April also known as "run forest run" month

April

 I was really trying to stay put because I am not sure that my coach Jorge could take anymore complaining from me about the lack of biking. You know – it’s not all that easy to live up to the “mega legs” nickname without actually getting on your bike getting it done. Getting mega, sustaining mega, and improving mega is no easy feat, and it gets harder and harder with each extra “watt”. I kind of feel like I need to insert one of those “Sh&t triathletes say videos” here but it’s the truth.  But guess what – even though I was reunited with my Fireball, April was renamed the month when I try to turn my mega legs into mini legs and run my behind off!  I didn’t exactly have a great nor good race at Hyannis, and my result there wasn’t indicative of my running form at all. (See my "You win some, you lose some blog post) I really wanted to redeem myself, and so I signed up for a local ½ marathon – Twin lights half in Gloucester/Rockport, MA that would take place the first weekend in May.(On that later) With April being a running month for me, I ran 29 out of 31 days. I ran my first ever 5K on the tail end of my first 40+ mile week in 19:57, and simply put I just ran.

4th Overall, 1st AG

I pretty much ran day in and day out. Easy runs, hill repeats, M pace runs, Recovery runs, Brick runs. Some days, I literally chased Jorge around trying to hang on for my dear life as he trotted along.  Sometimes I kept up, sometimes I didn’t, but it definitely allowed me to push the envelope a bit more than I would have myself. I wanted to say not so nice things to him many times, and sometimes I didn’t think it was really all that fair that he was just jogging and I was working so damn hard, but sometimes that’s the name of the game, and for whatever reason I love it! My competitiveness just doesn’t let me rest.  In the end, I ended up running 165 miles in the month of April which is far more than I ever have or even thought that I was capable of while keeping up my usual bike/swim volume. I was starting to feel a bit like a runner. 

I managed to stay put except for a quick trip to Niagara Falls, Canada, and that certainly helped with the training consistency which I am a huge fan off. While there, I even got a run in around the falls. 

View from the hotel room

To support my increased mileage this month, I had also purchased just a few more pairs of running shoes but guess what – I will need them because I have decided to run a marathon this September in the hopes of qualifying for Boston 2014! #BostonStrong! It will be my first open marathon, and I am very much looking forward to it. 

I have since added another 5 pairs of Kinvara's (I may or may not have a problem)

Many running miles later, finally some outdoor riding, and many very promising swim sessions (Swimming really deserves its own post, because for once I am actually enjoying the process) that have me super excited for my first tri race of the season in June, I have found myself in May. 

May

The month when I will (and I did) get the sub 1:30 ½ marathon monkey off my back, the month of the annual BTT training weekend that the BTT folks allow me to crash every year, and also the month when for the first time, I don’t get to attempt to defend the American Zofingen Middle distance title (for the 3^rd year in a row and I am a little sad about that ;( ) The race is actually this weekend, and the weather is going to be absolutely perfect!  I am just a tad bit sad! I would have loved to add a 3^rd mug into my collection.

Little sad to not attempt to get that 3rd mug :(

I will I suppose take the plunge and do an open water swim sometime soon I swear (wetsuit or no wetsuit, I am just not a huge fan of cold water - just ask my pool friends – they all know it takes me at least 10 minutes to get in the pool each time), but strangely  I am excited.  It may be because I am now holding myself to some new swimming standards thanks to the super awesome swim coach Karen ;), and I am looking forward to translating all the pool work into OWS.  I may have finally realized that getting faster (let’s face it, we all know, I want to be really fast! ;) ) in the water will take time, and although it will never happen fast enough I am ok with that. I have been consistently seeing times I used to get super excited about over and over again, while secretly (or maybe not so secretly) wishing I was just another tad bit faster ;). The mission to turn me into a swimmer continues, but I am way more confident than I ever have been regardless of what the clock says (did I really just say that?).

Mega legs have been coming along as well, and just yesterday I have had my best interval sessions EVER. For those that know what I am talking about, I owned the 6 x 4s and definitely set a new benchmark! It will be tough to top, but that’s the fun part ;). My race wheels have been taken out of the closet and dusted, and I am looking forward to "flying" next month! 

 Can't wait to get "Fireball" race ready! 

And last but certainly not least – I am awarding myself the mini legs title based on the very unexpected, and new half marathon PR from a few weeks ago. The new PR now stands at 1:27:39 – whole 3 min and 33 seconds faster than before, and good 2 minutes faster than what I thought I could run – race report coming soon! It was a beauty! ;)

I am back!

Where to begin … It has been a looooooong while since I last posted anything on my blog and shame on me. I have been a busy bee between a few training camps, training in general, this thing called “life”, and yes – I do have a job that takes up just a weeeeeeeee bit of time and every once in a while requires some travelling. Since my last blog was back in February, it’s only fitting that I give you a quick update on what I have been up to.

March

Also known as THE birthday month, I squeezed in a quick 5 day training trip to Tuscon, AZ and although I automatically assumed it’s going to be sunny and hot, it didn’t quite turn out that way. Riding in AZ, wearing winter cycling clothes isn’t exactly what I thought of when I signed up, but hey at least I was outside and riding. Yes - it was cold and wet!

Notice the jackets, gloves, leg warmers, booties - the whole deal - Brrrrr 

We did get to enjoy one awesome day when we climbed Mt. Lemmon  with about 80 degrees at the bottom of the climb, and in the 40s at the top!

Before tackling Mt. Lemmon

Mt. Lemmon sure lived up to its expectations, and I had an absolute blast! Don’t give me wrong, I would have liked to be in a bit better shape than I actually was and perhaps spent more time on my bike (more than 2x, perhaps 3x a week for no more than an hour, 1.5 max just isn’t quite enough), but I couldn’t get the smile off my face the entire time! 

Happy as can be 

Our group split up immediately and so by the time I was reaching the top, I was on my own and of course made the rookie mistake (although I really don’t think it’s a mistake) of heading right towards the cookie cabin instead of the top of the mountain – our meeting point. Damn me! 

That's me in the distance

I actually passed the cookie cabin, and only stopped because I reached a dead end or better yet bunch of dirt paths that my “Fireball” (my tri bike) didn’t enjoy so much.  Only then I realized I wasn’t at the top, and rode right past the cookie cabin again and back up that mountain. I am still sad I didn’t get a cookie, but a good reason to come back and do it again! Next time the meeting point will be the cookie cabin! 

 Fireball at the top of Mt. Lemmon

Nap time at the top of Mt. Lemmon (I was really just trying to stay warm by hugging the pavement) 

  Unless there is a cookie in your hand, don't wake me up! ;) 

We did some other rides – “Gates Pass” and a few others, bunch of runs and swims, and we ate a lot (Or I did anyways).

Mmmmm, food!

I had a great time in great company, and even the chilly/rainy  unusual for Tuscon weather couldn’t stop us! If you want to see more pics, you should hop over the Peeeej’s blog who has many more pics than I do. (http://tripeej.com/2013/03/14/e3ts-training-camp-tucson-az/ )

Immediately following the Tuscon trip, I was headed to Europe for a busy 10 or so days. It was a work trip, but I got to spend a few days at home in the Czech Republic, and it so happened, that I got to celebrate my bday at home with my family! That hasn’t happened in a very long time (like 13 years) so it was very special! I spent some quality time with my family and I also fit in a few very chilly runs, some swims, and some family bowling fun.  

After few days at home, lots of cake, and bread, and more cake, and some more yummy Czech food, I was off to Austria, and Sweden before heading back to the U.S. I ate the cake so fast, I forgot to take pictures! I got in a few early morning runs through Schladming, the place of this years World Championships in skiing, as well as a running tour through downtown Stockholm! In a pinch, running really is the best way to check out the sights. I didn't take many pics, but I snapped a few from my hotel room. 

From the car

 From the hotel room 

 Slopes from the hotel room. This pic really doesn't do the slopes any justice. 

This was also my first trip travelling out of the U.S with my green card, and wow – what a piece of cake that was!  And just like that March was over. Wow – what a busy but FUN month! Next up - April! 

Lessons Learned - Win Some, Lose Some

This would be the 3^rd year in a row that I had signed up for the Hyannis ½ marathon in Hyannis. I am pretty sure I swore I would never do this race again after each time I crossed that finish line, but I think I was secretly hoping that maybe 3^rd time lucky charm the weather would turn for the better, and maybe just maybe I would get to wear shorts in February instead of freezing my butt off like I have in the last 2 years. Oh boy, I couldn’t be more wrong! My first year in 2011 it snowed, in 2012 the combination of freezing cold with hurricane type headwinds made for a chilly race, and this weekend, we didn’t know if the race was even going to happen until the night before. Let’s just say that I was secretly hoping it would get cancelled, because running 13.1 miles on a rainy (very rainy) Sunday morning isn’t exactly how I like to spend my Sunday mornings, but the race was ON! 

We drove down race morning, and were able to park quite close to the start line but that proved to be NOT close enough post race. I whined and bitched quite a bit about the awesome weather we were treated to secretly hoping I would get to take a nap in the car while everyone else raced, but no luck. Come 10 am, I was sandwiched in between a huge crowd of people ready to once again follow the mini legs of coach Jorge. I was very well hydrated which was easily proven by about 5 bathroom trips in about a 30 min time span before the race which surely drove the boys a little crazy. What I found out a bit later (about 8 miles into the race), though I was well hydrated, I wasn’t very well fueled!

The first 7 miles went by pretty much as planned and on pace. I didn’t need pushing, I wasn’t falling behind, I was just trucking along, running in and out of huge puddles and getting soaked head to toe.  Then mile 8 came, and the energy I had for the first 7 miles was gone, totally gone. I went from averaging 6:57s to running a 7:27 mile 8 – OUCH! I ate my one and only gel I brought on course with me, but it was too late. That gel stood no chance, and my energy levels were very quickly disappearing. Gone baby gone. Hello Bonkville. I kept trying to pick up the pace, but just felt empty, awkwardly empty. My legs lost its pop, and weren’t responding to anything! Jorge tried it all, but when I didn’t bite to “This is where you win races”, he knew something wasn’t right. (Well I am sure he knew before he said that, but that was his final confirmation along with my freight train breathing, and very little responsiveness). I secretly wished he would just run away from me and let me be, and not 2 minutes later, my wishes came true. He left me with a few more words of wisdom that were aimed at putting things into perspective, which in the heat of the moment didn’t really sit well with me, but he couldn’t be more right.  I love to win (who doesn’t) and most importantly give it my all regardless of A, B, C or D races, and yesterday was the day when leaving it all out there didn’t mean a “W” but meant a learning experience. My performance wasn’t what I knew I was capable of doing, but it was what I was capable of on that day.  Feeling empty, soaking went from head to toe, in freezing rain, and with almost 5 miles left to go, I really wanted to stop – just walk for a minute or two, but the thought of throwing away 7 very good miles wouldn't let me. Plus stopping would mean that I would almost immediately turned into a shivering popsicle and that wasn't an option. I spent the last 5 miles trying to pick it up, only to fall back into my trot because it just wasn't there. Not even the random guy on the side of the road who told me you are 15^th female with 1.5 miles left with at least 3 girls in sight made any difference. I tried to pretend I was running down Ali’I drive in the last mile, but that didn't do the trick either. Ouch! I just wanted to make it to that finish line, get into dry clothes and eat, which is just what happened, and eat I did! I sure can consume large amounts of food and not feel full. The tape worm was out in full force on Sunday! ;) 

I have a very good idea of what went wrong, and I will learn from it. The best part about this race was to get a confirmation (and no, I didn’t really need one) of how well my coach really knows me! He actually knows me a bit better than I know myself. Few weeks ago, he wouldn’t leave me alone and got the every last ounce of energy out of my legs during that 5 mile race, and yesterday he could have done the same, but he didn’t! Instead – he let me deal with my own self once he figured out that today was not the day. I’ll leave you with few of his words about yesterday:

 

“It’s part of knowing your athlete. There are times to push them, times to hold them back, times to let them do their thing, times to let them figure it out on their own”

Yesterday was one of those days, where being left alone was the right call, and exactly what I needed and wanted. The last 5 miles, I went in and out of wanting to stop, to trying to push through, to just moving along and ticking off the miles. I didn’t run a new PR, but I learned a few lessons. Bonking isn’t fun, and giving in isn’t an option. I didn’t give in, and later found out I ended up running good enough for 3^rd AG/376, and 14^th /1271 overall female.Now it’s back to training and onto the next one, with a little extra fire burning in that belly and legs that will be recovered a bit faster from this race than the last.

How well does your coach know you, and how do you deal with adversity? 

Something a bit different and not written by me

When I came back from Hawaii, I was asked by my alma mater to share a little bit about myself, and where I have been since I graduated back in 2005. Kevin did a great job, and I think I should maybe hire him as my blog writer ;)

Read on:

http://mgt.buffalo.edu/about/success/richtrova

Push It!

This past weekend I ran my really first road race ever. Ok – maybe second if you count the 4 mile road race I did back in 2008 when I would run on the treadmill and rode the spin bike to stay in shape. It was a chilly snowy Superbowl Sunday morning, and here I was 4+ years later, toeing the line of a 5 mile road race  with almost 1200 people and more than half being women!  Only 5 miles, not 13.1, not 70.3 nor 140.6. How hard could this be? ;) You probably know where I am going with this – running 5 miles all out is hard! Very hard! Especially hard, when your coach decides to pace you along the way, and he can run 6:30s backwards. I am going to be honest, I didn’t think I could run 6:30s for 5 miles because I have never done it in training – heck, last time I ran a full mile or maybe some mile repeats at that pace was last summer when I was in the best shape of my life. I am not in that kind of shape right now, and though I was excited I was a bit afraid, and scared of what may happen if I start to struggle after mile 1. The race plan was simple. Shut off your brain and just run. That is easily said than done, but how fitting, I happened to stumble across Kelly Williamson’s blog earlier that week, and her message really hit home. You can read it here: http://kellyhandel.blogspot.com/ She talked about a fear of failure, and also the potential for success always including risk. She went on to say this:

“As an athlete is that we cannot paralyze ourselves with a fear of failure. If we let ourselves go there, we are finished. It is no different than quitting a session or a race because things are not going as we had planned (or hoped) and we begin to envision the dreaded ‘failure’ ahead. We start to walk the line of ‘I may not do as well as I know I want to, and how will I handle that’…which can be scary territory; but it’s realistic territory. No matter how much you win, no matter how many times you accomplish your goals, it is human nature to ‘not want to fail’ and to worry about failing; yet the reality is that every single one of us will fail to reach a goal more often than we will ever succeed. One cannot happen without the other”

I took that message to heart, and really decided to take my head out of my own ass, shut up those loud voices in my head and just do. It was a 5 mile race on the beginning of February – not my A race, and I had absolutely nothing to lose. I actually had a lot to gain regardless of the outcome, but make your head think that!  Kelly then went on to say this about her own race and she couldn’t be more right!

“The days leading into the event, I had quite a few conversations with my conscience. What I finally had to tell myself was, “Kelly, remove your head from your ass. Stop over thinking. Let go of your expectations. This is one of the most low key events you’ll do all year long. Enjoy it, race it, and finish it. Do your best, that’s it.”

So as much as I struggled with my own head all week leading up to the race, by race morning, my brain was shut off, and I was ready to follow my coach Jorge until I couldn’t. The gun finally went off, and all I had to worry about was the mini legs in front of me. I didn’t let them out of my sight, largely due to the fact that Jorge didn’t want to get too far away from me or else he could have dropped me at will. Mile 1 went by fast and we were right on pace – 6:29, I felt really good. (Or maybe it was the .5 mile that I felt good for). Mile 2 ticked off at 6:38 and I was starting to hurt, and my breathing was a bit labored. That’s not exactly the best sign when there are 3 miles left to run, but I actually didn’t think that then – I was successful at shutting that brain off! YES!  I kept trucking along and my legs were becoming heavier with each step. We crossed the 5K mat, and I really just wanted to stop right there and then – Mile 3 – 6:43. That is when the only words I have heard for the last 20 min were becoming louder and louder – Push it, Push it, PUSH IT! By mile 4 – I really just wanted to punch Jorge or tell him that maybe I have been pushing for the last 3+ miles so I didn’t really need to be reminded every 30 seconds to PUSH IT, but because a) I couldn’t catch him to actually punch him and b) I was breathing way too hard to say anything, I just had to keep on pushing.  Mile 4 was the hardest one. Combined that with a slight incline that felt like a mountain – 6:53 showed up on my watch – ouch! I am pretty sure this is where I mustered up all the energy I had to tell Jorge my legs hurt and I was done! His response – “Shut your legs up and push it” Ugh! Someone was in the world of hurt – I mean fun. The last mile – mile 5 was brutal. I can usually pick it up, and can find more energy to really bring it home in the last mile, but I had nothing. I couldn’t even bomb it on the slight downhill that mile 5 started off with. I had no spring left in my legs, and the finish line couldn’t come fast enough. My attempt for a final sprint to the finish line once we rounded the corner and could actually see it was quite pathetic as the legs really had nothing left. Mile 5 – 6:36. And with that I was D.O.N.E! 33:25 and 5.03 miles according to my garmin for a 6:39 avg. pace, 4^th in my AG, and 10^th overall female.

It wasn’t quite the 6:30s that my coach thought I could run, but I was reminded that I can indeed suffer a bit when running for a bit longer than just 2 or 3 min at a time, and although 2 days post race, my hamstrings feel like 2 gigantic bricks ready to pop out of my legs, I am ready for more! Funny how that works, isn’t it?  One race that was by no means perfect, but I am ready for more. More importantly I have a new level of confidence that the mega legs of mine have potential for some serious speed! As Kelly said in her blog:

“In short, this one is summed up by simply saying that failure to try will always result in failure; we will carry that with us… but the potential for success will always involve risk. Ultimately, living your life and trying new things is one big risk. So get out there and risk something! And don’t forget to have fun in the process.”

So I am ready for more FUN while keeping my big picture in mind! Next up – Hyannis ½ marathon in 2.5 weeks, and I am already contemplating if I can keep track of how many times I will hear the words “PUSH IT” over the 13.1 miles. Any guesses? 

Quick Look Back on 2012, and what’s in store for 2013

I have had an amazing 2012 season, and have accomplished my long term goal of getting to Kona! I raced my first ever Ironman in Kona, Hawaii this past October, and it was the best experience ever! I watched myself grow not only physically but also mentally day by day throughout the year, and ended the year by placing 6th at the Las Vegas 70.3 World Championships in the ever so competitive F30-34 AG, followed by a 15th place finish in my AG at my first ever IM in Kona, HI. I owe a HUGE thanks to my coach Jorge Martinez of E3 Training Solutions whose guidance was like no other, and I couldn’t ask for more! He knows his stuff, and I owe a lot of my success to him! Thanks coach! 

Throughout 2012, I continued to surprise myself and checked of many firsts along the way!

Swim:

·         1^st ever open water swim race (I didn’t finish last)

·         I learned to swim the butterfly although it may not the prettiest stroke you have ever seen, I can make it from point A to point B (Thanks Karen ;))

·         Every once in a while I even attempt flip turns too which is a danger in itself! ;) I really am “challenged” when it comes to the water, but I am working at it hard one day at a time!

Bike:

·         1^st time I actually took my bike apart, and put it back together! (I am very proud of that)

·         1^st of many 112+ miles on the bike (there were a few of those throughout the summer). Some were with friends, some were alone, and those long lonely rides were tough but definitely kept me going through those relentless Kona winds! 

Run:

·         Longest training run ever for many consecutive weeks leading to Kona starting with 16 miles – yeah that’s right – I have never ran more than 14+ consecutive miles until this past summer

·         1^st ever marathon (during Kona)

The big one for me in 2012 was definitely my first IM! I had a blast racing there, and I smiled the entire way! I fell in love with Hawaii, and I'll be back there when it's the right time with my eyes on the big prize.

In the mean time, Santa brought me the best gift ever, so that I will NEVER forget my first trip there!

I love puzzles, but I definitely never thought I would be putting together one of myself!

As successful as 2012 was, the journey doesn't stop here!  New goals have been set, and I have a very strong fire burning in my belly for more! 2013 will be very fun, and very fast. I have some BIG goals, and I am not afraid to share them so buckle up! :)

Here is the list of 2013 Races I am registered for:

Northeast MultiSport Indoor Time Trial - January 26th

BTT Indoor Time Trial - February 10th

Hyannis 1/2 marathon - February 24th

Great Bay 1/2 marathon - April 7th 

Rev3 Quassy 70.3 - June 2nd

Patriot 70.3 - June 15th

Timberman 70.3 - August 18th

Rev3 Anderson 70.3 - October 13th

IM Cozumel - December 1^st

I am looking to improve in every sport, and in process collect W’s. You may notice no Vegas or Kona on the list this year, and that’s by design. I thought about it long and hard, and the decision wasn’t easy – not at all easy, but I decided to skip out on trying to qualify for both Vegas and Kona in 2013, in hopes of working my little butt off and returning to Vegas and Kona in 2014 with my eyes on the big prize – the podium! ;)  I fully understand and recognize that it will not be easy, and many things can happen in 2 years, but I want to give it a shot, and I believe that  Jorge and me have a master plan that will get me there!

Bring on 2013!

What are your goals? 

IM Kona 2012 - Pre-Race Week

Wow! 3 weeks removed from THE race, and I am still having a difficult time putting it into words. It really truly was an experience of a lifetime that will be very difficult to top!

I have so much I want to share with all of you, yet I am struggling to figure out where to start, and how to “summarize” what happened in the 2 weeks I spent in Hawaii! I could really write a book or at least that’s how I feel, but since I know how time crunched most of you are, I’ll do my best to make this short, though I am sure it will still be super long but hopefully worth the read :)

If you are a regular follower/reader of my blog, you know by now that 3 weeks ago, I have competed in my first ever ironman - THE ironman that anyone even outside of the triathlon world seems to know and recognize – THE Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawai’i.  To this day it’s almost a bit surreal. Many people were shocked this was my first IM, because the assumption is that one can only qualify by winning or close to winning another full IM. So Yes – you have to qualify, yes – you have to win or almost win, yes - most competitors do so at another full ironman, and yes-  most have done many IM’s before competing in Kona! However, there are still a few half ironman races left that can qualify you for Hawaii, and that was the path I chose to follow if I was going to get to Kona this time around. I was fortunate enough to qualify back in June at Buffalo Springs 70.3, Texas. You can read that race report here. http://czechchick15.blogspot.com/2012/06/i-did-it.html

Being fairly new to the sport, I have watched this race online from beginning to end every single year since I got into the sport 3 short years ago.  I had a hard time tearing myself away from the computer screen! Fast forward to October 6^th – when I stepped off the plane in Kona, Hawaii and was greeted by the cutest airport ever seen and 7 days removed from the big day. This picture doesn't quite do it justice, but the airport is really tiny and cute,  I swear.

I knew this race was special, but watching it on the computer or on TV during the 1 hour or this years 2 hour coverage doesn’t do it justice. It really doesn’t.  It actually doesn’t even come close! This race is like no other! It really is SUPER special, and the atmosphere, and energy that comes with it is very hard to put into words. I’ll do my best to take you through my pre-race week, the race itself, and the post race activities, but I recommend to each and every one of you (whether you are or aren’t interested in triathlon) to put this on your bucket list of things to experience – it will be worth it, and you will leave energized to do whatever it is that you are dreaming of!) You don’t have to compete, but you can volunteer, or simply just spectate! This race or event is really truly like no other!

From the time I stepped off the plane, to my very 1^st sunrise, to my very 1^st stroll on Ali’I drive, to the 1^st swim at Dig Me beach, or the 1^st ride on the famous Queen K, I felt like I was at the Olympics!

1^st Swim at Dig Me beach wondering how far I really have to swim before I can turn around!

Riding on the Queen K and trying to capture some of it J (The famous “energy lab” section of run course is directly behind me)

 

And the beautiful sunsets:

The atmosphere was electric, and the energy in town is really hard to describe! And better yet, unlike the Olympics where you need to buy tickets, this “show” is free! J

Here is my attempt at summarizing the pre-race week:

I arrived in Kona exactly one week before the race. My flight was a short (or maybe not so short) 5+ hour flight from LAX. I was already on the west coast for an entire week before that in cool (super hot 100+ degree temps) of Palm Desert ,CA for our annual sales meeting. Having the biggest sales meeting of a year 2 weeks before the biggest race of my triathlon career is not exactly ideal, but I did my best to get as much sleep as possible, get in my training and eat as much ‘good’ food as I could and stay away from too much alcohol. Not the easiest thing to do, but I managed just fine or so I thought.  Saturday am before I was heading from Palm Dessert to Kona, I woke up with a sore throat and I was beginning to get congested – OMG – am I really getting sick? This can’t be right, and why now, and why me – I began to enter “freak out” mode.  I’ll spare you the details but let’s just say there were a few tears shed.  With the help of some amazing folks (Thanks Briana, Jorge, and Karen), I was surprisingly very calm come Thursday, and even calmer come Friday. I don’t know what it was, but instead of getting more nervous as race day got closer, I was getting more and more confident and so ready to experience this race of many firsts – first Ironman, first non wetsuit open water ocean swim, first marathon etc.  But that’s getting a bit ahead of myself.

Sunday morning came quickly, I went for my first swim at Dig Me beach and it didn’t disappoint. I am not quite sure how much swimming I actually did, but between the beautiful underwater scenery, the fact I could barely breathe, the swells that were rolling in and the super duper salty water, I wasn’t sure what to take in first.Quick swim was followed by an awesome breakfast at the famous Lava Java,that certainly didn't disappoint.

Later on, I went for a quick ride on the Queen K, and what an introduction to the famous winds! Flying like a superwoman on the way there, only to turn around and run into a wall, while getting smacked sideways! Wow! Just what I needed to further question my 808 Zipp Firecrest wheel combo!

The rest of the week involved more swimming, another bike ride or two just to keep the wheels spinning, couple runs, but the main focus was to get rid of whatever bug that got me! I rarely ever get sick which is super awesome, however it also means that when I do get sick I really have no clue about which medicine works best for me so it was time for some trial and error, and I am happy to report that come Friday, I felt ready to go and could breathe again!  

Relaxing also included few official and if you are ever on the island must do pre race activities:

Parade of nations was up first and I think this event further made me feel like I was part of something special – very special. I have never been in the Olympics, but that’s sort of how I felt. Walking down Ali’i drive with the rest of the Czechs  and just taking in the indescribable energy of everyone that was so happy to be there and ready to race was very special. 

Maybe next time I too will get my own “float”, I mean Mercedes! J 

Then there was the famous underpants run, where pictures are worth more than a 1,000 words!  Don’t skip this if you are there!

Somehow I even made it into someone’s article! http://www.prettytough.com/kona-underpants-run-ironman-world-championship-and-bragging-rights/

And what about the awesome TYR party that we were fortunate to get into? No worries – I kept my extra special swimming abilities on the down low! We got to meet whole bunch TYR employees, pro athletes, and the food was simply amazing!  And look who was there? J

I also got to make my very own custom goggles – hard at work here:

And here is the final product or two - one of a kind czechchick TYR goggles as well as E3 team color once J

I am saving both of those for when I graduate from my turtle stage! J

Thursday night was the opening dinner and ceremony, and for the first time ever,I can actually say it was worth attending (for the most part). The stage alone was unbelievable, the local acts were the best, and the stories were very inspirational.

I definitely was reminded again that this is not just another race. I really began to realize that I am very fortunate to be one of the almost 2,000 athletes that would get the chance to take on this challenge.  It finally started to sink in. I was to finally be able to see what I can do with this distance and just how tough I really am or am not.  As my friend Ed would say – I would finally have the chance to play in the big leagues, and I was going to test my limits against the best of the best. Those countless morning swims, those long bike rides, and runs – I was little over 24 hours away from putting it all together, and all I could think about was “ Is it Saturday morning yet?”

One last swim on Friday morning before the big day was followed by slightly oversized and overpriced breakfast (food in Hawaii is just a tad bit expensive – wow!), and the rest of the day was spent by relaxing, getting my pre-race bags ready, and dropping off my “Fireball”

Even dropping off my fireball was a process and we were each taken through the transition area by a volunteer. That’s right – 1 on 1 tour guide through the entire transition area.

This is where my “Fireball” spent the night.

Bike bags: 1^st row on the left – I think my volunteer was a bit surprised when had to take a picture of every single spot I dropped something off J

Once “Fireball” and transition bags were dropped off, We walked back, I took one last look at the swim start, and the swim course, but instead of feeling super nervous and scared, I grew more and more confident. Sure there were butterflies, but not the kind that paralyzes you, rather the kind that excites youJ.  I mean how can you not be excited when you watch the famous finish line being built right in front of your eyes?

Finish line in the works:

Getting a bit closer:

And finally the stage behind the finish line, and the screen that you can watch yourself on when you cross the finish line! J

To everyone’s surprise, I was getting way too hungry, so it now was really time to go feed the worm :) Thanks to super chef Briana - I had a super-sized dinner consisting of pasta with red sauce and some super duper $10 a pound grilled chicken breast and off to bed I went. I  may have read my race plan 1, 2, 3, or 10 times over and over again (whose coach writes a race report that makes you shed a tear or two when you read your race report? – mine does), replayed how the race will go in my head a few times, and actually fell asleep.

And just like that race morning was here! 

Next up - How it all went down on race day! Stay tuned :)