Challenge Quassy and the official beginning of 2015 – The Year of Fearless

I couldn’t wait to race. It’s been a long time since IM Cozumel and after I properly and fully recovered after doing 2 IM’s in 6 weeks (I took 4 full weeks of no swim/bike or run without much complaining but I did make sure I was at least foam rolling, stretching etc.), I dove into offseason training with a swim/run focus. I spent a lot of time in the pool, and on the treadmill thanks to the Boston winter we had this year. I used to call the treadmill the “dreadmill”, but I embraced it and made the best of it. Hill repeats, speed work, you name it, I did it. It not only helped me physically, but also mentally. I actually have grown to really like it. There was no hiding from a particular pace. The choice was always mine – either keep the feet moving, reduce the speed or the incline or fall off. I am surprised the treadmill still works because I have definitely left my fair share of sweat puddles behind more than just once.

Once the weather started to get better, I took my fun outside, and to the track. I have done some track work before but on my own, and that’s just not the same as when you are being pushed by others.  If you are local and want come run in circles with me; we (E3 Training Solutions team) meet at the Brendan Grant Memorial Track in Belmont, MA at 6:30 Wednesday at 6:30pm. All levels are welcomed and the more the merrier. It’s fun – I promise! 

 I also swam quite a bit, and a lot faster than ever before. This winter I swam the best 100, 200 and 500 TTs and I can’t wait to translate that speed into open water now that I can finally get in without turning into an icicle in 2 seconds.

I have yet to mention what mega legs have been up to – yes – it’s no secret that the bike is my big strength. I may have not spent that much time on my Fireball but when I did, it was well worth it. Quality over quality approach for this girl. My big winter focus was to first increase my 5 minute power which to my surprise, I absolutely demolished.  I guess those all out, where is the puke bucket intervals paid off. 20 minute power – I am coming after you next! Living up to “mega legs” nickname doesn't come easy. 

But anyways, let’s fast forward to this past weekend. I couldn’t wait to toe the line. This was my 4^th time racing on this course although for the first time under the Challenge umbrella, and I have to say Challenge put on a GREAT race! I went into Quassy wanting to test that swim/run combo and more importantly I wanted to stay in the moment throughout the day and be fearless. Fearless from the beginning to the end, fearless when it hurts, fearless when things get tough.

THE SWIM: 34:22 (4^th AG, 14^th overall female)

Although my official time is in the 34s, I swam more of a high 32 or low 33 as the timing mat wasn’t located right as you came out of the water. Regardless of time, and given my lack of open water practice this season (this was my 3^rd time in open water in 2015), I felt great! It was a very cold morning so I made sure to get in a descent warm up. That definitely helped me with the swim start, because my feet/hands and face were already frozen so when I ran in, the water temperature didn’t bother me. I lined up in the 2^nd row behind a fairly big guy who was swimming as part of a relay team so I assumed he would be a good swimmer. I was able to draft his hip, as well as some feet in front of me all the way to the first turn buoy, when things got a bit tougher with the sun directly in our faces. It was impossible to see any buoys until you were practically on top of them, so I just followed the caps, and bubbles in front of me. Lucky for me, I ended up swimming a fairly straight line with the exception of having to get around a few slower swimmers every now and then from the previous waves.  Once we made the final turn for the swim exit, visibility came back and I was able to swim on the buoy line the entire time. I never once wondered when the swim would end, and the buoys kept coming up quick! My arms/legs felt great, and if it wasn’t for the little extra buoyance, I wouldn’t even know I was wearing a wetsuit! The BlueSeventy Helix is THAT comfortable! I got out of the water feeling absolutely awesome, and ready to ride!  

THE BIKE: 2:40:25 (Fastest Female Bike Split by 7 min, 18^th fastest including all men)

Getting on my bike, I felt great but due to the cooler temps it took a while to warm up. I was definitely very cold for a better part of the first 10 miles of the bike, and my quads felt like two frozen blocks of ice, but I don’t think it really affected my power. I felt great, and just put my head down and went to work. The road was quite congested in spots as my wave was the 2^nd to last one and all male waves went ahead of us, but fortunately I didn’t run into too many issues given the nature of the hilly terrain.  I am quite used to screaming “On your left” and Sunday was no different.  Even though I was a bit cautious on some of the descents, I still topped off at 48.72 mph! No, I didn’t carry any extra bricks with me on those descents  – just potato/rice cakes /PowerBar gels to keep me fueled and one kick ass and comfortable bike fit! Aerodynamics matter – shocking, I know! 

I felt strong the entire ride (we are not going to talk about the fact that I somehow confused AP with NP and as a result rode a bunch of watts lower than what the plan was) I even pushed the pace a bit more in the last 10-15 miles to hopefully put more extra into my competition. My overall power was still very good and very close to my best 70.3 race power output ever, but little did I know, I really needed to drop the hammer (more on that later)  

T2: 0:52

What I didn’t realize until I started to take my feet out of my shoes before dismounting the bike is  just how frozen my toes were from the ride even though I wore toe warmers. I couldn’t feel anything at all, which made for an interesting flying dismount but I made it safe and sound, and sorry T2 crowd; I didn’t provide quite the entertainment I would have had I not made it ;) Helmet off, socks and shoes on and off I went.  

THE RUN: 1:33:58 (5^th overall fastest female run, and a 4 min PR on a harder than before run course - new for 2015)

I really couldn't be happier with the way I executed this run.  I have been running really well in training, but I would lie if this course didn't intimidate me a bit. Trying to run a certain pace (they don’t call it the “Beast of the East” for nothing) on this course is near impossible, and so I set out to go by HR in the initial stages of the run. The goal was to run steady for 7-9 miles, and then just empty the tank. Advice/instruction is one thing, but execution is another. I knew the only way to run well on this course is to not be scared, stay in the moment & be “fearless”.  Paying attention to pace really wouldn't do me any good.

Since I was the first female on the run course (no pro race took place), I had my own lead biker! Last time I had one was at then Rev3 South Anderson where I ended up running my best 13.1 off the bike with a 1:29 split! I love lead bikers! I was off to a good start.  Well except that my feet were two blocks of ice, but mind over matter come mile 3, I was good to go. I left T1 behind a few men and one by one caught and passed them all but 1 who eventually pulled a little bit away from me. I was working, but I was in control, moving well, and keeping my HR around where I wanted to be. I learned I had a 10 min lead on the 2^nd female at the start of the run. I have NEVER had such a great cushion, but little did I know it wasn’t going to be enough.

Come mile 6, my coach caught up to me on the bike and told me my lead is down to 4 minutes (From 10 min to 4 minutes in 6 miles). He has been known to tell me in the past that people are closer than they really are to make me push harder and so I assumed just that, and actually laughed a bit on the inside about his a bit ridiculous math. I had just dropped a couple of sub 7 min miles, and this girl is taking 1 minute per mile away from me? Yeah, right …. Funny coach, funny! Mirinda Carfrae isn’t racing is she?  I kept running, focusing on one mile at a time. 

I was running hard, but still in control and right where I wanted to be. When I got to mile 7.5ish (for those that have done the course, you then take a left hand turn and go down a longish hill – same hill that you have to go back up toward the finish line later), and at that time coach Jorge caught me again to tell me my lead was down to 2 minutes. I stopped internalizing my thoughts, and just yelled out – are you serious? Hoping for no, just kidding – I heard yes – I am serious, and you better run as hard as you can because she is only 2 min away and she is going to catch you.

Game on. I literally threw myself down the hill, running sub 6 min pace and absolutely trashing my quads – at mile 7.5. 

About to throw myself down the hill and drop my running companion in the process 

My old self would have thought ahead and wondered how I will get through the next 5.5 miles, but not anymore! “Fearless” stepped in, and I stayed in the moment. At this point I was running hard and continued to take one mile at a time. I saw a low 6:30s mile go by and thought nothing of it. The steepest hills on the course were yet to come and I didn’t care, I just kept running and before I knew it, I had caught that one last guy that ran away from me in the early stages of the run. I caught him, and I passed him – on a 14% grade uphill – I used to suck at uphill running. Walking would have probably been faster, but I kept moving even though I really wanted to stop (bad). I crested that hill, passed an aid station and not shortly after that (probably mile 9.5 – 10) heard the volunteers telling the 2^nd female that the 1^st female (me) is right there! I am not going to lie – I hated that but at the same time, I was giving it my all. Jodie (the eventual winner) had passed me like I was standing. I tried really hard to keep up, even running another 6:30 mile but even at that pace she was still pulling away from me. Not long after that she was out of my sights, and I just had one more little hill to climb before the finish line.

Losing such a large lead in 13.1 miles when running well (for me) sucks big time, but now knowing the caliber of a runner that Jodie is (she ran 1:21 and has met the A standard (2:37) for the US marathon trials in February – her PB in marathon is 2:34 – I would need a bike for that ;)), I have nothing to be ashamed of. She was the better triathlete on the day, beating me by 2 minutes in her first ever triathlon. Watch out for this girl, because she has a bright future ahead! But so do I because I am not a different racer and there is more to come where that came from.

I didn’t end up on the top step of the overall podium this time, but I am walking away with a ton of positives & confidence,ready to take on the next challenge as I continue to prep and focus on IM Kona this October.  

Patriot 70.3 – a great local race organized by SunMultisport is up next!   

OVERALL TIME: 4:51:36 (2^nd Overall Female) 

Rear-view Mirror a.k.a look back on 2014

2014 was supposed to be the year I ruled the world. The female amateur tri world of the long distance anyways. I was entering the finish line of the first long term essentially 4 year approach/process that we (me and coach Jorge) took to get me to where I wanted to be - the double 70.3 and 140.6 amateur champion. I guess they were right when they said that nothing happens overnight!

The progression went something like this (CZECH is for check):

• 2010 – Race my first few 70.3’s and qualify/and don’t come dead last at 70.3 World’s – CZECH

• 2011 – Continue to focus on the 70.3 distance, qualify for 70.3 Worlds again but this time let’s see how competitive I can be there – CZECH

• 2012 – Win my AG at all 70.3’s with a main focus of qualifying for Kona at Buffalo Springs (One of the few 70.3 Kona qualifiers left at the time) – CZECH. I did my first ironman (1^st marathon) and got absolutely hooked on Kona! I was there for the experience (secretly hoping I would do well of course) - CZECH

• 2013 – One year closer to the world domination, but I knew I had my work cut out for me, and needed at least 2 years to get there. No WC races in 2013, but goal was to start winning 70.3s and 140.6 overall /qualify for both world championship events a year ahead of time –CZECH

• 2014 – Double 70.3/140.6 Amateur World Champion - FAIL

But back to 2014.

• 2014 was the year when my dreams became attainable goals.

• 2014 was the year, I realized why I couldn’t compete at this level back in 2011, or 2012 – I have always loved the process – you know the day in/day out stuff – but it was when all the "why’s" started to fall into places.

• 2014 showed me that I am capable of more than I ever thought I would be, and most importantly that I am not done yet – the potential is there! I know it and feel it.

• It would be easy to label 2014 as a disappointment of a year because I didn’t quite reach the top, but looking back in the review mirror, 2014 was the greatest learning experience that I could have ever given myself. I showed up at both Mt. Tremblant and Kona ready to compete and confident that I had what it takes to win. I came close and just off the age group podium in both races (6^th AG, 6^th overall in Mt. Tremblant; 6^th AG,17^th amateur) , but close isn’t winning. Any other year, I would have been extremely happy with those placings at that level, but not in 2014. Had I been in any other age group, I would have been the 70.3 World Champion, or won the Umeke Bowl but I wasn’t. (Harsh reality) I knew I had what it took to win, but I just wasn’t able to put it all together when it counted the most and that hurt.  Without going into details (Mt. Tremblant Race Report and Kona Race Report), I made choices in key points of each race, that I would want to take back, but such is racing. There were 5 and 16 faster girls than me on those two days, and they deserve all the credit. I raced my heart out, and I failed. I cried my eyes out and my heart hurt, but I learned, and that is KEY!

• 2014 uncovered weaknesses I didn't know I had, and I will now be stronger for those.  

• 2014 was the end of the new beginning – No, I am not turning pro, and no I am not changing my goals. I am also not going to go and train 30-40 hours every single week because that is what someone else that beat me does. It’s not always about just more,rather it’s about the overall process (long and short term), the evolution, and growth. It’s about “ME”, about what “I” need to do to make my dreams a reality. 2014 showed me and my coach what needs to happen next and that’s worth more than winning.

2015 is the year of “FEARLESS”. “FEARLESS” not just physically, but more importantly“FEARLESS” mentally.  Although I do not have plans of racing the 70.3 World Champs in Austria so my double world champ attempt will not happen again (unless someone wants to sponsor me/buy me more vacation days at work), I have already qualified for Kona (Cozumel Race Report) and have my eyes on the prize "MISSION UMEKE"

As always THANK YOU to my family/friends and sponsors for supporting my (to most - crazy; to me - absolutely normal) dreams! 2015 is going to be a blast! 

Two Ironman's in 7 weeks

I take my hat off to the serial IM racers out there, because that is no easy feat.  And if that is something that any of you out there are even entertaining, please make sure that your training has physically and mentally prepared you for the “battle”, because a battle it is. 

But let’s back up a bit. My 2014 season goal was to win the age group amateur title in Kona (Kona Race Report), and IM Cozumel was not on the original schedule. I failed to make that happen, and finished 6^th. 6^th in the world is nothing to be ashamed of, but I was disappointed. I made certain choices during the race, I wanted to get back but such is racing. It was only few hours after I crossed that finish line an Alii’ Drive that I knew I had to get back to Kona in 2015. And that is when IM Cozumel had made its way to the forefront of my mind. My choices were limited, and I was either going to take a big risk and enter an uncharted territory of following up an Ironman with another Ironman in 7 short weeks (IM Cozumel), or I was going to spend the winter riding my bike on the indoor trainer with the heater on full blast, and no fan to try to acclimate to the heat of Texas next May.  I took about 10 days completely off post Kona and then slowly got back into it. After couple of weeks training, the decision was made. 

 One thing that was very clear to me from day 1 post Kona, I was mentally ready to give it a go! I had also felt great physically, and had some great training sessions which indicated I was fully recovered but not ever  following an Ironman race with anything but offseason had left me with some doubt. I was however more confident than doubtful that this was the right decision and all signs were giving me the green light! I paid more attention to how I actually felt during every single training session and adjusted accordingly when necessary. I paid attention to every little detail more than I ever had (recovery/massage/ART/nutrition/hydration), because I was never at any point going to sacrifice my health. And even if I did, my coach wasn’t going to let me.

I left home bright and early on Thanksgiving Thursday, and finally arrived on the island that evening. The last part of the trip involved one rocky (understatement of the year) ferry ride from Playa del Carmen to Cozumel which really started off my “mind over matter” IM Cozumel experience.  The wind was so strong, I am surprised we didn’t reenact Titanic. I am still not sure how I didn’t throw up. When I finally got off the ferry 40 minutes later, I almost blew away!  Bring it wind, bring it!

Friday, and Saturday were spent building the bike (Huge Thank you goes out to Brian Hughes who pretty much put it together for me in record time), registering, and just making sure all systems were go.  I may have still been carrying some residual “off” feeling from the 40 min rollercoaster ride (I mean ferry ride), but it was easy to shove to the back of my mind. 

Seen on one of my two short pre-race rides

Fireball 2.0 ready for its sleepover

Race morning, I was nervous but confident. I was nervous because, I have NEVER backed up an Ironman race with another race, never mind another Ironman. I have always gone straight into the offseason. I was nervous because no matter how hard you train, or how confident you are, Ironman is a very long day where things that are out of your control can go wrong! I was nervous because I didn’t want those 4 or 5 hour long indoor trainer rides in 80 degree temperature, 75% humidity with no fan, followed by long freezing runs go to waste. I was nervous because I really wanted to make the time away from home worth it, and the only thing that was going to make it worth it for me was to come home with that Kona ticket!  

I was confident, because not only did I train hard all year. I was confident because I had some great long post Kona training sessions that proved to me that I was more than recovered from Hawaii! I was confident because I felt very mentally strong. I was confident because I had a new sense of focus that was a direct result of my “failure” in Kona. I was confident and eager to show, I have learned from my mistakes and I just couldn't wait to see what the day would bring. 

Just missing the potatoes in this set up

 

With Cozumel being a two transition race (T1 and T2 are in separate locations), and the swim start being yet another 2.4 miles away from T1, logistics are a bit of nightmare but race organizers did a great job!  Can you say women’s and men’s specific porta pottys? Probably the one and only place with the mens lines being longer than women’s.  Huge plus on race morning!

 

THE SWIM:  1:04:20 (21st AG, 94th female overall)

 

Point to point straight shot, warm, super clear beautiful swim complete with occasional jelly fish stings. For the first time this race also featured a wave start, and although I wasn’t a fan at first, it turned out to be the best thing EVER. Some of the guys may think otherwise, but from a selfish perspective of having a clean race for the amateur females, I would like to think it was the best wave distribution ever!  

 

The current itself wasn’t as strong as one would think based on how it was advertised (IM Chattanooga by far wins that crown), and I honestly didn’t even feel it until the end of the race.I swam relaxed, strong, pretty straight and mostly alone the entire time. As a result, I would sight more often than I normally would to avoid zigging and zagging. I had to do some navigating around the slower swimmers, but I was able to find my rhythm early on and stick with it.

Before I knew it, I was climbing up the stairs, and running down towards T1. 

 

 

T1: 4:29

 

I moved as fast as possible and didn’t really have any hick ups. Unless of course you count the mouth full of “who knows what” that came up out of nowhere as I was running out of the changing tent towards my bike as one.  For a moment I thought that this may make the rest of the race quite interesting, but I quickly shrugged it off and accounted it to couple of the gulps of salt water I took in by accident during the swim. 

 

THE BIKE: 5:14:46 (1st AG, fastest female amateur bike split by 15 minutes, and 2nd including pro's)

 

Having done this race last year, I was ready for a few things. The normal Cozumel conditions consisting of a strong head/cross/tail wind, the sun, the rain and huge draft packs! I was mentally ready to handle it all!  In the days leading up to the race, these signs were plastered absolutely everywhere, so I really couldn’t wait to see if they were actually going to be enforced! 

Among all places, found in the women's bathroom at registration/expo

 

I wasn’t a fan of the swim wave start, as I really feel mass starts are part of the true IM experience, but I also had a bad taste left in my mouth from Mt. Tremblant worlds and the short 3 min gap separating each wave, which was also the case here. However as I mentioned before, sending all females first with the exception of the 50+AG  males was probably the best thing that could have happened– at least for me. The draft packs/pelotons from last year were non-existent, and I pretty much had a clear road the entire time!  I did most of my passing in the first loop of the 3-loop course, and was able to keep my head down, and the pedal to the metal the entire time without any distractions.  I can’t speak to what happened behind me, but from where I was in the race, I saw the least amount of drafting if any at all. I can only wish every single race was like this! Kudos to race organizers for changing it up, and trying to make the race more legal hopefully for all of us.

My plan going into the race was conservative given the short little race I did just 7 weeks prior. Conservative meaning riding around 70-72%. I had mixed feelings about the plan with bike being my strength, but by race day I was 100% committed. Keeping these numbers slightly lower would hopefully mean a faster run split, which is something I have yet to be able to do in an IM but know  I can do.

 

With potato's in tow

 

I stuck to my numbers on the first 2 loops, and even had to hold myself back from going too hard. You can see my power file here (Bike Power File) Pedal to the metal the entire time except for coasting through aid stations, during pee breaks, and the twisty turns through town. 

Making my way through town 

 

Aero was the name of the game

 

I was following my slightly updated fueling plan, which was working like a charm, until the last 20 miles or so of the bike. Remember the little “incident” from T1? This time I was able to keep everything down, but just started to feel slightly nauseous. The thought of another bottle of Gatorade was making me sick, but guzzling down the water seemed to do the trick. The thought of how am I going to run a marathon feeling like this had most certainly entered my mind, but as quickly as it appeared, it disappeared! The power of positive thinking had returned in an instant. I had made the choice to back of power in the last 10 miles of the race, and tried to get this “nauseous” feeling under control. I was still moving fast, flying by whoever was in sight, and with the exception of Gatorade my nutrition was staying down. Another crisis averted.

 

113.5 miles later I was dismounting the bike and running into a very empty T2 ready to run.

 

T2: 1:23

 

The privilege of being in the T2 alone is lots of attention. Too bad I didn't enjoy it for long. I was out of there quick. Thank you volunteers! 

THE RUN: 3:33:46 (1st AG, 8th fastest amateur run) 

 

Going into the race, I really wanted to run well and I wanted to leave it all out there. Running out of T2 into the streets of Cozumel was awesome because the crowd support is absolutely unbelievable. However it also makes you run faster by default. I made that mistake last year and I most certainly did not want to repeat it. Enough with letting my pace drop into the 9 or 10 min paces – I can’t run that slow in training so I really didn’t want to do it in a race!

 

The sun was out and it was hot, but I was ready for that. The course on the first loop was very empty, which made me feel like one of the pro’s. I had the aid stations all to myself, and getting a ton of attention. Plenty of ice, water, coke (in this case pepsi), you name it they had it. I was able to stay right on pace and my targeted HR the entire first loop (8 miles), and was feeling GREAT! I also felt this great in Kona, until I didn’t. 

Mile 7ish - everything is better with a smile!

 

The goal was to keep the same pace for loop #2, but that all came to a halt quickly at mile 10. The “nauseous” feeling from the bike had returned, and my pace right along with my HR started to drop slowly but surely with each mile. I am fairly new to running with heart rate, but I have never watched my heart rate get lower and lower with each mile like it was happening here. To the contrary, given the conditions, I was pretty sure I may see my heart rate higher than I normally would have for my IM pace. I thankfully continued to be able to keep my nutrition down and just kept focusing on one mile at a time. I didn’t look ahead, I didn’t have the countdown going, I wasn’t hating life, I wasn’t wondering why I do this, and I wasn’t swearing of ironman like I have in every single one of my other IM races.

 

All my energy was going into keeping it together one mile at a time, and not letting my pace slip any further. The nauseous feeling would come and go but I was so focused on forward progress, that that became secondary. By mile 19 my legs really started to hurt, and my HR was lower than I have ever seen it.  It was that “hey, what do you want from us, we just did this 7 weeks ago” deal. It was now really mind over matter, but where before I would have slowed down and pondered the “why” am I doing this, or how many miles I left, I was able to stay in the moment, and keep pushing. 

You can see my Run File here and how I had to fight for every single mile after mile 10. 

 

Come mile 24, I started to pick up the pace, and come the last 1.2 I laid it all out. Every fiber in my body was quite possibly screaming to stop, but for the first time in an IM, my head didn’t get in the way. 

Mile 25/26 - focusing on bringing it home 

Rounding the last corner toward the finish line

Steps away from the finish line and the smile is back

 I couldn't be happier with my day. Mission Accomplished! 

 

The second I stopped, I realized the pain I was in, but I was quite possibly the happiest human alive on the entire island of Cozumel!

 

Ouch but oh so worth it! 

 

I still didn’t run as fast as I know I can and will, but I had mentally and physically put together the race I was looking for.

 

I got my Kona ticket, finished 1^st AG (30-34), 2^nd Overall Amateur, and 8^th Overall including a very descent professional field. I ran a marathon PR of 3:33:45, and broke 10 hours with an official time of 9:58:44. More importantly I stayed focused and in the moment every single second of this race not once doubting or figuring out "why". 

 

With that my 2014 is in the books, and although I had failed to reach a few goals of mine, I had learned and grown more than ever, which is something that wouldn't have happened had I not come short. 

 

I can't say enough to my supporters near, and far and my sponsors that allow me to chase my dreams. In no particular order: Landry's Bicycle, PowerBar, E3 Training, EC3D Sports, BlueSeventy, Castelli, RacePak, Beet It. THANK YOU! 

And now, it's offseason time and time to put together the 2015 Race Schedule which will be highlighted with my 3rd IM Kona World Championships next October. 

Ironman World Championship - Kona 2014

It’s been almost a month since THE race, and my mind is still racing. I have so much to say, yet I don’t know where to start. Every time I sit down to put my thoughts on paper, my fingers get paralyzed. I shut my eyes, and I feel like I am there!

October 11t, 2014 – almost 7 am, treading water at Kailua Bay in Kona, Hawaii surrounded by hundreds of other super fast women, and spectators, waiting for the canon to go off to start THE race I had my eyes set on winning for the last 2 years.  I did say “winning”, and I did say “2 years”.  

I have a tremendous respect for this race and Kona to me is a very special. Yes – it is the World Championship but it will also forever be my very first ironman! Talk about throwing myself into the “fire”!  It further presents the greatest challenge for my body and mind. It is 140.6 miles of unpredictable, where every little mistake, misjudgment, and weakness gets magnified. As Jan Frodeno said: “It’s paradise, and it’s hell all at once”. 

Paradise! The best sunsets in the world brought to you from the dinner table

Riding your bike through the lava fields can turn into "hell" very quickly

The atmosphere on the island is absolutely electrifying and hard to put into words.  You really have to be part of it to understand. Whether as competitor, volunteer, spectator, or just a tourist that happened to vacation on the island during the 2^nd week of October, you will feel something special and even you may start walking around town in spandex of half naked ;).

 Gotta love the underwear run!

Love me so Barnana! 

Just getting to Kona is a journey! It is a long process! One that requires a lot of dedication with which comes sacrifice! And although triathlon is an individual sport, it takes a village, and I would like to thank mine for allowing me and helping me to chase my dreams.

I arrived on the island full week before the race, which meant I got to  swim/bike/run a little on the course, get acclimated to the 6 hour time difference, and soak in the atmosphere that this race brings with it. Unlike two years ago, when I toed the line as an ironman rookie, this year I felt a certain level of confidence that I really do belong here. The chiseled, “I am in the best shape of my life” bodies walking around town didn’t intimidate me. I 100% believed in my preparation and my own ability to end up on top of that podium. I knew anything can happen, but I also knew that if I execute my "perfect" race, I’ll give myself a chance to stand on that IM World Championship podium with an “umeke” bowl over my head that I had dreamed about so many times.

Fast forward to race morning. The dreaded breakfast  (it’s always a struggle to get it down), the unusual body marking process (because if you made it here, we will just have people apply race number tatoos on you in the am), the moment when you are asked to step on the scale which becomes very important post race in case you really do leave everything out on that race course, the “long” walk to find your bike racked on the famous pier to get it ready to fight the elements out on the Queen K.

The final minutes once all that is taken care of always feel like hours! That was true especially this year, since this was the first year of wave starts, and we were the last wave to go off at 7am – 10 min after the AG men, 30 min after the PRO women, and 40 min after the PRO men.  

THE SWIM: 1:18:23

I was really nervous, but as soon as I entered the water, and looked around, I knew I was ready to fight.  The swim start in Hawaii is special! The last 5 min of treading water was a great indication of how the swim would go. Just because there were less of us, didn’t mean it was going to be any less physical. To the contrary, I was getting kicked and pushed around before we even started swimming but I held my own. I wasn't  happy to just be here, I wanted to win. I took one last look around me and before I knew it, the cannon went off.

Chaos! 

I felt great, swimming steady and pretty effortlessly. Although I didn’t start on the buoy line, I made my way to it fairly soon, and had quite a bit of company along the way. The water was choppy, but I felt great even though I kept getting pushed and kicked and smacked from both sides pretty much the entire way out to the turnaround. As we started to near the turnaround we started to run into blue caps which given the conditions became a bit more difficult to navigate. The chop kept increasing, but I continued to feel very good while passing more and more blue caps (men) and working with a few other women that were swimming around me. I had my Garmin set to beep every 10 minutes, but I was so in the zone and concentrated on the task at hand, I didn’t even know how many beeps I have heard so when I heard one loud beep as I was nearing the pier, I was super excited to see the 1 hour mark. Instead my Garmin read 1:10, with at least another 500 yards to go which threw me for a loop and with that a pretty big emotional let down.  The quiet, calm and focused head of mine went into a full on brawl. I was not happy, and I just couldn’t understand why I swam so slow when I felt so good! I felt like I let myself and few others down in a big time.

 I end up smashing my knees and tripping on those steps every time!

In retrospect, I ended up swimming almost 2.7 miles which would actually explain why I felt so good. 1:18 for 2.7 miles sounds much better than 1:18 for 2.4 and would be right around the pace I was hoping to actually swim. None less it was time to keep moving, but even though I was really trying to leave the swim behind, it kept popping up at the forefront of my mind for a bit longer than I would have like it to.  

THE BIKE: 5:21:15 (6^th fastest amateur bike split)

This one is a tough one to write about. Yes, it was hot, and yes it was incredibly windy - as in athletes getting blown of their bikes windy but that is Hawaii. I felt awesome getting on my bike and although I spent the first 10 miles still thinking about how I could have felt so great but swim so slow, my power numbers were falling right where they needed to be. I may have ridden more centuries this year than I did during my entire triathlon career and as a result, my pacing was dialed in! 

Trying really hard to forget about the swim! 

Once I made it onto the Queen K, I finally put the swim behind me, put my head down, and went to work. I kept riding by feel, but was locked in within the power ranges my coach and I discussed prior to the race for different sections of the race. I would slow down at every aid station to grab fuel whenever I needed or at least a cold bottle of water to cool myself off. The wind was real, and the heat index was rising. I found myself pedaling downhill in a small front chain ring just to go 10mph – did I mentioned it was on a downhill? I didn’t let that get to me but it was seriously windy. I kept moving, staying aero and before you know it, I was climbing up towards the turnaround at Hawi. The road went up, and my numbers went up with it which was the plan.

I continued to feel great until I didn’t. The descend back from Hawi was rough! I usually strive on the downhills and have no fear, but I was worried I may not make it down in one piece. I tried to relax as much as I could while still moving at a descent clip (at times way over 30mph), but between the strong crosswinds/gusts and watching people being blown all over the road right in front of my eyes, I was scared. I lost the great rhythm I had going for the first 60 miles of the race and I also neglected my to this point spot on “cooling” and drinking. I drank when I thought I could let go of my handlebars which wasn’t too often, so by the time I got to the bottom of Hawi and back on the Queen K around the 80 mile mark, I was boiling. It was then in the heat and wind of the moment when things started to fall apart. I made the decision to stick to “x” pace, instead of putting my head down and getting it done. The last 30 miles were rough. I had some great moments where I was able to get back into my rhythm and just get it done, but I had some sections during which my power plummeted to numbers I would normally only see on a recovery ride. The wind was still out in full force and it definitely wasn’t cooling. I did get back on track in terms of cooling and nutrition, but the “damage” was done, and decision to back off was made.

Looking back, yes, I moved through the field all day long making my way from 50^th after the swim to 5^th in my AG, passing a total of 601 athletes and posting the 6^th fastest female amateur bike split, but it is the leg of the race I am disappointed about the most. I failed to capitalize on my strength, but I will be back to make it right!

Despite the hot and windy bike, and due to my decision to roll through the last 10 miles with ease in favor of not overheating or destroying myself, I rolled into transition feeling good and ready to run. 

THE RUN: 3:36:05

I had one thought running through my head at the beginning of this run, and that was to NOT go out too fast as I did the other two times I raced this distance. It didn’t help I had one of my competitors running about 25 yards in front of me the entire time, but I was trying my best to hold back, so I could actually run when it counts the most (The last 10K).  The second thought I had was to cool and fuel at each aid station. I was like a robot moving through every single aid station and grabbing just about anything that was being offered to me. Sponges, ice down the shorts, water, coke, water, more ice, and just keep moving. 

No idea what I am doing with my hands BUT probably telling myself to slooooow down! 

I was staying cool, in control, running pretty much right on pace plus or minus a few seconds here and there. Around mile 3 or 4, someone on roller blades with a camera in his hands started to follow me and finally asked a few questions, and in Czech! Aaaaaaah, Czech TV here. Oh boy, I better look like I know what I am doing ;). (You can see the shortened clip here, but a 1 hour Czech version of the race was shown few weeks ago back home). I got almost 30 seconds of fame! 

I kept ticking of the miles, and even felt great going up the famous Palani hill. I was really confident and happy, I was finally going to nail this marathon thing off the bike! I started to become pretty emotional, which obviously happened way too soon, but it happened. I started to slow down a touch around mile 16, and by mile 18/19 things started to fall apart quickly. Just in time for the famous run through the energy lab! Even though by this time we had a cloud cover and it was nowhere near as hot as it was the time I did one of my training runs in there (if I remember correctly it may have even rained some while I was in there), I was struggling big time and started to question my existence. The super positive emotional state I was in just a few shorts miles away, turned into how the heck am I going to survive the next 7 miles! I kept moving as best as I could, but it wasn’t pretty and the count down to the finish line was on. The typical “why am I doing this” popped up in my head more than a few times in the last 6 miles. I am not counting the last 1.2 because I call it the “free” mile. No matter how much you are hurting that late in the race, the last mile in Kona is special, and the fan support has the ability to take all the pain away (temporarily). I threw myself down Palani, and emptied the tank as I crossed the finish line. 

 Happy, and exhausted

 Wobble Right 

Wobble Left

 Finishing Time: 10:21:29 (6^th AG – 30-34; 17^th amateur female, and 46^th Overall including Pro’s)

Couple hours, and about a gallon of chicken soup and some time in the med tent, I was alive and smiling again :) 

I was very bummed to miss the podium by 1 spot (again), but that’s racing, I had nothing more to give on that day, and for that I have zero regrets. There were a few other women that were stronger than me, and made better decisions than I did. Congratulations to them all!  Watching everyone get on the podium the next day to get their “Umeke’s” made the tears flow again but coming short has only made me stronger.

See those Umeke's on that table? There is one with my name on it, I know it! ;) 

Although I “crumbled” when it counted the most, it has already proved to serve as an invaluable fuel to fire for next time, because I’ll be back with a new laser focus and a better physical and mental game! Not to waste any time, the quest already started and I made the decision to toe the line of IM Cozumel in couple weeks. Race number #2221 if you are to full from Thanksgiving dinner and want to follow my progress on race day ;)