Our next (epic) adventure - Haute Route Alps!

 

After three years of waiting, the time has finally come for us to participate in our hardest, most difficult and extreme endurance event that we have ever attempted. On Friday morning we will fly from Vienna, Austria to Nice, France and on August 21st (Sunday) at 6:45am, we will start stage 1 of the 7-day Haute Route Alps. For seven continuous days, we will cover almost 500 miles, climb almost 70,000 feet and travel to 6 different locations in France (and one in Italy).

If you are curious on pricing for this incredible experience, the registration fee was $1899 Euros per person, we bought one accomodation package (comfort double) for $1339 and airport transportation to the Geneva airport after the event is complete ($59 euros) for a total of $3297 Euros (or around $3300 US dollars). Total for both of us was ~$5255 Euros. While an expensive event, we work hard so we can play hard and we love finding epic ways to turn our vacations into race-cations. 

As for what is included in our registration and a typical day at the Haute Route, here is what I know so far......

As part of our registration package, our accomodations from Saturday until the following Sunday are taken care of by the Haute Route staff. I booked an extra night in Nice at the same hotel for Saturday so that we could arrive on Friday. Although we planned on bringing our road bikes for this trip (and renting mountain bikes), the recent issues with lost luggage concerned us and because of our within-Europe flights to two different airports, we didn't want to take the chance that our bikes wouldn't arrive to Nice (or return back to Vienna with us after the event). Instead, we decided the best option was to rent road bikes from France Bike Rentals - a partner of Haute Route. Karel decided on package 3 for us (Pinarello Prince Disc Ultegra Di2) and he will make sure that we are both set up well for the event. Karel also brought my crank (Rotor aldhu w/ 155 crank length) to swap out from the rental bike (which will have 170 crank). We will pick up our bikes at registration on Saturday and we will be able to ride the bikes on Saturday afteernoon as part of the kick-off ride. 

We will be given a backpack and duffle bag and at the end of every stage, we receive our backpack (with items that we want to have immediately after each stage) and our duffle bag will be taken to the hotel where we will stay that evening (between stages). We receive breakfast and a post race meal, massages and full tech support (similar to the Tour de France). There will also be cut-off times for each stage. In the evening, we have a mandatory athlete briefing for the next stage. We heard there are between 450-600 riders at this event. 

We have the course maps loaded into our bike computers. Here's a summary of each stage:

• August 21st: Nice, France to Cuneo, Italy -
  114 miles/184km, 13,450 feet/4100+ meters
• August 22nd: Cuneo, Italy to Serre Chevalier Briancon, France -
  88 miles/141km, 11,811 feet/3600+ meters
• August 23rd: Serre Chevalier Briancon, France to Les Deux Alpes, France -
  68 miles/109km, 9842 feet/3,000+ meters
• August 24th: Les Deux Alps to Meribel, France -
  95 miles/153km, 13779 feet/4200+ meters
• August 25th: Meribel, France -
  6.2 miles/10km, 2788 feet/850+ meters (time trial)
• August 26th: Meribel, France to Megeve, France -
  86 miles/138km, 11,482 feet/3500+ meters
• August 27th: Megeve, France -
  62 miles/99km, 7874 feet/2400+ meters

We were instructed to download the Ride with GPS app (with a special code to connect us with the Haute Route Alps official app). Within this app, we have everything we need for throughout the event. There's a link for our accomodations, the routes, weather report, latest news, start times and locations and so much more. This is what we see for each stage of the event:

All the information for the upcoming stage with important times and locations. 

As you can see from the bottom graph (above), certain segements (red line between the timer icon) are timed, which is what is included in the results. There are also several feed zones throughout each stage (which I heard are well stocked with a lot of great food and sport nutrition varieties). For this specific stage, after we finish the actual stage, we have another 16k to ride to get to the town of Cuneo, to reach our accomodations. I've already looked up places for Pizza in Italy - there are a lot! 

We also have a description of the climbs. For Stage 1 we have two big climbs. As you can see from this picture, our climb is 12 miles or 20K (although we are climbing well before we actually start the official climb) and goes up to almost 8000 feet elevation. We can also see the gradient/inclines for each part of the climb. Stage 1 is 104 miles and 13,450 feet of elevation gain. 

Karel and I are nervous and excited. This event will test us mentally and physically, in ways that we have never experienced before. We are hoping that our years of long distance triathlon training and racing, as well training on our technical and challenging terrain in Greenville, will have prepared us for this event. I don't think it's possible to feel fully prepared so I know there will be many struggles along the way. If you are familiar with the documentary ICARUS, the initial focus for the production was to race the 2015 Haute Route Alps while taking part in a doping procedure. I mention this because the Haute Route Alps is only open to amateurs (not professionals) and to win the overall title is a prestigous accomplishment. Karel and I are not expecting to be competive at the top but we will still try to complete the event while also feeling like we are "racing" - whatever that looks like on each day. I'm thinking some stages, it'll be all about trying to complete the stage and not compete on the stage. Karel and I will not stay together throughout each stage so that we can each get the most out of the event. 

I'll be sharing updates throughout the week on social media (Facebook and Instagram) if you'd like to follow our journey. 

Tracking and Results can be found HERE.

Xterra Czech Race Recap

 

Wow, that was hard.
My first Xterra race was on a super tough course with long climbs and fast downhills. 3800 feet of elevation in 21 miles on the bike and 1000 feet for the 6.2 mile run. The swim was non-wetsuit legal (no swim skins allowed) which made for a chilly start to the day - even for a 12:30pm race start. The competition was fierce as this was the European Championship.
I learned a lot, had fun and suffered for 3 hours and 45 minute. I don’t think my heart has ever beat so high and hard for that long.
I’m thrilled for Karel for placing 3rd in his age group. What a special day for him to race in Czech.

To hear more about our race, check out our video race recap below....

Here are a few pics from the race. 

Swim Start

Getting ready for the 12:30pm race start. 

The first of many long climbs.

Satisfied at the finish.

Beautiful location for a transition area in the town square. 

Karel's bike post race. 

My bike post race. 

Karel's Czech friends. 

Awards Ceremony

My gear for the race. 

Finish line smiles!

Karel waiting for me at the finish line. 

If you'd like to check out the course, I put together a video from our recon ride. You can see the video HERE.

From Znojmo to Prachatice

For our last three days in Znojmo before heading off to our next destination (Prachatice), we spent our time around family. After our Mon morning swim, we went to Karel’s mom’s flat for lunch. I had a lentil dish and Karel had a dish with meat. We then went back to our Airbnb for a short time and then walked to Karel’s nieces flat to visit with her and her son and husband. I loved seeing her beautiful four cats - one was a giant Maine coon. We chatted a bit (she speaks English) and then went to the park. We got ice cream on our walk back to our Airbnb, before walking to the grocery store to get a few things for dinner.

On Tuesday, we went for a short off-road run around the town. I was pretty tired during the run so we took several walk/stop breaks for pictures. Karel’s brother took a train/bus in from Pribor for the day (and night). We gifted Karel’s brother Jirka with a new pair of Hoka trail running shoes and a Trimarni tank. Jirika enjoys trail running and bike expeditions. After lunch at Karel's mom's place, Karel and his brother went to his dad’s cemetery and enjoyed a beer at the pub that their dad frequently visited (downstairs from his flat). This was Karel’s first real beer in over 3 years and while he didn’t really enjoy how it made him feel, he enjoyed sharing memories with his brother. While they were at the pub, I worked on the computer and took a short nap in our Airbnb With it being warm out and the noisy streets (and window’s open when we sleep), we haven’t had a good night of sleep since arriving to Czech. We are constantly tired and hoping that one of these nights we will sleep restfully.
For dinner, Karel and I went to a restaurant in town and Karel enjoyed a traditional chicken breast wrapped in potato and I had vegetables and pasta.

Wednesday was a pretty chill day. We went for a ride on the single track trails behind the only hospital in town. We did a few hard efforts to get the legs ready for the race on Saturday. We then went for a brick run (trail run). I was pretty tired after the bike ride and my legs were tired while running. After eating lunch at Karel's mom's place, we then went back to our place (Karel’s mom came with us before heading to Karel’s nieces place to babysit her son) and sorted through our clothes for our next leg of trip. Since we didn’t need to bring everything with us for the next week of traveling we sorted through our stuff and packed only one suitcase along with our race stuff for the Xterra event. In the early evening, we walked into town and enjoyed our last evening in Znojmo.

On Thursday morning we woke up around 5:45am and left our place around 7am. The drive to Borova Lada took around 3.5 hours. Depending on where we travel in Czech, the miles don’t go by really fast. For this trip, we were mostly on two lane roads, traveling through many villages and often getting stuck behind tractors and trucks. While you can pass on these roads, there are still a lot of slow downs. We were pretty exhausted and tired by the time we got to our cottage. A friend of Roman’s has a second home in Borova Lada and he let us use it from Thurs – Sunday. He was going to join us (along with Roman and two other guys) but they would come on Friday after bike riding from Prague to the house (over 100 miles there and then biking home on Sunday. They had a car following them with their clothes and food). The cottage was super cute and it was so nice to feel cooler air and for it to be so quiet (which was a big change after living in a city for the past week). After unpacking, we (along with our friend Honza who was also doing the Xterra race) drove in two cars to Prachatice – which took ~50 minutes. We picked up our race stuff in the town of Prachatice and then drove another 35 minutes to the start of the bike course. Because of the point to point bike course, we left one car in town and all rode in Honza’s van to the race start/bike start. By the time we got on our bikes, it was after 2pm and we had been traveling since 7pm. Karel and I were very tired. We are almost on the verge of tears because of how exhausted we were. But when we got on our mountain bikes, we quickly woke up and felt the good energy enter our body. What a difference it makes to move the body!

For the next 2.5 hours, we rode the entire Xterra bike course and all I can say is wow. The course was not super technical (there were a few small sections with rocks and roots that required skills and strength to get over) but what was so physically demanding was the long steep climbs. There were climbs on pavement, grass, rocks and dirt that were well over 20% and lasted anywhere from 2-5+ minutes. We took several stops to regroup (with Karel leading the way and having a blast on his bike). There were also several sections with signs before that read “DANGER” and to Karel, this meant “FUN” as the section was a fast, rocky, steep downhill. While I felt like I could handle the entire course with my skills (a few times I needed to get off my bike to walk through a section that I was too tired to get the strength to work through), what I lacked with high power on the climbs. My legs were so tired and my body felt empty. A big difference between mountain biking and biking in the Ironman is that in the Ironman, I rarely feel my heart beating fast. But in mountain biking, my heart is always beating hard and I’m breathing heavy. It requires so much effort to get up these steep hills and navigate over roots, rocks and other elements. This feeling is very new to me and something I’m getting used to. After 16 years of building my aerobic engine for Ironman, I know I need to really work my anaerobic threshold to better handle the punchy and hard efforts needed in mountain biking.

The bike course finished with a packed gravel downhill section with a few berms and then on the pump track before heading on the cobblestones and into town.

After the bike, Karel and Honza took our car back up the lake (another 40 minutes there and back) while I walked in the town and picked up pizza. I took advantage of the extra time and free WIFI at the pizzeria (we don’t have wifi at our cottage) and downloaded the videos from my GoPro to the app on my phone. After Honza and Karel returned, it was after 7pm and we had been on the go since 7am. We had a 45 minute drive back to the cottage and by 9pm, I was so ready for bed. It was so nice to sleep in a quiet bedroom with fresh cool air. We slept great!

On Friday, we enjoyed sleeping in and then went for a short trail run in the National Park. After the run, we walked into the small town and had blueberry dumplings for our lunch meal – which were incredibly delicious. We all cleaned our plates! 

As for the rest of the day, I used my hot spot and got ahead with a little work and Karel got our bikes ready for the Xterra race. It was a little interesting trying to replicate my normal pre-race meals in Czech, especially for an event that I had never done before. Whereas I have my Ironman and 70.3 pre and during race nutrition down perfectly, I need a lot more practice for Xterra. Roman and the other guys arrived to the cottage around 7pm but I was already asleep as I was so exhausted and tired. I had a good night of sleep and even though I slept in until almost 7am, I was still a bit tired in the morning. Since not sleeping well for a week, I feel like my body is still struggling with sleep. I was very nervous for the race, especially not knowing what to expect and racing in the European Championship. Karel also felt a bit nervous, even though he has much more experience than me (this was his 5th Xterra event).

At 8:30am, we left our place and headed to Prachatice for my first Xterra race. Race report coming soon!

Czech Trip Day 5 - FOOD

We arrived to Znojmo, Czech Republic (Karel's hometown) on Thursday August 4th and his first meal request from his mom was SVÍČKOVÁ. Karel's dish (pictured above) was the classic version whereas mine was made vegetarian.

Until now (when I looked it up for this article), I had no idea how this meal was made.

"Svíčková is a famous sauce from Czech cuisine, made from root vegetables and heavy cream. It’s thickened with roux. Svíčková sauce is eaten warm poured over a beef slice, accompanied with bread dumplings. You can also garnish the final dish with lemon, cranberries, and a scoop of whipped cream."

I love this meal (vegetarian version) because it's so incredibly tasteful. It's also very comforting for Karel - it brings him a lot of great memories.

Mindfullness has many definitions but one that speaks to me is from this article that states "being aware of what is happening both inside your body, heart and mind - and outside in your environment, without criticism or judgement. Mindful eating is a form of mindfulness."

For Karel, food serves an added role when he is in Czech. It's not just for fuel and for nourishment but it brings back so many wonderful memories. From the dishes prepared by Karel's mom to ice cream and candy bar selections in the grocery store, every bite takes him back to a time and a place.

For me, I want to celebrate Karel's culture and rituals. The only way I can do that is to maintain a good relationship with food while I am in Czech. To do this, I must eat mindfully. I can't read the ingredients or food labels (everything is in Czech) so besides asking Karel if something is vegetarian and OK for me to eat, the only way I know how something makes me feel when I eat it is to savour every bite and to really focus on what I am eating.

I love trying different types of spreadable cheese, pastries and yogurts - discovering which one tastes the best or which one makes my tummy smile. I don't know if a food or meal is 100 calories or 1000 calories so instead, I listen to my body and my body tells me when I'm satisfied.

My food related decisions are created based on my senses - not from rules, guidelines or ingredient lists. For many people, the act of mindful eating could feel overwhelming and scary but with practice, it can help foster a great relationship with food. By focusing on the how and why of eating, you can better understand what foods help you to stay healthy, fueled and satisfied - fostering a deeper appreciation for every meal.

To help get you started with mindful eating, here are a few simple tips:

• Engage the senses and remove distractions - turn off the TV or screen or put down the book. Sit uninterrupted.
• Eat slowly. Savor the flavors, aromas and textures. Reconnect with your senses.
• Chew each bite at least 10+ times. Taste your food. 
• Ignore any emotions, thoughts or feelings around food. Simply enjoy the experience of eating without guilt, anxiety or inner commentary.

When the mind is calm, you are less likely to eat in an emotional, restrictive or all-or-nothing way. Awareness brings clarity, which helps with food related decisions. When your mind is calm, you are more compassionate toward yourself and less judgmental.

During every trip to Czech with Karel, I learn how to eat more mindfully. It's not about changing the food I eat but changing my thinking around food.

DOBROU CHUŤ (That's good appetite in Czech)

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Czech Trip - Day 3 MTB

 

I was so excited for Sunday. A long ride on our mountain bikes. 

After checking out of Airbnb #1 (to check in to Airbnb #2 in the afternoon - I wasn't able to book one for our entire 7-day stay in Znojmo) we drove just outside of town to Karel's friends house - Jirka. We enjoy seeing Jirka everytime we visit Znojmo for two reasons 1) I get to see Visty (Italian Greyhound) and her baby Bianca 2) Karel gets to talk bikes with Jirka. Karel and Jirka share a similar love of Colnago bicycles. They used to race together when Karel was a teenager. 

Another friend joined us (Stephen) and we set out for a long ride around 9:30am. Although Karel is somewhat familiar with the roads, it was great to have Jirka as our tour guide as we were able to see so many great sights and several beautiful look-out points. I've seen a few of these spots in past trips, but never by mountain bike. I am used to riding on very technical single-track courses so it was a nice change to be on different off-road terrain. We rode for almost 3.5 hours and covered almost 40 miles and over 3400 feet of elevation gain. Although the area is not "hilly" we had to climb up several 18%+ grades to get to lookout points - it was all worth it. We also visited the Iron Curtain, which always makes me stop and think about Karel's upbringing in a communist country. 

When we visit Czech, I really try to embrace being a local. Although we brought sport nutrition from home, we enjoy trying new products. Jirka gave us each a sports bar to try (mine was banana and peanuts and Karel had apricot) – it was really good. We had our sports drinks in our USWE hydration packs.

Near the end of our ride, Jirka took us to a beautiful lookout point where we could see all of Znojmo – a location that Karel had never been to before. It was the perfect end to our long ride.

When we arrived back to Jirka’s house, his wife had a meal ready for us – chickpea curry with rice and salad. It was so good.

At 3pm, we headed back into town with all of our stuff to check in to our next Airbnb, which is where we will stay for the rest of our time in Znojmo (until Thurs). After unpacking, we walked around downtown and then picked up a pizza in town – it was amazing. The dough was so good and I really enjoyed the tofu topping on the margherita pizza. We finished the entire pizza.

We haven’t been sleeping that well since we have arrived. I think our internal clocks are still a bit off and getting used to not having AC (we have several fans). We went to bed around 10:30pm but it was a restless night of sleep. We seemed to sleep a bit better toward the morning hours as it got cooler outside. With the pool opening at 10am, we were in no rush so when we woke up. Karel went for a short run to help wake him up and then we walked to the grocery store (there’s a store at every corner) to get a few things. I’ve been having yogurt, muesli and fruit for breakfast. After breakfast, it was time to drive to the pool for a swim workout. 

Czech Trip Day 2: Brno

 

On Saturday morning, we woke up to light rain - which was refreshing since Friday was incredibly hot outside. The air was cool and the sky was cloudy. We started the morning with a run around the town - which was more like sightseeing for me. We ran for ~45 minutes and included several stops for pictures of gardens (and one longer stop to look at the cutest kitten and momma). 

After we cleaned up, we drove ~60 minutes to the city of Brno to meet Karel's niece Lenka and her husband and son. If you'd like to read more about Brno, here's an article. 

After meeting Lenka at the parking lot by the train/bus station, we walked through town to a restaurant for lunch. We had lunch at Forky's - a 100% plant based bistro. It was so great to be able to choose any option from the menu. I had a power plate w/ quinoa protein bites and Karel had a tofu curry. We shared fries. 

After lunch, we walked up to the top of a hill to tour the Špilberk Castle. We first took a tour of the museum and then went below the castle to tour the Prison. We then walked to see the Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul.

Around 4pm, we headed back to Znojmo. We needed to fill our car with gas (diesel) so we got a few snacks at the gas station - popsicles and my favorite poppyseed "bread." 

Czech Trip - Day 1

We arrived to Znojmo, Czech Republic (Karel’s hometown, around 10k from the Austrian border) after a 3-hr drive from Roman’s house (outside of Prague). Although the trip was only around 110 miles, there is no interstate to get on but instead, we go through many small towns where the speed limit is constantly changing from 30-50Km/hr to 70-90Km/hr (the interstate is 110Km/hr). Plus, there’s also construction, round abouts, tractors and trucks to slow things down on the small two-lane roads.

When we arrived to Znojmo, we unloaded our stuff at our Airbnb in the town center and then made a quick stop at the grocery store to get flowers for Karel’s mom and some mineral water (and a non-alcoholic beer for Karel). Karel’s mom was really happy to see us and the feeling was mutual. It’s been three long years since Karel saw his mom. She had dinner ready for us – Svickova, one of Karel’s favorite meals. She started preparing this meal two days before we arrived (it’s a labor of love). I appreciate that she makes me a vegetarian version.

Nearing 8pm, we went back to our place and we were ready for bed. I was really proud of myself for not taking a long nap as that always throws off my sleep schedule. We slept around 10 hours but it was someone of a restless night as we were a little warm in our place (no AC and it has been in the 90’s here). It’s rare to have AC in many places in Europe and actually, many Europeans don’t like the AC as they believe it makes them sick (at least that is what many of Karel’s Czech friends tell him).

We had a light breakfast since we had a big late night dinner. We had yogurt and muesli and fresh peaches. After we ate and did a little work on the computer, we went to the local pool for a swim workout. The pool opened at 10am and we arrived shortly after and it was packed. I guess when you don’t have AC, it’s summer break and it’s 90 degrees out, the pool is where you want to be at.

The pool doesn’t have the same swimming etiquette as the states so you have to be ok with people getting in and out of your lane as you are swimming. We even had an old guy cannonball into our lae as we were swimming. No big deal 😊 We swam in the 25-meter pool (8 lanes) and swam 3200 meters. We did 1000 warm-up, 5 x 200 and then 10 x 100s.

After we swam, we went to Karel’s mom’s house for lunch (leftovers from the night prior except we started with bean and potato soup – so good). After lunch, we went to two different cemeteries so Karel and his mom could see his sister (who passed away 21 years ago at the age of 34 from a brain injury) and then we went to see his dad. This was a bit more emotional for Karel as the last time he saw his dad was in 2018 and the last time he talked to him was a day before he suddenly passed away from COVID. His dad was 81 and we were supposed to visit for his 80^th birthday celebration but COVID disrupted those plans. 2020 was supposed to be our trip to Europe, which is what we are doing now.

After we ate, I enjoyed looking through a few old albums from Karel's teenage years. Here are a few pics of Karel on a cycling trip w/ his dad and brother at Grossglockner (in Austria).

Karel dropped his mom off at her place and then he got our mountain bikes out of the case and got them ready for us to ride. Around 5pm we headed off our bikes through the town and into the National Park to explore. This was our first time riding mountain bikes in Znojmo as we are usually on our tri bikes. Karel had a great time playing tour guide as we explored the park and surrounding towns. I also experimented with my new Go Pro Hero 10 which I plan to use during the Haute Route Alps. There are so many hiking trails around to explore in Znojmo. We are planning a longer MTB ride on Sunday with one of Karel’s former cycling teammates. We rode around 90 minutes and then went back to cool off in the shower and then walked to the grocery to get a few things for dinner. When we are in Znjomo, we do a lot of walking. We ate around 8pm and went to bed around 10:30pm. Our time clocks are still a little off but hopefully in another day or two we will adjust to this new time zone (6 hours ahead EST).

Hello from Czech Republic!

 

We’ve traveled to Europe every other year since 2012 to visit Karel’s family (and in 2014, 2016, and 2018 we raced Ironman Austria and in 2018 we also raced Challenge Prague). Packing for this Europe trip was a bit different compared to years past. With all the recent issues and complaints with international travel, packing was not as easy as throwing everything into a suitcase.

With two bikes (we brought our mountain bikes for Xterra European Championship and we are renting road bikes for Haute route – more on this later) and two suitcases to get us through two races and 4 weeks in Europe, we needed to account for the chance of lost/delayed luggage. We both brought a carry-one with all our race stuff – mountain bike and road shoes, helmet, 3 cycling kits, Xterra race kit, 2 pairs of regular clothes and other race stuff. We packed our sport nutrition in our checked bag, with the rest of our everyday clothing and a few more cycling kits. For this trip, we ordered 4 Apple Air tags ($99 on Amazon) as well as tag key rings and bike adapters (for under the frame bottle cage) so that we could track our bags and bikes throughout our travels. The app is free and you get real time info on where your stuff is as well as when it’s handled/moved. This would give us peace of mind that we would know where our luggage was at all times. 

Karel packed our Biknd bike cases to be 50 lbs so that our bikes could travel free on Delta. Packing our mountain bikes was really easy for him in these cases – much easier than tri bikes. The Biknd cases are soft cases but reinforced with airbags inside for extra protection. The only downside is that there are only wheels on one end so you have to lift one end and pull the case to wheel it.

We did most of our packing on the weekend (and by we I mean I packed on Saturday, Karel tends to wait until the last minute to pack so I was proud that he actually started packing on the weekend – but finished on Tuesday) and then did a good cleaning of the house on Tuesday. We have a few different pet sitters for the cats while we are away and my mom will have Campy.

On Wednesday morning, I went for a 40 minute run. I didn’t have time for any longer so I did 8 x 30 sec hill repeaters to add some quality and intensity to the run. Karel planned to do a workout but he didn’t sleep well so he tried to get a little extra sleep in the morning.

After packing up our Jeep (leaving one extra seat for Karel’s mom to return home with us for 3 months), we said a long good-bye to the furries. It’s so hard to leave them. We dropped Campy off with my mom who lives a mile away and then we made the 2 hour drive to Charlotte, NC for the first of two flights to Prague Czech Republic.

We drove to our friends house – Kelly and Meg Fillnow – and arrived around 11am. I gave us a buffer of around 30 minutes in case we had any delays before heading to the airport at 11:30am. Kelly drove us to the airport (in our Jeep) and she will be keeping our car at her place for the month. So thankful for them to save us some money by not having to keep the car at long term parking. We arrived to the airport just before noon and there was no line to check in for our 3:50pm flight. I wanted to give us at least 3 hours before boarding due to all the delays and issues at the airport lately. We checked in two bags each (bike + suitcase = both were free) and by 12:20pm we were all checked in. Karel and I signed up for TSA pre-check ($85 for 5 years) but only I was approved within a few days – Karel’s application is still awaiting approval – it can take up to 60 days) so I got to go through the TSA pre-check (which was a breeze) and Karel went through the regular security check. 

Since we had over 3 hours until we boarded our flight, we got smoothies (and Karel had a pita sandwich, I brought a PBJ bagel sandwich) and worked on Training Peaks until it was time for us to board.

I selected Comfort Plus seats (front row) for our flights – a luxury that I will always pay for when traveling. We both napped for our 80-minute flight to JFK.

When we arrived in JFK around 5:30pm we walked from gate 40 to 26 for our next flight which boarded at 8:30 (9:30 take off). We would be getting dinner on the plane but we were hungry so we purchased food from a vending machine – and it was really good! I got hardboiled eggs from Vital Farms with my bowl and Karel got chicken. After we ate, we learned that our gate changed to 38 so we walked back to where we landed in JFK and worked some more on the computer until we started to board. 

As we were waiting to board, we started to track our bags with our apple air tag. It was fun to see our bags/bikes being moved in Charlotte. But when we were in JFK we noticed that our bikes were still sitting near gate 26 (our original gate) and our suitcases were near 38. This had us a little concerned but they still had time to move the bikes over 12 gates.

Tracking our bags in Charlotte - everything was on our plane.

We got settled in our seats and continued to track our bikes….which were not moving. Around 9pm, we were getting a bit stressed so I approached the flight attendant and showed her our bikes on the app and asked if there was anything that she could do. Without hesitation, she contacted a gate attendant from her phone and continued to send her messages for the next 20 minutes. Finally, around 10 minutes before the door closed to the plane, we received notification that our bikes were on the plane (along with our suitcases). If it wasn’t for the Apple Air Tags, we would not have known that our bikes were still sitting at another gate. And we had proof that our bikes were there for the flight attendant to notify someone to help us out. When we finally took off, we felt relieved and could relax on our 8-hour flight to Prague.

We fell asleep pretty quickly but woke up for our dinner around 11pm. I requested a lacto-ovo vegetarian meal online (special meal) and it was delicious. Karel got the chicken dish and he said it was pretty good. After we ate, I started to watch Marry Me but was too tired to pay attention and slept on and off for the rest of the flight. With 90 min to go, we woke up for “breakfast” – they gave me a plain bagel as my vegetarian meal so I asked for the egg sandwich that everyone else was getting for some protein. I watched a bit more of Marry Me (I love a good RomCom) until we landed in Prague.

It was smooth going through customs (Karel has dual citizenship but since he’s with me he uses his US passport) and then our bikes were waiting for us in the luggage area (and our bags came shortly after we got our bikes).

Our good friend and athlete Roman (who lives outside of Prague) had his assistant pick us up and he was waiting for us when we walked out of the terminal. We are very lucky that Karel has so many wonderful people in Czech who help us out when we travel. It saves us money as well as stress. I feel asleep in the car in route to Roman’s house (Roman is traveling but we will see him next week at the Xterra race) but woke up in time for a popsicle and mineral water at the gas station. Karel enjoyed a non-alcoholic beer with his popsicle. After arriving to Roman’s house, we checked out his new endless pool (which took over a year to arrive and install), Karel checked out Roman’s new Mercedes and then Karel had an espresso before it was time for us to pack up our “rental” car from Roman and make the 2.5 hour drive to Znojmo – Karel’s hometown to see his mom. Karel’s mom is so excited to see us and feed us. On Sunday, as Karel was skyping with his mom, she asked us what we wanted to eat when arrive. 😊

Our new car. 

Just kidding! This is our car for the next few weeks ;) It's a stick so Karel will be doing all the driving. 

It's been 4 years since Karel has been home (Czech Republic) and three years since seeing his mom. Sadly, his dad passed away unexpectedly from Covid in Feb of 2021 and Karel was unable to travel home due to border closures. This trip will not be normal for us as we are used to spending time with his mom and his dad (who lived in the same town but in separate flats). Although Karel is excited to be back home, I know it’s going to bring a host of different emotions for him. We are really looking forward to our time in Europe and I’m excited to share our experiences with you. 

Toxic Body Image Ideals

I love my body and what it allows me to do.
However, it wasn't always this way. 

It took a long time to recognize, appreciate and acknowledge my strengths. Trying to look like someone else is pointless. Once I started to focus on my own needs, things started to change. I started to get stronger, fitter and healthier. 

When dealing with insecurities about the body (often as a result of wanting to look like the societal norm of 'athlete body') the common approach for athletes is to undereat and underfuel. But not giving the body what it needs to perform (and to stay healthy) shows a lack of respect for your body. And it certainly doesn't make you a better athlete. 

When you register for an event and commit to training for that event, you are an athlete. As an athlete, you have a responsibility to take care of your body. This means paying attention to your needs, respecting your body and not letting others affect how you feel about and fuel your body. As an athlete, you need to be appreciative of your body - your now body. And all that it is capable of. 

I've had a pretty awesome season. Actually, my body has done some pretty amazing things over the past few years. Back in May, I placed 5th age group in the Ironman World Championship in St. George. Two weeks later I placed 2nd age group in IM 70.3 Chattanooga and had a personal best time (just shy of 40 years of age). Two weeks later, I won my age group and placed 4th amateur female at IM 70.3 Blue Ridge. A week and a half ago, I was 2nd overall amateur and 1st age group at Ironman Lake Placid. 

I find myself going back to a post I shared on social media that reached over 30,000 people. This post wasn't about me. It was for athletes of all genders, shapes, ages and sizes who feel the pressure to look a certain way. It was for the many athletes who have experienced burnout, injury, health/hormonal issues or mental health struggles from feeling the pressure to look differently. The pressure doesn't just come from other athletes or social media but from coaches, parents and commentators. With so many assumptions about what an 'athlete body' should look like, it's not a surprise when an athlete struggles mentally and/or physically from trying to achieve the toxic "one size" standard.

This post was to encourage athletes to embrace their natural bodies and to work with your body in a way that is productive for athletic enjoyment and health. I hope that my words help to pave the way to a world of sport that is more inclusive, less judgements and supportive of all body types. 

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

Why was her body....

‣Criticized
‣Objectified
‣Critiqued
‣Shamed
‣Trolled
‣Monitored
‣Bashed

What could she have achieved if she wasn't told that....
‣She would be faster if she was lighter.
‣Her legs were too big.
‣Her arms jiggled.
‣Her stretch marks/cellulite was unattractive.
‣She needed to cover up her stomach.
‣She had too much body fat.
‣She needed to lose weight.
‣Her body was not ideal.
‣She gained too much weight.
‣She was too muscular.
‣She wasn't feminine enough.
‣She was fat.
‣She was too big to succeed.
‣She would perform better if she was smaller.

What if instead, she was told she was....
‣Strong
‣Healthy
‣Capable
‣Resilient
‣Fierce
‣Brave
‣Courageous
‣Smart
‣Hard working

Maybe she wouldn't have.....
‣Developed an eating disorder.
‣Destroyed her self-worth.
‣Felt so insecure.
‣Lost confidence in her abilities.
‣Struggled with recovery.
‣Had difficulty sleeping.
‣Struggled with injuries.
‣Experienced a stress fracture.
‣Frequently suffered from sickness.
‣Developed a mental illness.
‣Experienced a significant health issue.
‣Excessively exercised and underfueled.
‣Quit her sport.

What if there was no "ideal image"?

What if we all preached self-acceptance and the importance of being comfortable in one’s own skin?

What if athletes were taught
how to care for mental and physical health?

What if coaches stopped idealizing the athlete body and instead, promoted the truth that each body is unique and has different advantages.

There is no perfect body. You do not need to conform to a standard. It doesn't matter what you look like, what you think others think of you or what you think you should look like.

What really matters is how you feel and how you perform using the incredibly amazing body that you have been given.

2022 IM Lake Placid Race Recap

 

2.4 mile swim
Marni -57:40
Karel – 1:00.28

As soon as I started swimming, the nerves went away. Since I lined up with the sub 60 min group, I found myself swimming strong right from the start. Although I breathe to both sides when I swim in the pool, I tend to favor my left side when I swim open water (and favor my right side when I swim in the pool). I didn’t need to sight much since the lake is so small and several people stay along the cable (under the water) which helps to keep everyone on course but when I did sight, I take note of the next buoy. When I breathed to my left, I would make note of the number on the buoy – counting to 9 before the first of two turn buoys. Karel tried to stay with me but he had to stay with his own effort after a few buoys. As I made the 2^nd turn buoy, it felt like I was swimming fast. I rarely found myself swimming alone and many times, I found myself in a crowd of other swimmers. As I was nearing the end of the first loop, I was looking forward to getting out of the water for the quick run on the sand before starting lap two. I like loop courses, especially when you can get out of the water. I don’t have any issues with cramping but some athletes need to be careful when getting out of the water (going from the swim position to upright) – Karel sometimes cramps when he gets out of the water quickly but thankfully he was ok for this race. I was surprised that all 2000+ athletes were already in the water when I started my 2^nd loop. I felt like I was swimming strong for the first loop so I wanted to keep that same effort. However, with slower swimmers in the water, I had a lot of athletes to pass. I try to be extra careful when passing slower swimmers so I did a lot more sighting on the second loop, which I think slowed me down a bit. The two turns were extremely chaotic that I had to swim far outside the buoys as I was getting caught between swimmers between the two buoys (about 25 yards apart). On the way back to the shore, I found myself thinking about the run. I know better to not jump ahead with my thoughts but with this being my 3^rd time racing on this course, I knew how much the run would hurt (physically) and I wasn’t sure if I was mentally prepared for that. I almost wanted to quit the race as I was nearing the end of the swim. But as I got out of the water, the energy of the spectators kept me going as I made the long run from Mirror Lake to the transition area. Karel was happy with his swim and how he felt in the water. It took Karel many years to feel comfortable swimming with a group as he would get a lot of panic in the open water, especially during races. 

Transition 1
Marni – 5:45
Karel – 4:35

As I was running to the transition area, I pulled down my wetsuit and started to put on my tri top. Even though I wasn’t wearing a one piece trisuit, I put on my tri top like it was a trisuit and zipped it up just to my belly button so that it stayed around my waist and when I pulled down my wetsuit, I could put my arms through the sleeves and zipped up the top. Karel did the same, although he had a trisuit on. I chose to not wear my tri top around my shoulders because it feels too restrictive with the wetsuit when I swim. Additionally, because the water was warm (75 degrees), I knew I would get warm with my effort while swimming and didn’t want the extra layer of clothing under the wetsuit.

As I entered the transition area, I grabbed my blue bike bag and ran into the changing tent. I took off my wetsuit and then opened my bag….only to realize it wasn’t my bag! I didn’t waste any negative energy on the situation but instead, just laughed at myself and ran back out and returned the bag and grabbed my correct bag. My athlete Kathleen was volunteering outside the women’s changing tent and she told me “Great job Marni, round 2!” It made me laugh. Inside the transition area, I was there with one or two other age group females and then 2 professional females (they started only 3 minutes before the age groupers and didn’t wear wetsuits due to the warm water temps – they have different wetsuit rules compared to age groupers). I took off my timing chip and put it in my mouth (to remind me to put it back on around my ankle) as I put on my compression socks. I then put on my Bont tri shoes, stuffed a bar and packet of chews in my pocket, put a baggie of Gu aminos in my shorts side pocket and then put on my helmet (with the shield up as it’s easier to put on that way, and the shield doesn’t fog right away). I then stuffed my wetsuit, cap and goggles inside the bag and carried the bag to my bike rack, I dropped the bag and grabbed my bike. I powered on my bike computer, ran my bike to the mount line and got on my bike. I saw my mom with Campy up on the grass field and she told me that I swam 57 minutes and I was 1^st in my age group. I was really happy with my swim time and I was looking forward to the bike. 

109 mile bike (short course due to construction)
Marni -5:24.34
Karel – 5:15.02

As I started the bike, I quickly noticed how much my bike skills have improved over the years. I was taking the turns very quickly and I passed a few girls in the early miles. I found myself around a few professional females and I was even passed by Heather Jackson (who placed 2^nd female pro) in the early miles of the bike. I didn’t have any time, power or metric goals for the bike but instead, just hit the lap button at key sections of the course (ex. Keene, Jay, Wilmington) as a way to keep me focused on one segment at a time. However, I rarely looked at my computer. My focus was on managing the terrain, always keeping someone in my sights and keeping up with my nutrition. I felt very warm on the bike (a lot of it was likely due to my hormones as I started my period around 15 hours after I finished the race) and found myself needing water from every aid station (I didn’t miss one) to pour water on my body to help keep me cool. I really enjoyed the bike, although it was hard. Even with the fun fast descend into Keene, there’s very little “recovery” on this bike course and you have to work for every mile. The early miles were hard (to be expected) and I consider these hills the hardest of the course. The climbs are long. After I made the turn in Keene to head toward Upper Jay, a guy rode up to me (as he was passing me) and told me that I was a great descender. That made me smile.

As I was approaching an aid station in Upper Jay, Karel rode up next to me. It was nice to see him and exchange a few words. I had grabbed a bottle of water from the aid station to use to cool myself and when I was finished, I handed it off to Karel to use to cool himself. Karel went on and passed me and I stayed a few bikers behind him for several miles. It was fun to feel like I was “racing” with him. As we made the turn in Jay to start the steady long climbs, Karel rode away and he was out of sight until the out and back in Haselton. The Haselton out and back section felt very windy and the climb back up to town was also a bit windy. Last year this section really got to me mentally so this time around, I tried to find the positives in the views and I told myself that I would ride strong in this section. Throughout the first loop, it felt a bit lonely as I never saw more than a handful of athletes around me. It was fun to see the female pros at the front of the race. The first few miles in Wilmington were rough. It felt like I was going nowhere. I knew that this section would be tough so I just focused on the beautiful sights and anytime I felt like I could make up speed, I quickly got aero and tried to use the momentum. As I got to the top of the bears, I didn’t even realize that I had climbed all three of those hills and I was nearing the quick out and back (and hot corner) before heading back into town. The first loop went by really quickly and I did a great job drinking my nutrition (all Skratch Super Fuel). I stopped at special needs and my mom and Campy were waiting there outside the special needs area. I told my mom it would be a great place to watch as I would be there stopped and she could actually talk to me. I grabbed my 1 liter bottle filled with Skratch SuperFuel to fill up my hydration system and then put another bottle in the cage between my aerobars. I had one more bottle filled in case I needed it but decided to pass on it. My stop at special needs was 46 seconds. Karel also stopped at special needs.
As I was stopped, my mom told me that I was 1^st or 2^nd female amateur and winning my age group. As I was pouring my drink in my hydration system, I started to feel a bit dizzy. I wasn’t too concerned but it did make me notice that I felt a bit off going from riding hard to suddenly stopping. Once I started riding again, the feeling went away.
The 2nd loop felt better than the first. The wind had shifted a bit and I felt like it was a little less windy. However, it got much warmer (in the upper 70’s) and it was very humid. I found myself riding around the same people throughout the entire ride. I took in a few aminos here and there throughout the entire ride, which I feel helps me stay focused and avoid some of the sleepiness that can happen in long distance events. Karel was really happy with how he biked. He went into the race with some back pain from the long drive and although he had a few signs of cramping in his inner thighs (from previous labral tears in his hips), he was able to manage everything and somewhat enjoy the ride. Karel used NeverSecond C90 and C30 to fuel and hydrate on the bike. He also took in a few bites of a Maurten bar. In total, I consumed around 2100 calories and Karel consumed around 2000 calories. Karel removed his power meter before the race as he didn’t want to get frustrated by any numbers. Plus since we didn’t ride our tri bikes much throughout the year, we didn’t really have any numbers to go by. We both prefer to go by feel so Karel felt free not having any power numbers to get in his head.
Throughout the entire 2^nd loop, I found myself with a bit of negative thinking. I was concerned about the run and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to suffer for the rest of the race. I even contemplating quitting. I tried to get myself into a good mindset but for some reason, my mind wasn’t as committed as my body throughout the race. Luckily, my body was on autopilot and it just kept going. Even though I was having a great race and performing so well, my mind was still trying to get me to quit. As I rode into town and removed my feet from my shoes, I dismounted my bike before the line, gave my bike to a volunteer and ran to my red run bag.

Transition 2
Marni – 3:37
Karel – 3:07

As I was running to my bag, I unzipped my tri top and it felt so good to remove the jersey off my upper body. After grabbing my bag (the correct one 😊 ) I made a stop in the potty to empty my bladder. I didn’t pee on the bike (neither did Karel) but I did have the urge to go in the transition area. It also felt really good to sit down. As I was peeing, I turned on my watch to the run setting (multitasking). I didn’t know my bike time as I didn’t look at my computer much throughout the race but in looking at the time of the day, I did some quick math and realized that I was doing really well. When I got into the women’s changing tent, I was the only athlete in the tent. I removed my helmet and put on my Naked running belt (bib number attached), put in my two 10-ounce flasks (filled with Never Second C3), grabbed a C30 gel (to hold in my hand – helps with my form), put on my New Balance Fuel Cell running shoes, wrapped my cooling towel around my neck and grabbed my visor and sunglasses to put on as I was leaving the tent. I immediately poured water on my neck as I was leaving the tent as it was in the 80’s and I was feeling warm.

26.2 mile run
Marni – 3:53.27
Karel – 3:25.26

Even though I felt like I was ready to quit, my body kept moving forward. And as I started the run, my legs felt pretty good. The first few miles are net downhill so that helped the legs loosen out after 12+ miles of climbing to finish off the bike (with almost 7000 feet elevation gain). The first mile was awesome because of all the spectators. But as I passed the horse grounds, it was only the aid stations that gave me a boost of energy. I found myself with an uncomfortable side stitch on my right side for a few miles so I had to work that out with breathing and pinching my side. I ended up putting the gel in my belt as I felt like holding the gel was affecting the stitch. Eventually, the stitch went away. I didn’t have a run/walk strategy for this marathon, even though in St. George I knew right away that I needed to walk every aid station starting from the first. I ended running 6 miles before I started my first walk at the aid station. It was so great to see my athletes Kathleen and Morgan at the turn around. They even had music playing for us with our own “theme” song. The aid station volunteers were amazing and I recognized a few familiar faces which brought a smile to my face. It was great to see Karel a few miles ahead after he made the turn around. Although the 8 miles on River Road are beautiful, it feels like those miles never end. I actually looked forward to the slight uphills to change up my running gait. I was sipping on my C30, grabbing ice and pouring it in my sports bra (and holding the cubes) and pouring water on me at every aid station. The cooling towel really helped as I could give it a squeeze to cool myself between the aid stations.

I had a few sips of coke around mile 8-10 which was a nice change from the C30 berry (which I absolutely love). I kept telling myself that all I have to do is run 13 miles and then I could quit. Of course, I didn’t come this far to only come this far so I knew I would quit but these were the mind games that I needed to tell myself to keep moving forward. Miles 10-13 were tough as you climb back into town but I enjoyed the hills much more so than the flatter sections. Once I got back into town, I loved all the cheers and energy I felt from the crowds. The out section by Mirror Lake was long and it seemed like the turn around never came. I loved seeing my mom on the climbs in town – as well as Campy. I even gave Campy a pat on his head when I saw him. Whenever I saw Karel, I would give him a cheer and he would give me slight smile.

The second loop was tough. I expected and feared this part. This run course is so hard and it really hurts. I could feel the deep fatigue and soreness and I was so ready for the pain to stop. But I still had 10 miles to go. I was stopping at most of the aid stations for ice/water and to reset my form. Oddly enough, I felt like I was holding good form when I was running but each step forward got more and more difficult. I got energy watching the other athletes ahead of me, especially the female pros. I was passed by the overall amateur female early on in the run but I was being told that I was winning my age group and I was 2^nd overall amateur. Oddly enough, even though I was having a great race, I still wanted to quit. The struggle was real and Karel was suffering too. We both really had to fight for each step forward on the run. Whereas some athletes can get easily distracted in an Ironman marathon and resort to walking and talking, I found myself needing to distract myself from the pain/soreness. I started the mind games on River Road. But despite all the soreness, I was still smiling. Every time I saw one of our athletes on the course, I gave them a big cheer. Although my mind was playing all types of games with me, my body was healthy and strong and it knew how to get me to the finish line. 

Ok – just run to the turn around. That is your finish line. Just 4 miles. I continued to walk the aid stations. Once I got to the turn around, I needed to go to the bathroom. I thought it was #2 but false alarm. Just needed to pee. It was hot in there and I was ready to get running again – even though it felt great to sit down. My next goal was to get out of River Road. Four miles. Get to mile 22 and then it’s all downhill from there (even though it’s all uphill from there). Miles 18-22 lasted forever. I would try to distract myself by looking at the water or out in nature but it didn’t last long until my mind went back to the pain in my legs. Ever foot strike forward made my legs throb. I wasn’t sure if my next step would be my last. Once I got to mile 22, I gave myself permission to walk the big hill by the ski slopes but it actually felt better to run/jog up the uphill. Plus, I told myself the more I run, the faster I’ll get to the finish line and I can make this hurt stop. As I got closer to town, I looked forward to the hills in town. The energy in town was incredible. I had cheers from so many people (as well as updates on my placement). My friend Nick and his fiancé told me that I was winning my age group and I could easily walk/jog it to the finish line and I was so relieved to hear this. I was barely hanging on. The last two miles were long. I needed to be extra careful during mile 24 as my body was running on empty. Once I made the turn around, I made sure to really soak in mile 25. Knowing that I wouldn’t be running another marathon off the bike anytime soon, I was so proud of myself for finishing this Ironman as it felt like every mile of the race was a mental and physical battle. Once I got inside the oval, my legs suddenly became light and free of soreness. That finish line feeling took over and I was so excited to reach my 19^th Ironman finish line as the 2^nd female amateur female and to win the 40-44 age group.

Our athlete Ruthanne caught me (and before me, Karel) at the finish and gave me my medal. I collapsed in her arms as it felt so good to take the weight off my legs. I hobbled my way to a chair and cooled myself off. The hotness I felt all day changed to cold as I warmed myself with a space blanket. I saw my mom and gave Campy a big hug and thanked them for being out there all day. Karel was in the medical tent (there was a sign outside the tent that said “Triathlon Royalty” 😊) enjoying some chicken broth as he came back to life after a very tough run. Karel was really disappointed with his run as he felt like his legs were not cooperating. He wore his Asics (and not Nike) so maybe it was the shoes – or just not his day. Regardless, he was 2^nd in his age group and 13^th male amateur. He was proud of effort and relieved to have reached that finish line. It was interesting that we both had such a tough run but we both fought hard to get to that finish line. I ate like a champ after the race – 4 pieces of pizza, chocolate milk, sprite and French fries.

Karel went back to the house to shower and I got my bike and bags and went back to the house to shower. Aside from some chaffing in my armpit area from running, it felt so good to get clean after 10 hours of racing. After we changed, we walked back to the venue and spent the next 5+ hours on the course, cheering on our athletes. We watched all our athletes finish and had so much fun cheering on everyone. It was so inspiring to see all the athletes fighting through their own battles to get to the finish line.

After a somewhat ok night of sleep (besides the soreness), we went to the awards ceremony at 9am the next morning. We were shocked to have received 5^th place for the TriClub award. Karel and I both received slots for the IM World Championship but we turned down our slots and let them roll down. We stayed for the roll down ceremony and it was so wonderful to see our slots get taken by other deserving athletes. We have so many great memories from Kona from our combined 9 times racing on that island and we are so happy that others can enjoy that historic race.

Thank you for the cheers, pictures, support and encouragement. We really needed the positive energy during the race – thank you thank you!

Next up……Europe to visit Karel's family, race Xterra Czech and finish off our trip with the 7-day Haute Route Alps!

2022 IMLP Race Recap - Pre-Race

On Tuesday morning, we left around 7:30am to start our long 15+ hour drive to Lake Placid, NY. My mom and her partner Alan left around the same time and we kept in touch via text/phone throughout the drive. Our goal was to drive as far as we could and then stay the night in a hotel.
The drive on day one went pretty smoothly. We didn’t encounter any traffic and only a little bit of rain. We were entertained by listening/watching the Tour de France on my phone (Peacock) for 5+ hours. I packed a cooler and two bags of food so we didn’t have to make any stops for food. We brought two frozen dinners to “cook” in the microwave at the hotel (I had a veg and grain bowl). I drove for around 3 hours and Karel drove the rest of the way. It was great having Campy with us as he’s a great travel partner (he mostly sleeps). This was Campy’s 3rd time to Lake Placid and we were excited to add more memories to his 14.5 years of life.

Around 7:30pm, we stopped driving for the day and spent the night at Embassy Suites in Parsippany NJ. The next morning, we had a good breakfast at the hotel and then hit the road for the last 4.5 hours of driving. Karel drove the entire way while I ordered ~$500 worth of groceries on Instacart for our team house. We stayed in the same house as last year (on Elm Street, ~.5 mile from the race venue) and we shared the house with 14 other people (it was a big house!). The last 45 minutes of the drive brought back a lot of memories from our last 4 trips to Placid. We still find ourselves loving the nature during the drive from Keene into the village of Lake Placid and always wowing at the Ski Jumps when we start to get close to town.

We arrived to the house around 12:30pm and the groceries were delivered just as we pulled in. Thankfully we had a big kitchen and two fridges! The athletes started to trickle in over the next few hours. It was great to see everyone as we had a packed house of spectators and athletes racing.

After we unloaded, Karel and I got on our bikes to shake out our legs from 15+ hours in the car. We rode for around 2 hours (38 miles) - down to Wilmington and then did the Haselton out and back and then back up into town. It felt great to smell the fresh air and pine trees and the views reminded us why we love this place. When we got back, my mom and Alan went for a bike ride around the lake and down to River Road and then back up the “bears.” Several of our athletes went for a jog when they arrived, and a few went for a bike ride to shake out the travel.

I made a big dinner for everyone (rice, salad, tofu, hardboiled eggs) and around 9pm we were ready for bed. Campy slept great.

On Thursday, we woke up around 6:00am and Karel slept in until around 7:00am. The weather was unusually warm for Lake Placid, which was different from the past years when we would bundle up and sit outside in the morning. We walked down to the swim start around 7:45am and met up with a few more of our athletes (we had 13 athletes racing). It was so great to be back at Mirror Lake. With flat conditions (no boats), mountain views and a cable running the length of the rectangle swim course (1.2 miles), this is one of my favorite swimming venues. The water was a bit warm this year (74-75) and it felt a bit warm in our wetsuits, especially swimming at 8am. We swam a loop of the course (29 minutes) and then headed to Bluesberry Bakery for the most delicious bakery goods. For the swim, I swam easy going out and then Karel and I waited for our athletes to get to the 2nd turn buoy and then we all swam back to shore by including a few fast strokes and then easy (ex. 10/20/30 strokes fast, then back down w/ easy between).

After we had a quick bite to eat, Karel and I started our ride with our athletes. We had our athletes ride down to Wilmington and back up and Karel and I rode with them to River Road and then we turned on River road (run course) and then headed out on the bike course by the Ski Jumps and did the start of the bike, out and back section and then to the last climb before starting the descend to Keene. We then headed back the way we came out. We tried to avoid downtown on our bikes due to the construction in town. We rode around 30 miles and then I did a 25 min run off the bike around the lake. This was a big day of training to help wake up the body for the race. We had a nice dinner (sweet potatoes, veg, chicken, tofu, salad) and watched TdF on TV.

On Friday morning, it was back to the lake for another swim. My mom took Campy for a 3 mile walk in the morning. Campy was having a great time with everyone and he was on his best behavior. For this swim, I pushed it a bit more to see what it felt like to be uncomfortable in the water to gauge how I wanted to feel for the race. I swam the loop in 28 minutes which felt uncomfortable but doable to hold that effort for 2 loops. After the swim, we had another stop at the bakery and then I went for a 22 minute run around the lake. Our athletes biked the run course. Karel went for a 38 minute run (almost 5 miles).

Friday was pretty chill. We drove to the Horse Grounds to check in for the race and got caught in a downpour. This was the typical mountain weather that we experienced on Thursday – random short showers. Thankfully we were under the tent when the downpour happened and then the sun came out. After we checked in, we went over to the athlete village to get our gear bags and then I did an interview for Ironman Tri Club as this was the TriClub North American Championship. We also received small bottles of maple syrup as tri club members – yum!

In the afternoon, I laid out my gear on my gear bags in the garage and then around 5:15pm, I took Campy for a walk around town. I met up with Kathleen and Morgan who were picking up my pizza order from Bazzi’s for our team party around 5:45pm and got a ride back with 11 delicious smelling pizzas in the car. We had all our athletes and spectators/friends/family over for our traditional pre-race pizza party and then a pre-race motivational chat and group pic. We went to bed around 9pm and tried to sleep in as late as possible. I made it to 6am, Karel slept in until 7:30am.

It was really nice having Campy with us as it kept me on a routine. Plus, he makes me so happy and I love his cuteness.

With one more sleep until race day, the focus on Saturday was to carb-load, shake the body out, and rest. However, Karel spent most of Friday and Saturday working on athlete bikes, including putting on new Tubeless tires on my bike as well as tubeless tires on another athletes bike. He was on his feet a lot.

For food on Saturday, I consumed:
-Bagel w/ PB and yogurt before a 80 min spin w/ a few short hard efforts on River Road followed by a 8 min run. Skratch during the ride and run.
-Glass of milk and 3 pieces French toast, yogurt, bananas, butter, brown sugar and granola.
-Bagel w/ butter.
-Pringles and pretzels.
-Yogurt w/ blueberries and granola.
-Amy’s No chicken chicken noodle soup (with pasta added).
-3 small sweet potatoes and tofu.
-2 brown sugar poptarts (an hour before bed).

We packed up our gear bags and rode down to the oval (transition area) around 12:30pm to check in our bikes and gear bags. With one of the coolest Ironman transition areas (and finish lines) in the Olympic Oval, I found myself nervous and excited to race. We walked back home and laid in bed (and ate) the rest of the day. We watched the PTO women’s race from Edmonton which got us excited to race on Sunday. We went to sleep around 7pm and as usual, it was a somewhat restless night of sleep before the 3:45am alarm. Campy, however, had a fantastic night of sleep!

Race Morning
After waking up at 3:45am, I had a cup of instant coffee and had my typical cinnamon raisin bagel w/ peanut butter, banana, granola and syrup. I had a little yogurt on the side and a glass of water. After eating (which felt like it took forever), I put on my race outfit, did some foam rolling and went for a short jog up and down the street to get the systems going. I was expecting to get my period on race morning but thankfully it held off until Monday (as soon as I woke up the morning after the race). Karel had his typical oatmeal concoction and espresso from his espresso travel machine.
I gave Campy a big kiss and said good-bye to my mom. When she spectates, she has a piece of paper with our predicted times (give or take a few minutes) as well as my suggestions for where to stand for each portion of the race. We left the house around 4:50am and walked to the Oval.

I felt very nervous. Even after 18 Ironmans, I know that the Ironman is a long day and it requires so much mental energy. Plus, having raced her twice before (and just last year), I knew how much this race would hurt. In my opinion, this is one of the hardest race courses (bike and run) as you have to work for every movement forward. There’s very little “free speed” to rest or make up time on the course. Plus, with it being warmer (in the mid 80’s for a high on race day) and no rain predicted on race day, alongside the wind, this race course is very challenging. The good thing is that I was sharing this course with our athletes and we were all racked next to one another. I felt a lot of good energy from them. Plus, we had 5 of our athletes volunteering on the course, which was awesome to see them throughout the day.

After putting our frozen flasks in our run bags and then our nutrition on our bike (fluids), Karel pumped up our tires with his electric pump and then we walked to the swim start. We needed to go to the bathroom again but with the lines being long, around 5:30am Karel and I decided to jog back to the house to use the restroom – which meant one more kiss for campy. We then jogged back just before 6am. For some reason the morning clothes bags were left by our bike and run bags but thankfully, our athletes who were not racing held on to our morning clothes bags so we didn’t have to walk back and forth after changing into our wetsuits.

After putting on our wetsuits, we went into the water for a warm-up swim. It felt good to be in the water (75 degrees, air temp was upper 60’s) to shake out some of the pre-race nerves. I found myself in a really weird mental space as I wasn’t overly excited to race. I think I was most nervous for how much  this race would hurt physically and I wasn’t sure if I was prepared to suffer. I was most worried about the marathon as I knew how hard it would be.  I found myself feeling waves of emotions as I stood in the corral before the start. I knew this was my last Ironman for a while which made me want to put together a good race but I couldn’t shake the feeling of how much the run would hurt. I found Karel in the sub 60 area near the front of the swim corral and I told him that I was nervous. He told me I have nothing to be nervous about and that I would have a great day. After the pros went off at 6:25 and 6:27, it was time for the age groupers to start rolling in at 6:30am. Shortly after the race start, I lined up just ahead of Karel and with the sound of the beep, I ran into the water to start my 19^th Ironman.  

2022 Ironman Lake Placid - Quick Recap

In 2012, Karel was ready to try a long distance triathlon. After only being in the sport for a few months, he was looking ahead to 2013 to participate in his first Ironman. Although we were living in pancake flat Jacksonville, FL., Karel wanted a challenging course for his first Ironman. After doing a bit of research, we decided on Ironman Lake Placid in upstate NY. 

Since our first Ironman together in Lake Placid in 2013, we have returned to the area four more times. We fell in love with Lake Placid so much that we decided that we needed to move away from the beach, and closer to the mountains. Thus, our move to Greenville, SC in May 2014. We also realized that we love challenging and beautiful courses. Some of our favorite courses include Wisconsin, Whistler, Austria and St. George. 

In 2015, Karel tore his plantar a few weeks prior to Ironman Lake Placid and intentionally DNF (did not finish) after the bike. In 2017, we returned again for Karel to race, but he had the flu on race week. Somehow, Karel was able to fight through his sickness and get to the finish line (and then the medical tent immediately after). He got a slot to Kona but he let it rolldown. Finally, for redemption, we returned back in 2021 for us both to race......but unfortunantly Karel broke his hand mountain biking two months before the race so he was unable to race. 

And then came 2022. Our fifth attempt on this beautiful and challenging course.
While we were both excited to return to Lake Placid for the Ironman, our focus for training and racing slightly shifted over the past year. 

In a week, we head off to Europe for a month of travel and racing. We are so excited to check off two firsts….my first Xterra race (and Karel's first European Xterra) in Czech Republic and then a week later, we start the 7-day Haute Route Alps (492 miles of cycling, 69881 feet total elevation gain, ~11,154 elevation gain per stage). We registered for the Haute Route in November of 2019 and due to the pandemic, three years later we finally get to check off this bucket list event. 

Training for an Ironman while also preparing for an off-road triathlon and a 7-day mountainous cycling event forced us to think outside of the box with our training - especially since we were training for events on three different bikes. And since we had three races in 29 days in May (Ironman St. George, IM 70.3 Chattanooga and IM 70.3 Blue Ridge - plus Karel did an 8-hour mountain bike event a week before Ironman St. George) - something that we had never done before - we knew that we couldn't stick with conventional Ironman training. We spent a lot of time on our mountain bikes and road bikes and very little time on our triathlon bikes this year. We "played" outside a lot. We swam, we biked and we ran but the training looked very different to what we had done in years past in preparation for an Ironman. But the one thing that kept us enjoying triathlon racing this season was not specifically training for any one triathlon event. We found joy in training and it was exactly what we needed to keep us enjoying the journey to one last Ironman event. Going into Ironman Lake Placid with a great amount of endurance, strength and resiliency and a lot of prior race experience, we were able to put together one last successful day of racing. I won my age group (40-44) and finished 2nd overall amateur female and Karel was 2nd in his age group and 13th overall amateur male. We both received a slot to the 2022 Ironman World Championship, but let it roll down to another deserving athlete for their chance to participate on the Big Island. 

After a combined 35 Ironman triathlons, we decided that now is a great time to put a bookmark in our Ironman training and racing chapter. We will revisit this Ironman chapter again but moving forward, we are excited to turn the page and start a new chapter in our athletic journey. We love triathlon and will not stop swimming, biking and running. But just like we did for Ironman St. George and Ironman Lake Placid, we will take an unconventional approach to triathlon training to help us prepare for new adventures and extreme/ultra-endurance events. 

Race report coming soon......

Is a ultra endurance event right for you?

 

For some people it's hiking, for others it's riding a bike. When you find an activity that gives you a feeling of being alive, there's no better feeling. 

When it comes to long-distance, ultra and extreme sports, the primary motivation for participating in these types of events is knowing that you are part of a small group of people who have the ability, time and resources to attempt this type of feat. Whether you want to push the envelope because your last accomplishment never feels good enough or because you don't feel satisfied with one area of your life and the risk of an extreme event seems really appealing, some people love to push themselves to discover their limit - physically, emotionally, spiritually and mentally. 

I am in my 16th year of long-distance triathlon racing. This weekend I will be participating in my 19th Ironman in Lake Placid. I love the sport of triathlon but what I love the most is challenging myself - physically and mentally. 

For me, my endurance journey has been inching upward. I continue to seek new ways to challenge myself and to stretch my comfort zone. I'm craving new ways to use the skills, experience and resiliency that I've developed over one and a half decades. Over the past year, I have found myself wondering what else can I try/accomplish/achieve in endurance/ultra endurance sports. Although I am physically and mentally tested everytime I participate in a 140.6 mile event, I find myself seeking new challenges. 

As a coach to long-distance triathletes, I often hold my athletes back from participating in a full distance triathlon. Even if they came to me as a long-distance triathlon finisher, this doesn't mean that I feel that this athlete is physically (or mentally) ready to do another long-distance event under my coaching guidance. Although ultra running and Ironman triathlon are popular extreme events, I feel that far too many athletes jump into the training for the events, assuming that just because they hired a coach (or bought a training plan) that they will be prepared for the event in 6-8 months. 

Strength, endurance, fatigue resistance, skills, technique, gear and speed all matter in determining how ready you are to participate in an ultra-endurance event. Although endurance is a big factor, it's not the primary factor in your event readiness. 

Ultra events place immense stress on the body. Extreme calorie deficits and fluid loss can impact the health of the body. It's not uncommon for ultra endurance athletes to experience heart, kidney, muscle, tissue and/or bone damage as well as hormonal and nutrient disturbances. Ultra-endurance athletes have to overcome unpleasant emotions and negative thoughts during the event, which can take a toll on mental health. There are often environmental dangers like cold and heat. Because it's so easy to register for a race, far too many athletes register for a long distance/ultra endurance event without giving much thought as to the physical and mental toll that training for this event may place on the body. 

Because of the extreme physical stress placed on your cardiac, aerobic and musculo-skeletal systems, I encourage you to consider the following before you register for an endurance/long distance/ultra distance event: 

• Can your body handle consistent training without chronic injuries or sickness - especially when the body is fatigued? 
• Is this event the appropriate next step in your athletic development? 
• Does the process of training sound fulfilling, independent of the outcome? 
• How does this event fit into your long-term athletic journey? 
• Do you have the time, commitment, resources and discipline to properly prepare for your event? 
• Do you consider yourself to be resilient - able to bounce back from adversity or a disappointing performance? 
• Does the idea of being uncomfortable excite you? 
• Are you disciplined when it comes to hard work (training for an event)?
• Are you able to stay focused and positive despite distractions, setbacks or unexpected circumstances? 
• Do you have a good relationship with food and your body to ensure that you can keep yourself healthy, fueled and nourished?
• Do you consider yourself mentally tough, strong, flexible and able to respond well to obstacles? 
• Do you have good intuition - that voice in the back of your mind that helps you do hard things despite doubts but also tells you when you need to back off or take extra rest? 

Participating in an ultra endurance event should be a fun, safe, healthy and rewarding experience. If you are ready to take the next step and prepare for an ultra-endurance event, here are a few important tips: 

1. Stay patient. Transform your body slowly and over a long period of time. If you notice results immediately or after a few weeks, you are likely rushing the process. 
2. Stretch your comfort zone, don't jump out of it. 
3. Learn the skill of intuition - listen to your body's cues to help with problem solving, troubleshooting and to build confidence in yourself. 
4. Grow your grit muscle. Grit manifests when you start your workout despite any and all excuses. Grit helps you accomplish therapy and cross training when you are injured. However, grit must be guided by intuition. 
5. Enjoy the journey. If the race was cancelled the week before, would you still find happiness in the training? 
6. Release yourself from the pressure of the clock or competition. Don't ruin the journey for an expected end result.

Race Travel Nutrition Tips

It’s exciting to travel for a race but if you’ve ever eaten oatmeal with a fork, with warm water from the hotel coffee maker, you know that destination races require a bit of flexibility and creativity when it comes to nutrition.

Because most of the races you register for are not in your hometown, don't let your travel plans sabotage your race day performance. 

2022 Trimarni Endurance Camp Recap

 

A few weeks ago someone asked me if we always do the same routes for our camps. The answer is yes and no. There are some routes/locations that just work well for specific types of bike and run workouts but we are incredibly lucky that we have so many options for biking and running. And because we often get repeat campers, we like to showcase all that Greenville has to offer within our incredible training playground. 

Day 1

90-minute long course swim 
80-minute run
~20-minute bike skills

On Thursday morning we welcomed eleven athletes to the start of their 4-day training camp. We started the morning with a 90-minute long course swim at the Westside aquatic center. I reserved 3 lanes and athletes got into lanes of similar swim abilities. We focused on technique for this swim, breaking down the different parts of the stroke from body position/tautness and hand entry to the catch and hand exit. It was a quality session. 

After the bike, we had a quick turnaround - just enough time for me to get some ice for the cooler. It was a toasty morning (in the 80's) and very humid. We met at Furman University by the amphitheater for the run workout. We like to make sure that no one feels too fast or too slow so we prescribe out and back segments or loops for all of our bike and run workouts. This way everyone can focus on their own needs without feeling like they are too far ahead or not able to keep up. After a ~15 min warm-up (out and back), it was time for the main set. The group did 4-5 x hill repeater loops (.3 miles) into 10 min best EZ pace on the flat trail around the lake. We had a cooler of ice and everyone had two flasks to stay hydrated/fueled for the run. With our training camps, we require hydration flasks/packs while running and every workout needs to be supported with sport nutrition. Our campers are not just fueling for one session but also getting ready for the next session. We pack a lot into our camps each day. 
After the best EZ pace, it was time for a quick reset and then they did it all again. It was a great strength session for the 2nd workout of camp. 

We had a 90-minute break before our afternoon bike skills session. Over the past year, we have done several private bike skills sessions and have realized how valuable these sessions are to the safety and confidence of our campers when they ride. Unfortunately, a storm came in and we had to cancel our bike skills session after ~20 minutes. At least they got to work on a few new skills and practice body position for starting, stopping and turns. 

Day 2

60-minute swim
3.5 hour bike
30 min run

We like to start our camps with swims as we have found that swimming on tired legs at the end of the day often results in cramping (and poor technique). The athletes were a little tired but after a nice warm-up, they were ready to work. This swim session was focused on "race" tactics so we broke up the main set into different race specific drills like 'head up' swimming, starting without pushing off the wall and starting after jumping in (similar to jumping off a dock). Everyone worked really hard and they were pretty exhausted by the end of the session. 

We had another short break of around an hour before meeting at Trailblazer park for a strength-endurance ride. My mom's partner Allan was the SAG support for our ride. Sadly, our best friend and training partner Alvi recently broke his collar bone when he had a small fall off his bike so he was unable to help us out. The "F-Mart" loop is one of our new favorite routes for our camps as it has a little of everything - climbing, descending, cornering and time to be in the aerobars. Karel and I rode our road bikes during camp as it's easier to maneuver our bikes quickly and safely in the group setting. 

For the first 23 miles/90 minutes, we focused on terrain management. We split the athletes up in small groups so that one group was with Karel and another group with me. We all met up at the fire station at Gap Creek and Karel talked to the group about the first part of our workout which was big gear work while climbing. The group did 3-4 big gear hill repeaters (holding around 50 rpm) for the purpose of strength work while climbing. They turned around at the church at the top and then got to work on descending skills. After the last round, everyone met at the bottom and Karel told each person what gear to stay in and he made everyone stay in that one gear for the entire climb. Every athlete realized how much stronger they were than what they thought they could push in a "heavy gear." After refilling bottles at the SAG stop (we have our athletes bring prepared bottles - it makes for quicker SAG stops) we moved on to the other side of the loop for ~8 miles (out, back and out again) of time in the aerobars working on terrain management. We then rode back home for a quality strength endurance ride of around 56 miles, 3.5 hours and around 3300 feet of elevation gain. 

After the ride, it was time to run. We headed to the swamp rabbit trail because it was very warm and the trail has a bit of tree cover. The workout was 10-minute warm-up and then 3 x 3 min tempo w/ 2 min reset (jog/walk). Then jog back to the parking lot. We ran out and back on the same section of trail so everyone could support and cheer for one another. It's times like this, when athletes are tired, that they bring out the best in one another. 

Day 3

4-hour ride
20 min run

Day 3 is always tough. Athletes are tired and the fatigue is setting in. We had a great route planned with 3 climbs (Watershed, Saluda Grade, Mine Mountain). We had to make a few modifications to the route as they ride went on but the athletes did great. Everyone stayed committed, supported one another and focused on fueling and hydrating well. My swim partner Kristen provided the SAG support and we were all so grateful for her help. We could not do these camps with our amazing SAG supporters. We split into two groups and in order to keep everyone somewhat together, the only climb that was slightly modified was the top part of the Saluda grade. Some athletes made it to the top while others were instructed to start descending after the first person came down. The Mine Mountain climb was the most difficult climb of the day as it came toward the end. Thankfully we had a little cloud clover but it was still warm and sticky out. The scenery was beautiful and our campers enjoyed the sounds of small waterfalls and the river flowing. 

After the 4 hour ride with almost 5000 feet elevation gain, it was time for a quick brick off the bike. It was really hot and humid but the campers stayed hydrated with their flasks/sport nutrition. After the run, everyone enjoyed some watermelon that Therese brought. 

Day 4

60-minute open water swim
90-minute run

The last day of camp gave us cooler temps and rain. Thankfully we didn't have any biking scheduled today. We actually don't schedule a bike workout on the last day of camp as we know some athletes need to pack up and head home right after (or fly home) so having two workouts that are a little less equipment heavy helps with traveling right after camp. We met at Tuxedo park in Zirconia and carpooled to Todd's house for the start of our last two workouts of camp. Todd has an incredible lake house and dock which he offered for our open water swim. The water was absolutely perfect - in the low 80s. We wore our swimskins and didn't mind the light rain falling down on us. I had a swim buoy for everyone so that everyone could be safe and seen. 
The workout was 10 minute warm-up (~5 min out and back), 10 min pre set of 10/20/30/20/10 strokes fast and easy with reset EZ swimming after each round. We regrouped after the warm-up and then before the main set. The main set was 4 x 5 minutes as strong, build to strong, EZ, race. Everyone did a great job and it was impressive to see how well everyone was swimming on the last day of camp. We were having a lot of fun in the water and we forgot that it was cool and rainy out. 
After a quick change, it was time for the run workout. We ran on one side of Lake Summit (packed gravel trail) which was a nice soft surface for all the tired legs at camp. We ran toward the "hills" of the lake (2.4 miles) and then did the main set of 4-5 x 2 min strong efforts w/ EZ jog down + 30 sec reset at the bottom. Todd's dog Cody joined us and he had so much fun running with everyone. We were all enjoyed the company as well. It was awesome to see how strong everyone was and how the group was supporting one another. We love the teamwork and comradery from our campers! After the pre-set to pre-fatigue the legs for this long run (something we often do for our long runs in Ironman training) we had the athletes do a main set of
4 x 7 min Ironman effort w/ 30 sec walk
or
6 x 4 min Ironman effort w/ 1 min walk
I instructed which athletes would do each part of the pre set on the hills and main set. Karel and I ran with the athletes and we all supported one another from start to finish. It was a great last day of camp! The cooler temps and rain made the run so much more fun and brought out the best in one another. Considering that most of our campers are getting ready for IM Lake Placid in 2 weeks, this was the perfect workout to finish off their Ironman training before tapering. 

In total, ~15 hours of training in 4 day. We are so proud of our campers and we can't wait to plan our camps for 2023!

And a big thank you to the companies who provided items for our campers. Run In, Veronica's Health Crunch, Mg12, Live Momentous, Never Second, Breakthrough Nutrition, Infinit Nutrition and Rudy Project. We are so appreciative of your support! 

Benefits of a hydration belt, vest or pack

I never run without my hydration belt. It's part of my running attire and I feel naked without it. 
It doesn't matter the duration or intensity of the workout or the weather, I always have a sport drink with me in my hydration belt. 

If you are a long distance athlete, you've likely experiences several pronounced and uncomfortable symptoms related to unsuccessful fueling/hydration methods. Headache, dehydration, swelling, bloating, sleepiness, lethargy, lack of appetite, nausea, chills, fatigue, deep muscle aches, moodiness and dizziness are not just performance limiting but they are also extremely risky for your overall health.

Proper fueling during intense or long duration exercise can help you sustain a desirable effort to maximize training adaptations.

Proper fueling/hydration also minimizes the stress load to help keep your body in better health.

Proper fueling/hydration in training also helps you practice fueling strategies for competition as you can train the gut to tolerate nutrition while exercise at various intensities.

Contrary to the opinion of other nutrition experts, I'm a huge proponent of prioritizing sport drinks during training. While this is easy to do while biking, most runners and triathletes are unable to apply well-researched, scientific nutrition guidelines to running because it's hard to consistently drink a well-formulated sport drink if you don't have one with you. 

A sport drink provides a practical and easy way to obtain fluids, electrolytes and carbohydrates, in the right formulation to optimize digestion and absorption. Because you will always need to consume fluid when you train in the heat, wearing a hydration belt, pack or vest is a practical, convenient and easy-to-replicate way to meet your fluid, sodium and carbohydrate needs.

If you'd like to read more about the benefits and misconceptions with sport drinks, you can check out this blog I wrote. 

Knowing the importance of proper fueling and hydrating while running, many companies - like Naked, Fuel belt, Orange Mud, USWE and Nathan - have solved the issue of how to stay hydrated when you run. Lucky for you, there are so many belt, band, pack and vest options. Depending on the duration and intensity of your run, as well as the weather, it's important to choose the belt, pack or vest that offers the right amount of fluid-holding capacity for your needs. As a reminder, it's ok to stop and refill fluids - I actually recommend it as carrying more than 30 ounces of fluid while running can be heavy when you start running. But having fluids on you throughout your entire run will ensure that you are well-hydrated and fueled, minimizing the risk for dehydration, heat stress, GI issues and glycogen depletion.

As a starting point, aim to consume 3-5 ounces (3-5 gulps) of fluid, 20-40 calories and 80-100mg sodium for every 10 minutes of running. 
Example: 30 minute run off the bike = 9-15 ounce water + 60-120 calories + 240-300mg sodium. 

Becoming more adventurous - one ride at a time.

 

Karel loves adventure. He's always curious about the unknown. 

Karel loves discovering new bike routes. Sometimes this means getting lost, sometimes this means finding a road that goes nowhere. I can't tell you how many times Karel has ventured out on a bike ride (road, gravel, tri, mountain bike) without any idea as to where the road goes. He has no fear riding somewhere new. 

Over the past 16 years, Karel's adventurous soul has rubbed off on me. But I was not always this way. For almost 14 years of our relationship, I would question Karel and would feel so uncomfortable, scared and fearful riding somewhere for the first time - especially when I knew that Karel had no idea where he was going. But over the past two years, I've learned to be a bit more adventurous when it comes to bike riding. Although I often have the immediate thought of "I can't do this" I try to quickly dismiss that thought and open my mind to new experiences. 

Although it hasn't been easy to relinquish my need for control and having a plan when training, having a more adventurous mentality has helped me in life. I also believe that my recent and consistent results in long distance have come from viewing racing as if it was an adventure. So many times, athletes struggle due to fear of uncertainty. This causes underperforming for the need to stay in the comfort zone. 

If you are wanting to be more adventurous with your life, especially with training, here are a few tips:

• Go into the unknown with curiosity. Curiosity is the root of being adventurous. 
• Go into a situation feeling mentally free, open and willing to experience something new.
• Let go of what is holding you back. 
• Start small. Don't step out of your comfort zone, stretch is gradually. 
• Don't set expectations. Go with the flow and see what happens. 
• Be ok to fail. 
• Push yourself to be uncomfortable. 
• Get excited to try something for the first time. 
• Rationalize your fears. 
• Build trust in yourself, your thoughts and your actions.
• Be a warrior, not a worrier. 
• Do things safely. Set your limits and your boundaries. 
  
  

Nutritional Considerations for Evening Workouts

 

I love our Tuesday night workout.

Karel and I leave our house at 4:40pm and ride to Donaldson. This takes us around 75-minutes to cover 17.5 miles. To get to the group ride, we bike mostly on the Swamp Rabbit trail with a few miles on the road and two short sections on gravel. I love the start of the ride because it serves as a great warm-up before we meet the Spinners A-Group at 6pm. Plus, it's so much better than sitting in the car for 40-minutes to drive to the group ride. There are several others (probably 10-20) that ride to and from the group ride, which makes it fun to chat before and after the ride. 

The A-ride includes a police escort (everyone chips-in $5) for safety as the group of 50+ riders loops around the "Perimeter." We do 5 loops which comes to around 37 miles. The ride is around 90 minutes depending on the speed of the group. The ride is fast and it requires so much focus. There are a lot of surges as the riders in front try to breakaway and then the group tries to chase. I love the dynamics of group riding, even though it makes me work oh-so-hard. I made 4 loops two weeks ago and last week I made all 5 loops. Yesterday was the hardest - the group averaged 25 mph and there were so many attacks, surges, chases and single-file lines. I was the lone female in the group as my fellow female cyclists recently raced in Knoxville. I have no idea how I was able to hang on. I was thankful for a few guys (and Karel) who were helping me (barely) stay with the group. I always finish the ride exhausted and satisfied and yesterday was no exception. I refused to give up last night, which meant pulling every ounce of energy out of my body to not get dropped. 

After the ride, we bike home (making a quick stop at the gas station to refill our bottles), which is around 14 miles and it takes us just under an hour. The sun is setting and the trail is quiet and peaceful. We often see deer and bunnies along the trail. 

In total, Karel and I get in almost 70 miles in around 3 hours and 40 minutes and arrive home before 9pm. It's my favorite workout for a few reasons: I get to socialize, I'm on my road bike and I'm outside. Oh and I get in an awesome workout!

The only downside to this evening ride is that we get home late. This makes it hard to get in a good meal and a good night of sleep. Knowing that many athletes workout in the evening, here are a few nutrition considerations for late-day workouts. 

Recovery nutrition 
A workout is only beneficial if you can recover from it. Make sure to get in some type of snack or meal within 30-minutes of completing your workout. Aim for low fat and low fiber foods and prioritize carbohydrates and protein. To help you make good nutritional decisions in your post workout meal, I suggest to have food prepared and ready for when you get home so that you don't find yourself going for what is most convenient. Plan ahead so that a meal is ready. This will also make it easier for you to eat as soon as you get home - which means more time to digest the meal before bed. Although rehydration is very important, make sure to not overdo it on liquids as you'll find yourself making frequent trips to the bathroom throughout the night. Avoid finishing the workout dehydrated - the better you fuel/hydrate during the workout, the easier you'll recover. 

Loss of appetite
Whereas you'd think that you'd be starving by the time you finish a late day workout, many athletes struggle to eat after a workout. But go into a workout starving and you may find yourself overeating as soon as you finish the session. If you lack an appetite, optimize liquid calories which will tackle three things at once - carbohydrates, fluids and electrolytes. One of my go-to drinks is a glass of Orange Juice with a pinch of salt and then a whey smoothie w/ fruit and milk. Most breakfast meal options work well for a late night easy-to-digest meal. To avoid feeling starving during the workout, don't forget to have a small snack before the workout (if working out late, you may need an afternoon snack and then another pre-workout snack). You may also want to have a carb-rich snack for the drive home if you are unable to eat within 30 minutes after your workout. 

Balanced diet
It's not ideal to refuel from a hard workout with a large leafy and cruciferous salad at 9pm. Instead, you'll optimize recovery (and promote better digestion) with carbohydrates and protein - low fiber and low fat. Because your post workout meal may not look "healthy" the key to optimizing daily nutrition is to compliment that dinner meal by filling in nutritional gaps earlier in the day. Ideally, breakfast or lunch should be your "plant-rich" meal to ensure that you are getting in a few servings of vegetables, along with high-fiber grains, quality protein and healthy fats. So long as you aren't working out within 4 hours from lunch, you should be able to easily digest a wholesome meal at lunch without risking GI issues during your evening workout. However, if you are prone to Gi issues in the evening, I suggest to opt for cooked/baked veggies over raw and to avoid cruciferous veggies. 

Sport Nutrition
You may not think that you need to fuel during your evening workout but the better you support yourself nutritionally, the easier you'll recover and the better you'll sleep after the workout. If you finish the workout depleted and dehydrated, you may find yourself sleeping poorly, struggling with recovery and putting yourself at risk for sickness. Make sure to have a snack in the 45-90 minutes before the workout and use sport nutrition (ex. sport drink) during the workout. Because the brain requires glucose when you sleep, if your liver glycogen stores are low after your workout and you are dehydrated, you'll find it difficult to get a good night of sleep (and you may find yourself starving at 1am).

Sleep
Speaking of sleep, when your body temperature is elevated, your body is working to digest a meal, adrenaline is elevated and your body is nervous and endocrine system is overly excited, you may find yourself awake in bed, tossing and turning - despite being exhausted. Because the harder and longer the workout, the more trouble you may have getting a restful night of sleep, try to cool yourself down as soon as you finish your workout. Douse yourself with cold water or an ice pack if you are feeling hot. You may even try a cold shower. Don't rely on caffeine to give you "energy" so consuming a stimulant to help you start or get through a workout may make insomnia even worse. You may feel tired but after a good warm-up, you'll find yourself alert and ready to go. Avoid caffeine before/during the workout (as well as alcohol). The next day, reduce the temptation to rely on a stimulant to help you power through the day. Although you may feel tired, avoiding caffeine during the afternoon and resisting the urge to take a nap the next day can ensure a good night of sleep the evening after your restless night of sleep - which should help you get back on a good sleep cycle. 

Cesta Z Mesta Ride

I was really looking forward to our Saturday long ride. We are continuing to build up our weekly cycling mileage as we prepare for our first attempt at the 7-day Haute Route Alps from August 21st-27th. In addition to our triathlon training (Note to self: IM Lake Placid is in a month), we are putting in a lot of quality riding. Whereas two weeks ago I was on the struggle bus getting back into structured training, this past week I felt really strong and fresh. My body came around and I felt like I was recovering well from my training sessions. On Monday we did an EZ 1 hour spin, Tues was the Spinners A-group ride (3:43/69 miles - we ride to/from the group ride) and Wednesday we went mountain biking for almost 3 hours (24 miles). Thursday I had a private bike skills session with an athlete (90 minutes). In total, before Saturday I had ridden for almost 10 hours. 

On Friday evening, Karel mapped out our Saturday ride and called it Cesta Z Mesta - in Czech it means "The Road Out of Town." The planned route was 104 miles, 9,000 feet of elevation gain. Our plan was to leave at 8am. 

Well, plans changed. 
First off, Karel needed to Skype with his mom and brother in Czech to help his mom with her Visa for when she comes to stay with us in Sept-November. Nearing 9:30am, we were getting ourselves ready and it started raining. I looked at the radar and it looked like the rain would stop around 10am so we did some mobility, finished preparing our nutrition and heading out - in the drizzling rain - around 10am.

Although we were in no rush to get home, Karel thought it would be best for us to adjust some of our route so that we were not riding the entire day (and into the evening). Seeing that our miles go by really slow due to the technical and challenging nature of our terrain, we shortened the ride from 104 miles to 85 miles by omitting the entire Green River Cove loop. 

I started the ride feeling pretty good so my goal for the day was to try to sit on Karel's wheel on the climbs. For our mini yolomites ride the previous weekend, I made sure to pace myself for the long day ahead and didn't get aggressive on any of the climbs. I knew that pushing myself early on in our ride on Saturday would mean I would risk blowing myself up but I wanted to push myself for this ride. 

We wore our hydration packs for this ride to minimize stopping and to ensure we had plenty of fluids. We each had two bottles on our frame and I had 1.5 L (Karel had 2L) in our backpacks. I had INFINIT in my pack and Skratch SuperFuel in my bottles. I also brought along a Supra bar as well as fig newtons to keep myself fueled throughout the ride. It was on the cooler side when we started (and a bit misty with the rain) but it warmed up as the day went on.

The first 90 min of the ride was punchy. Once we got to the Watershed, we settled into a good rhythm for 11 miles to Mine Mountain. I was feeling strong. 

 

We enjoyed a few miles of descending down to the Saluda grade. Because the roads were slick due to the rain, I stayed a bit cautious and Karel rode away from me on the descend. I felt safe and confident on the descend but I didn't want to take any risks. 

Once we got to the Saluda grade, it was time to climb a few miles into Saluda. At this point, Karel's legs were speaking to him. He was struggling. I love the Saluda Grade climb because it's a steady grade and not steep and I can easily settle into a nice rhythm. I ended up riding away from Karel and waited for him at the top. I felt sad that he was feeling so empty but he wanted to see if he could ride off the fatigue. 

I LOVE my new USWE hydration pack! 

Because we adjusted the route, instead of doing the entire Green River Cove loop (which would add another 20 miles to our ride), Karel and I descended down the Green River Cove Switchbacks, then turned around by the tubing parking lots and rode back up. This was the first time that we had biked down the 17 tight switchbacks and I was surprised that I wasn't scared. I could tell that my bike handling skills have really improved thanks to all the group riding and mountain biking I've been doing over the past year. 

The climb was challenging but doable. There are a few kickers in between the switchbacks that really make the legs talk but otherwise, the switchbacks help to break things up. We climbed the 2 miles back up and then made a stop at the gas station to refill bottles. We had a fun and fast descend down for a few miles down the Saluda Grade to the Pearson Falls Road. I love the Saluda Grade descend as it has great flow with wide turns and it's not busy with cars to slow you down. After the descend, we climbed up Mine Mountain for ~5 miles. At this point, I knew Karel was struggling. I went ahead and would often look back and I could see Karel's head hanging low, struggling with each pedal stroke. I felt so bad for him that the only way home was to keep riding. He was totally empty. He told me that I could go ahead as he didn't want me to feel like he was slowing me down and he would eventually make his way home but I didn't want to leave him. I thought back to all the many rides where Karel was feeling so strong but he would wait for him to catch back up. I knew we needed to finish this ride together. 

We had about 8 miles of descending down the Watershed to loosen out the legs (it's not really a fast descend as you still have to work for it and pedal throughout) and then to Dividing Waters. For the rest of the ride, Karel stayed behind him and I pulled him home. He was so relieved when we finally made it back into Traveler's Rest and on to the trail. It was just after 4pm and Karel was done. 

I finished the ride feeling really strong and wanted to do our planned run off the bike. I ran for 40 minutes and finished my workout just after 5pm. It was a long day of training but a great one for me. Karel didn't run and instead, took Campy for a walk after he made himself a recovery shake. 
We finished the ride with 85 miles in 5:40 and 7500 feet of elevation gain. 

Although we both went into this ride a little fatigued from our previous training, Karel had a bad workout. It just wasn't his day. Sometimes you are the hammer and you do the pounding and sometimes you are the nail - you get pounded. Sadly, Karel was the nail. 

When a bad workout happens, it's important to reflect on the reason(s) for feeling off. Could it be nutrition, sleep, stress, fatigue, previous training sessions, weather......? Often times, we can contribute a bad workout to something specific. But then there are times when we just have off days. There's no real reason why they happen but there will be times in training and on race day when you can't deliver the effort that you hoped for - and that's ok. 

There's no reason to blame it on your body or make excuses. Sometimes the stars just don't align and you need to give yourself a break. There have been plenty of times when Karel and myself have had a bad bike workout and followed it up with a great run. But then there are times, in your gut, when you know that the run off the bike doesn't make sense. Karel made his decision not to run, didn't dwell on it or feel guilt and just moved on. 

When training is your lifestyle, there are going to be speed bumps. The peaks will almost always outnumber the valleys so never let a lousy workout question your abilities. Fail forward! 

It's National Triathlon Week!

It's National Triathlon Week!

"National Triathlon Week is a nationwide initiative to celebrate the sport of triathlon and all of the members of the multisport community. This week is geared toward education, celebration and participation in the multisport lifestyle."

Triathlon has been part of my lifestyle for the past 16 years. It's given me so much and has helped me through some really tough times. The swimbikerun lifestyle has taught me how to overcome obstacles, love my body in motion and to experience the rewards that come with hard work, patience and enjoying the journey. 

I've learned so much since my very first triathlon.

You may see me as this triathlete....

But this is how it all started......

When I participated in my very first triathlon (2003), I knew little about the sport. As a collegiate swimmer, I felt extremely comfortable with the pool swim but I had little open water experience. Once the swim was over, I found myself filled with anxiety. The bike portion was super scary for me. Even with a hybrid bicycle, I knew nothing about riding a bike in a race. Thankfully, once my legs hit the ground I could relax and enjoy the final leg of the triathlon. When I completed my first sprint triathlon, I was equally exhausted and thrilled at what I had accomplished. It seemed so crazy to me that my body could cover the distance of a sprint triathlon and that I did it all by swimming, biking and then running.  

One year later in 2004, I participated in an Olympic distance triathlon. I had just graduated from college and I was a few weeks away from traveling to Florida for graduate school. I owned a hybrid bike and helmet but my triathlon equipment list was minimal - running shoes, swim suit, goggles and a bike (with a kick stand).

In 2005, I participated in my first marathon. I was in graduate school studying exercise physiology and I missed training for an event. After spending the last ten years as a competitive swimmer, I missed the comradery of training/competing with others.

In 2006, I was bit hard by the endurance bug. I completed the Boston Marathon (April), my first half ironman (IM 70.3 Florida at Disney, May) and my first Ironman (IM FL, Nov). Not only was I amazed at what my body was able to achieve but I loved the triathlon environment. The athletes were so supportive, inspiring and positive and the volunteers were incredible. Biking was always my weakest leg of the triathlon - and the most unnerving to me. However, over the years I've been able to go from weak to strong. My bike handling skills have really improved, which has made cycling so much more enjoyable. 

Karel came from a competitive cycling background and after a lifetime of bike racing, he was seeking a new challenge in 2012.

He really struggled with swimming. He could barely swim 25 yards without getting out of breath. And for the first few years of triathlon racing, he would experience great anxiety when swimming in the open water. Interestingly, he became a fast and efficient runner. He lost a lot of his top-end bike speed and power but he still has a strong love for being on two wheels (although the tri bike is not his favorite bike). Lately he has discovered a strong love for mountain biking and in 2021, he participated in 3 Xterra events. 

Over the past 16 years, I have learned so much and have accomplished a lot in the sport of triathlon. And thanks to the sport, I have been able to participate in many other events, like gravel biking, trail running and open water swim events. Triathlon isn't just a sport, it's a lifestyle.

Although my specialty is endurance triathlon training and racing, I know exactly how it feels to be a beginner triathlete. It was scary, overwhelming, fun and exciting.

When I started the sport, there weren't a lot of resources for beginner triathletes - especially for individuals who had some type of athletic or fitness background. I felt like I had to learn as I went along. Because of that, I made some mistakes and had to figure things out the hard way.

As I was writing my third book Athlete to Triathlete, I took myself back to when I was new to the sport of triathlon. Confused and overwhelmed, yet excited and eager to try something new. It was important to me to provide practical and easy-to-read chapters that were relatable and relevant to individuals who are new to the sport, are re-entering the sport after a break or have dabbled in the sport without much understanding of what triathlon is all about.

The sport of triathlon has experienced significant growth since becoming an Olympic sport in 2000. Since I crossed my first finish line in 2003, much has changed in the sport. From gear and equipment to the training and sport nutrition - triathlon has evolved and grown over the years. However, there are still several barriers to entry - such as cost, time and intimidation. From the outside, triathlon may appear complicated, exhausting, elitist and overwhelming. For these reasons, many active individuals are hesitant to train for and participate in a 3-sport event.

To help grow the sport of triathlon (specifically, making it more inclusive for women, youth and various ethnic groups), I hope that my book Athlete to Triathlete will simplify the sport to help you safely and confidently enter - and stay in - the sport of triathlon, while exemplifying that the sport of triathlon is welcoming to all types of athletes and fitness enthusiasts. I want others to feel the same excitement that I felt as a newbie - but also train for races in a smart and productive manner.

Athlete to Triathlete also serves as a triathlon training guide with features such as: 

• How to choose a triathlon race
• How to plan your season of training and racing
• Race day gear checklist
• Transition and brick workout tips
• Training principles and measuring progress
• Rest and recovery
• Motivational tips 
• Tapering for a race
• Swim, bike, run gear 
• Open water swim tips
• Warm-up recommendations
• The pre-race check-in and race-day procedure
• Triathlon lingo - yep, there is a language spoken by triathletes
• What to expect at the race (from start to finish) 
• Nutrition guidelines for training and racing 
• Race day rules
• Strength and stretching pictures 
• Workout advice tailored to swimmers, bikers and runners
• Detailed, day-by-day training plans to prepare for a Sprint or Olympic distance triathlon (12-week training plans). 
• And so much more!!!!

Triathlon has allowed me to travel to new places, develop long-lasting friendships and discover my unique talents and strengths. Triathlon also has a wonderful way of teaching you many valuable life lessons. Regardless of your background, triathlon is an everybody sport. 

Like myself, maybe you swam in college and miss the camaraderie of being part of a squad. Perhaps past running injuries have made you tri-curious. Or, maybe you are seeking a new challenge as a devoted cyclist. Training for a triathlon adds purpose to your exercise regime. As a way to improve health, boost self-confidence, overcome a fear, stretch physical limits or be a role model, there’s no escaping the obvious of being drawn to the challenge of participating in a three-sport event.
Along with ordering my book, you can help me get the word out by writing an Amazon review and sharing with your friends, training partners and anyone else you feel would benefit.
You can order your copy here: Athlete to Triathlete.

See you at the finish line!

Get Started Articles: 
TriWeek: Swimming
TriWeek: Cycling

TriWeek: Running
TriWeek: Transitions