2015 Year in Review

I know I am late, and we are now almost 2 weeks into 2016 (time flies when you are having fun), so I’ll make it short (who am I kidding - you should still grab a cup of coffee and get comfortable).

For those that forgot that coffee, here are the cliff notes. 

The 2015 winter was long! Lots of magic (hard work) happened indoors. At my 1^st race of the season, I lost a 10 min lead on the run at Challenge Quassy even after running a PR on that course. During my 2^nd 70.3, I forgot to turn at a turn buoy and got lost on a swim course (duh!), I lost all my nutrition on the bike course, and even got knocked off my bike by a car.  I somehow still landed on my feet unscuffed and won the race. I completely underperformed in my last race before Kona (Timberman 70.3), but didn’t let that affect me. I used it as fuel! And Kona – what an experience! A lot of fun went on in between these races, but for that you will need that coffee.

2015 was the year in which I have learned many valuable lessons. There were lots of highs, and also lows. With successes come failures and it’s not always as rosy as the world of social media can sometime portray.  Here are just a few lessons learned:

• Know your “WHY”. I was reminded more than ever that mental toughness is the KEY to success (Sure – there were tears of joy, lots of laughs, but also the times that make you wonder WHY, and is this really worth it)

• I learned to better control my own head (If you think you can – you will, but if you won’t, you won’t – it’s that simple – it really is, and there is a big difference between saying you will and actually BELIEVING you will). Believe!

• I de-attached myself from numbers and focused on effort - 99% of the time my effort resulted in more watts, or faster paces (I do still struggle with this at times – what can I say – I love numbers)

• I realized that one bad day doesn’t define you (What’s done is done, one must learn from it, and move on – no need to dwell)

• Stressing about rest days doesn’t help with recovery! Accepting how you really feel is key (My rule of thumb is to start a workout and let the first 20 min determine my faith) 

2015 was the year in which I put all my eggs into one basket – the Ironman World Championship basket. I had already qualified back in November 2014 at IM Cozumel, so 2015 had a singular focus! I wanted to win and stand on that awesome Ironman World Championship stage/podium (It always was the best stage I ever laid my eyes on, but after standing on it – I can’t even explain the feeling – simply THE BEST!) 

It all started back in January after a 4 week break of no swim, bike, run – I guess that’s the “reward” you get after racing 2 Ironman’s within 6 weeks of each other. It wasn’t easy, but it was necessary!

Between January and April, I spent a lot of time in the pool – I sort of learned how to flip turn. (Read swim without oxygen)

I swam my fastest 200 and 500 time trials, and I added a few more swim toys to my already extensive collection. The snorkel! I don’t know about you, but shockingly, you won’t catch me swimming with a snorkel, unless there is a nose clip involved (it’s just safer that way for everyone involved). 

I also found my new favorite pair of goggles.

And I extended my collection of swimsuits! Thank you BlueSeventy.

I did a lot of super short essentially ALL OUT efforts on the bike, and more times than not those were harder for me than racing an IM. The truth is – I am much better at going long and I can ride at 70-80ish % of my critical power almost all day, but I suck at going short and super hard. Noneless I have re-named these intervals “Where is the puke bucket” intervals! Thankfully, I have only come close to needing that bucket (many times), and as a result, I ended up with my best 5 min power EVER by a long shot!

That hurt, but oh so worth it ;) 

Higher 5 min power, more room to grow that 20 min power, hence improving the Critical Power, and riding better in Kona - you get the picture!

Running was mostly easy at first, and mostly on the treadmill. I have learned to love the treadmill, and found it extremely useful. 

 When the streets you run on look like this, it’s just not all that safe to run outdoors.

The treadmill helped me to keep my pace honest. I have incorporated a ton of plyos, as well as hill reps into my treadmill training, and do I dare to say it was fun even if I wasn’t going anywhere?

I had definitely drowned a few treadmills in the process, but I had become stronger for it. 

I had pay attention to details which included not only accepting recovery and the easy days, but also taking a look at my nutrition. Not because I wanted to “diet” – that is a dirty word in my vocabulary, but because I wanted to optimize my nutrition intake to give my body what it truly needs to perform and recover well. I had an extensive blood panel and analysis done thanks to Inside tracker and I was on my way. Few tweaks later, I can honestly say that I was starting to feel the difference especially in the way I was recovering from session to session.  If you are interested what my daily nutrition looks for the most part, you can read about it here. (My daily nutrition) 

      

      By April, I was ready to come out of “hibernation” and take some of my training out on the roads. Nearly one week in the sunny Tucson at the 3^rd annual E3 Training Solutions training camp did the trick and the weather didn’t disappoint. 

      

 Ton of swimming (in beautiful outdoor pools) 

      Riding the famous Tucson routes including the Shoot out loop, Kitt Peak, Madeira Canyon & Mt. Lemmon of course (hill repeats up Gates Pass were also on the menu – can you say ouch?), and of course running under the Tuscan sun (oh wait Tuscon sun ;) 

 Hello Tucson

 Mt. Lemmon (this time now snow) 

More Tucson Shenanigans

When a top of Mt. Lemmon, one must refuel for on of the best descends ever!

Little nap time after all that climbing is also key to have a great Mt. Lemmon descend

"Fireball" ready to say "see you later" to Tucson with some hill reps up Gates Pass 

      Once back from Arizona, it was back to the world of indoor swimming pools, trainer riding during the week on my trusty CycleOps trainer, and outdoor riding on weekends. I do wish I had discovered and used Zwift earlier, but I do love the focused trainer sessions even if I have no one to chase thanks to Zwift. (If you haven’t checked out Zwift, you should!) 

Zwiftin! 

      The roads were finally clear enough to take my running out on the roads, although one session a week stayed on the treadmill. (I told you I have grown to like the treadmill – I think it can provide the right level of focus/consistency that one may lack outdoors – there is just no hiding from a certain incline at a certain pace – you either do it or you don’t, and that ladies and gentleman – builds a certain level of mental toughness and fearlessness”

By May, I included a once a week track session with my E3 teammates to try to find some speed in the mega legs. (Remember -  I would rather run all day, then run 1 hard mile, never mind 800 or 400 repeats).

 Working on that speed 

Little spin, followed by a little run around the track

Face Plant  

I kept swimming (maybe a bit less than in the offseason in the interest of time), and riding both indoors (during the week)/outdoors (on weekends). 

 1 interval at a time 

1 sweat puddle at a time! 

I attended another – this time a bit shorter E3 Training Solutions training camp in Waterville Valley, NH, where I got to meet a bunch of new teammates.  

Awesome training weekend in NH with the E3 folks

In June, the race season was finally here, and I competed in my first 70.3 of the year – Challenge Quassy (Formerly knows as Rev3 Quassy). It was a first great benchmark that was closely followed by a 2^nd 70.3 in 2 short weeks and my favorite local race (Patriot 70.3). That race was a comedy of errors, but a great one that prepared me to deal with adversity. Later that month, I attended a 3^rd training camp of the year in the flat mountains of Vermont. 4 days of climbing mountains, one Gap at a time. 

 Lots of suffering 

And recovering at the top

My favorite gap 

To say that I was spent after this one was an understatement, but my parents had come to spend almost an entire month of July with me, so there was no rest for the weary! I haven’t seen my parents in a long time (too long), so this was awesome! We got to spend lots of quality time together, and they got to finally watch me swim, bike and run. I was so sad to see them go.

And just like that July was gone, and summer was coming to an end. August saw me travelling to Lake Placid for a long weekend of - you guessed it swim/bike/run

 I finally got to climb that famous Whiteface mountain! I have never had to pay to ride my bike up a mountain but it was worth every penny! 8 miles, 8.6% avg grade, this mountain is a beauty and well if you are suffering you have some absolutely amazing views to distract you from the pain! I can't wait to do it again!

Swimming in the beautiful mirror lake! The one body of open water where even "I" can swim straight ;) 

I also spent some time training with teammates on the Timberman course and also having some fun.

Little boat time at the end of the day on Lake Winny

T I raced it. I was ready to have a kick ass race, and finally come under that 4:30 mark, but I turned out to be very average across all disciplines, and didn’t even come close. My finishing time was 4:40 and although it was good enough for 2^nd overall amateur, I wasn’t happy at all. I knew I could do so much better than what I showed. I guess I was saving the best for last?

After Timberman, all eyes were on the final Kona training block. I spent another long weekend (Labor Day weekend), in Vermont, posting some of my best training day after day. I was swimming well, riding strong, and running better than ever. I spent a lot of time wearing all the different recovery products that EC3D puts out there! Good thing their product is so comfortable because their recovery tights had turned into my pyjama bottoms. 

 Rolling .... 

 Getting Ready for bed 

And sometimes recovery deserves some ice cream! YUM! 

I had just done one of, if not the best long training runs ever, and my foot began to hurt. I had done all I could to heal it and get back to 100% pre Kona, but that pain never went away. 

It had gotten significantly better and better thanks to magic hands of Dr. Pete Viteritti whom I highly recommend for you local to the Boston area, and Byron Thomas  who had helped me while I was in Hawaii. 

My runs for the 6 weeks before Kona could be counted on one hand, yet I still believed I had what it takes. This time I really believed - I didn't just think I believed because others told me I should, and I was rewarded. 

You already know what happened in Kona (Race Report here), and just like that the year was done. Just like in 2014 when I knew immediately after I crossed the finish line in Kona, that I had to race again to get my spot to come back in 2015, I knew that this time I was done for the year. I still knew I wanted to go back to Kona in 2016, but I also knew I will have to find a race in 2016 to do so. I was physically tired, but mostly mentally and emotionally exhausted. (In a good way for the most part)

. 

2015 – You were real! I tasted defeat, but also the victory of a long time dream come true! The year, in which I truly went from never wanting to do an Ironman and questioning my goals (isn’t that what usually happens around mile 18 of the run?) to coming back stronger than I ever thought I would. Going from feeling defeated and sorry for myself, to believing that I can, to being fearless.

 It was THAT moment (at mile 18 of that run) that changed me as an athlete, and I can’t explain why or how, but I know it was a defining moment in my triathlon career that I will draw upon in many races or even tough training sessions yet to come. Thank you to all my sponsors for the support! Castelli for the chaif free, super fast tri and cycling apparel (The Stealth top is the bomb!), Powerbar for being my to go for anything nutrition during all my training sessions and races, BlueSeventy for the kick ass fast, comfy suits, speedsuits, wetsuits and goggles, EC3D for helping me recover faster with the variety of super comfortable apparel, Landrys Bicycles for the one and only "Fireball", and where would mega legs be without PowerTap. 

If you made it this far, hopefully you listened to me and had at least one cup of coffee! thank you for reading :) 

Now it's onto 2016. 2016 – the year of opportunity!

       

Jana - The Coach

All of you know that I have represented E3 Training Solutions as an athlete since pretty much the beginning of my triathlon career. Why? Because I strongly believe in their individualized approach based on evidence-based concepts, practical experience and technology, which is why after 5 years of being an E3 athlete, I have decided to join E3 as a coach!

Some of you may wonder what all that really means, but what you need to pay attention to for now is one word and one word only “Individualized”

I have grown up through the triathlon ranks with E3 at my side, and I want to help you experience the same! What started as a fun way of staying active and meeting new friends has quickly turned into my lifestyle. It has reignited the competitive spirit I once had but lost when my D1 college basketball career ended.

Initially, triathlon put purpose behind my daily gym outings. Since then however, triathlon has challenged me in every aspect of my life. It taught me that it’s never too late to dream and go after those dreams! It’s shown me that anything is possible if you are willing to fight for it, be committed, and make sacrifices. It continues to teach me that consistency and patience are what matters more than just pure athleticism, and I want to share this experience with you. Guide YOU through the triathlon world that may seem so intimidating at first!

No, I won’t make you do what “czechchick the athlete” does, but I will guide you through a training program that is designed specifically for you; fits your needs, your goals and your limitations.  

I know what E3 Training and their approach has done for me, and I would love to help you reach your own dreams/goals whether it’s finishing your first triathlon, getting on the podium or qualifying for the big dance!

I am a big believer in creating a personal connection with each athlete that goes far beyond just numbers! Although “numbers don’t lie” and play a critical role in program development, how you feel not just physically but also mentally is key! As your coach, I will learn what makes you tick, know when to push you more or when to back off. It’s my goal to make YOU – the best athlete you can be!  Your goal is my goal and “together we will”!

If you want to know more about me – “Coach Jana”, I would love to hear from you and learn more about YOU!

Drop me a line or two at jana@e3ts.com or contact me here: http://e3ts.com/coaches/jana-richtrova/

Consistency

I’ll let the cat out of the bag quickly! 

Consistency is KEY, and is a very important and often misunderstood concept by many. Consistency doesn’t just apply in training itself, but in all aspects of life! Consistency creates habits, which lead to improved health, fitness and overall healthy lifestyle – our goal here at E3!

In training, consistency along with patience and carefully designed training plan help you stay injury free, and lead to success.

Being consistent in training sounds simple, but just how simple is it?

At E3 we develop programs based on 5 basic pillars in all which we focus on you and giving you the best tools to stay consistent!

What are the E3 Pillars to Success and how does consistency apply?

1.   Training Program

We want to know YOU! Together we identify your needs, your goals, your limitations and create your very own periodized program. These carefully designed programs help you stay consistent over time, which in turn will help you to stay injury free, while allowing you to increase your fitness, and performance. Remember, it is not about how many yards you swam, miles/hours you biked or how many miles/hours you ran in a week, or month if you can’t stay consistent over time and allow your body to adapt to the training! This concept yet simple can be hard for most!

Social media rocks, but social media can be evil! Just because Mirinda Carfrae trains 30-40 hours week, or your fellow competitors train x hours a week, and tell you about it on facebook or twitter, doesn’t mean that’s the best approach for you nor does it mean that’s what they actually do but that’s a post for another day.

The only way to reach consistency is through an individualized training program that is designed and works for you! It allows for your fitness to develop without sacrificing your health or life balance. Being injury free = consistency! Doing too much too soon whether in distance or intensity can lead to  injury which leads to inconsistencies and setbacks. As someone that has been part of E3 for 5 years now, our approach is based on good ole’ fashion hard work. It is no magic and it works. I have lived it and it is the main reason why I was able to achieve my once long term goal of getting on the World Championship podium in Kona! It didn’t happen over night like I thought it should, but I realize now, why I was doing the training that I was even if at times I thought (key word “thought”) I could and should do more.  Regardless of winning or not, how my body felt completing 140.6 miles back in 2012 vs. 2013, 2014, and 2015 is a result of smart and consistent training, and although it never gets easier, you will feel the difference in both your body and mind when you surround yourself with consistency. 

2. Rejuvenation

Rejuvenation relates to mental and physical recovery which directly relates to consistency! We must take recovery seriously in order to stay consistent and injury free. Rejuvenations is NOT something we do when we are not training. It IS part of our training. Sneaking in extra yards or miles will not do you any good. There are various ways to physical recovery whether it be via “active recovery” or “complete rest”, but often overlooked is the importance of also letting your mind recover. 

This quote sums it up best:

Rest your body, rest your mind – Stay consistent!

3.   Nutrition

Nutrition sums up your everyday before/during/post training fueling!  Without going into too much detail, food is fuel, and we at E3 are firm believers of the “Everything in moderation” approach. Again, nutrition is very individual and what works for one athlete, may not work for another!

So where does consistency come into play? We are firm believers that “diets” – restricting or completely removing certain foods for other than medical reasons from once daily nutritional intake is unnecessary! Restricting or eliminating foods to simply reach race weight is not only unhealthy but has potential to lead to overall health issues. Finally, it’s not sustainable over time, hence far from consistent!

The “Everything in moderation” approach supports consistency, creates happiness, and is much more achievable than the alternative. It leads to improved health, fitness and overall healthy lifestyle – our goal here at E3! Instead of providing diets, we help you develop better habits, a more sustainable way to approach diet, based on Precision Nutrition principles.

4.   Functional

Even when it comes to functional strength, addressing muscle imbalances as well as skills (technique); consistency is key!  

Whether it’s improving your technique in swimming via specific drills, your cycling via better pedaling motion or improving your running economy , it’s the ability to repeat these drills/motions over time until they become our 2^nd nature!  All of this takes time, it takes patience, and take a guess - it requires consistency! 

5.   Life Balance

Balancing training with life is the last pillar on which we build our programs on at E3! It is one that requires complete honesty and objectivity, and open communication on the part both: the athlete and the coach! Life balance leads to happiness, and happiness leads to consistency! Telling your coach and telling yourself you can train 30 hours a week, when juggling a full time job, and a family doesn’t sound very objective!  There is no doubt that it can be done, but the questions remains – how consistently! In the end most of us do this for fun and not to make money, but we still crave success!

In summary, the definition of success is different for every single one of you but the definition of consistency remains the same!

The five E3 Pillars to Success as mentioned above, allow us at E3 to develop training programs that suit YOU! Programs that are adaptable and adjustable, programs that set YOU up for consistency with which comes success! These pillars are at the base of your “fitness” house! The more consistent you can be in building/maintaining every single one of those pillars, the more balanced and more successful you will  be in achieving your goals – whether it’s completing your first triathlon, your first 70.3, your first 140.6, or getting on your first podium!

If you like what you read, contact us today for more info.

I am a big believer in consistency, and I and E3 would like to help. Contact me for more info: info@e3ts.com

My IM Kona Race Files and more

I know you already read a “book” about my race in Kona, but if you are into numbers – Czech this out! This one is much shorter version of what went down on race day, but gives you a great insight about what went into my performance!  

My Kona Race in Numbers, Race Files via TrainingPeaks

I will be the first one to admit, I love “data”, and I love “numbers”, but knowing what certain “wattage” on the bike or certain “pace” on the run FEELS like MUST be taken into consideration at all times! Knowing your body remains the single most important factor especially on race day! You will hear many pros or age groupers alike say they train with power, but race by feel! Although I train AND race with power, I don’t necessarily just try to get to a ‘number’ on race day if my body is telling me to not! (You will see that in the article and files attached) It takes time to develop that skill, and I think I am finally getting to the point where I can say that I am getting closer! You gotta know when to push and when to back off regardless of what the numbers may be telling you. Numbers don’t lie, but neither does your body! There is a very fine line in being able to understand the signals, but it’s key you take time to develop that skill!   

The point? Training with power, and working with a coach that knows how to train with power has changed my cycling in the most positive way you can imagine! It has defined what going hard means, but also what going easy means!

So know your numbers, use them to push you or hold you back (especially in training), but don’t become their slave! ;) Always listen to your body! I did on race day and it paid off!

Same goes for running!  Know your body and listen to it! We are all different, but for me, it took running with heart rate to truly define what in this case “easy” pace meant especially in an Ironman marathon! Everything feels easy for the first 10 miles, but does it really?   I have finally learned to ignore pace, and focus on “me” and  how I felt!  Although my overall marathon time wasn’t the fastest I ever ran, and it certainly wasn’t struggle free, but I was for the first time EVER able to actually race at the end of the marathon rather than succumb to the marathon shuffle and that is one awesome feeling!

Want to know more? Click on the link above.

Have any further questions about my race day performance, training in general, or looking for a coach? Feel free to contact me – we at E3Training Solutions just may be able to help! 

Dreams DO come true!

The “Umeke” bowl; THE “Umeke” bowl I set my eyes on when I first stepped foot on the Island of Kona, Hawaii in 2012. It was then, at the Banquet of Champions, when ”Mission Umeke” was born!

What is an “Umeke”? 

I did my first ironman, and first Kona Ironman in 2012, and I wanted to win. I was naive, I had no idea what it really took. (I wasn’t even close to winning and came 15^th in AG), but I had an absolute blast, I hurt more than ever before, but I fell in love with the Island, and the race! I knew I had to get back.

Fast forward to 2014, I had just come off 6^th place overall finish at the 70.3 World Championships in Mt. Tremblant. I had 2 more years of training under my belt, and I qualified by winning the overall title at IM Cozumel the year before. I was confident that I had what it took to stand on that podium but unfortunately or fortunately, I came up short. I was 6^th (Top 5 get to go on that stage and get the “Umeke” bowl). I sat through the 2014 Banquet of Champions trying to unsuccessfully hold back tears. I was genuinely happy for everyone that made it, but I hurt on the inside because I knew I had what it took to stand on that stage myself.  

I decided to race Ironman Cozumel just 6 short weeks post Kona last year to re-qualify. Calculated gamble we took given how fast I was recovering, and given my level of fitness and training at the time. There were a lot of doubters, but I knew how I felt, and I knew I had a chance. I was fortunate enough for my body to hold up, and make it happen, giving me essentially an entire year to prepare for October 10^th, 2015. 

The moto for 2015 was “Fearless” with Kona being the obvious BIG focus! I even decided to skip the 70.3 World Championships this time in favor of being able to put in one last block of uninterrupted training. My prep was going near flawless just like I imagined it would until life happened. Being physically and emotionally exhausted is bound to take a toll on anyone. I kept plugging through, putting together very strong back to back weeks of training, recovering well, and staying focused as best as I could, but eventually it all caught up to me! As the race got closer, I became more and more of an emotional “mess”. The perfect prep I imagined wasn’t so perfect anymore, and between travelling for work, and a sore foot that came out of nowhere, I started to seriously question my ability to get it done. I ran a total of 4x in the last 4 weeks leading up to the race, but at the same time I had this feeling on the inside of being not just physically but also mentally prepared better than ever. I arrived on the Big Island little less than 2 weeks out from the race, which was a lot earlier than in the past. 

This view never gets old! You can Queen K in the distance!

I wanted to get in some last minute training on the course and acclimatize a bit better as well. The island welcomed me with open arms, and really showed me just how unpredictable it can be.

One can be certain it will always be hot, humid and windy but unlike any other race, you don’t know to what degree until you are in the moment! And that is exactly WHY I really LOVE this race and this course. One has to be physically and mentally resilient or else the elements itself will beat you up; never mind the top notch competition!  

The first week on the island literally had it all. It was more hot and humid than usual, and the winds were unreal!  Since running was out of question, I did a lot of swimming and riding. Kona has been so warm that the only way to keep the pool on the “cooler” side this is what had to happen!

The awesome Kona Aquatic Center - Free I may add

I pretty much swam every day and loved it! I even started to see times in the pool that I haven’t seen in a while! (Bonus for swimming more, and running less or not at all I guess). Or maybe it was just because I didn’t want to get completely embarrassed and lapped every couple min by the awesome pro’s I happened to be surrounded by almost every day. (I must have been on the same schedule as Sebastian Kienle cuz I literally saw him at the pool every day) 

I also rode often, testing out different front wheels in case the wind would come out to play on race day.  The wind direction was changing every day, the gusts were surreal.  

Into the headwind as you can see by the direction of the small bushes being blown against me

 Time to try the tri-spoke! Definitely much more steady in the cross winds

The day I rode up to Hawi, I wasn’t sure I was going to make it. At times, I was making very slow sidewise forward progress while completely leaning into the wind! 

It was laughable and so I rode and I laughed out loud while wishing I was in the car and not on my bike. I was definitely scared shitless and I knew if  race day turned out to be like this, it was not going to be pretty for anyone. Thankfully, I was saved from some of the climb (read more wind) and the descend by a flat tire. A hole in the tire rather!

  

I was happy that I didn’t have to descend in these insane winds, but at the same time very upset because by now, both my powertap and garmin had stopped working, I got a hole in the tire cutting my 60 mile ride down to barely 30, and my running was nonexistent. Less than 2 weeks out from race day, my prep was far from what I imagined it would be!

The rest of the pre-race time was spent doing more swimming, more riding, enjoying the hot, humid island air, eating breakfast at Lava Java before it turned into triathlete central, going through the expo, getting my sweat rate test done by the folks at Gatorade, which confirmed I sweat like a beast; meeting our current sponsors, meeting up with old and new friends, running around in underpants and  in general just soaking it all in.  

Having fun with the fishes

 Mmmmmm Acai Bowls!!!!!!! 

Getting my hands on 1 of 100 "Cupcake with Cal" hats! If you have never seen his show, you are missing out! 

Soaking it all in

Because who doesn't run around in their underpants

Eventually, I even stopped worrying about the uncontrollable and just focused on “me”! I had a few words with Madame Pele, and had visualized my race from the beginning to the end more than once! I felt super nervous, but strangely also more ready than ever before.

Before I knew it, it was time to “Czech in” my trusty “Fireball”, eat up, and go for it! Time to trust the training even if it wasn’t perfect, and be “Fearless”

Without further ado, here is the race day play by play. .

THE SWIM: 1:18:37 (57^thAG)

The most physical swim I have ever been part of here in Kona. Perhaps because I lined up a bit too close to the buoy line, or perhaps because I was swimming faster than before (clearly must have been the starting spot I chose), but I would call the first half of the swim more of a boxing match rather than a swim! I kept getting pushed, and punched and pulled, and a few times I thought I may end up on the ocean floor! I was holding my own even if that meant getting my arms out of the water while everyone else was just trying to hold them down.  I finally felt like I had a little bit of clear water when my goggles got knocked of my head the 1^st time! This has happened to me before and caused quite the panic attack, so this time around I was ready. I told myself to calm down, put goggles back on, and just keep swimming. I wasn’t going to lose minutes but rather seconds, so I didn’t need to dwell on this for the rest of the swim. Mission accomplished!  Not another 5 minutes went by, and my goggles went bye bye again! Since salt water and contacts don’t gel well, I put the brakes on again and put my goggles back on for the second time. Thankfully this was the last time this happened, and the 2^nd half of the swim was quite uneventful. I did find couple other girls to swim with, and even though I swam as slow as I did , we were still weaving in and out of bunch of men who started 15 min ahead of us. In retrospect, I did lose my 1^st place on the swim, but given the distance (2.6+ miles instead of 2.4), this is where my swim is at right now and unlike last year when seeing 1:18 on my watch completely pissed me off, I remained calm, focused, and ready to move on with my day.  

The swim start

T1: 3:01

I threw on my Castelli Stealth Top which I already had pre-stuffed with my nutrition (5 potato/rice cakes; 3 packets of Powerbar Perform powder), grabbed my shoes and ran to my bike. Shoes on, helmet on, and off I was. I also already had 5 Powerbar gels along with SaltStick Tabs, and 2 bottles of PowerBar Perform ready to go on my bike. 

THE BIKE:  5:16:32 (2^nd Fastest Amateur bike split, which moved me up to 5^th in AG)

The bike was my biggest disappointment last year, and I sure wasn’t going to let that happen again. On race day, the winds were nothing like what I have experienced the last 10 days on the island or the last 2 years I raced here, but there was zero cloud cover. Minimal wind/no cloud cover = HOT! I stuck to my watts, rode from aid station to aid station and just focused on my nutrition and cooling. I was feeling great, and I was on the hunt! I was laser focused, and was holding the mega legs back a bit so that unlike last year, I could have a strong back half of the bike.

All business at the beginning of the ride

I had also made some changes to hopefully prevent overheating and dehydration which slowed me down to a crawl in the 2^nd half of the bike last year. Instead of a regular tri top, I wore the new Castelli Stealth Top, I went with a road aero helmet instead of the full aero helmet I wore in the past to keep my head from overheating, and I also went with the front profile design bottle so that I could hydrate even if Madame Pele and the winds were trying to blow me off the bike like last year. Having this water bottle set up allowed me to drink even when holding on for dear life, and it also allowed me to stick with nutrition that I know works for me (PowerBar Perform vs. Gatorade Endurance that is now being offered on the course)

I kept the watts in check all the way up to Hawi, where we were greeted with an awesome (not) rain storm! It was pouring buckets, the winds were all of a sudden blowing hard, and the roads were becoming slicker by the second! Gotta love the unpredictability of the island!

Mega legs in action on the Queen K 

I made the turn around at Hawi, re-filled my front bottle to make sure I didn't  make the same mistake as last year, and started the ride back to town.  The roads were slick for a while, but before I knew it the sun was back out and roads were dry in an instant! I tried to hold the watts up, take advantage of my aero set up, the super fast Castelli Stealth top, and kept picking of people left and right! (No guys, you don’t need to be 200lbs to go downhill fast! There were a few very loud “ON YOUR LEFT” that went unanswered but I have also learned to not let that bother me). The cross wind coming down from Hawi was minimal which made the descent that much more comfortable and safer.

Once back on the Queen K, the winds finally decided to come play, and it was heating up! We were facing some serious headwind all the way to T2! It was also time to push a bit more and hopefully keep gaining time on competition. I kept staying aero, and continued to focus on nutrition/hydration. It was right around mile 90ish, I started to experience the dreaded drafting which included bunch of men and you guessed it, couple of females! I would pass the group, only to immediately get re-passed. I would sit up, establish the legal distance and then set out to re-pass again. This happened a few times, and each time I would get re-passed almost immediately. I even told one of the girls to ride legal, and she responded with the “it’s impossible” bs! Finally, an official showed up,`` gave me thumbs up for establishing legal distance after being re-passed (again), and then proceeded to NOT penalize anyone in the group of at least 10 in front of me- seriously?  The ride was almost over and though my watts dropped some in the closing miles as I was starting to get hot and running out of fluids, I felt great and ready to run. 

T2: 3:42

I hopped of my bike leaving the shoes on the bike, and immediately felt the steaming hot ground under my bare feet! It was like someone stuck my feet right into the fire! Ouch! My feet were burning more and more with every single step, and the changing tent couldn’t come fast enough! Sure enough, the damage was done, the bottoms of my feet were slightly burnt, and with that I had the pleasure of starting the marathon with just a few already forming blisters! 

Simple! 

 The aftermath! Ouch! 

THE RUN: 3:39:10

Starting the run, I had no idea just how I was going to run 26.2 miles with my feet feeling the way they were, but eventually it may have been the bright sun and zero cloud cover that took my mind of my feet, or maybe it was the awesome fans cheering hard along Alii Drive! I saw a ton of familiar faces along Alii and appreciated all the cheers and updates! 

Smiling along Alii' Drive (Thanks Mike - BlueSeventy for the pic!) 

I started the run 5^th in AG, running my way into 4^th fairly quickly, with 3^rd and 2^nd apparently not being too far ahead. It was tempting to speed up, but I think I have finally learned that you are not going to win the marathon in the first 10 miles of the race and especially not on this island. For the first time here in Kona I actually ran with heart rate and not pace. I was keeping my HR in check, and although my paces were quite a bit slower than last year, I didn’t let that affect me, and I didn’t let myself speed up. The sun was shining bright, and the wind was non-existent. It was steaming hot on Alii Drive which was not a good news for what it will feel like on the Queen K where it’s that much hotter thanks to the Lava fields!

I knew just how lonely the Queen K can be especially when you enter Struggleville and Bonkville simultaneously, so I really kept focusing on nutrition, hydration, and cooling myself of at every single aid station. Couple cups of coke/water to hydrate, PowerBar Gel every 30 minutes, ice down the shorts, water over head/neck any chance I could. I also wore a Mission EnduraCool Cooling Towel around my neck and a cooling headband instead of visor on my head to help my stay “cooler” a bit longer in between aid stations. 

Instead of attacking the famous Palani Hill like last year, I shuffled my way up it even if it may have felt painfully slow. I got to see my coach at the top, telling me that 3^rd was just up the road, but I never saw her (until a lot later). One porta potty stop later, I kept moving along, although at this point, my HR started to drop, and the negative thoughts started to creep into my head. When I made the u-turn at the bottom of the energy lab (Mile 18ish), I saw 2 girls chasing me, and they looked to be moving a lot faster than I felt like I was moving. My pace just kept slipping and miles 19-21 I saw the dreaded 9:xx pace. All I could think about was getting caught by both of them, putting me into 6^th place and knocking me off the podium again! I felt weak and defeated and when I saw Jorge and Brian at mile 21ish, I just wanted to stop, curl up into a ball and take a nap. At this point I was still sitting in 4^th, with 5^th and 6^th closing in fast! Talk about being in a negative head space!

I don’t remember what coach Jorge said at the time, but somehow, I snapped out of my pity party, and got my shit together.  I decided to fight for what I wanted – THE UMEKE!  I chugged couple cups of coke, and took off!  If I was going to get caught, these girls would have to earn it. In the next 5 miles, I went from watching my pace slipping between miles 19-21 (9:09, 9:15, 9:29)  to watching my pace getting faster and faster over the last 5 miles! Hell, I felt like I was running 6 min miles and I certainly wasn’t, but I was racing! I went from giving up and thinking I will get caught, to fighting and believing I will at least hold my 4^th and get on that podium! Miles 22, and 23 were 8:51, and 8:51. Not fast, but it sure felt like I was flying after slowing down to 9:30s. I was hurting, but I was fighting, and I’ll never forget that feeling! I then began to see a few females that had passed me earlier on. Around mile 23, I moved into 3^rd, and just kept moving! I not once at all thought about what was going on behind me anymore, my mindset had completely shifted. I was completely locked in and focused on my own effort and controlling my own destiny.  I didn’t pay attention to my watch at the time at all, just pure effort. I knew I had 3 miles left but really only 2 because the last mile of the Kona Ironman is almost like a “free” mile! It’s mostly downhill, the fan support is unbelievable and somehow you can usually make it through that one on pure adrenalin! I kept trying to pick up the pace, and ended up dropping the pace even more at miles 24/25 to 8:27, and 8:25. Considering both of these miles have a slight elevation gain, this was huge. I made it to the top of Palani, and to my surprise saw coach Jorge again! At this point I could see two more girls down the road (not in my AG), and apparently 2nd place was now 1 min ahead of me. Jorge was literally screaming at me to give it all I had and be “Fearless”!

 1 min – 1 mile! I didn’t even think, and just threw myself down Palani.  I literally ran as hard as I could. My HR soaring, my legs screaming at me, blisters finally popping (that didn’t feel good), but this is my favorite mile of Ironman Kona and I couldn’t stop then. I was looking for one more girl. I absolutely flew by the 2 girls in middle of Palani. I rounded the corner on Kuakini Highway and this section is a bit cruel because although it’s not uphill, after flying down the steep Palani Hill it feels like a mountain. I was running hard, and everyone was cheering me on. I finally spotted Amanda who was sitting in 2^nd in my AG, and she was good 50 yards ahead. I kept fighting hard to keep the pace up and finally got closer to her right before the last turn on Alii. I was quickly running out of energy and as I was getting closer and closer, I was trying to figure out if I should slow down and try to save the last bit of energy for a finish line sprint or if I should just go now and hope that she wouldn’t go with me. I decided to just go for it now, and after a brief breather (like 2 steps), I just shut my eyes and ran as hard as I could to hopefully make a statement and not even give her a chance to go with me. 

Running hard after I made the pass. Now where is the finish line? 

My strategy worked, and when I finally turned around to see if Amanda was there, she wasn’t and I got to enjoy the finish line! Mile 26 – 6:38 pace! What? 

I can’t even begin to explain what was going through my head, and how I felt! It was an out of body experience, and one I will NEVER EVER forget.  It wasn’t my fastest marathon, and nowhere near my goal time, but one I am the most proud of, and one that I will draw upon in the races to come!

The best feeling EVER! 

On top of the world! 

 Wow! 

What my coach put into my race plan couldn’t be more true! Here are his words:

“I have zero doubts of your fitness ad capabilities. However what’s going to make the difference between getting the Umeke or not is going to be your mental strength on race day. The way you respond to the challenges that the day will invariably throw at you will be the determining factor. Hence I want you to race with mind-sight over eye-sight.”

“Racing by mind-sight means racing with a mindset that no matter what, you can always overcome, you can always find a way around, you can remain in control, you can adapt; but regardless of the challenges, you will never let it phase you, let you lose the belief that you are here for you, here to win, here to accomplish your goal. Mind-sight is a state of mind, it’s confidence, it’s assertiveness, it’s belief, it’s being FEARLESS!”

What a difference a year makes!  

The BEST stage ever! 

It's still a bit surreal, but what a day! Pinch me! 

Thank you ALL (family/friends/sponsors) for YOUR support!