was the 1st, 2nd or 3rd female on the course. The overall energy was really positive and the community really came out to support all of the athletes. Seeing that this bike course covers four different towns in and around St. George, there was a lot that went into this race with volunteers, police, medical and community support. I felt very safe and supported on the course. 

I made a quick stop at special needs and it felt nice to get off my bike and do a quick stretch. I was looking forward to the stop as a quick reset. My stop was less than 60 seconds but it felt so good. A volunteer called out my number and before I rolled up to my row of bib numbers, a volunteer was standing there with my bag. I grabbed my Smart Water Bottle to fill up my hydration system and placed the other two bottles in my front and rear cages.

Karel also stopped at special needs and applied Amp to his legs (he did this in past mountain bike races and it really helped his legs from feeling sore/tight). We always look forward to the special needs stop as it is a nice opportunity to shake off the first half of the bike and refresh for the next half. Plus, since we use our own nutrition, it allows us to be self-sufficient for the entire bike. 

Since we rode Veyo loop on Tuesday, it felt familiar. I couldn't believe how quickly the miles were ticking by. This was a good sign that I was pacing well as my mind was in a good place - I wanted to be on my bike. I was actually thinking as I was swimming "I can't wait to ride my bike on this course!"

After special needs, I told myself “just 20 miles until the descend.” I had a few more ladies passing me in the Veyo loop but I was racing my own race. I stayed focused on taking care of myself. Because I was checking off all the things on my list (peeing, mindset, legs, etc.), my biggest limiter was the heat – I was feeling really hot. I do love the heat but with this being my first race of the season, I knew my body wasn't ready for the hot dry temps. According to my Garmin, the majority of the ride was in the 90's. 

I needed to be careful to not overdo it on the “wall” and in Snow Canyon. The wall wasn't a tough climb (a little more than 1/2 mile and a gain of around 250 feet) but at almost 4 hours into the ride, it felt steeper than what it was. 

In studying the wind direction before the race, I knew that we wouldn't be impacted by the wind in the Veyo loop but that we would have some cross and headwind on the descend. After the "wall" there was still 6.5 miles of gradual climbing until the descend.

Once I got to mile 80, I started the long 11 mile descend – which didn’t really feel like a descend as I had to work with the wind. It took me 25 minutes (27.6 mph average) to cover this descend. I am always a bit nervous in the wind but I’m happy to report that I felt really confident and relaxed descending. I made sure to double drench myself before the Snow Canyon climb. I had planned to keep a bottle of water in my empty cage on my bike but I was worried it would fall out and I would get a penalty for littering. I regret not keeping a bottle of water on my bike as I wasn't staying wet from aid station to aid station. Just before Snow Canyon (mile 97) I had finished all of my Skratch drink so I sipped on my last bottle which was NBS (higher sodium and less calories/carbs) over the last 14 miles (~47 minutes). The wind was not too bad in Snow Canyon which made it a bit “easier” to climb the almost 5 miles (~26 minutes). Snow Canyon is absolutely stunning and even though the fatigue was starting to really set in, I kept reminding myself how lucky I am to be on my bike in this race.   

Once I made the right hand turn to head back down the descend, the wind was picking up a bit more. Since I had just descended on this road, I felt confident that I could handle the wind and still ride strong to town. It was a fast 9ish mile/26.9 mph average to the transition area. 

As I was descending, the negative thoughts started to creep into my mind. Since my strengths are swim/bike, I started to question how I would run off the bike (something I do in every Ironman). But once I started to see the pro athletes and male age groupers on the course as I was getting closer to the transition area I told myself “well if they can do it, I can do it.”

Karel, surprisingly, felt good on his tri bike. He has struggled with hip and back issues for several years and he can't spend a lot of time on the tri bike because of those issues. But he made some recent adjustments to his fit and spent a lot more time on the mountain bike, gravel bike and road bike. I think all the different biking (different position and riding style) transferred over well for him as he felt strong all day. He doesn't love the tri bike but it does allow him to do triathlons - which he enjoys. He knows he won’t be fast on the tri bike as he doesn’t put in the time in the aero position but he knew he could use his skills on this course and he trusted his experience and endurance. Like myself, he really enjoyed this challenging course and how the miles went by so quickly due to so many different parts to focus on.

As I removed my feet from my shoes, I dismounted my bike and gave my bike to a volunteer. My legs felt pretty good getting off the bike (In Placid last July, my legs did not feel good!). I sat down in the changing tent and I had two nice volunteers helping me out. I asked them to put ice water in my flasks (filled with powder only) which saved me some time as I put on my shoes, hydration band and cooling towel. I grabbed my hat, sunglasses and watch and made my way out of the changing tent (walking). I went to the port-o-potty as I like to empty myself before I start running the marathon and the potties in the transition area are never busy when I am there (they get much more busy on the course). I put on my hat, sunglasses and watch in the port-o-potty and kinda enjoyed briefly sitting down. My T2 was a bit long (5:02 for me, 3:30 for Karel) because of the stop but it was worth it to not have to worry about needing the bathroom on the course.  There was an aid station immediately next to the changing tent so I dumped water on my cooling towel and had a few sips as I was making my way out of the transition area. Unlike T1, this transition area was rather small and easy to get in and out.

Usually when I start running in an Ironman, there's a quick thought of "oh this will be a hard run" because my legs are tired. But oddly, that thought didn't go through my mind. It was as if my legs were ready to run and my mind was ready (and willing) to power them over 26.2 miles. 

Run race report coming soon......

IM World Championship St. George - 2.4 mile swim recap

BEEP!

2.4 mile swim
Marni: 59:58 (1st AG)
Karel: 1:00.11 (11th AG)

GEAR
Wetsuit Marni - Women's maverick X2 (older model)
Wetsuit Karel - Men's maverick MX wetsuit (max buoyancy) w/ Xterra Booties (worn under the wetsuit legs and covering the feet).

Goggles Marni – Roka F2
Goggles Karel – Michael Phelps Xceed

I ran into the water alongside several other ladies. I took a few strokes, settled into my rhythm and the water felt perfect. I was told it was 64 degrees (I’m thinking it was more like 62) but I never felt cold. Endorphins always warm me up! Before I knew it, I breathed to my right and then to my left and quickly realized I was swimming by myself.

It was a strange feeling knowing that I was leading my wave – which also meant I was leading the race for the women. I enjoyed this special first-time moment. I had a lot of male athletes to swim through so this required a bit extra sighting and navigating to get through the swimmers in the previous male waves.

I liked how the course was set up and there were plenty of buoys for sighting. We swam out to a far buoy, hung a right and then had the long stretch out and back before heading back to the shore. I was able to settle into a good rhythm throughout, although sometimes it got a bit choppy and I had to change up my stroke to time it with the chop. On the long stretch back, the sun was to my right so I had to only breathe to the left which affected my rhythm. In open water I prefer to breathe to my right side but I often change up sides. 

As I finished the swim, I had no idea my swim time. I felt like the swim went by pretty quickly and I was expecting around an hour.  I didn't care too much about my swim time as I was leading the IM World Championship as the first female out of the water. It was a great start to the day!

Karel felt really good in the water. He loves his new Roka max buoyancy wetsuit. It feels a bit tight in the shoulders but he likes how he stays so buoyant when he he swims and sights. Karel has had a rough relationship with swimming since he broke his hand last year but for some reason, swimming in St. George felt really good for him. He took a glance at his watch (which he knows not to do as it messes with the head) and he saw the number 9. He was bummed that he swam 1:09 because he thought he was swimming really well passing so many people. Well later on he learned that he swam 1:00 and nine seconds! Just a good reminder to not look at your watch and make assumptions after the swim. That is why I don’t swim with a watch on race day 😊

After I exited the water, I ran up the concrete boat ramp and quickly on the carpet to the female bags in the changing tent. I was weaving in and out of the guys as we were all heading to the changing tents. I was the first one in the female tent so I had the volunteers all to myself. They were so helpful. Even though my bag was closest to the entrance of the ladies changing tent, I grabbed my bag and ran all the way to the last chair so that when I was done, I didn't have to run through any traffic of other ladies in the tent.  The lady asked if she could help me with anything and I responded no but she offered to pack up my wetsuit, cap and goggles into my bag as I was putting on my cycling gear. I quickly put on my compression socks (I took off my timing chip and held the chip in my mouth so I wouldn’t forget to put it back on). I put on my helmet, stuffed a Supra bar and bag of Gu chews in my back jersey pocket and then placed a bag of Gu aminos in the pocket on my shorts. As I was finishing up, I noticed a few more ladies in the tent.

I thanked the volunteers for helping me pack my bag, I grabbed my shoes and my bag (with my wetsuit, cap and goggles in it) and handed the bag to a volunteer on the outside of the tent. Because of where my bike was racked and how far I needed to run with my bike to exit the transition area, I ran in my socks to my bike and ran my bike to just before the transition exit before putting on my tri shoes (I don’t do a flying mount and didn’t want to run the entire transition in my tri shoes). I have learned that this is the "fastest" way for me to transition. I got to the far end of the barricaded after the mount line, got on my bike, started my Garmin bike computer and off I went for an adventure of a ride.

Karel’s transition was a bit slow for him as the transition was packed with guys when he got in there. He wanted to do a flying mount but his hips have been giving him issues and he was worried he would hurt himself trying to jump on his bike. He put on his shoes in the changing tent and ran to get his bike and then mounted his bike at the mount line. He felt good after the swim. 

Next blog...the bike!

IM World Championship St. George - Pre-Race Recap

On Thursday morning, we headed back to the lake for another opportunity to get more comfortable in the cold water. Whereas the water temp was around 58 degrees on Wednesday, it “warmed” up to 60 degrees on Thursday. We arrived around 8am and there was a line to get in the water (pick up a timing chip before entering) but it moved pretty quickly. I wanted to try swimming without my booties (I wore them on Wed) to see if I could tolerate the cold water on my feet. I feel better swimming without the booties but I also wanted to feel comfortable. Karel opted to wear his booties as his feet do not do well in cold water. It took me several minutes to get in as it felt like my feet were being chopped off from the cold water but eventually I just committed and started swimming. Although my face, feet and hands felt very cold to start, I felt more comfortable after around 300 yards. I swam two loops of the modified swim course (~900 yards per loop) and not only did I swim faster without the booties (1:25/100 yards on Thurs vs. 1:29/100 yards on Wed) but I also felt really good in the water. I also wore my one piece tri suit but wore it down at my waist instead of over my shoulders and I felt so much better with my shoulder mobility in the wetsuit with the kit down. I made the decision that I wouldn’t wear booties on race day and I would wear my one piece kit half way down for the swim under my wetsuit. Karel decided he would wear his on race day. After the 26 min, ~1800 yard swim, we changed into our bike gear and went for a 57 min/18 mile ride on the out and back section (to Warner Valley road) by the lake. This was the last part of the entire course that we hadn’t previewed yet so when we were done, it was nice to know that we had ridden every part of the bike course (factoring in the 3-4 times we have raced the 70.3 in the past few years).

Throughout the week, I wasn’t feeling all that great. My energy level was a bit low, I was feeling bloated and I was really tired. My period was a few days late which was unusual since it is pretty routine every 25-26 days. On Thursday early evening, my period came. On one hand I was relieved but on the other hand, I knew that Friday would be rough.

On Friday morning, I woke up with cramps. For the rest of the day, I was miserable. It felt like a little alien was inside me, grabbing my intestines and twisting them around (that’s what I like to tell Karel every month 😊 ). The cramps would come and go and when they were on, it was rough. I went out for my warm-up spin and the exercise certainly helped. I then went for a short run. Around my menstrual cycle, I have the typical PMS symptoms but I have to be extra careful with running. My SI joint gets out of whack, my body feels all gumby and I really struggle with running. Normally I wouldn’t run on the first day of my period but I knew I needed to get in a light jog – it went ok.

After my 60-minute bike/run workout, I had a Skratch recovery drink w/ milk and a decent breakfast. Prior to the workout I had a bagel + PB, granola and syrup.

We packed up our transition bags and then headed downtown to drop off our run bags in T2 and then went to the lake to drop off our bike bag and bike in T1. We stayed in Washington, which is about ½ way from downtown and the lake. The downtown area was all dressed up, ready for the race. It was neat to see how it all came together. The transition area was inside a big tent which was cool to see. Karel and I did not fill our running flasks with water but instead, filled them with powder knowing that they would sit out all night and we could fill them up with cold water before we started the run on Saturday.

The experience dropping off our bikes at the lake was pretty uneventful. It was a bit anticlimactic compared to the experience in Kona but it was still exciting knowing that we only had one more sleep until the race. The more I was moving, the better my body felt but I still felt pretty crappy. I knew that I needed to eat to fuel my body and although I didn’t feel the best, I needed to fuel for my tomorrow effort and not think about how I felt today.

After we dropped off everything, we made a quick stop at Walmart to pick up a few things (ex. soup) and then headed back to our Airbnb. I snacked on pretzels in the car and sipped on Skratch. I had two cups of peppermint tea (which seemed to help my tummy) and ate tomato soup w/ rice, a bagel w/ peanut butter and jam, a yogurt, a large sweet potato and granola. Considering how I felt, I was happy with how I fueled on Friday. Instead of using pre-load for extra sodium, I just added ¼ tsp salt to water and had a glass of “salt water” in the evening. I haven’t had the best experience with pre-loading with sodium before a race (it makes me feel weird) so I just salted my food and sipped on a sport drink throughout the day – and finished with my salty water.

Around 6pm, we started to wind down for the evening. I could feel the nerves in my belly (or maybe it was cramps – not sure 😉
Karel was not nervous and I really liked his calm energy. I always get nervous for the first race of the season and with this being an Ironman, I had double the nerves. You’d think after 17 Ironman’s I wouldn’t get so nervous but I still get the nerves about what the day will bring me for 140.6 miles.

I watched the run and bike course videos a few times before bed to visualize the course and aid stations. I watched some funny shows on Netflix and by 7:30pm we were falling asleep. I slept ok for most of the night but then I tossed and turned for at least an hour before the alarm went off at 3:10am. It’s Race day!

RACE DAY
I took my time getting out of bed (due to my past experience with race morning fainting) and I made my coffee and ate a cinnamon raisin bagel w/ peanut butter, syrup and granola. I also made 2 eggs (1 white+1 whole) as this was something that I did before a mountain bike race in late March and I liked how it made me feel before and during the race. I also had a glass of salty water. After I ate I put on my race kit and then around 3:45am, I went for a quick jog around the complex. That got my system going before we left around 4:15am to catch the shuttle downtown. We grabbed our pre-made bottles from the fridge (we opted not to freeze them as we didn’t think it would make much difference with the heat). We had a house full of Czech’s racing and spectating so it was nice to have someone drop us off downtown so that we didn’t have to stress about parking.

We arrived downtown around 4:40am which was right around my scheduled shuttle time of 4:45-4:55am. Since Karel was in the wave ahead of me, his shuttle time was around my time so it worked out perfect.

I wore my headphones on the shuttle for the ~30 min drive to the lake and listened to the recent episode of the Pro Tri News Podcast. It helped ease some of my nerves. I was a bit tired and looked forward to the extra time that we had in the transition area before our start (we arrived 2 hours before our wave start). It felt a bit warm in the morning so I didn’t wear a long sleeve shirt or jacket but when we got to the lake, it felt a bit cool so I grabbed a towel that Karel had in his morning clothes bag to wrap around my shoulders (I had a tank on over my sports bra. I wore my one piece trisuit but kept the top down for the swim).

I put my front and rear water bottles on my bike and filled up the hydration system (1.2 liters) with a big Smart Water bottle of my sport drink. I placed my computer on the bike, checked the brakes and wheels and waited for Karel to pump up my tires. Karel bought a cordless air compressor which makes it easy to pump up our tires and have the correct air pressure in them. It’s also compact enough to put in our morning clothes bag (unlike a regular pump). Karel attached a disc wheel adapter to it so it would be easy to pump up his disc wheel as well as my wheels.

After we got everything done at our bikes, we made a potty stop and then spent the next hour (from 6-6:45am) laying down by the barricades and resting our eyes. I had a nice nap – not deep sleep but enough to feel rested and ready to go. It also gave me time to get my butterflies into formation. Around 6:45am, Karel started to put on his wetsuit, apply AMP on his arms and legs, slather on the body glide and put on his cap and goggles. I gave him a kiss and a hug and then he went off to get in his corral with his wave. Around 7am, I started to get myself ready in my wetsuit. I dropped off my morning clothes bag (filled with clothing for post race and my morning running shoes) and lined up with my wave. It was strange lining up in the 40-44 age group for the first time (I’m still 39 but I have to race my age for this year). I had a water bottle filled with skratch to sip on over the next 30 minutes and a bag of honey stinger chews to nibble on (I had a few of them). I also had a plain bottle of water to pour down my wetsuit to get some water inside before I got into the water to ensure that the wetsuit didn’t feel to tight on my chest.

My wave was the first female wave of the race. There was supposed to be a 15 min gap between the last male wave (Karel’s wave) and the first female wave (my wave) but they moved it up to get everyone in the water sooner. I lined myself up toward the front of the wave. The time passed by really quickly and before I knew it, we were lining up by the water, ready to get the race started.

We lined up in a row of 10, each in our own spot with a volunteer in front of us. When we heard a beep, it was time to get into the water.

BEEP!

IM World Championship St. George - quick recap

 

Three years ago, Karel registered for 2020 Ironman St. George (May). When the race got cancelled due to the pandemic, he transferred his entry to 2021 IM Coeur d'Alene. When he broke his hand mountain biking in May 2021, he was able to transfer his entry back to 2022 Ironman St. George (May). When it was announced that the 2022 Ironman St. George event would be the '2021' Ironman World Championship event, Karel was automatically entered into the World Championship event as a registered IM St. George athlete. 

After finishing my 5th Ironman World Championship in Kona in 2019, I wasn't mentally ready to commit to preparing for a May Ironman. Instead, I was happy to support Karel on the sidelines in St. George. In July of 2021, I won my age group at IM Lake Placid. I let my slot roll down for the 2022 Ironman World Championship in Kona as I no longer have ambitions to race there. I'm honored and satisfied with my 5 Ironman World Championship finishes on that island. 

Fast forward to January 2022, when the course was announced for the Ironman World Championship in St. George, I took a look at the course and elevation on the bike and run and immediately wanted to participate in the race. Not because it was a World Championship event but because I love challenging and tough courses - and I love racing in St. George. After feeling a bit of FOMO that I didn't register for the event when it was open to general entries, a few weeks later Ironman sent out emails to All World Athletes for the opportunity to register and participate in the Ironman World Championship in St. George. With this being the first World Championship outside of Hawaii - and during the unpredictable circumstances after the pandemic - the added entries were a way to help add more participants to this unique event situation. I quickly chatted with Karel and without hesitation, I paid for my entry and registered for the event. 

The past few years have been interesting for us. As experienced and accomplished long distance triathletes, the pandemic served as a page change for a new chapter in our life. With our normal triathlon training and racing routine disrupted, we saw this as a special opportunity to try different things. Thanks to triathlon being three sports, we took advantage of our swim, bike and run fitness (and experience) and jumped into different swim, bike and run events. This change provided us with new motivation and excitement for training but more so, it taught us that we are healthier and happier when we pursue different challenges and adventures - specifically outside in nature. 

With Karel enjoying mountain biking, gravel biking and Xterra racing, he didn't want to stop having fun with these different sports (and races) just because he had an Ironman on his schedule. For myself, having registered for the event in February, I didn't feel the pressure of this event looming over me for several months. With a tremendous amount of experience, resiliency and success in long distance triathlon, Karel and I decided that we would take a different approach to preparing for this event. We didn't want to give up the recent sports that brought us great joy so we found a way to incorporate them into our structured triathlon training.

For myself, I did a lot of trail running, group road biking and mountain biking. I love to swim, especially with others. I spent time on the bike trainer (tri bike) every week but focused on more high intensity and/or steady state workouts. I never spent more than 2 consecutive hours on the trainer over the winter/spring. Instead of spending long hours inside (or outside) on the tri bike, I spent a lot of hours outside biking on different types of bikes. And with being new to mountain biking, every ride gave me a nice mix of intensity, endurance and skill work. My bike handling skills have never been better. Because our terrain is very hilly and challenging, I focused more on strength-based sessions instead of trying to get faster with speed work. I never established training zones (no power test) and I haven't worn a heart rate monitor since last September. Every workout was by feel (perceived effort). I use sport nutrition in every workout and I ate before every workout - those are non-negotiable for me. I ate more calories in my daily diet than I've ever eaten before. I did a lot of mobility work and strength training. Most of my runs were brick runs. I gave myself new workouts like run/bike/run or bike/run/bike/run. I kept myself healthy and injury free for over 3 years and that meant 3 years of consistent training. I did several 2 hour runs (most including trail running) and my longest bike rides were around 4-5 hours (with 2 of my longest rides on the mountain bike - 5+ hours). As I got closer to the event (last three weeks), my workouts became more "race specific" and I really focused on perfecting my fueling strategies for bike and run. I've been coaching myself for the past few years and I give myself workouts that target my strengths and my weaknesses. 
 
For Karel and myself, we were excited to see how this different training approach would pay off at the Ironman World Championship in St. George. To be honest, we both felt extremely fit, strong and healthy - even if our training was very unconventional. We didn't feel any pressure to perform at this Ironman and we didn't feel like we needed to change our training to deliver a 'World Championship' worthy performance. 

Having said this, we trained a lot (swim/bike/run) but it just looked very different than what we did in the past. More than anything, we were having fun, enjoying the process of training and always focusing on the little details to keep us healthy. We never let the stress or pressure of the Ironman get to us. I believe this helped us stay healthy in mind and body. We never felt burnt out and it was nice to have something different to look forward to each week with the incorporation of trail running, mountain biking and more high-intensity swim/bike/run workouts. I gave myself some challenging sessions and I really enjoyed doing new things and testing my body in different ways. It was refreshing to have a different approach for my 18th Ironman (Karel's15th) and we both trusted our training that we would be prepared to race for 140.6 miles. 

I've achieved a lot in the sport of triathlon over the past 16 years. Participating in the Ironman World Championship in St. George was not about needing to prove something but to enjoy the adventure with my body and mind. Going into the event, I knew that my training needed to reflect this mindset shift. The sport of triathlon is very important to us but our results do not define who we are as humans. I had no expectations and I was there for the experience. But to stay competitive, we can't keep doing the same things over and over. 

I've always been one to challenge the "norm." I challenge the ideal body type, I challenge the normal Ironman training preparation and I challenge the ways that triathletes fuel for long distance triathlon. Endurance and resiliency takes time to build. It's not acquired over a few months but many years. And when you do build that strong endurance foundation, adding to it won't necessarily make you a better athlete. If anything, it can bring on injury, health issues, a plateau in fitness and burnout. The more experienced you get, the more you need to find ways to change things up - recognizing that getting faster can't be the primary focus. You have to start doing things smarter - like nutrition, mobility, sleep, movement efficiency, fueling, technique and bike handling skills. 

My self-identity does not revolve around triathlon. I am a triathlete but I don't want to be remembered for my wins. I want to inspire others by my 'health first, performance second' approach to training and racing. I want to show other athletes that there is not one right way to train and race. When it comes to training, you have to work with your body, your lifestyle and your current fitness. You have to find joy in the process and not obsess over an outcome. 

Far too many athletes put too much energy and focus into the "long" workout miles, forgetting that the Ironman is a strength-based sport requiring exceptional health and good application of sport nutrition/fueling/hydration. You have to be strong, you need to know how to take care of your body under massive fatigue/intense weather conditions/challenging terrain and you have to be able to endure a lot (in mind and body). You also need to know how to listen to your body, make quick decisions and not overreact. You don't achieve this from checking off the long training sessions on the weekends but through years of consistent quality training and from a lot of racing experience. You'll never be able to go through the same motions and emotions in training as you do on race day. 

Training for an Ironman is not easy. It requires a lot of time, energy and focus. But it doesn't have to be all-consuming, destroy your health and negatively impact your life. A smart approach to training ensures that you are prepared for the race - not just physically but mentally, skill-wise, terrain management and nutritionally. Don't assume that there is only one way to train for a long distance triathlon - there are many different paths to take and what works best for someone else may not work well for you. And if you are experienced, don't burn yourself out by doing the same training year after year.

Karel and I are very proud of our performances at the St. George Ironman World Championship event. We took a different approach and it paid off. We both felt strong and healthy all day and most importantly, we had fun, we enjoyed the suffering and we gave our best effort on the day. 

Marni - 10:53.16. 5th AG (40-44)
2.4 mile swim: 59:58 (1st AG)
T1: 5:22
112 mile bike (~7200 feet elevation gain): 5:45.38 (2nd AG)
T2: 5:01
26.2 mile run (~1500 feet elevation gain): 3:57.17 (5th AG)


Karel - 9:58.48, 11th AG (45-49)
2.4 mile swim: 1:00.11 (11th AG)
T1: 5:42
112 mile bike (~7200 feet elevation gain): 5:28.50 (19th AG)
T2: 3:30
26.2 mile run (~1500 feet elevation gain): 3:20.35 (1th AG)

Race Report coming soon......

Ironman World Championship Race Week Training

 

After a good night of sleep on Monday, we had a good breakfast and got caught up on some work before loading up the rental SUV with our bikes and gear. We are staying in Washington (half way between downtown, where T2 and the finish is and Sand Hollow Lake, where the swim and T1 is) which makes it easy to get to various places on the course. We drove to Royal Oaks Park (on the run course) to start our ride. We like to do one last "longer" ride on race week to remind the body what it is preparing for and to keep the body in a routine. Although we are very familiar with the 70.3 bike course, the "Veyo" loop is new to us for this Ironman World Championship course. Karel had the course downloaded in his Garmin although the course was well-marked with tape arrows on the pavement. It was very windy to start our ride and we had NW winds for the majority of the loop - which made for a long ride. However, the scenery was incredible and the roads were quiet and peaceful. 

We stopped several times for pictures/videos and we were even greeted by a few wild cows along the way. Over 31 miles, we accumulated around 2100 feet of elevation and it took us a little over 2 hours (14.6 mph). There were a few steeper climbs but nothing too long. When we got to the "wall" we made the switchback turn and finally had some tailwind. I didn't find anything difficult on this loop but the wind will bring the challenge to this course - and the fact that we start this loop around mile 50 of the 112 mile ride (and then finish the ride at mile 100 with a 4-mile climb up Snow Canyon). 

The weather was on the cooler side so I rode with gloves and arm warmers. I took off my gloves a few times but the air was crisp and I didn't want to get cold. It was in the mid 50's when we started and we finished in the mid 60's. 

The next ten miles were faaaaaaast. 10 miles of descending and I averaged almost 32mph and a max speed of almost 46. Thankfully the wind was at our back for most of it so no gust crosswinds. Karel averaged 34 mph and had a max speed of almost 51mph! And he was passed by professional athlete Sam Long on the downhill - and Karel couldn't even keep up (he tried :) 

After our ride, we put on our run gear and headed on to the run course (it was marked) for a short run off the bike. The run course is either up or down (except the out and back section in town after the first loop and before the finish) and it includes a lot of neighborhood and paved trail running - which I really like. We made a quick stop at the Kneaders bakery and then headed back to our condo. 

Later in the afternoon, we checked in for the race (around 3pm) and walked around the expo. 

Because our last swim was on Friday, we needed to get into the water. Luckily, we have an outdoor 25-yard lap pool at our condo which makes it super convenient to get in a swim workout anytime (one of the main reasons why I selected this location for the 70.3 WC and this event). After our warm-up we did two main sets. It was nice to be in the warm water and finish off a good day of training. 

Bike: 2:34, 43.3 miles. 
Run: 22 minutes, 2.8 miles
Swim: 25 minutes, 2000 yards

This morning was our first time at the lake since arriving to St. George for this trip. The water was a brisk 59 degrees. We both opted to wear our Xterra neoprene booties to keep our feet comfortable in the cold water. My face and hands were really cold to start but after a few minutes of swimming, I forget about them and found myself warming up under my Roka Wetsuit. We swam two loops of the "practice" course for a total of 28 minutes 1900 yards of swimming. I was pretty cold when we got out of the water and it took a little time for me to stop shivering. This always happens when I do the practice swim at St. George but with the rush of endorphins on race day, I never feel cold. 

After the swim we did a run around the park. We each did our own thing. Karel is undecided which shoes he wants to wear on race day so he broke up his run into different out and back segments to try on both sets of shoes to decide what to wear - he's still undecided :) I finally warmed up during the run (even though the air temp was in the 60's) which made for an enjoyable run. We ran into our friends Meg and Kelly Fillnow which was great to see some familiar faces. 

After the run, we headed back to our condo to be reunited with some of Karel's Czech friends (who are staying with us). Tomorrow we plan to do another open water swim followed by a bike on the start of the bike course in the Hurricane area. 

Hello from St. George!

 

St. George, Utah is one of our favorite race venues. Our first time to St. George was in May of 2017 for the 70.3 event. We couldn't wait to return in 2018 to race for a 2nd time. Karel loves St. George so much that he returned again for the 70.3 in 2019. And then in September of 2021, we once again traveled to St. George to participate in the Ironman 70.3 World Championship. 

The St. George scenery gets us every time. The red rocks are incredible and the race course takes us through several different towns, allowing us to see so much of the area. With such a challenging course (hills, heat and wind), the spectacular views make it easy to temporarily forget about the suffering. 

For the first time ever, the Ironman World Championship is taking place outside of Hawaii. On May 7th, Karel and I will be participating in the 2021 Ironman World Championship (because no World Championship took place last year, this race is being called the 2021 World Championship). This will be my 6th Ironman World Championship and 18th Ironman event. This will be Karel's 5th Ironman World Championship and 15th Ironman event. We love tough and challenging events and we will be tested on Saturday. 

Our travel started off super early on Monday morning. We woke up around 3:30am, quickly got ourselves ready, said good-bye to our five furry kids (who will be well taken care of while we are away) and drove to the Greenville airport. Due to our small airport, we rarely need more than 90-minutes to go from parking to the plane. Well, this time was different. The airport was packed at 4:15am! With a 5:30am departure to Atlanta, we were cutting it close and then at security, Karel was told that his birthdate didn't match his ticket because the lady at the counter entered it wrong. So he had to sprint back to the counter to get it changed. By the time he got through security and then we got to the gate, the door was shut and we - along with a handful of others - were not on our plane. 

In all my years of traveling, I've never missed a flight before. It was our fault for not allowing more time. I was so upset. This trip was not starting off on a good note. We were put on the next flight (7am) and on a different flight from Atlanta to Vegas so thankfully we got to our final destination on the same day (just a few hours later than planned). 

Things turned from bad to good when we picked up our rental car. This was my first time using Turo and it was awesome. We went from the luggage area to short term parking and there was our car with instructions as to how to get the keys inside of it. Not only was this process super easy but this rental car was almost $500 less than had I rented from a rental car company at the airport. We loaded up our Ford Edge and made our way to get some food....Chipotle! 

We started our ~1:45 hour drive to Vegas - which turned into almost 3 hours due to ~4 miles of construction work. We finally arrived to our condo (the same area that we stayed in September) around 5pm after a very long day of traveling. It was so nice to finally arrive in St. George. Despite a long and semi stressful travel day, we took one look around and we were quickly reminded why we love it here. 

As Karel put together the bikes, I went to Albertsons to get groceries (~3 miles away). By the time I got back, Karel was finished with the bikes. I was mentally exhausted so I made myself dinner (well more like breakfast - a yogurt parfait with fruit, granola and bread with peanut butter) and Karel went for a short run to shake off the fatigue from the flight. 

Around 8pm mountain time, we were tired and ready to sleep. Thankfully, a good night of sleep was all we needed as we woke up on Tuesday morning around 6am feeling excited to get on our bikes to check out a new part of this Ironman race course. 

More to come tomorrow.....

How to Carb Load (and common mistakes)

 

Over the past 50 years, a significant amount of research has shown the important role of glycogen for delaying fatigue in athletes competing in endurance and ultra endurance events. Glycogen is the storage form of carbohydrates. In humans, small amounts of glycogen are also found in tissues and cells, like the kidneys, red blood cells and brain. Glycogen is primarily stored primarily in the cells of the liver (~100g) and skeletal muscle (~500g). Skeletal muscles transform chemical energy to mechanical work. Glycogen is the body's predominant source of energy during moderate to high intensity activity. The depletion of muscle glycogen during endurance activity causes early fatigue. 

Dietary carbohydrates are converted to glucose - the main source of energy for the body and brain. For the non-diabetic population, when you eat a carb-rich meal, your blood glucose will rise. Increased blood glucose signals the pancreas to produce insulin - a very important hormone that helps the body cells take up glucose from the bloodstream to be used for immediate energy or for storage. Insulin tells the liver and muscle cells to produce the enzyme glycogen synthase that links chains of glucose together to form a glycogen molecule to be delivered to the liver and muscles. 

Because glycogen has a limited storage capacity, the intake of carbohydrates is extremely important for endurance athletes. High muscle glycogen content improves high intensity and endurance performance by increasing the time to fatigue. Due to the high demand for glycogen as an energy source, many athletes stay in a state of low glycogen depletion. Trying to complete high intensity or high volume workouts in a state of very low glycogen can increase the risk for damaged muscle tissue, immune system suppression and injury. Thus the importance of proper fueling, nutrient timing and understanding daily energy needs to support the current training load. And for all this to happen, the athlete must have a good relationship with food and the body. 

The heavily researched topic of carb-loading focuses on increasing the content of stored glycogen in an anticipation for the upcoming endurance event. Maximizing glycogen stores can help reduce fatigue in events lasting longer than 90-minutes. 

There are a lot of misconceptions around carbo-loading and a few key considerations to help you get the most out of glycogen supercompensation. 

• Muscle damage limits the capacity of the muscle to store glycogen, even while consuming a high carbohydrate diet. If you go into a race with damaged muscles (ex. downhill running, back-to-back racing), don't assume that a high carbohydrate diet will magically make your muscles perform/feel better. 
• Most of the research on carb-loading is on men. But there is a little research showing that females may require a slightly different pre-race fueling strategy due to metabolic differences from different hormonal profiles (specifically estradiol). Whereas men are advised to increase carbohydrate intake before a race, women are advised to increase carbs and calories. In other words, women may need to "energy load." 
• Muscle glycogen concentration is dependent on the diet. The higher carb intake in your diet, the higher the glycogen stores. 
• Training increases the amount of glycogen that can be stored in the muscle. Endurance training increases muscle glycogen stores and reduces the reliance on glycogen as a result of increased use of free fatty acids by active muscle cells. This metabolic adaptation allows your body to become more efficient at storing glycogen while also becoming more metabolically efficient. 
• After prolonged intense exercise, muscle glycogen levels may fall from 150-200 mmol/kg wet weight to <50 mmol/kg wet weight. When muscle glycogen levels fall to less than 70 mmol/kg wet weight, calcium release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum is impaired - which impacts muscle function, power output and performance. 
• Muscle glycogen resynthesis is a very slow process. It may take several days of rest or very light training (along with a higher carb diet) for muscle glycogen levels to reach adequate levels after several days of hard training. Consuming a high carbohydrate diet is critical to meet the demands of high volume/intensity training. 
• Carbo-loading should not be confused with overeating. Effective glycogen loading should the the result of emphasizing more energy-dense, low fiber carbohydrate sources and reducing fat intake alongside reducing (not stopping) energy expenditure (tapering). 
• One to two days of carbohydrate loading is sufficient to prepare your muscles for the upcoming event. 
• Glycogen depletion is considered an important limiting factor to performance. But eating more carbohydrates will not make you a better trained athlete. However, just because you didn't complete your  training as planned, this doesn't mean that you need to punish your body by underfueling. 

Carb-Loading Tips

• A carbohydrate intake of 5-7g/kg/day in the 1-2 days before your endurance event is recommended. 
• If you have a sensitive stomach or are prone to GI issues, be strategic with the foods you consume. Opt for a low-residue diet. 
• Males should aim for ~70% of the daily diet from carbs (without making a major change to caloric intake). A female athlete should aim to eat ~70% from carbs with an additional 30% increase in normally consumed calories. 
• Carbo-loading does not remove the need to stay well-fueled and hydrated throughout your event. Carb-loading is designed to help delay fatigue - not avoid fatigue. 
• Consume small meals, regularly throughout the day. Create a schedule (and plan) for eating so that you don't forget to eat or go long hours without eating. 
• If you feel "heavy" when you carb-load, this is good. This reflects the water weight that is added from glycogen storage. For every gram of glycogen stored in your body, you store ~3 ounces of water. This is also why people immediately lose weight on a low-carb diet. It doesn't have to do with body fat but water weight. 
• Aim to eat your largest carb meals in the morning hours (breakfast - lunch) to allow more time for digestion. 
• Stay well-hydrated throughout the day to help with digestion. 
• Practice with similar pre-race foods in training to build familiarity and confidence for race day. 

Sample Carbo-Loading Menu (~400g carbohydrates)

Breakfast: Pancakes + syrup + juice + eggs + fruit
Snack: Granola bar + pretzels + sport drink
Lunch: 2 cups rice + chicken + optional small salad
Snack: Yogurt + granola + berries
Dinner: Large potato + veggie burger + soup

Sources: 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6566225/
https://physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1113/JP280221

https://www.220triathlon.com/training/nutrition-training/do-female-athletes-need-to-carb-load-more-or-less-than-male-ones-before-a-race/
https://www.mysportscience.com/post/carb-loading
https://www.scienceforsport.com/carbohydrate-loading-for-endurance-still-a-good-practice/

Gut Training Tips for Ultra/Endurance Athletes

 

Every sport has its own nutritional considerations. For example, the needs of a 100 meter swimmer are very different than a 10K open water swimmer - even though both are swimmers. The same is true of a marathon runner compared to a long distance triathlete - even though both run 26.2 miles. While nutrition is important for every type of athlete, the nutritional demands of training and racing are different for every athlete and depend on factors such as distances and intensities being performed, as well as on the type of terrain, temperature and altitude. 

With respect to endurance and ultra endurance events, athletes experience numerous physiological stressors which can have significant health and performance consequences. Certainly, proper fueling and hydrating can minimize the risk of issues. From glycogen depletion and dehydration to muscle damage and GI issues, many athletes have a poor understanding of how to fuel appropriately during long distance activity - or intentionally underfuel for fear of gaining weight. 

GI issues are very common among endurance athletes. Symptoms like bloating, cramping, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and reflux are some of the most common reasons why athletes struggle to perform to their abilities on race day. 

The GI (or gastrointestinal tract) plays a very important role in how your body performs on race day. This series of connected organs is the only way to deliver carbohydrates and fluids to the blood during long distance activity. Because the gut is very adaptable, you need to take the time to "train the gut" in order to improve stomach comfort, improve gastric emptying and absorptions and reduce symptoms of GI distress - all in an effort to improve endurance performance. 

To help you train your gut, here are a few key considerations: 

• It can take between 6-10 weeks to improve stomach comfort. You should be preparing for your 'race day' nutrition plan at least 10 weeks out from the event by practicing nutrition similar to race day during your longest training sessions. Start on the low end and gradually work your way up in calories/fluid. You can begin to train your gut by consuming smaller amounts of sport nutrition during shorter workouts to get comfortable drinking/eating while exercising, while also experimenting with different products/flavors. 
• Dehydration makes GI issues worse. Dehydration slows down gastric emptying. Make sure to consume well-formulated sport drinks with adequate fluid. Also, be mindful to adjust your pacing and nutrition intake for hotter conditions (more dilute/electrolyte rich) when the gut will be more compromised due to the heat. Because most athlete underhydrate and underfuel while running, it's to your best interest to use a hydration belt/pack when you run. 
• There are two specific protein transporters (SGLT1 and GLUT5) that allow for carbohydrate absorption. When your sport drink contains glucose, sucrose, maltodextrin or starch, exogenous carbohydrate oxidation peaks ~60g/hr (~240 calories). This is because the SGLT1 transporter becomes saturated. Because fructose uses a different transporter (GLUT5), adding fructose to a sport drink can allow for higher oxidation rates (up to 90g/hr). And research shows that up to 90g of a 2:1 glucose/fructose ratio also improves performance. To increase the capacity to absorb carbohydrates, it's critical that your sport drink has the right formulation. Simply eating/drinking whatever you want, whenever you want is not what it means to "train the gut."
• A higher carb diet (for ~2 weeks) will result in the upregulation of SGLT1 transporters. Therefore, if you consume a low carb diet and then attempt to train the gut with a high amount of carbohydrates, the higher carb intake will not be well absorbed. Additionally, a keto diet may impair the muscle's ability to use glycogen for oxidation, compromising the use of a more economical energy source when the oxygen supply becomes limiting when effort exceeds >80% maximal aerobic capacity.
• You can't blame everything on sport nutrition. Pre-workout/race fat/fiber intake, highly concentrated carb solutions (ex. putting 3-4 hours worth of nutrition in one bottle), poor pacing, poor terrain management, jostling of organs, posture, inefficient movements, stress/nervous and redistribution of blood flow away from the gut and to the skin and working muscles may cause GI issues. 

Because research (and real life evidence) shows that carbohydrate, fluid and sodium intake during endurance activity can result in faster performances due to less fatigue, training your gut is necessary if you want to minimize GI issues while maintaining optimal energy levels during your event. 

If you've had negative experiences with sport nutrition, you are not alone. But don't let these experiences stop you from consuming the fuel that your body needs to stay healthy and to perform at its best. Remember - your body is very adaptable. Like training your muscles, you need to train your gut. 

Sources: 
https://www.gssiweb.org/sports-science-exchange/article/training-the-gut-for-athletes

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5371619/

https://physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1113/JP278928

Happy Earth Day!

Every Day is Earth Day.
Our oceans are in a critical state, wildlife populations are declining and dangerous weather conditions are becoming more frequent and severe.

Mother Earth is struggling. Humanity is destroying the planet.

With all she gives us every day, she deserves a lot of love, care and respect. There are many simple things we can do each day to save the environment.

Even the smallest of things can make a big difference. We all need to fulfill our responsibilities and make the effort to protect mother Earth.

Remember - this is the only planet where life is possible. Our well-being depends entirely on this planet. It is our responsibility to take care of it.

Don't settle for the easy route

 

There are no shortcuts in life.

When I decided to become a Registered Dietitian, I knew it would be a long, costly and demanding endeavor. I could have settled for a nutrition certification but not matter how many certifications I received and no matter how many articles I read, nothing would give me the education, experience and professionalism of becoming a Registered Dietitian.

In today's society, there appears to be a shortcut for almost anything. Overnight, you can practically buy, become or be anything you want.

But sadly, shortcuts don't get you very far. Rather than moving fast, you get stuck. Even worse, cutting corners gets you off track.

In a society that worships speed, we must not forget that the journey (or experience) is what matters. Invest time, money and effort into yourself.

If you have a goal or there's something important in your life that you want to achieve/experience, there's no magic formula. The tips are simple.

• Establish a short and long-term plan.
• Stay consistent, remain flexible.
• Work hard.
• Show up.
• Ask questions.
• Don't be afraid to make mistakes.
• Ask for help.
• Learn from others.
• Invest into continuing education.
• Step out of your comfort zone.
• Don't look for shortcuts. There's a difference between feeling successful and experience success.

There are two ways to get to the top of a mountain. You can climb or you can ride the gondola to the top. Each gives you a different feeling.

When you climb a mountain, you earned that view at the top. You worked hard for it. You could have given up and turned around but you battled your way to the top. The journey in the climb changed you and taught you so much about yourself. You learned that you are capable of so much more.

When you ride the gondola to the top of the mountain, you can enjoy the same view but there is no sense of accomplishment. You didn't have to work to get to the top.

Same mountain peak. A completely different experience.

Success is an experience, not a feeling. You can take shortcuts and feel successful but without the experience, there are no series of struggles to help change you. It's the lessons learned along the journey that are far more valuable and meaningful than what you receive when you get to your desired destination.

Compelling evidence that you are overtraining

Training for an endurance or ultra endurance event is similar to a dose-response assessment. 
The goal of this type of scientific test is to determine the required dose to produce a specific outcome (or response). Sadly, when it comes to endurance athletes, far too many athletes are doing work without eliciting a positive or beneficial response. 

As it relates to training, the right amount of stress can produce significant fitness gains but too much stress results in high risk of injury, sickness, overtraining and burnout. Not enough stress is simply exercising and doesn't induce favorable change in physiology for race readiness. Training stress shouldn't be associated just with weekly volume as the athlete training 8 hours a week can be as vulnerable to overtraining as the athlete training 20 hours a week. 

So why is it that so many endurance and ultra endurance athletes are training so much and so hard but struggling with recovery, body composition, health issues and/or performance gains?

As training stress increases (often in the form of increased intensity, frequency and volume), your lifestyle choices must also change in order to respond to the added stress on your body. 

• Energy/calorie/nutrient needs to increase
• Recovery needs to increase (ex. easy workout, rest days)
• Sleep needs to increase
• Lifestyle stress needs to decrease (work, emotional, travel, relationship)

Unfortunately, this is rarely the case. 

Endurance athletes fall victim to green-box syndrome (checking off workout so the workout turns green or pass, instead of red or fail) and will prioritize the completion of workouts at the cost of poor sleep, poor nutrition and inadequate recovery in an already stressful and busy life. It's not uncommon for athletes to sleep, eat and recover less as training volume increases - talk about the contradiction of what is needed to optimize performance and to support health!

Overtraining is a physiological state caused by an excess accumulation of physiological, psychological, emotional, environmental and training stress. With overtraining being heavily misunderstood and misdiagnosed, there are strong links between overtraining and undereating. It doesn't matter how much/little you are training - if your body is not responding well to training stress and you are not balancing your training with lifestyle stress, you'll consistently struggle to make improvements and even worse, you'll experience setbacks related to mental and physical health. 

As an athlete, you have a responsibility to your body to provide it with proper nutrition, fuel, sleep and recovery in order to support all the physiological functions needed in order to maintain optimal health. Eating enough, timing nutrition with training and utilizing well-formulated sport nutrition products are critical to the healthy functioning of the nervous, metabolic, nervous, cardiac and musculoskeletal systems - all which must be at full strength in order to encourage adaptations. 

I constantly struggle to understand the reason why as training volume/intensity increases, athletes assume it's ok to eat, sleep and recover less.

A well-planned and organized diet, with enough energy (calories) and nutrients to fuel and refuel the body is essential to overall health as you train for an endurance event. Your daily diet provides the nutrients needed to rebuild and repair muscle tissue, restock glycogen (fuel) stores in the muscle and liver, maintain immune system health and keep vitamin and mineral stores within the recommended range. Because overtraining and overfueling walk hand in hand, if you are underfueling, your  body has to work harder to complete a workout. Many cases of overtraining attribute to underfueling. 

Signs of Underfueling (which are also common in overtraining)

• Fatigue, low energy levels
• Decrease in performance or fitness plateau 
• Low motivation and difficulty concentrating
• Decreased muscle strength
• Constant hunger or no appetite
• Irritability, mood changes
• Difficulty sleeping at night
• GI distress
• Muscle cramps
• Cold intolerance
• Frequent sickness or injury
• Stress fractures
• Changes in menstrual cycle (for women)
• Significant changes in body composition 
• Low sex drive

Why do endurance athletes undereat? 

• Unintentional - Not all undereating is intentional. Lack of proper knowledge about how much food/calories is needed to support endurance training can result in undereating. Additionally, limited time for grocery shopping/meal prep, dislike for cooking, financial reasons, poor meal planning, busy schedules and a loss of appetite can all impact undereating. 
  
  
• Desire to lose weight - You must fuel your current body, not diet in an attempt to try to achieve the body you think you should have. Forcing your body to lose weight from food and sport nutrition restriction adds extra stress to your body. By eating enough to fuel your specific training needs, you can make sure your body has what it needs to adapt to training and to rebuild during recovery. 
  
  
• Social pressures - Similar to the desire to lose weight, body dissatisfaction can increase the risk of disordered eating patterns. It's important to remember that the so-called "ideal" body doesn't exist. Bodies come in all sizes and shapes. Don't let social pressures to look a certain way cause you to undereat. 

Why do athletes overtrain? 

• Unintentional - Busy schedules and stressful lives leave little time to recover well from training. Remember - adaptations from training occur through recovery. Just because you complete a workout, this doesn't mean you are "gaining" anything from the session. If you are not making time to adequately fuel, hydrate and recover from your workouts, it will be very hard for your body to adapt.
  
  
• Training program - When a training program is appropriately designed, it will allow for gradual progression of volume/intensity and consistent adaptations. This will likely result in meaningful performance improvements. However, if training is rushed, developmental steps are skipped or too much volume/intensity/frequency is loaded on the body at once, the athlete has not built up resiliency and tolerance to training and thus, overtraining may result from too much training stress and fatigue. 
  
  
• Personality - Athletes who have a compulsive and perfectionist personality type are driven to work hard. While in moderation, these traits are beneficial to staying motivated to train, the concern is when athletes go to extreme. Additionally, a preoccupation with body image, food and exercise obsession can cause an athlete to push the body beyond healthy limits. 

Self Assessment

Do yourself a favor and look out for your mental and physical health. As an athlete, you are nothing without your health. Because overtraining (and burnout) is heavily linked with undereating, here are a few questions that may be helpful for a weekly check-in: 

1. Are my energy and mood levels stable throughout the day? 
2. Am I sleeping well (falling asleep quickly and sleeping restfully throughout the night)?
3. Is my HR elastic when I train (can easily increase and decrease dependent on the effort/intensity)?
4. Am I able to be present and focused to life outside of training (ex. work, family, relationships, etc.)?
5. Am I relying heavily on caffeine to stay alert throughout the day? 
6. Do I constantly feel hungry or no urge to eat throughout the day? 
7. Am I increasing my recovery, sleep and nutrition to support my increase in training load?
8. Am I enjoying my training load? 
9. Am I enjoying foods that I normally enjoy eating? 
   
10. Do I feel deep fatigue/soreness which is affecting my ability to execute workouts as planned?
11. Am I taking my recovery and easy days seriously? 
    
12. Is my mood significantly affected by my training?

An increase in training load requires changes to your lifestyle choices. Don't wait until it's too late to give more attention to your daily diet, recovery and sleep.