Lakeside Double Sprint Triathlon - Race Recap

 

Reason for racing
After finishing my May racing block (3 races in 15 days), I looked forward to nine weeks of training en route to XTRI Norseman which will be on August 3rd in Eidfjord, Norway. Training has been going really well and I'm thankful that my body has been absorbing the load without any issues. I do struggle mentally with Campy's declining health but I keep reminding myself that he is still here and all I can do is continue to love him and take care of him. I had heard about the local doube sprint triathlon but it wasn't something that interested me as I was training for other events. However, with such a long time between races, I thought this would be the perfect way to keep me in the race environment, treat it as an intense training session and to change up the typical long workout training routine. Plus, I love our Greenville cycling/triathlon community and it's always nice to see familiar faces and to meet other triathletes. Over the years, I'm always looking for ways to step out of my comfort zone, try new things and stress my body (in a good way) in different ways. I felt like this double sprint checked all the boxes and I was looking forward to it all week. I really enjoy evening workouts (specifically bike workouts, group rides or bike/run workouts) and this race was the perfect opportunity to do an intense "workout" in the evening. 

Training going into the event 
Race week was challenging because Campy was not doing well. This made it incredibly hard to show up and to complete workouts. Karel and I really leaned on one another and while there were a lot of tears, we knew exercising was needed to help our mental health. I like to keep my training similar but different in that I always keep Monday as an active recovery day (typically a swim but sometimes also a bike) and Friday is only a swim (an intense masters swim group session in the morning). Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are double workout days and Saturday and Sunday are my longest sessions of the week. With the race on Saturday evening, my training schedule was as follows: 
Monday afternoon: 21 mile/1:23 bike (we had to pick something up at Run In so we biked there)
Tuesday: 5300yard AM swim followed by an easy 7 mile/58 min run. PM trainer session (55 min)
Wednesday: 3700 yard AM swim. PM 1:36 trainer session followed by a 5.2 mile/43 min run. 
Thursday: 2:04, 15 mile long run
Friday: AM 4976 yards (converted from long course meters) masters swim
Saturday: AM 2:24 bike (45.8 miles) followed by a 4 mile/34 min run. I met up with local cyclist Nate Morse while riding and we rode together for ~1 hour and I finished the ride alone and did a few 4 min strong efforts w/ 90 sec EZ. I kept the run super easy. 
Saturday: PM Race! 250 yard swim, 8 mile bike, 2 mile run, 250 yard swim, 8 mile bike, 2 mile run.
Sunday: Early afternoon: 2:20 bike (37.6 miles) followed by a 6.12 mile (51 min) run

Total: 
18:33 hours 
Swim: 14476 yards
Bike: 9:22 hours
Run: 42.4 miles

Race day nutrition
My primary objective was to not go into the race in a depleted state so I focused on my eating/fueling on Friday and Saturday. I had pasta for dinner on Friday and on Saturday morning, I had my typical bagel + PB + syrup + a little yogurt before my bike workout. During the bike I had two bottles, each with ~75g of INFINIT Fructose (~300 calories) and refilled one bottle w/ water for the last 20 minutes as it was getting really hot out. For the run, I had 1 x 10 ounce flask with water and another 10 ounce flask with 1 scoop Never Second C30 berry (120 calories). 
After the workout, I had a poptart and recovery drink (2 scoops GU vanilla recovery powder + 8 ounce 1% milk) while walking Campy and then I had a meal of a bagel (local) w/ half PB and the other half butter. I also had a banana and a little yogurt. I ate this meal around 2pm and I didn't eat anything else until after the race. 
I sipped on a bottle of Never Second while setting up my transition around 5pm. 
During the race I had 1 bottle on my bike with 1.5 scoop (~68g, 272 calories INFINIT Fructose Grape).  I also had an extra bottle in my transition area of the same amount in case I dropped that bottle on the first bike segment. I also had a small flask of ~100 calories Never Second C30 in case I needed it for the run. I ended up not needing the extra bottle or flask. In addition to my bottle on the bike (which I finished between the two x 8 mile segments) I had a few sips of water on the run. 
After the race, while waiting for the awardss, I had a Dr. Pepper and Rice Krispie treat from the post race area and had a recovery drink (that I brought) of ~30g protein. 

The Race! 
When I left, Karel was finishing up his 7-hour workout as he prepares his upcoming XTRI event Stonebrixiaman XTRI on June 29th (we leave for Italy on June 23rd). My mom and her partner Allen came with me for my race. I picked them up around 4pm and we arrived to the race venue around 4:40pm. The transition area was small but there were still 130+ athletes in the race. I picked up my race packet and timing chip and got body marked (it's been a while since I had that done, brought back so many memories from my early days). I then went into the transition area and set up my transition by my designated bike rack number. I had planned and practiced to do a flying dismount (with my cycling shoes still attached to the pedals) after bike number one and flying mount and dismount after bike number two and while I stuck with my plan, looking back I should have kept my shoes on as there was a lot of gravel/rocks on the ground and I lost time carefully walking with my bike and fumbling with my shoes. It was very hot and sunny while setting up my transition area so I was happy I had a bottle of water and a bottle of sport drink to sip on in the hour before the race start. After I was finished setting things up, I went for a short jog (~.76 miles) to warm up. I found a MTB trail next to the transition area to run on, which was shaded and had a soft impact. Around 5:40pm I walked to the pool area and got into the water to warmup. 
My trisuit isn't ideal for swimming without a swimskin/wetsuit so I got myself comfortable in the warm water and adjusted my timing chip so that it wasn't dragging in the water. I did a few laps and practiced a flip turn under the lane line to "snake" through the pool. The race started at 6:03pm. 

I was seeded 2nd for the swim and we started ~5-10 seconds apart. Although I was happy to be near the front for the swim, I don't have very good take out speed and I was being caught quickly by the swimmer behind me. The water was very choppy as the lane lines were lines with small plastic balls on them and I found it really hard to settle into a rhythm. 

SWIM #1: 250 yards: 3:47, 1:31 pace

I had no idea what lane/lap I was in as I was swimming as I was focused on swimming the reverse direction in the lane than what I am used it. I just paid attention to when I got to the last lane. I was relieved to survived that swim - it was rather chaotic. As I ran to the transition area, I was passed by another girl Kayla. I was actually happy to be passed as I love racing with competition as it brings the best out of myself. 

T1: 0:35
BIKE #1: 8.11 miles: 23.8 mph, 195NP, 20:18

I removed my cap and goggles as I was running into transition and I had a fairly quick transition (all I had to do was put on my helmet and cycling shoes). I carefully "ran" my bike out of transition and started my computer. Kayla was a little ahead of me and I worked really hard for around 2 miles to catch her. I wasn't familiar with the course but it was well marked. I also studied the course the night prior by looking at the course on Google Maps to get oriented with the roads and turns. I really liked the course as it was mostly rolling hills on quiet country roads. The last stretch was on a hwy-like road but because it was after 6pm, it wasn't too busy. I really enjoyed the course. I didn't feel great on the bike. My legs were heavy and tired but I pushed as hard as I could. It was literally a power test for me. I had to slow down a bit getting back into the parking lot as there was a car stopped in front of me. I drank ~1/2 bottle of my sport drink. I didn't think too much about the run as I was focused on staying draft legal behind the guy in front of me and I was also trying to lengthen my gap to Kayla as I knew she would run well (considering she ran fast to pass me out of the swim). 

T2: 0:52
RUN #1: 2.11 miles, 14:54 (6:59, 6:58)

I had put baby powder in my running shoes prior to the race to help them slide on easily (and to reduce the risk for blisters). This was my first time running without socks (or compression) in over 15 years. I grabbed my race bib belt (although I later learned we didn't have to wear it on run #1) and sunglasses and accidentally started to head toward the bike exit. Some volunteers yelled at me and I quickly turned around and ran near the swim out exit of the transition area. When I started running, I put on my sunglasses and bib number belt. Immediately my legs felt great. I loved the run course. It was up and down with tight turns and even some sand on the sidewalk. The run course was two one-mile loops which made it fun to see other athletes on the course and to pass by the transition area to see the spectators and to get cheers from my mom and Allen. The only downside was there was a big festival/party on the backside of the course with a lot of people and cars which we had to navigate through. I took a look behind me on the first loop and noticed that Kayla was just a few minutes behind me. I continued to run as strong as I could. I felt like I was in control of my form and it felt good. When my watch buzzed at the first mile I was expecting to see something around 7:30 min/mile as that is "fast" for me right now so when I saw 6:59, I was in shock. I couldn't believe it. On the second run, I felt even stronger and ran 6:58. My mouth was getting dry so I took a sip of water from the aid station on lap two. I couldn't believe my run - my legs haven't ran this fast in many many years (like over 5 years!). 

T3: 0:16
SWIM #2: 250 yards, 3:50 (1:32 pace)

My mom gave me a cheer at the pool and I told her "wow this is hard." I knew the second swim would be rough and although it felt amazing to jump into the pool to cool off, it was hard to start swimming. Plus, the top of my feet were scratched from running without socks so when I jumped into the pool, my feet burned for a few seconds. The nice thing was the pool was a bit more empty. It was just me and a few guys so it was a lot easier to snake my way through the pool. To make things less confusing, every time we got to the other side of the pool, we changed lanes (so lanes 2, 3,4,5 we swam back and forth in the same lane). I caught Joe Wilson around half way and passed him in the middle of the pool. I actually started to feel better as the swim went on and wished the swim was a bit longer as I was starting to feel like my body was in a better groove. 

T4: 0:37
BIKE #2: 8.11 miles, 22.3 mph, 175NP, 21:48

Joe passed me in transition as I was slow to exit and when I got on my bike, it took me a few minutes to get into my shoes. My average speed was 23.2 mph outside of the parking lot so looking back, I lost time doing the flying mount. I worked really hard to catch back up to Joe and I worked hard to stay draft legal behind him. I was able to stay behind him for all of the second bike but my legs were screaming at me as they were really tired. Each loop had ~420 feet and there were some punchy climbs. The sun was starting to set as it was nearing 7pm, which is my favorite time to be on the bike. I love sunset riding. It was still humid out but not as hot since the sun was setting. Again, I shouldn't have done a flying dismount as it was very rocky and I struggled to run with my bike to my rack. I finished most of my bottle on my bike. I also had a gel in my bento box on my bike (just in case I lost the bottle but I didn't need it). 

T5: 1:04
RUN #3: 2.11 miles, 14:37 (6:53, 6:59)

I struggled to put on my shoes as my feet were dry and I likely had my laces too tight. I lost some time in this transition. Plus, my feet were all scratched up on top which hurt when I put on my shoes. But the adrenaline of racing made that go away. I wore the Saucony Endorphin Speed running shoes (from Run In). At this point in the race, I had extended my lead but I didn't want to ease up. I felt even better on this run than the first run segment and I couldn't believe it when I saw 6:53 min/mile. I couldn't try to run this fast in training even if I went all out! This is why I love to race....I always seem to surprise myself. On the last loop, I started to feel like I was settling into a good rhythm and clocked another sub 7 split at 6:59. I finished the race with a smile on my face and told my mom that it was so much fun and really really hard. 

RESULTS
1st Overall Female
9th Overall 
Total Time: 1:25.40

I called Karel when I finished and gave him the play by play of the event. I was really happy with how I performed and most of all, I had so much fun. This event reminded me why I got into the sport of triathlon and why I have stayed with it for over 20 years (my first sprint triathlon was in 2003). When it comes to long distance racing, race day isn't necessarily fun. It's hard and challenging. But that is why I love long distance racing - you get to rise to the challenge and push through limits (or discover your limits). But when it comes to short distance racing, it's short, quick, dynamic and fun. 

The awards didn't start until almost 9pm so it was a late evening but it was worth it. I didn't something for the first time and I am really proud of my body for what it allowed me to do. 

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Campy Update - the final chapter

 

If you know me, you probably know Campy. 
Campy has been my loyal best friend for almost 16 years. We do everything together.

For me and Karel, our life has included Campy in almost everything that we have done.    

In April, Campy turned 17 (I didn't realize this as I had his birthday wrong for all these years and just learned that when we adopted him, he was 18 months old and not a year old). We recently had a belated birthday bash with dog-friendly muffins (I used this recipe).

At Campy's recent vet visit (end of May), Campy got a clean bill of health. His body is working well. It's his brain that is declining. 

Campy gradually went blind and deaf over the last two years. He has also been suffering from Canine Cognitive Decline (CCD = dog dementia). It has been so hard to see him change into a different dog. We miss our spunky, energetic, opinionated dog. He requires a lot of care but we are honored to be there for him however he needs us. 

Ella loves Campy so much. 

Karel cut a hole in a shoebox for his water bowl so that he doesn't step into his water. You can also see the many pillows that we have lined around his large "enclosure" in our main room so he doesn't hurt himself or get stuck anywhere. 

Campy has a very specific routine of going on short walks, being held, eating and sleeping (not necessarily in that order). When he is not doing any of these, he is confused, bumping into things, circling or staring in space. We've questioned his quality of life many times over the past few months and earlier this week, we thought it was the end. This was the hardest week of our life with Campy. We cried so much it was hard to focus. We booked "the appointment" and 24 hours later, Campy told us it was not the end. We recently started him on a new medication, Selegiline (Anipryl) a few weeks ago because I heard great things about it for dogs with CCD but we don't think it was working well for Campy as it made him very wobbly (almost drunk-like), weak, tired and out of it. We weaned him off and he seems to be much better. He is also on Phenobarbital twice a day for seizures (since 2015) and we give him a Senilife pill in the evening (which we feel has been helping for the past year). 

 

It's been a bumpy road over the past few months and we know the end is coming soon. But for now, we are making sure that his final few days, weeks or months are the best for him. We are constantly taking note of what brings him joy and right now, he is still eating great, drinking great and peeing and pooping regularly. Although sometimes it takes him a little bit to fall asleep in the evening, he is sleeping great and he loves his naps. He also continues to enjoy his short walks (he walks up to a mile a day total) and he will smell the grass and mailbox posts (which we feel means he is still interested in his walks). He enjoys being held and sometimes he will give us kisses. And when he sees his friend Ruby on a walk, his tail will wag. He still recognizes his favorite people when he gives them a sniff. Although he is sometimes wobbly, he is still moving around great and doesn't appear to be in any pain or discomfort. 

 

In case you missed it, this is our newest addition Mia (~2.5-3 years old). She was in our neighborhood for several months this winter and I couldn't take it anymore. Now she has a home.
I'll blog about her story soon. 

We are also managing the health of our senior cat Madison who has been battling Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy since Feb 2022. After a last ditch effort by our vet to do a double lung tap on Madison, he didn't think she would make it a few more months. But here she is, still going strong over 2 years later. However, around two weeks ago, she gave us a scare when she stopped eating and we noticed she was breathing heavy again. We rushed her to our local vet and after labs and Xrays they told us she had fluid around her lungs and heart (not inside like last time) so we have new medication for her. She is a very strong cat but we do worry about her condition worsening as she is beating the odds right now. 

Campy has been with us through the good times and bad. He has given us unconditional love for almost 16 years. He has been my therapy, my support, my everything. It's going to be incredibly difficult to say good bye. Campy enjoys us for being us. Every day of his life has been a lottery winning day. No one loves us like Campy loves us. Campy makes us believe that every day we are the most wonderful thing that ever happened to him but it's actually the other way around. Adopting him in October of 2008 was the best thing that ever happened for us. 

I came across this post on a website and it was too good not to share....

"Dogs offer us companionship if not actual friendship. This may be because our furry friends are not capable of understanding the complexities of being a human being, but that really doesn’t come to mind when, after a long day of getting caught up in thoughts of how horrible we are, we come home to them so happily running to meet us by the door. Through the trials and tribulations of life, there’s a certain comfort in knowing that there are creatures who always see us in the best light, as their affection for us remains unconditional and their gaze non-judgemental, even considering all of our shortcomings.

Dogs exemplify loyalty. Beyond companionship, dogs are also fiercely loyal to their humans. It’s almost as if, not only do we humans take on the labels of fur parents, but dogs treat us as family as well. They stay by our side and, in their own way, care about us. It’s a bond that gives us a sense of belonging and ground us when we feel out of place, out of our comfort zone, or out of our depth.

Dogs protect us. Building on the loyalty they exhibit, it comes as no surprise that, once the bond is forged, they usually also become protective of us. And it just so happens that, thanks to their sharp senses, they are extremely good at it. They do so in a variety of ways, from the dogs that help keep our homes safe by warning us of danger through barking and growling, especially at night, to highly-trained canines that perform crucial roles in search-and-rescue operations and in sniffing out the bad guys.

Dogs support us in keeping track of and maintaining our well-being. As creatures that rely on routine, dogs are perfect pets to nudge us into doing things that are good for us more often, be it walking them and in the process getting some exercise in and taking in some fresh air to going to the park and engaging in some social interaction with other dog-owners gathered there."

Some pictures of Campy's amazing life.......

Traincation with a training partner

 

I've known Jen for several years. She lives in Jacksonville, FL and we used to live in Jacksonville. During Gulf Coast 70.3 in May, she ran passed me during with a phenomenal performance, winning our age group. After the race, I messaged Jen and asked her if she wanted to come to Greenville to train with me for a "traincation." 

Jen and Stephen are training for Challenge Roth on July 7th. Karel is preparing for his first XTRI event, Stonebrixiaman in Italy on June 29th and I am preparing for XTRI Norseman on August 3rd.

She talked to her partner Stephen and was able to plan a week away from her three boys to spend in Greenville, SC. 

Although Jen and I are both in our early 40's, we are both still experiencing improvements with our performance. It's really cool to get older and to still feel like you have more fitness to unlock. 

From Wednesday until Sunday we accomplished: 

• 4 run workouts (35.8 miles)
• 3 swims (2 pool, 1 open water, 9782 yards)
• 3 bike workouts (179 miles)
  

Over five days, we pushed each other. It wasn't a competition, it was teamwork. We motivated, supported and encouraged each other. We pushed each other to surpass limits that we never thought were possible. Neither one of us wanting to be the weak link in our workout sessions helped us find strengths that we could not have discovered on our own. 

I love swimming and biking with others but I always run alone. This was the first time in a very long time that I had a run partner. Jen showed me that I have more in me that I thought was possible with my run fitness. 

Sharing workouts with someone like-minded next to me, going through the same fatigue, purpose and soreness, had such a positive impact on my training over the past few days and I am so excited and motivated to continue with my training. We each have strengths and weaknesses and these differences brought out the best in both of us. 


WEDNESDAY

AM RUN
1:13, 8.70 miles
4 mile warm-up. 
Main set: 8 x 2 min (1-4 steady, 5-9 descend to very strong)

PM BIKE
1:45hr, 27.7 mile road bike bike
Overachievers group ride (over and down Paris Mountain)

THURSDAY 
AM Bike and Run (tri bike)

BIKE:
3:25hr Interval bike (route), 69.2 miles 
Main set #1: 5 x 8 min strong efforts w/ 2 min EZ
Main set #2: 17.5 mile Half Ironman effort 

RUN: 
29:12, 3.63 mile hilly run

PM SWIM
43:28, 3000 yards
MS: 

15 x 100 as (4 steady, 1 EZ, 3 steady, 1 EZ, 2 steady, 1 EZ, 1 steady, 1 EZ) 

FRIDAY 
AM SWIM
Masters swim group 
1:06, 4757 yards (converted from long course meters) 

SATURDAY
AM BIKE AND RUN (road bike)

BIKE
4:52hr bike, 82.8 miles
Started as a group and then Jen, Stephen and I split from the group and did our own ride. 
Karel rode 130 miles! And followed up his 7.5 hour ride with a 1 hour run (averaging 7:07 mile pace). 

RUN
1:01hr, 7.46 miles
1.5 mile warm-up

MS: 3 x 1 mile Ironman effort (turned into half IM effort) w/ 90 sec rest between

Waiting outside for Karel to get home from his all day adventure.

SUNDAY
OPEN WATER SWIM 
Lake Summitt 
33:45, 2000 yards

LONG RUN 
16.1 miles, 2:11 (packed gravel road) 

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The Trimarni "Ironman" Method - Progressive Overload

 

When it comes to preparing our athletes for a long distance triathlon (140.6 miles), you'll never see us prescribe a 20-mile (or 3-hour run) and it's rare for our athletes to ride more than 100 miles more than once in their peak training. Our athletes never swim 4200 continuous yards until race day.

The "Trimarni Ironman Method" is all about progressive overload - Train as much as your body (and mind) can safely handle with strategic increases in volume, frequency and intensity done progressively overtime.

As listed in this photo, there are many different ways to add more stress to the body without riding 100 miles or running for 3 hours. 

An effective training plan requires a careful balance between the frequency of workouts, the duration of each session and how intensely you perform each workout. Working out too hard, too often or too long can be detrimental to health and can prevent the body from optimally adapting to the training stimulus. In contrast, working out too easily too often or not working out enough (or long enough) can also be detrimental to fitness gains. The human body needs new and different physiological stressors to build cardiovascular, metabolic and muscular endurance. Overtime, repeating the same workouts, the same training routine and/or the same type of activity for an extended period will increase the risk of a fitness plateau, overtraining, injury or burnout. Training provides a stimulus. Fitness gains and changes in physiology happen in the recovery period between two workouts. The adaptations occur when you….refuel, eat, hydrate, rest, sleep, etc. The body responds by building a stronger body. If you can’t recover or stay consistent with your training, your training plan is not working for you. There is likely excessive overload (frequency, duration and/or intensity) and inadequate recovery (rest, sleep, nutrition, fueling).

Train smarter, not harder.

Happy Global Running Day

 

Happy Global Running Day!

I wish I had the same confidence, passion and joy for running as I do for swimming and cycling.
I look forward to my swim and bike workouts. It feels so good to push hard. I don't feel the same way about running. I always stress about what my body will feel like when I run.
Running does not feel natural to me. I don't feel like "a runner" when I run.
Sometimes running is very hard for me. It's often hard to get started and to keep going.
Running has given me several injuries. As much as I try to do things right, it's the only sport that can make me sad and frustrated.

Although me and running have had a rocky long-term relationship, I've never given up on running. It has helped me during difficult times in my life. I have found comfort in running as it serves as an outlet for grief, anxiety and depression.

When I run, I become a great problem solver. I come up with the best ideas when I am running. Running is the only sport that I can truly finish a workout feeling equally accomplished and relieved. I have overcome so many run-related setbacks which means I never take a run for granted.
Running gives me an opportunity to reflect on what I am grateful for in life. Running gets me outside and gives me the opportunity to fill my lungs with fresh air and my eyes and ears with different smells and sights. Running provides a temporary mental escape from life.

Thank you body for allowing me to run.
I am proud to be a (triathlon) runner.

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The strong and durable endurance athlete

For any endurance athlete, there is great risk for injury and fatigue while training for an event lasting 90+ minutes. Certainly, every athlete training for an endurance event hopes to get to the starting line feeling fit, strong and healthy but not always does this happen. Sadly, far too many endurance fail to get to the starting line of their upcoming event due to injury or a health issue and if they do arrive, the body is weak, fragile and broken down. Because endurance sports are addicting, it's common for athletes to continue this cycle of never fully rebuilding or strengthening the body and to constantly arrive to races poorly prepared (physically and mentally).

Do you consider yourself a durable athlete?

Here are some red flags that should be addressed before signing up for races or progressing with your training volume/intensity.....

• You are constantly rehabing and racing, rehabing and racing.
• You struggle with consistent training due to life, low motivation, restless sleep, injuries, sickness, etc.
• Certain workouts scare you for you fear injury or falling apart from fatigue.
• You struggle to bounce back quickly from intense or long training sessions.
• You can't seem to put together a solid week or two of training before you get sick, injured or exhausted.
• You always feel under-prepared for races but show up anyways.
• You rely on panic training to squeeze in the workouts that you didn't do earlier in the season.
• You tend to train for one race at a time with a long break in the off-season or after a race.
• Your training doesn't really make sense - it lacks specificity, structure or progression.
• As your race approaches, you feel more withdrawn, exhausted and fragile/weak.
• You don't feel strong, healthy or durable.

Durability and resilience are elusive traits among endurance athletes but sadly, many athletes are chasing the wrong methods or outcomes in becoming "race ready." Understanding the unique demands of the sport in which you are training for is critically important.

As it relates to race readiness, is speed, fat adaptation, mileage based workouts and leanness criteria for success? While these aspects of performance may help, they are not worth chasing if you have yet to build a strong, robust durable and resilient body. And perhaps if you have achieved resilience and durability, these other factors like leanness, fat adaptation and speed may not be worth chasing anymore for you have become physically and mentally capable of withstanding the demands of training, ultimately improving your chances of success by improving longevity in your sport.

Building a durable body takes time, careful planning and patience. It's not easy and thus, many athletes (and coaches) skip steps, rush the process and get inpatient, risking injury, sickness, fatigue and burnout. Sadly, there's no secret prescription or program that will speed up this process. To become a durable athlete, it takes time......a long time. And it starts with first nailing the basics (before advancing with your training volume) like good form and skills, great sleep, stress management, diet, fueling, hydration and recovery. It's then important to not let these habits slip away in an effort to train harder or longer. From a training perspective, there's no point adding more mileage or intensity to your training if you haven't built a solid foundation and learned to do things well.

When it comes to endurance events, durability will take you far. While you will not become an overnight success, overtime, you will get results. Most of all, your body will thank you and will reward you with many consistent years of training and racing. To maintain your durability, your training plan must be specific to your fitness and should allow for slow development, building a solid foundation, optimizing recovery and adaptation to your every day stressors.

There's only so much time and energy that you can dedicate to training. Put your time, focus and energy into the right strategies to foster athletic success. Do you need to be lean and fast in order to hold a sustainable effort for 5-17 hours on race day? Take a moment and ask yourself if you are trying to rush the training process, skipping steps and/or putting your energy into the wrong methods of becoming race ready.

Neglecting to build a durable, robust and resilient body will place you at risk for injury, sickness and burnout. If this is happening to you, you need to break the cycle and start building a strong body.It takes time to create a strong body structure (ex. bones, ligaments, tissues, tendons, etc.) to withstand repeated load. Avoid signing up for a long distance race just because you identify with being an endurance athlete or you feel like it's the popular thing to do.

To be a successful endurance athlete, you need to be healthy. Make sure you are taking the time to build a body that can help you stand up to the demands of your sport. Strong and durable trumps lean and fast when your sport demands resilience - both mental and physical.

The birthday ride

My birthday typical falls on a race weekend. For the past few years, I've participated in Ironman 70.3 Blue Ridge a few days after my birthday. This year, with no races planned, I wanted to do a long ride to celebrate another year of life. Of course, I had to swim on my birthday (as it is my favorite sport) so I started off my birthday weekend with a 4600 meter swim with our masters group at Westside Aquatic Center. 

I have a great group of cycling friends but sadly, several of them had other plans this weekend (like cycling 200 miles from Spartenburg to Beufort - talk about like-minded friends) but Garrett and Alvi were in town and agreed to ride with me and Karel for a birthday ride. 

Garrett is the master of planning epic cycling routes so I told him to come up with a route that included a lot of climbing in the mountains and great views. 

The route including Ceasar's Head, Sassafras, Table Rock Overlook and Paris Mountain. We wanted to include Pretty Place but it was closed for an event. 

We left around 7:30am and didn't return home until after 2:30pm. It was the perfect day. 

101 miles, 10600 feet of elevation gain, four climbs conquered (Caesars Head, Sassafras’s back side, table rock overlook and Paris Mountain) and 6:22 hrs of laughs, smiles, and amazing views.

A few notable moments during this ride.....

• I had a huge PR up the 6.31 mile (1988 feet) climb up Ceasar's Head. We didn't plan on going hard but when I get to a long climb, I can't help myself but to go as strong as I can up to the top. Karel started off with a steady pace and for the first 2 miles, I felt like this was going to be a PR for me. We just did 2 times up Ceasar's Head on Wednesday during our mid week longish ride and I had a PR of 40 minutes and a few seconds. I felt like I could go under 40 during this ride as the weather was a little cooler and I was fueled by my birthday carrot cake. My legs felt amazing and I kept saying to myself in my head "If you want something you've never had, you have to do something you've never done." There were a few times when I questionned if I could hold the pace behind Karel's wheel but for the most part he paced it really well and after riding it so many times during the past week, he knew where we could pick up time. We didn't even talk about going for a PR today but it just felt right. I went 36:16!! I was in shock. A 4 minute PR at 42 years old. 
• Karel and I have ridden most of this route a few times and it was really cool to feel how much my skills and fitness has improved on the bike. Certain descends were no longer scary and certain climbs were not as intimidating. 
• This was one of those rides where I felt amazing all day. These workouts don't come often or easily. On Wednesday I felt super sluggish and tired. I fueled really well (I went through 6 bottles, the first 4 each had 80g carbs from Infinit Fructose, the fifth bottle had 60g carbs from Never Second C30 Berry ad the last bottle had 50g carbs from Sword. I nibbled on a Clif Bar throughout the ride and had PB and honey crackers from the gas station around 4.5 hours. My energy level was constant and my legs felt relatively fresh throughout the entire 101 miles. 
• At 5:36 and 91.3 miles into the ride, we could have made a left turn into our neighborhood. Instead, we turned right and rode toward Furman to top off one bottle before one last climb up Paris Mountain (2.18 miles) up Paris Mountain. It would have been so easy to just go home and call it a day but when you have a mission and accountability from others, you finish what you planned. 
• I love riding my bike and I am so thankful to Karel for sharing his passion for cycling with me. When we met almost 18 years ago, I was scare to ride a bike. I had no skills or fitness. It wasn't until we moved to Greenville in 2014 that I was forced (by our terrain) to improve my skills and to get stronger. We have a great cycling community which makes it easy (and fun) to ride outside. We also have several different group ride options (and events) which gives me so many different opportunities to continue to improve on the bike. My birthday ride was a lot of fun. Garrett, Alvi and Karel made it so much fun and I laughed so hard it hurt.  
• And after the ride, I ran my favorite loop, which took me ~51 minutes (~6 miles). Thank you body. 
  
  It was a great birthday. I'm looking forward to a great year ahead. 

42 years old

 

42 🎂

Some may view this age as just another year of life, but the number 42 has great symbolic significance.

The number 42 is believed to represent balance, positivity, harmony and adaptability. The number carries with it spiritual growth and personal development.

The number 42 is seen as a transformative number that can bring about significant changes in your life. It suggests that embracing change and letting go of the past can foster growth and lead to positive outcomes.

As I enter my 42nd year of life, I am mindful of the little reminders that have shaped me to be who I am today….
🌟do the things you love
🌟find your tribe
🌟travel and immerse yourself in different cultures
🌟don’t be afraid to fail
🌟step out of your comfort zone
🌟laugh and smile, a lot
🌟be kind
🌟you are enough
🌟respect your body
🌟help those in need
🌟pizza is a balanced meal ☺️

And thank you Karel for getting me the most delicious carrot cake Bundt cake. 🍰

Memorable moments from the past 12 months....

June - BWR NC in Hendersonville, NC - my longest gravel ride (131 miles), longest time on a bike (12:21 hrs) and the most elevation gained on a gravel bike (14,692 feet)


July - XTRI Canadaman in Lac Megantic, Canada, my first XTRI event, first time starting a race at 4am, first time swimming in the dark.

July - High Cascades 100 in Bend, Oregon - Longest time on a mountain bike (9:53), most miles covered on a MTB (106 miles), most elevation gained on a MTB (9,848)


August - Breck Epic "traincation" - Karel completing the 6 stage MTB Breck Epic event at Breckenridge (~9,600 feet) and I completed several long rides (planned and mapped out), all by myself. 

September - XTRI ICON in Livigno, Italy- Surviving the most difficult triathlon of my life. 32 degree air temperature at the race start (5am), water temp 53 degrees. 123 mile bike - 9:24:59 (9:12.12 riding time)15276 feet elevation gain, 5 mountain passes. 25.5 mile run - 5:36 (4311 feet). So grateful for Karel and his help (along with Honza).

September - Ironman Chattanooga - Karel going 8:59 in an Ironman, a day after he turned 47! 

October - Campy turned 16! 

November - Ironman Cozumel Ironman Cozumel - Supporting our athletes at Ironman Cozumel and enjoying my new Cervelo Tri bike.Cervelo Tri bike.

December - Clash Daytona - Finishing 2nd overall female at Clash Daytona USA Triathlon Long Course National Championship. 

Jan - Girls trip to Austin, Texas

Feb - First visit to London

 

Feb - spending 2.5 weeks in South Africa to participate in Xterra South Africa and 4-stage MTB PE Plett.

March - Gravel Skills Camp and racing Southeast Gravel Greenwood (in the rain)

April - Karel went to Paris Roubaix and participated in the EF education coaching camp

April - Early Season Training camp in Greenville, SC

May - racing 3 races in 15 days
Whitewater Off road Triathlon 
Gulf Coast 70.3
Xterra Oak Mountain

May - ten years without my dad

Mental Health And Your Relationship With Food

You can probably think of a time in your life when you had an incredible meal or dessert. Perhaps it was on your birthday, during a vacation or for a holiday. This meal was so delicious that you felt a physical sense of happiness and joy. To this day, you can't help but smile and feel your mouth water as you think back to that special occassion.  For me, that meal is carrot cake. I love carrot cake. And in a few days (May 31st), I will enjoy a big slice of this spicy and moist cake as it's my favorite way to celebrate my birthday.  Although I can enjoy carrot cake any day of the year, this is a special yearly tradition that started when my dear friend Laura made me a delicious carrot cake for my birthday back in 2009.  Food is a necessity for life. Although I can live without carrot cake, humans can't live without food.  For any individual who is living with disordered eating habits, you may find that certain foods do not bring you joy, but instead, bring you great feelings of anxiety and stress.  Extreme focus, fear or worry about food and calories can bring on great emotional distress. Attempting to follow a 'perfect' diet can cause someone to become rigid and inflexible about food. This may bring on guilt and shame when certain foods are consumed. Ultimately, disordered eating patterns can impact physical health and mental well-being.  Unless you have a food allergy or intolerance to a certain food, eating should always remain a source of pleasure, not panic. By improving your relationship with food, you may find yourself more at ease in social settings, during holidays and events, when traveling and while eating out.  Viewing foods as "good" or "bad" may seem harmless but this language has a direct impact on how you feel about yourself. In other words, you are assigning a moral value to food which means when you eat a "good" food (like a vegetable) you feel good about yourself but if you eat a "bad" food (like cake) you feel bad about yourself. Transferring labels onto food means you are putting labels on self-worth, which can create shame and guilt - further affecting how and what you eat. The reality is unless you have a medical reason to avoid creatin foods, enjoying french fries or a slice of carrot cake will not make you a bad - or unhealthy - person.  To help you feel more at peace with food, remain open-minded with your food related decisions. Relaxed and mindful eating doesn't mean you are letting yourself go but it's the opposite - you are listening to your body and eating without judgement, punishment or to compensate (earn and burn).  Food doesn't only exist for fuel and nourishment but it is also for pleasure and to satisfy your hunger. Give yourself freedom and flexibility with your food choices. While it's ok to have a preferred style of eating, allowing yourself variety during special occasions (birthday) and during unique circumstances (ex. travel) is part of being human.

10 years without my dad

Karel and I had moved from Jacksonville, FL to Greenville, SC. in early May of 2014 and my parents were planning to move from New Port Richey, FL to Greenville in the fall. I remember talking to my dad on the phone the day before he suddenly stopped breathing in the hospital. I told him how much I was loving Greenville, SC. It was memorial weekend and I climbed Cesar's Head for the first time on my tri bike (6 mile climb). I was so excited to tell him what I did. We also went to Lake Jocassee to swim and run and I couldn't wait for him to see the  pictures from our weekend. 

After 10 months of a heroic and challenging fight with a rare cancer, my dad lost his battle. On May 28th, 2014, my dad was taken off life support in a Tampa hospital. The last 24 hours of my dad's life replays in my mind every year on May 28th.

The next few months were incredibly challenging. My life had suddenly changed in the most tragic way. Learning how to live life without my dad seemed nearly impossible. He was no longer a phone call away when I had a question, needed advice or wanted to share exciting news. 

At 31 years old, I never imaged I would have to live the next ten years of my life without my dad. 

Every anniversary since his passing has been a day full of sadness, wishing he was still alive. With the heartache of his passing is remembering the funny, kind, helpful, caring and smart man that was my dad. 

As I think about the last ten years, I am sad for all that he has missed. It's crazy to think how much this world has changed since he passed away. My dad loved electronics and cars - if he could only see what those industries look like today. My dad ran 3 miles everyday. He was very active and loved being outside. I wonder what type of activities he would enjoy if he was living here in Greenville with my mom. 

There have been so many instances when I would think to myself "I wish dad was here."

I wish he could help me with house projects and landscaping ideas. He was so crafty and creative and could fix anything. Everyone who met my dad liked him. My dad was a great man. He had a way of making a difference in the life of others just by being in his presence. 

Grief is a process. When you lose someone that you love, it permanently changes you. 

I feel so grateful and happy in life right now and I also find myself missing my dad more intensely than ever. With every milestone or adventure I feel sad that he is not here to share and enjoy it with me.

When my dad passed away, I was given the most difficult challenge of my life - to live life without my dad. Although my dad may not know it today, his passing taught me how to be brave. I am not afraid to fail. I am not afraid to try new things. I am not afraid to feel vulnerable. I am not afraid to ask for help. I am not afraid to admit when I am wrong. I am not afraid to struggle. I am not afraid to move forward in life, despite the uncertainty. 

My life has changed so much since my dad passed away. With my 42nd birthday approaching in three days, I think back to the past ten years which have been filled with adventure, travel, success, setbacks and first-time experiences. I wish my dad could see the now me but all I have is memories of us together in my first 31 years of life. However, I know that I am who I am today because of my dad my life and because he passed away.

Blogs about my dad: 
Happy Birthday dad (2008)
Living in Greenville, a dream come true
Celebrating more than 32 years of life
One year ago
Finding the right words this Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving feels different and that's ok
Miss you dad
Dear Dad
Father's Day tribute to my dad
Dad's 73rd birthday
Dad's 75th birthday
Dad's 76th birthday

DIY Post Workout Rehydrating Beverages

Exercising in the heat is very stressful for your body.

In warmer temperature environments, a significant amount of blood is redirected from the working muscles to the skin in order to cool the body. Cooling (which is very important to your organs as you don't want to overheat!) happens from sweating and evaporation. As you sweat, less blood is available to transport oxygen to the working muscles. This would be similar to what your body experiences when training at altitude. But in humid conditions, the air is full of water vapor and it can't hold any more water so sweat has a difficult time evaporating (which means it can't act as a cooling mechanism like it would in low humidity).

As a result, you are more likely to experience dehydration. When you are dehydrated, you lose blood volume which causes your blood to get thicker. This makes it harder for your heart to supply blood to your muscles. As a result, your heart has to work even harder to pump that blood (resulting in an elevated heart rate). Additionally, when fluid levels drop, you have a harder time controlling body temperature which causes the core temperature to rise even faster.

Although you are losing sodium when you sweat, you do not lose sodium without losing water. Dehydration comes from fluid and sodium loss - not directly from sodium loss. You must drink enough of a well-formulated sport drink (each hour) to properly keep yourself hydrated during your training session.

The bottom line is that the harder you work in the heat, the more heat is generated from the working muscles. Blood in your body competes for the working muscles (energy), the skin (to cool you) and the gut (aid in absorption and digestion of calories). The greater the metabolic heat production, the more energy is needed to cool the body (top priority to prevent you from overheating) - which means more stress on the cardiovascular system. Heat stress also causes an increase in fluid, electrolyte and glycogen loss (which is why pacing is critical) but the heat impacts the ability to effectively digest and absorb calories and fluids. Thus the greater risk of GI issues in higher heat environments.

Even if you do an excellent job hydrating during your workout (aka consuming a well-formulated sport drink) you will still experience some (or a lot) dehydration. As a result, your blood volume (volume of blood, specifically plasma and red blood cells) and total body water decreased. Conversely, sodium content in blood increases.

Although you may crave plain water, drinking plain water after a sweaty workout session may quench your thirst but it's not hydrating you. Instead, you are diluting your blood before blood volume has returned to normal values. The end result is that you will urinate a great amount of diluted urine (to bring the concentration of blood to a normal level) but you are not rehydrating yourself.

To help optimize rehydration after a hot and sweaty workout, consider the following DIY rehydration beverages.

'24 Xterra Oak Mountain Race Recap

 

Greenville crew

The last race in our 3-week (15 day) racing block was Xterra Oak Mountain. For several years, we always dedicated this weekend to IM 70.3 Chattanooga (one of our favorite events) but with Xterra Oak Mountain being the same weekend, we went to Pelham, Alabama instead. Karel participated in Xterra Oak Mountain in 2021 (his first off-road triathlon) and in 2022 they didn't have the event. In 2023 we both participated (my 4th Xterra event) and I placed overall female amateur. When Xterra announced that Oak Mountain would be the home of the North American Championship, we knew that we couldn't miss this event. We love the trails at oak mountain, as well as the lake. It's a place that makes us super happy. The trails are proper mountain bike trails with rock gardens, technical turns, roots, climbs and descends but the trails are also nicely made with good rhythm and flow. 

As for training going into Xterra, we had intentions of riding our mountain bikes on Tuesday and Wednesday but it rained both days. On Monday we did a morning swim (3200) and an evening easy spin on the Swamp rabbit trail (1:06, 17 miles). We swam again on Tuesday (3650) and in the early evening I did a "system check" workout on Rouvy (1 hour) and followed it up with a feel good brick run (25 minutes, 3 miles). My legs felt surprisingly good just three days after Gulf Coast 70.3. Karel's legs were feeling heavy and he was not sleeping so great so he was careful not to overdo it in the bridge between Gulf Coast and Xtera. On Wed morning I did a 6.73 mile, 53 min run with a main set of 4 x 6 min tempo efforts w/ 90 sec EZ between. Again, my legs felt really good. I just got the Saucony Endorphin Pro at Run In and I really like them (I wore them at Gulf Coast 70.3). My other (and long time) favorite shoe is the New Balance Fuel Cell. In the evening I rode the trainer for an hour and did a mix of big gear and high cadence intervals to keep the legs sharp.

On Thursday we left our house around 8:30am to make our 5 hour drive to Pelham (we gained an hour) and arrived a little before 1pm. We paid $5/person to enter Oak Mountain State Park and when we arrived we noticed several professional Xterra athletes as well as professional triathlete Eric Lagerstrom.  

After we changed, we went out on the bike course and rode the 21-mile bike course (~1650 feet elevation gain). We rode easy and took note of certain sections of the course that may be difficult on race day. The weather was predicted to be 100% heavy rain on Fri and Sat which made me nervous about a repeat of Whitewater off-road triathlon where I had a lot of falls due to the slippery roots and tight turns. It took us ~2:17 to ride the course (~8.4 mph). I had a lot of difficulty in the tight turns and a few rooty sections as I felt like I had no confidence or skills. Karel helped me through these tough moments and as the ride went on, I felt better and better. When we got to blood rock (the most technical part of the course) we spent a little time looking at the trails to study the best line, even though I knew I wouldn't be riding all the way down blood rock. Karel didn't feel comfortable riding it all in training as we didn't spent a lot of time sectioning it. After blood rock, there is a super rocky downhill and then my favorite part of the course, Jekyll and Hyde. It's super flowy and covered in pine needles. I was really happy that we rode the entire course because I forgot about two drops that require the proper line choice so I was glad that we experienced that in our recon. 

After the ride, we went for an open water swim in one of my favorite lakes. I love how clean the water is and the water temperature is perfect.  Karel wore his short sleeve swimskin for the first loop (which he said felt really restrictive on his shoulders) and I wore my swimsuit. We swam two loops in 25 minutes (~1700 yards, 1:30 pace). We finished our swim a little before 5pm and I ordered Chiptole to be delivered to our hotel (Sleep Inn). We unloaded the car into our hotel room, ate dinner and worked on the computer until we were ready to go to sleep around 9pm. 

We expected rain all day on Friday but the radar was looking like the rain would hold off so we went to the park around 9am so that we could ride the first few miles of the course again. I felt so much better than on Thursday. After our ~30 min recon ride (4.3 miles) I went for a 10 min, 1 mile EZ run on the trails and Karel went for a 33 min (3.66 mile) shake out run with his friend Darren. Our athlete Danielle joined us for the bike. Although it was cloudy, it was very humid. We made a quick stop at Publix grocery before heading back to our hotel. 

We returned to the park at 2pm to pick up our packet and to meet up with our athletes who were racing for a course chat. Thankfully no rain all day which was great. We were excited for our athletes and team members who were participating in their first off-road triathlon. 

In addition to working on the computer all day, we got our things ready for the race, filled up our hydration packs and run bottle and went to bed around 8pm for a good night of sleep. 

With a 8:30am start, we didn't have a super early alarm. We woke up around 5:30am and ate around 6am. I had a bagel w/ PB and honey and Karel had oatmeal and OJ. We also each had a cup of coffee (Karel brought his aeropress). We did some foam rolling in the room and Karel went for a short jog. We left the hotel at 7am and drove the 2 miles to the race venue. There was a line to get into the park but it went by quick as there were two rows. We paid our $10 to enter. and parked around 7:15am. 

With ~400 athletes in the full and sprint distance, parking was easy. We found a spot on the racks for our bikes (first come, first serve) and set up our transition area. We picked up our chips and swim cap and spent the next hour getting ready for the race start. I watched our athletes in the swim for the sprint race (which started at 8am) and then put on my wetsuit (water was 75 degrees according to the officials but it felt warmer) to go for a warmup swim. I spent ~20 min in the water warming up, which I feel is one of the reasons why I am able to swim so well at this venue (or anytime I can do a swim warm-up before the race start). Karel also did a swim warmup. I watched the pros start at 8:35am and then we got ready for our start after the pros started their 2nd swim lap. I had a Never Second gel around 20 min before the start. Karel's wave started at 8:51 (49 and under males) and my wave (everyone else) started at 8:52am. 

I positioned myself in the front and to the far left and I was able to take out fast when we started. I had clean water for most of the race as I was able to swim past many of the guys who started in front of us. I went out really hard and tried to hold this pace until the 2nd turn buoy. I was able to settle into a strong rhythm for the rest of the loop and when I got out of the water to start the second loop, I was 2nd in my wave. I continued to pass the guys ahead of me and felt strong the entire swim. Sighting was easy in the lake. I wore my Roka goggles with a light tint. 

As I got out of the water, I saw Karel right in front of me. He said he felt good in the water but his perceived effort didn't match how he was swimming. He felt like he was swimming strong but he felt like he wasn't able to move up in the pack or pass other athletes around him. 

We ran to the transition and I gave Karel a big cheer. We racked our bikes on the same rack row but several bikes down and we both left transition around the same time.  

SWIM
Marni - 23:26
Karel: 24:21

T1
Marni: 1:50
Karel: 1:51

When we got on our bikes, I tighted my shoes (which I put on in transition with my socks, along with my helmet, sunglasses and USWE hydration pack) and then started working to keep my lead on the swim. I was first female out of the water but I wasn't sure how long this lead would last. 

The course can be broken down into 4 sections. 
The first section is a few miles and very twisty, tight and up and down. True single track. Karel has fallen in this section twice (last two times he raced here) as it's easy to ride too fast and take the turns too quick. My goal was to ride controlled and to make sure I kept my hands light and moved my body to offset my weight in the turns. I was passed by a few guys but everyone was very nice when passing. I would move over and let them pass. 
The second section is a ~3 mile climb on a jeep road. However, it's rocky and has a few dips. I locked my front suspension on this section and rode as strong as I could up the climb. My legs felt really heavy but I kept on pushing for ~18 minutes. When I got to the top, I looked behind and didn't see anyone. The next few miles were back on single track and a little more rocky but flowy. 
The third section is Blood Rock - which is the most difficult part of the course. I rode 1/2 of it and then got off my bike and walked the rest. Two guys passed me in this section but otherwise, I had been riding by myself for well over 20 minutes. 
The fourth section is my favorite - the last hour is so much fun. I didn't want it to end. I did have one spill where I took a tight left turn a little too fast and my weight was to much in the inside and I washed out but I got back up right away. I finished the ride with 2 other guys and they were really nice, letting me stay ahead even though they were better with their skills. I was really happy with my bike as I rode 5 minutes faster than last year. 
Karel felt like his fitness and skills were good but his hand cramped neart the top of the jeep road climb and he had to spend a few minutes unlocking his fingers so that he could hold the bar (and brake) before Blood Rock. This is a common issue for Karel in his wrist where he had surgery (and now has a plate in it). Karel was planning to ride the entire blood rock section but the guy in front of him (who he had passed on the climb but passed him as he was fixing his hand) got stuck on blood rock which caused Karel to get off  his bike. No biggie. Just a quick run down with the bike. 
I filled by USWE pack with 1 bottle + 3/4 bottle, each with 1.5 scoops INFNIT Fructose (~70g carbs per bottle). Karel filled his pack with 1.5 bottles (~37 ounces) of Maurten 320. 

BIKE
Marni - 1:50.35 (10.9 mph)
Karel - 1:38.30 (12.3 mph)

I was having so much fun on the bike that I didn't want it to end. I was careful in the final 2 miles as it was a tight and twisty single track section and I didn't want to crash. I was still leading the female race (I passed one female pro) and I wasn't sure how big my lead was so I needed to keep pushing it until T2. 

I heard some cheers from our athletes who raced the sprint which made me smile. I couldn't wait to hear about their race. I had a quick transition, put on my New Balance Fuel Cell shoes and grabbed my bag of my stuff to put on as I was running (flask in back tri kit pocket, bib number belt and hat). It was warm and humid but I was happy with the weather. 

T2
Marni -:40
Karel - :44

Karel and I don't wear gloves in most Xterra races (if it was raining or cold we would) and we have recently been running on less technical trails in our old New Balance shoes (road shoes). Karel actually wore his new New Balance Fuel Cell shoes for this race. It's a rooty up and down run but not too technical that you need a lot of grip. We were both planning to wear our trail shoes if it was wet/rainy. 

I really pushed myself on the run from the start on the road. I love bumpy trail runs and I couldn't wait to get into the trails. It was hard to push myself and not know how far my lead was. And after the first mile, I was all by myself for the rest of the run. I really pushed myself and had several moments where I thought "wow - 6 miles is loooong." I sipped my flask (1 scoop, 120 calories Never Second) throughout the run when I could get my HR lower on the downhills and I grabbed water at all three aid stations to sip and cool myself. 

Karel felt good to start the run and he was excited for the trails but as soon as he stepped foot on the trails, his legs felt very heavy and tired. He really struggled on the run but he never gave up. 

Run
Marni - 50:33
Karel - 47:34

RESULTS
Marni: 3:07, Overall female amateur 
Karel: 2:53.02, 1st AG

I crossed the line with relief as I gave it everything I could for the entire race. I felt very accomplished and I had so much fun. I was listening to a podcast during our drive and they mentioned that it's hard to have fun when racing because it hurts so much. Although off-road racing does hurt (it's challenging!) it is so much fun to race in the woods. You are in nature and it almost feels like you are playing. I ended up winning the overall title by 11 minutes. 

Karel and I received jerseys as North American champions. We each received a slot to Xterra World Championship in Molveno Italy but we won't be going this year due to our other planned races. 

We chatted with our friends and athletes and took a dip in the lake to "clean up." After the awards we changed and hit the road so we could return home to our furry crew. 

It was a fun and exciting racing block. Now time to recover and get ready for our next training block as we get ready for our upcoming XTRI events. 

'24 IM 70.3 Gulf Coast Race Recap

IM 70.3 Gulf Coast.

Marni: 4:40.18, 2nd AG (40-44), 4th overall female.

Karel:: 4:18.04, 1st AG (45-49), 15th overall.

There were a lot of great takeaways from this race......

Although it's fun to go fast, I prefer hard, hilly and technical bike and run courses.

I love three loop run courses!

The training that I need to do to stay mentally and physically healthy and happy right now in my life is very different than the training I used to do to be mentally and physically ready to compete in the 70.3 distance. I've never considered myself great at the 70.3 distance but I'm happy that I can still be competitive without specific 70.3 training.

I love competition! I ran the first loop as the lead female. I was passed in the 2nd loop by the eventual overall winner (Samantha Skold - who was so fast and strong!) I then got complacent. My friend Jen Sylva passed me with a few miles left in the run and she encouraged me to run with her. I wasn't able to match her pace but thanks to her encouragement miles 10, 11, 12, and 13 were my fastest ever in a 70.3 run. She gave me an extra gear that I didn't know that I had. Thanks Jen! 

I'm very thankful to my body for staying healthy and injury free for the past five years. That's a lot of consistent training over the years and I never take a training session (or race) for granted.

Karel went into this race with a lot of niggles. His "no expectations" mindset allowed him to put together one of his best runs off the bike in a 70.3 in a very long time.

We love racing with our athletes. We had 17 athletes racing and it was great to see so many familiar faces on the race course.

I forgot how much I love ocean swimming and the unpredictability of open water.

We rarely seek out flat race courses but after watching the 2023 pro coverage of 70.3 Gulf Coast, I really liked seeing the spectator friendly, 3 loop run and the entertaining bike course. We decided to make Gulf Coast a team race and we ended up having 17 Trimarni athletes and team members at the event. 

We traveled on Wednesday and made the long 9-ish hour drive to Panama City Beach. Thankfully we gained an hour, which got us to our Airbnb around 3pm central time. We stayed in a nice Airbnb a mile from the race venue. Although the condos at the resort and along the water were appealing, I didn't want to mess with elevators and lugging all of our stuff up and down. After unloading the car, I went for a swim at the local aquatic center (~$10 entry fee) and it felt so good to be non weight bearing after such a long drive. We split up the driving but I did most of it because Karel's back has been giving him a lot of issues and his right leg goes numb when he sits (and drives) for long periods of time. I swam 2700 and when I finish, I saw our athletes Angela and Kevin at the pool. After my swim, I picked up Chipotle for dinner (pre ordered at the pool for pick up) and then made a quick stop at Publix for a few groceries. 

On Thursday we ventured down to the ocean with red flags on the beach. The water was very choppy with big breakers. Karel learned how to get through the breakers by diving under the waves, grabbing the sand and holding on until the breaker passes. He learned this at Xterra Maui in 2021. I really struggled in the water and it took me 3 different attempts to get past the breakers. I was most worried about getting stung by jellyfish since I have a bad reaction to stings but thankfully all was ok. Karel wore his swimskin and I just wore my bathing suit. 

After our "swim" - if you were to call it that - we drove back to our Airbnb, had a quick snack and then drove to the aquatic center to start our bike workout. We biked on the cycling path to the main hwy and then rode the cycling path (parallel to the hwy) until we got to the bridge. We then got on the main road and rode over the bridge on the race course. We rode almost 20 miles and it was fast going out and windy and slow coming back. When we returned back to the Airbnb, I went for an easy 4.8 mile run on the race course (1 loop + a little extra). Around 2pm we got our registration packet at the Edgewater conference center (across from the transition area). The line moved really quickly and the volunteers were very nice. 

In the evening we had our team pizza party at our Airbnb and course talk following. 

It stormed throughout Thursday night and we woke up to wet and debris-filled roads. We waited a little to let the ground dry but then rain was predicted. I really wanted to get on my bike Alvi and I got out around 9am for a 18 mile ride on the course (I wanted to see part of the back part of the course). We got rained on and there was a lot of sand on the road. When I returned home, Karel took my part completely apart so that he could fully clean it. Karel went for a run in the morning. We dropped off our bikes in the transition area around 2pm and then rested for the rest of the day (and carbo-loaded). My typical carb loading strategy is as follows: 
-2 waffles + syrup + yogurt + PB before workout
-~120 calories sport drink during workout
-Glass of milk post workout
-Eggs + bagel + PB and banana for breakfast
-Pasta + marinara and veggie burger for lunch
-Poptart (2) for snack w/ yogurt
-Soup + rice for dinner 

We went to bed around 7pm and slept ok. Karel slept better than I did. I tossed and turned as our pet sitter told me on Friday that Campy was having a bad day with his dementia and that had me really worried. But thankfull all is ok now. 

With the 5:40am race start, we woke up at 3:15am. We left the house around 4:15am to drive to the shopping center parking lot (~1/2 mile away) to park and then walk to the transition area behind the Edgewater resort. We still hadn't heard if the swim was happening or if it was non wetsuit legal. We later heard it was happening and not wetsuit legal. 

After setting up our stuff in the transition area, we walked to the ocean behind the resort. I wish I would have arrived earlier than 5:20am as it was really crowded and I really didn't get a good look at the ocean before I was in the corral for the race start near the front. 

For the rest of our race recap, you can check out our video report HERE.

Photo:Brittany 

Photo:Brittany 

Photo:Brittany 

We slept ok after the race and around 7am on Sunday (after packing up the car), we made our long 9+ hour drive home. 

Karel and I did not specifically train for this race. It felt really good to be able to race well enough to be competitive despite not having this race as our primary focus in this early season racing block. Our big focus this year is on XTRI events. Karel will be participating in his first XTRI event in Italy in late June and I will be participating in Norseman (the XTRI World Championship) in August. To keep the winter training fresh and fun, we do a lot of off-road training (trail running, mountain biking, gravel biking). This helps keep us mentally and physically healthy. Although the training isn't conventional, it keeps us enjoying triathlon at this stage in our triathlon journey. 

Race weight, body image and performance (podcast)

In today’s culture, we are bombarded with artificially-produced, highly edited imagines of flawlessly sculpted bodies. As a result, achieving the “perfect” body has become the dominant measure of self-worth. Thinness has become a symbol of power, moral superiority, and even a measure of fitness/wellness. We have been taught that we can assume someone’s health status based on how they look or their weight. Weight stigma and anti-fat biases continue to strengthen these harmful beliefs. For example, how many times have you praised a friend or family member for losing weight? Are you more likely to follow health, diet and fitness advice from a fitness influencer who is lean or defined than one who may not have an “ideal” body? Has a doctor ever told you that losing weight will improve your health? Society has very strong views on how we should look, which impacts our thoughts about ourselves, which can then influence our food and exercise behaviors.

Poor body image is often linked to dieting, over-exercising and eating disorders, as well as the development of other mental health issues such low self-esteem, depression and anxiety.
Not all athletes who want to change their eating do so because they are dissatisfied with their body but because our society places a huge emphasis on appearance, many disciplined and dedicated athletes are vulnerable to the effects of diet culture. Athletes will often focus more on what the body looks like, rather than how it functions. Athletes want to feel included and accepted and constant exposure to idealized images of what an athlete’s body should look can bring on comparison and pressure to achieve a specific type of body, size or weight. Even when an athlete has good intentions to eat better for health or performance, unrealistic body standards and comments about weight and performance may increase body dissatisfaction and bring on unhealthy behaviors to lose weight. And when an athlete is told by a coach to lose weight, the athlete is likely to turn to a variety of restrictive eating habits set forth by diet culture.

When you feel dissatisfied with your body, it's typical to channel insecurities and body dissatisfaction through dieting as a way to gain control over uncomfortable feelings. But a safer - and more long-lasting approach - is through developing a better relationship with your body. Building a positive body image can counteract the negative stream of images and messages that you are constantly encouraged to compare yourself to.

Be smaller. Be lighter.

For our entire lives those messages have been drilled into us from every angle, including very often from those in our sports. 

We hear we need to be at “race weight.” 

We’re shown “idealized” images of what female athletes “should” look like.

It’s all incredibly damaging, especially as we hit menopause and midlife and our bodies start to change. It’s also based on BS. Women with cellulite and extra body fat win races. Women who are well-fueled outperform those who are not. There is no one magic number on the scale or body fat percentage that makes us a success. All the destructive messages that make us hate our bodies feed the diet culture machine. T

Check out my recent podcast interview with Selene at Feisty Menopause to dismantle that machine and help you find body peace, so you don’t spend the next chapters of your life in an endless war with yourself. 

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

Body Acceptance

Photo credit: Brittany Bevis

What do you think about your body when.... Standing on the podium in first place, yet you feel "too fat." Achieving a personal best time, yet your legs/butt feels "too big." Doubting your abilities because your stomach feels "too heavy." Blaming your subpar performance on your weight.  Lacking self confidence because you don't look like other athletes. In each of these scenarios is an athlete who believes one of two things: That looking differently will improve athletic success or a current look is the reason for lack of athletic success. Despite putting in the training and being physically prepared for an event, actual acceptance of one-self can be a major athletic limiter. Inside, you have internalized feelings of being inadequate because of a look, a comparison or an assumption. Poor body image can wreak havoc on performance, physical health and mental well-being. There are great consequences to trying to conform to rigid societal ideals. Underfueling, skipping meals, restricting carbohydrates, eliminating certain foods groups and ignoring body hunger cues are some of the many unhealthy dieting and disordered eating strategies that athletes turn to when trying to achieve a specific body type ideal. Sadly, many of the above strategies are unhealthy (for the body and mind), yet encouraged by coaches, nutrition experts and the media as a means to an end to gain the competitive edge. Through the rise of social media and prejudgment statements from coaches/nutrition experts, the pressure to change how you look is almost inevitable. But that doesn't make it acceptable. Comparing your body to the body of another athlete can make you feel inadequate, unprepared and doubtful of your abilities. You may even assume that other athletes are more serious/successful than you because of their strict diets, body type and large social media following. Pressure around body type can be detrimental to health (physical and mental), confidence and most of all, love of sport. It's not uncommon for an athlete to slip down the road of dieting, disordered eating and body image obsession only to reduce longevity (and potential) in the sport that was once fun, enjoyable and health promoting. The way your body looks and the way your body moves/performance are not necessarily correlated. How you think your body should look to perform well may not match what your body really needs to look like to perform well. To escape the immense pressure to attain body image perfection, body positivity is critical. What you think about your body matters. Without it, confidence and self-esteem are destroyed. How can you believe in your abilities if you don't appreciate your body? To improve body image positivity, here are a few tips:  Every body is different. A look doesn't predict athletic success (or failure).  Always thank your body and appreciate what it can do.  Become more accepting of yourself. When you accept who and where you are, that's when change can occur. Mentally beating yourself up gets you nowhere.  Take control over your inner dialogue. Body image is closely linked to self-esteem.  Avoid a perfectionist mindset. Good enough is great.  Don't make comparisons or assumptions.  Remind yourself that in the world of social media, many people are presenting carefully selected images and posts of their lives, designed to look better than reality.  Break the habit of making excuses for yourself, being all or nothing or being highly critical of yourself.  Surround yourself with body positive advocates. Steer clear of people who make you feel bad about how you look.  Select your role models and influencers carefully.  A negative body image can be the start of an eating disorder, depression and anxiety. If you think you are suffering from a mental illness, don't be afraid to seek professional help. Brave athletes speak up and get help.  Learn to overpower negative thoughts with positive ones. Build your confidence with body positive affirmations and mantras. For example, workout because you love your body, not because you hate it. Wear clothing that makes you feel good about your body. Work with your body, not against it.  Be ok with change. Seeing your body change does not remove your great qualities and skills. Respect yourself. You must take care of your human self before your athlete self. Let your body know how much you care and appreciate it.

How to recover QUICKLY from a race

One race down, two to go. 
We just completed the Whitewater Triathlon and one week later, we will participate in Gulf Coast 70.3. Six days later, we will race Xterra Oak Mountain. 

Today we slept in and around 9am, we went for an easy ride. We left the house on our road bikes without a specific route in mind. We explored some different roads and made our way back to the house after around 2.5 hours. I ran an easy 38 minutes off the bike, listening to a podcast. 

Although there is no one specific guideline, rule or method to speed the recovery after an endurance event, I feel it's important to walk you through some of the factors that contribute to your recovery time after an endurance event, some of the mistakes that athletes make when recovering from an endurance event and a few strategies to help you get back to good health after an endurance event.

Why is race recovery important? 

When training for an event, you welcome (and need) intentional and residual training stress for proper peaking and then you need to provide the body with a taper, in order to reduce the psychological and physiological stressors of consistent training in order to optimize performance and enhance previous training adaptations. After a race, recovery is the time when the body returns to a normal state of health (physically and mentally), so that you can once again, consistently do high-quality training sessions with no residual fatigue from the last event.

Your body and mind go through a lot - physically, mentally, emotionally - to help you get to a race. Knowing how to properly recover from a race is a way of rewarding your body for all that hard work. But race recovery doesn't mean doing nothing and eating anything.

Many athletes make the mistake of training for one race at a time and not seeing the season as a progression of fitness from race to race. In other words, you can actually gain fitness from race to race, so long as you properly recover and continue with well-planned, structured training. Additionally, you may find that the more you race, the more experience you bring to the next race, allowing you to take smarter risks and dig a little deeper. Taking too long of a break between races may cause you to lose what you gained in previous training/racing. But if you rush back into structured training too soon, you may be at risk injury, sickness or becoming stale, tired and fatigued.

Factors affecting your race recovery

How fast or effectively you recover from an event depends on many factors. While it's good to have a plan for recovery after your race, listening to your body is key. Even within one season, your recovery may differ race to race - some races require a longer recovery time than others (physically and/or mentally).

• Distance of the event
• Athlete experience/fitness level/resiliency 
• Finishing time (time on the course)
• Racing intensity relative to distance
• Racing intensity relative to race priority/season planning
• Race preparation and ability (or lack thereof) to remain consistent to training
• Life stressors (family, travel, personal, work)
• Age
• Athletic ability/resilience
• Length of taper
• Health status leading up to the race
• Nerves/anxiety before the race
• Nutritional status leading up to the race
• Fueling/hydration execution during the race
• Pacing during the race
• Difficulty/ease of race course
• Environmental conditions on race day
• Terrain management on race day
• Type of course layout 
• Setbacks on race day (ex. dehydration, cramping, bonking, nausea/fatigue)
• Post race nutrition, including refueling and rehydration
• Post race sleep habits
• Post race stress
• Post race travel
• Timing of next race
• Mental state post race

Be mindful of the muscle, tendon, bone, joint, heart, organ and brain stress that occurs during an endurance event. Regardless of how your race went, respect your individual recovery process. 

Common mistakes made by athletes in the 72 hours post race
The 72 hours after an endurance event are crucial optimizing recovery. Poor sleep, dehydration, muscle and liver glycogen depletion, mental exhaustion and extreme muscle soreness/tissue damage along with any travel stressors will all affect recovery. Bouncing back too soon may negatively affect metabolic and hormonal health, central nervous system functioning and mood, not to mention lingering fatigue. In other words, if you rush the recovery, you may dig yourself into a hole that you can't get out of for several weeks, if not months - or the rest of the season. However, doing nothing may be just as bad as doing too much for active recovery can help speed up the recovery process. 

Avoid the following post race: 

• Using anti-inflammatories to reduce inflammation 
• Not executing a rehydration and refueling strategy in the 48 hours post race
• Not eating in the 12 hours post race
• Resuming "normal" training, despite being sleep deprived 
• Being too sedentary in the week after your race. 
• Rushinng back into intense training because a race didn't go as planned (ex. didn't PR, podium, etc.)
• Rushing back into intense training because you feel you need to prove something at your next race.
• Rushing back into training because you are worried about gaining weight.
• Rushing back to training because you don't know how to function in life without training
• You hate resting/recovery
• Training because your plan says so and ignoring signs that your body is too fragile/tired/weak/exhausted/sore to follow the structured workouts

Recovery tips
Here are a few suggestions to help you recover from a long distance event.

1. Give yourself two full days to fully rehydrate and refuel after the race. Understanding that it may take time for your appetite to return to normal, it's OK to eat what you crave but just be sure to eat and drink with a purpose to promote recovery. Not eating/drinking for 12 hours after a race is not good!
2. Avoid driving or flying in 4-8 hours after a race. Ideally, give yourself one extra night of rest before you are forced to sit for an extended period of time.
3. Avoid getting a massage in the 24 hours post race. Focus on daily mobility for the next 48-72 hours. Schedule a flushing massage at least 3+ days post race.
4. Skip the pills and focus on wholesome anti-inflammatory and gut-friendly foods like pineapple, fish, ginger and yogurt.
5. Wear compression post race. Graduated compression socks (and not calf sleeves) will help with blood flow, especially when driving/flying.
6. Use a safe,muscle relaxing cream (ex. we use Mg12) or Epson salt baths for tight/sore muscles after a race.
7. Avoid alcoholic beverages in the 48 hours post race.
8. Try to get yourself into a good sleep routine as soon as possible. It's suggested not to return back into structured training (or setting an alarm for an earl morning workout) until you can get a consistent 8 hours of good sleep.
9. Give yourself 2-3 days of no structured training and have fun moving your body with low-impact, non-weight bearing activity when it feels right. Avoid setting an early alarm for workouts or returning back to your structured training regime too quickly. There's plenty of time for that after you recover.
10. Since running is very corrosive on the body, it's advised to keep your runs short (ex. 15-40 minutes) and to lower the intensity when you return back to running. Every athlete is different so I will not make a recommendation when to begin running again post race so be mindful that most athletes can't heal damage tissues/muscles through running.
11. Understand that some body parts will recover faster than others but there could be deep damage inside you that you can't feel. Be careful with intensity in the 3-7 days post race.
12. If you can't keep good form during a workout, stop immediately. Poor/inefficient form is a sign that your body is not yet recovered and you could risk sickness or injury.
13. Have fun in the days after your race. While you may not need a complete break from training,  enjoy non-structured, lower intensity workouts and having a bit more free time in your day, as you slowly ease back into structured training before your next race. 

'24 Whitewater off-road triathlon recap

On Saturday 5/4 we kicked off the first race in our racing block:

💫Whitewater Off-Road Triathlon (Charlotte, NC)

💫Ironman 70.3 Gulf Coast (Panama City Beach, FL)

💫Xterra Oak Mountain (Pelham, Alabama)

Three races over three weeks.

We define a racing block as 2+ races within a 4-ish week time frame. Although we've completed racing blocks in the past, this race block approach is unique in that we have been training on three different bikes (road, TT, mountain bike) and running on road and trail. Preparing for events with different skills, terrain and physiological demands has been fun for us as it adds variety to training and keeps our body and mind sharp.

We love racing blocks as it is the culmination of several months of periodized training and intentional overload. Knowing that there won't be much "training" between each race, arriving to a racing block healthy, fit, strong and resilient is the goal.

Within each race of the racing block, we will recover quickly, sharpen and race again. This allows us to get familiar with the dynamics of racing: understanding race intensity, managing nerves/emotions, nailing sport nutrition, execution, perfecting transitions, stretching the comfort zone. After each race, the confidence and excitement builds for the next race.

After this racing block we will recover from three weeks of racing and then build into our next training block as we prepare for our XTRI events:

⭐Karel: 6/29 Stonebrixiaman (Italy)

⭐Marni: 8/3 Norseman (Norway)

We drove to the Whitewater Center around 9am. We got stuck in a little traffic and arrived a little after 11am. We quickly changed into our cycling gear and I rode the first few miles of the race course and Karel rode the last few miles. We regrouped at the parking lot at noon to meet with four athletes attending our MTB skills clinic. 

We started in the gravel parking lot, working on skills like stopping, balancing, cornering and "rowing." We then headed on to the race course. We spent the next few hours riding the race course and stopping at specific sections that required a certain skill set. Karel rode in the front and I rode in the middle to help call out advice for certain sections, like "seat down." 

We were really impressed with the skills of our campers as they showed great awareness and ability to make quick decisions. It was also a great opportunity for me to recon this course as the Whitewater Center trails are extremely technical. Although there are some challenging sections requiring a lot of power and skills, the most challenging part for me is the tight turns on roots and between trees. The single tracks are really narrow and filled with jagged rocks or roots. I have improved a lot with my ability to go over rocky and rooty sections but my struggle continues to be tight turns at faster speeds. 

After the ride, it started the drizzle and we finished the session around 4pm. We changed and waited around until packet-pickup at 5pm (they opened early so we were able to check in at 4:45pm). We drove ~20 min to our friend's house to stay for the night. Karel had sushi and mashed potatoes and I had leftover spaghetti w/ veggie meat sauce and mushrooms. We were both very tired so we went to sleep around 8pm and slept great throughout the night. 

We woke up at 4:50am, at our pre-race meal (bagel + PB and jam for me, oatmeal for Karel) and got ready for the race. We left around 5:55pm to drive the 20 min to the venue. It was wet outside from overnight rain and the forecast was showing heavy rain around 10am. 

Thankfully no rain when we arrived. This was a small event with first come first serve in the transition area. We set up our transition and then gathered our swim gear to make our way to the water. This race is unique in that there is a half mile run from the swim to T1 on a gravel path so it's advised to leave shoes by the water for after the swim. 

The race meeting was at 7:15am at the dock and the race started a little late, around 7:45pm. 
The water was fresh (around 67 degrees) but felt great after a short warmup. I have been experiencing some anxiety around open water swimming ever since ICON XTRI so this was a good opportunity to work through some of those negative thoughts. 

When the race started (in water start) I went strong for several minutes and then settled into a good rhythm. I was 3rd out of the water. I have been swimming a lot so I was really happy with how I felt in the water. There were two buoys for sighting (one on each far end of the out and back course). I climbed out of the swim via the dock ladder, ran to my shoes, took my wetsuit off and put my socks and running shoes on and ran up the big hill to the gravel road, carrying my wetsuit around my neck. I was able to get in and out of transition before Karel. 

On to the bike, I soft pedaled to let Karel get ahead of me as I knew he would pass me early on in the bike and the first part of the bike is a rooty downhill. 

I knew the bike course was going to be technical and slippery but I didn't realize how much my skills were lacking for this course on this day. My focus was riding smooth and clearing obstacles but I quickly learned that I needed to change my focus to navigating the terrain safely. After a few miles, I slipped on a root and my handlebar hit a tree and I went down hard on my left side. I got back up and several miles later, I felt again. The roots were so slippery, it felt like I was riding on ice. I was getting frustrated and also my confidence was dwindling. Karel also crashed on a wooden bridge (that didn't have any netting) and despite doing everything right that he was trying to do, he crashed and broke a spoke and also his shifter broke (thankfully it still worked but he had to hold it in a certain way to allow it to shift). 

I was passed by a female around half way on the bike. Her skills were incredible. I was trying to mimic what she was doing but I was still so unsteady and unsure. I was getting passed by more male riders and it got to a point where I would get off my bike to go over sections that I would normally have no trouble with, just because I was so worried about crashing. The truth is no matter how much I want to improve my turns, I don't ride my MTB enough to see a noticeable improvement in these skills. 

When I got off my bike and ran to T2, I was so relieved. It was raining and I was so ready to be off my bike on those trails. Because of all the slow riding and getting off the bike so many times, my legs felt relatively fresh for the run. From the first step, I felt great. 

I saw Karel as I was climbing up the road and he was running down the climb. I told him that I crashed so many times and he said that he did as well. It felt good to exchange this information. 

The rain was coming down and my goal was to run as strong as I could to see how close I could get to the 1st place girl. I really enjoyed the run. The up and down nature of this trail run made it so much fun. And with the rain coming down, it was like I was playing. I was really happy with how I felt on the run, especially on the slippery trails. 

After I crossed the finish line, the rain was coming down hard. Karel met me at the finish line and we quickly got our things, showered at the Whitewater center, loaded the car and then drove home. 

Results: 
Karel - 2:15.59, 2nd overall 
Marni - 2:45.32, 2nd overall female 

Mistakes are tough. Feeling your shortcomings can make you feel like you are a failure. But mistakes are needed in life. Anytime you try something for the first time or you are learning something new, you are going to make mistakes. This doesn't make you a loser or a bad person. Mistakes are opportunities to learn and to improve. Making mistakes shows that you are trying. Making mistakes and learning from those mistakes is part of the continuous learning process of being human. 

The next time you feel yourself struggling, ask yourself: 
-What am I struggling with? 
-Why do I feel this way? 
-What can I learn from this situation? 

In our society, flooded with highlight-reels on social media, it's easy to see a successful outcome and not see the work, struggles, setbacks and perseverance that were part of process of achieving success. Hardships are core to growth. The path to success included failure. Learning from your mistakes is key to self-improvement. 

Learn to fail. Own your mistakes. Never stop learning. 

Carb loading is not calorie loading

Carb loading is not an excuse to eat whatever you want in the days leading up to an event. Carb loading is a strategic method of consuming specific foods to help load muscle and liver glycogen stores.

Over the past 50 years, a significant amount of research has shown the important role of glycogen for delaying fatigue in athletes competing in endurance and ultra endurance events.

Glycogen is the storage form of carbohydrates. Glycogen is primarily stored primarily in the cells of the liver (~100g) and skeletal muscle (~500g). Skeletal muscles transform chemical energy to mechanical work. Glycogen is the body's predominant source of energy during moderate to high intensity activity. The depletion of muscle glycogen during endurance activity causes early fatigue.
Carb loading should not be confused with calorie loading. Effective glycogen loading should be the result of emphasizing more energy-dense, carbohydrate sources and reducing fiber, protein and fat.

As you can see from the above examples, both have a similar amount of carbohydrates (which is around 8g/kg/bw for a 125lb athlete) but the carb load example is far less in calories. Considering that many athletes feel "too full, heavy and lethargic" when trying to "carb load" it takes strategic planning to make sure that you aren't consuming too many calories from protein and fat.

And by strategic planning, you need to consider where, when and what you will eat. If you are traveling, feeling rushed, lacking an appetite or relying on fast/restaurant food, you are likely going to struggle to meet your personalized carbohydrate needs before the race.

You need to have a plan for what, when and how much you will eat in the 24-48 hours before a race. This should be practiced in your training so you can determine which carbohydrate-rich foods work the best for you and how much/little protein and fat you need to feel satiated with stable blood sugar. If you don't take the time to figure out your pre-race eating in advance, there's a good chance you will end up undereating carbohydrates or overeating fat and protein, thus increasing the risk of underperforming.

A carbohydrate intake of 8-10g/kg/bw per day in the 1-2 days before your endurance event is recommended.

To read more about the topic of carb-loading, here's a detailed blog post.

'24 Early Season Training Camp

 

We just finished 3 packed days of triathlon training in Greenville, SC. with eleven campers. Although we've been holding camps for the last 10 years, this camp was extra special as we only had primarily first-time Trimarni campers. This means fresh ears and eyes to absorb a lot of information and skills. 

When triathletes hear the word "skills" they often think that this focus is for newbies or beginners. But we believe that you are never too good, too old, too young, too fast or too slow to improve. When athletes come to our camp, they leave tired. They put in a lot of work over 3 days. But the main focus of our camps is learning. Athletes can train hard at home but when they attend a training camp, we want to make sure that the athlete learns how to train better and race smarter. 

We see it and hear it all the time. Triathletes don't have the best bike handling skills. Open water swimming is exhausting and triathletes struggle to translate their pool technique and fitness to the open water. Triathletes have difficulty running well off the bike and believe that running harder, faster and longer are the answers to better run times. 

At our camps, we master the basics of better triathlon skills and technique. No matter how fast or experienced the athlete, there's always something to improve on. Rather than believing that more training is the answer for better racing, believe that you have tremendous opportunity to improve in every aspect of the sport of triathlon.....especially on the bike. 

While you can improve through hard work, successful athletes have an insatiable desire to learn, improve and grow. They don't feel that they know everything and they seek ways to get better. Often this means, stepping out of the comfort zone and trying something new. 

Day 1
75 minute long course swim
60 minute run workout 
2.5 hour bike skills and ride

We started the morning at 7:45am at the Westside aquatic center. After a dry land warmup and athlete introductions, we had our campers warmup for 10 minutes. The rest of the session was focused on a variety of drills and technique work. We mostly prescribed 50's so that we could speak to each of our campers at the wall to give immediate feedback. It was a great session to start camp. 

At 10:45am we met at Furman University and talked to our campers about the run workout. We started the workout with 20 minutes at a conversational pace (10 min out and 10 minutes back). We ran by the Furman lake and encouraged our campers to talk to one another so that they could keep the effort easy. For the main set: 7x (90 sec build effort from smooth to strong into 30 sec EZ into 60 sec best EZ pace). This was a great session to work on going from a high effort, high heart rate to learning how to find good form and rhythm (best EZ pace). We did an out and back so that all of our athletes were running on the same route and we could also see our athletes in action. We finished the run with 20 minutes easy running on the other side of the lake. The weather was cool and cloudy which made for great running. All of our campers wore hydration belts so that they could work on their fueling and hydration for race day while also keeping the body fueled and hydrated for the next session. 

At 2pm, we met at Trailblazer park for a bike session. It was a little cool and drizzly out but our campers came with a great attitude and didn't complain. We spent some time in the parking lot working on important bike handling skills like descending, sudden stopping, u-turns and cornering. We then went out on the bike to apply these skills to real world conditions on our Goats and White dogs route. It was cold and rainy but this allowed our campers to really work on their skills in the less-than-ideal conditions. We finished the 2 hour ride around 5pm to wrap-up day 1 of camp. 

Day 2
3 hour ride 
40 minute run 
75 minute long course swim 

We met at Trailblazer park at 8am and did a quick refresher of bike handling skills before we went out on our bike route: F-Mart Loop. With so many different types of routes and terrain where we live, we have endless options for routes. We design our bike routes based on what types of skills and training we want our campers to achieve throughout camp. For this ride, we had ~60 minutes of riding to get out to our out-and-back section for the workout. To get out to this area, we had a bit of climbing and descending for our athletes to work on their skills. The workout was 2 out and back sections (each section was ~3 miles) to spend time in the aerobars. This route has some climbing but a lot of the time can be spent in the aerobars working on skills and terrain management. After this part of the workout, we rode a few miles back and then had our campers do a 4-mile strong effort on River road which has a bit of climbing and descending along with a little flat section in the middle. It was a great almost 3 hour ride and ~45 miles and a little over 2000 feet of climbing. 

After the ride, the run workout was 4 rounds of: 5 minute best EZ pace, 2 min "up tempo" as an opportunity to continue to work on settling into a good rhythm after getting the HR up. 

We had a short break and then met at the aquatic center at 2:45 for another 75-minute swim. For this session the campers did a longer warm-up to loosen out from the bike and run and then we did a few refreshers on technique. We finished off with some intense open water swimming drills to get the HR up. 

At 5pm - we all enjoyed pizza from D'Als at the Swamp Rabbit Inn. 

Day 3
2.5 hour ride
40 minute run 

We had been so impressed by our campers throughout camp but they really continued to impress us with their endurance and application of new skills during our bike workout. We like to pick new routes and courses for our camps but our Pink Arrow Loop is one of our favorites. This 4.8 mile loop has ~350 feet of elevation and includes every type of terrain. Short and long climbs, long descends, flat and fast and false flats. We rode 45 minutes out to the loop, did 1 recon loop and then 2 continuous loops at a strong effort. We then rode back home. Throughout every ride, we always stop and talk about important features of the course, what athletes are doing well, areas to focus on and we spend time with the campers to give instant feedback. 

After the ride, we finished the camp with one last run. The workout was ~6 minutes easy to the Swamp Rabbit Trail to warm-up and then 2 x (10 min best EZ pace, 5 min "race effort), then cool down

Our campers did amazing. They made friends, they learned a lot, they laughed, they challenged themselves and they enjoyed our incredible training playgound in Greenville, SC. We are very thankful that our campers took time out of their life/work to spend three days with us. Also a big thank you to our friend Alvi for helping us out throughout the three days of camp. 

3-day camp stats: 

2.5 hours swimming

7.5 hours cycling (~7000 feet elevation gain)

2:20 running

How to be a (mostly) self-sufficient Ironman runner

For over 10 years, Karel and I have used hydration belts for every single outdoor run. It doesn't matter how short or long, a hydration belt is part of our running gear. And now that we are doing more XTRI and and off-road triathlon racing, it's been an easy transition to our self-supported events. 

  

 

It surprises me how many athletes undervalue the many benefits of a hydration belt/pack. We have been long-time supporters of hydration belts (and packs) because we feel they bring so many great benefits to athletes when running outside.

Sport usage of hydration packs, belts and bands
Interestingly, hydration belt/pack acceptance is sport dependent. For example, hydration belts are not very popular among stand-along-runners and most refuse to wear them in training and racing. Furthermore, some races prohibit the use of bringing nutrition (belt/pack) with you on race day for safety reasons. In the ultra and trail running community, hydration packs are popular and widely accepted and seen as a necessity. Ironically, stand-alone runners complain heavily of dehydration, bonking and other health/injury issues in training and on race day yet fail to realize that lack of accessible hydration/fueling could be to blame. In the triathlon community, triathlon belts/packs are sometimes worn, but are not extremely popular. And in cycling events, hydration packs are more common in gravel and mountain bike events but are rarely seen during road events. 

Reasons for not using packs, belts and bands
There are several reasons why athletes don't want to wear a hydration pack, belt or band. First off, it's rare for an athlete to complain about the cost of a hydration pack or belt as compared to a pair of running shoes or the cost of a triathlon bike, packs and belts are extremely affordable. In my opinion, the number one reason for not regularly wearing a hydration belt (or pack) is that "it's not comfortable." And I get it. It's absolutely more freeing to run without anything wrapped around your waist or on your back. But like any piece of clothing or gadget, it takes time to get to wearing something new. I've been wearing a hydration belt for so many years that if I were to run without one, it would feel strange - as if I forgot something. Similar to running without a watch or a hat/visor, certain items become part of you.

Sadly, with live in a time where many athletes feel that "less is best." It's almost a badge of honor for some athletes to brag about how little they consume during long workouts as if those who fuel (or hydrate) during workouts are weak, inefficient or too fuel/fluid dependent. The wonderful thing about sport nutrition is that, when used correctly, it can keep you healthy so that you can stay consistent with training and adapt, without compromising your health. 

Although many athletes prefer to use aid stations on race day (instead of being mostly self-sufficient by carrying their own fuel), there's a big problem to this strategy. The reliance and convenience of race day aid stations has caused many athletes to neglect learning about their individual carbohydrate, sodium and fluid needs. As a result, many athletes underfuel and underhydrate in training and go into races with a haphazard fueling "plan." This approach is performance limiting because it prevents the athlete from training their gut in training (thus increasing the risk for GI issues on race day) and does not allow the athlete to perfect their personalized fueling/hydration strategy in training to feel prepared for race day. 

Too much added weight. I hear this a lot from athletes who don't want to add extra weight from carrying more liquids (ex. water bottles) while cycling or by wearing a hydration pack. Being more self-sufficient on race day (and in training) is not necessarily a necessity but it does make training and racing much less stressful as it keeps you in control. Even if a strategy (like having 3 or 4 water bottles on your bike) may look to be a performance limiter (ex. extra weight, having to refill bottles, etc.) and you think it will slow you down, you need to think about how this strategy can be a performance enhancer. With so many variables affecting race day performance and so many factors affecting how you can gain and lose time during a race, a strategy that can help you perform well on race day is worth the added weight (or time). 

Athletes may prefer to use a handheld bottle, which is simple and makes it easy to drink while running. However, adding weight to one side of your body imbalances your entire body. This added force can bring on tension in the arm/neck/shoulder/upper back and increase the risk for injuries. When you hold a bottle, you are adding weight to a very important part of your running form - your arm. This increases the asymmetry of your gait and can add stress to the opposite side of your body. This is why a hydration pack/belt is encouraged as the center of your body is least impacted by added weight. 

Benefits of using a hydration pack, belt or band
In addition to the benefits that I mentioned as arguments for why athletes should wear a hydration pack, belt or pack, one of the less obvious reasons for wearing a hydration pack, belt or band is to reduce waste. Gel wrappers, chew wrappers, water bottles and paper cups add up, especially when you have 1500-3000 athletes on a race course. Individually, we can all do our part by reducing the massive amount of waste that is associated with aid stations. Now this isn't to say that you can't use aid stations as we do need the water (and ice) for health reasons but bringing your own nutrition (and a way to carry it throughout the race) does make a positive impact for our environment. 

As a coach, my first priority is protecting the health of my athletes, which means selecting and using gear that will keep the body functioning well, especially in stressful situations - like running in a fatigued or heat-stressed state. 

Here are a few more reasons for why you should be wearing a hydration pack, belt or band during training and on race day:

• You are (mostly) self-sufficient - you can drink when you want to drink without needing to rely on others. This helps you drink on a schedule to prevent underdrinking and verdrinking (both of which can cause a sloshy stomach/GI issues). By understanding your individual nutritional needs and planning for them on race day (and in training), this can help delay fatigue and prevent a massive slow down. I say mostly because we do need to replenish water so this requires advance planning as to where and when you will refill your bottles with water (and bringing powder with you in baggies/sachets).
• You can test out different sport nutrition products in training that you can use on race day - in every single training session. You can also train your gut to tolerate nutrition/fluids when running (it's a skill to be able to drink and digest nutrition while running).
• You can utilize well-formulated sport drinks instead of gels, which provide you with the correct formulation of electrolytes, fluids and carbohydrates to optimize gastric emptying. Just because you are taking in calories, this doesn't mean it's actually emptying from your gut and being used by your working muscles. For a sport nutrition product to work, it must have the correct formulation to clear the digestive tract and to be absorbed by the small intestines - otherwise, it's just sitting in your gut, potentially causing distress. Most gels are extremely low in sodium relative to what you need to replenish what's lost in sweat and simply relying on sodium pills can bring on GI distress when not mixed properly with the right concentration of water. 
• Research shows in spite of depleted muscle and liver glycogen stores, the consumption of sugar (ex. sport drink) acts as a source of "energy" for the central nervous system to delay fatigue. In the later stages of a long distance triathlon (ex. running), there's great benefit of being able to take a small sip of a sport drink to immediately give you a mental boost to help the brain communicate with the muscles to keep functioning or to prevent an unexpected drop in blood sugar. If you are only relying on the aid stations, you can't drink when you need it. 
• Reduced risk of injury and health issues by never starting or finishing a workout in a dehydrated or depleted state. Thus, you can recover relatively quickly from your runs (regardless how short or long) to help you train consistently.
• You build confidence in your race day fueling regime by practicing nutrition over and over again in training, with similar products for race day. Come race day, your run nutrition is not an unknown but instead, a performance-enhancer because you were able to fine-tune it in training.
• It can become part of our running atire. When something is practical, necessary and functional, it makes sense to always wear it. 
• You never know when blood sugar will suddenly drop or when fatigue will set in. Having a properly mixed concentration of sugar with water (and electrolytes) can help keep blood sugar levels stable - especially in the later part of long runs and when running off the bike. By keeping yourself hydrated and fueled, you can also keep better running form to help reduce the risk for niggles and injuries. 

There are so many belts/packs on the market. I personally like the Naked Running Band. Karel is currently wearing the Compress Sport Free Belt Pro. He also has the PYFK Running Belt Hydration Waist Pack. We both us USWE Outlander Pro for off-road cycling.

Find one that works for you so you can enjoy the many benefits of being a self-sufficient, well-fueled and hydrated runner. The biggest benefit we have found with our belts is being able to run with well-formulated nutrition (fuel, fluids and electrolytes) to keep the body functioning well so that it helps us adapt to training stress and so we can perform to our potential on race day. Running is very corrosive and brings the greatest risk for injury to athletes so we want to do everything we can to reduce the risk for a setback. Wearing a hydration belt can help you excel in triathlon so you can become and stay reslient, healthy and strong. 


Lastly, a lot of athletes think that you can't be competitive by wearing a hydration belt or that hydration belts are only for "slow" athletes. Karel and I have been very successful at the Ironman distance and one of the reasons for this is our ability to focus on what we can control. And nutrition is a big controllable. In this video of Karel racing 2023 Ironman Chattanooga, you can see Karel wearing his hydration belt throughout the entire run. Karel won his age group and placed 5th overall and also went 8:59.57 - his first time going under 9 hours in an Ironman (at the age of 47). Around 1:56 in the video you will see Karel approaching an aid station. Prior to this aid station, he took a baggy of sport nutrition powder (from this hydration belt) and poured it into his bottle. When he got to the aid station, he had a volunteer help him fill his bottle with water. This took 5 seconds. Karel could have started to run after this stop but he took advantage of the aid station and poured ice water on his body to help cool him down. This entire stop took 20 seconds. While it may look like he is losing time because of this stop, he is actually helping his performance by reducing the risk for a massive slowdown. Karel is taking care of his needs to help him perform throughout the entire run. Karel also stopped at special needs to grab 3 more bottles of sport nutrition for his bike and decided to get off his bike to stretch out his hips and back at that stop. The Ironman distance is all about decision making and being great at not slowing down. By taking care of yourself and not worrying about what other athletes are doing, you can improve the odds of putting together a strong and successful race.