IM 70.3 Gulf Coast.
Marni: 4:40.18, 2nd AG (40-44), 4th overall female.
Karel:: 4:18.04, 1st AG (45-49), 15th overall.
There were a lot of great takeaways from this race......
Although it's fun to go fast, I prefer hard, hilly and technical bike and run courses.I love three loop run courses!The training that I need to do to stay mentally and physically healthy and happy right now in my life is very different than the training I used to do to be mentally and physically ready to compete in the 70.3 distance. I've never considered myself great at the 70.3 distance but I'm happy that I can still be competitive without specific 70.3 training.I love competition! I ran the first loop as the lead female. I was passed in the 2nd loop by the eventual overall winner (Samantha Skold - who was so fast and strong!) I then got complacent. My friend Jen Sylva passed me with a few miles left in the run and she encouraged me to run with her. I wasn't able to match her pace but thanks to her encouragement miles 10, 11, 12, and 13 were my fastest ever in a 70.3 run. She gave me an extra gear that I didn't know that I had. Thanks Jen! 
I'm very thankful to my body for staying healthy and injury free for the past five years. That's a lot of consistent training over the years and I never take a training session (or race) for granted.Karel went into this race with a lot of niggles. His "no expectations" mindset allowed him to put together one of his best runs off the bike in a 70.3 in a very long time.We love racing with our athletes. We had 17 athletes racing and it was great to see so many familiar faces on the race course.I forgot how much I love ocean swimming and the unpredictability of open water.We rarely seek out flat race courses but after watching the 2023 pro coverage of 70.3 Gulf Coast, I really liked seeing the spectator friendly, 3 loop run and the entertaining bike course. We decided to make Gulf Coast a team race and we ended up having 17 Trimarni athletes and team members at the event.
We traveled on Wednesday and made the long 9-ish hour drive to Panama City Beach. Thankfully we gained an hour, which got us to our Airbnb around 3pm central time. We stayed in a nice Airbnb a mile from the race venue. Although the condos at the resort and along the water were appealing, I didn't want to mess with elevators and lugging all of our stuff up and down. After unloading the car, I went for a swim at the local aquatic center (~$10 entry fee) and it felt so good to be non weight bearing after such a long drive. We split up the driving but I did most of it because Karel's back has been giving him a lot of issues and his right leg goes numb when he sits (and drives) for long periods of time. I swam 2700 and when I finish, I saw our athletes Angela and Kevin at the pool. After my swim, I picked up Chipotle for dinner (pre ordered at the pool for pick up) and then made a quick stop at Publix for a few groceries.
On Thursday we ventured down to the ocean with red flags on the beach. The water was very choppy with big breakers. Karel learned how to get through the breakers by diving under the waves, grabbing the sand and holding on until the breaker passes. He learned this at Xterra Maui in 2021. I really struggled in the water and it took me 3 different attempts to get past the breakers. I was most worried about getting stung by jellyfish since I have a bad reaction to stings but thankfully all was ok. Karel wore his swimskin and I just wore my bathing suit.
After our "swim" - if you were to call it that - we drove back to our Airbnb, had a quick snack and then drove to the aquatic center to start our bike workout. We biked on the cycling path to the main hwy and then rode the cycling path (parallel to the hwy) until we got to the bridge. We then got on the main road and rode over the bridge on the race course. We rode almost 20 miles and it was fast going out and windy and slow coming back. When we returned back to the Airbnb, I went for an easy 4.8 mile run on the race course (1 loop + a little extra). Around 2pm we got our registration packet at the Edgewater conference center (across from the transition area). The line moved really quickly and the volunteers were very nice.
In the evening we had our team pizza party at our Airbnb and course talk following.
It stormed throughout Thursday night and we woke up to wet and debris-filled roads. We waited a little to let the ground dry but then rain was predicted. I really wanted to get on my bike Alvi and I got out around 9am for a 18 mile ride on the course (I wanted to see part of the back part of the course). We got rained on and there was a lot of sand on the road. When I returned home, Karel took my part completely apart so that he could fully clean it. Karel went for a run in the morning. We dropped off our bikes in the transition area around 2pm and then rested for the rest of the day (and carbo-loaded). My typical carb loading strategy is as follows:
-2 waffles + syrup + yogurt + PB before workout
-~120 calories sport drink during workout
-Glass of milk post workout
-Eggs + bagel + PB and banana for breakfast
-Pasta + marinara and veggie burger for lunch
-Poptart (2) for snack w/ yogurt
-Soup + rice for dinner
We traveled on Wednesday and made the long 9-ish hour drive to Panama City Beach. Thankfully we gained an hour, which got us to our Airbnb around 3pm central time. We stayed in a nice Airbnb a mile from the race venue. Although the condos at the resort and along the water were appealing, I didn't want to mess with elevators and lugging all of our stuff up and down. After unloading the car, I went for a swim at the local aquatic center (~$10 entry fee) and it felt so good to be non weight bearing after such a long drive. We split up the driving but I did most of it because Karel's back has been giving him a lot of issues and his right leg goes numb when he sits (and drives) for long periods of time. I swam 2700 and when I finish, I saw our athletes Angela and Kevin at the pool. After my swim, I picked up Chipotle for dinner (pre ordered at the pool for pick up) and then made a quick stop at Publix for a few groceries.
On Thursday we ventured down to the ocean with red flags on the beach. The water was very choppy with big breakers. Karel learned how to get through the breakers by diving under the waves, grabbing the sand and holding on until the breaker passes. He learned this at Xterra Maui in 2021. I really struggled in the water and it took me 3 different attempts to get past the breakers. I was most worried about getting stung by jellyfish since I have a bad reaction to stings but thankfully all was ok. Karel wore his swimskin and I just wore my bathing suit.
After our "swim" - if you were to call it that - we drove back to our Airbnb, had a quick snack and then drove to the aquatic center to start our bike workout. We biked on the cycling path to the main hwy and then rode the cycling path (parallel to the hwy) until we got to the bridge. We then got on the main road and rode over the bridge on the race course. We rode almost 20 miles and it was fast going out and windy and slow coming back. When we returned back to the Airbnb, I went for an easy 4.8 mile run on the race course (1 loop + a little extra). Around 2pm we got our registration packet at the Edgewater conference center (across from the transition area). The line moved really quickly and the volunteers were very nice.
In the evening we had our team pizza party at our Airbnb and course talk following.
It stormed throughout Thursday night and we woke up to wet and debris-filled roads. We waited a little to let the ground dry but then rain was predicted. I really wanted to get on my bike Alvi and I got out around 9am for a 18 mile ride on the course (I wanted to see part of the back part of the course). We got rained on and there was a lot of sand on the road. When I returned home, Karel took my part completely apart so that he could fully clean it. Karel went for a run in the morning. We dropped off our bikes in the transition area around 2pm and then rested for the rest of the day (and carbo-loaded). My typical carb loading strategy is as follows:
-2 waffles + syrup + yogurt + PB before workout
-~120 calories sport drink during workout
-Glass of milk post workout
-Eggs + bagel + PB and banana for breakfast
-Pasta + marinara and veggie burger for lunch
-Poptart (2) for snack w/ yogurt
-Soup + rice for dinner
We went to bed around 7pm and slept ok. Karel slept better than I did. I tossed and turned as our pet sitter told me on Friday that Campy was having a bad day with his dementia and that had me really worried. But thankfull all is ok now.
With the 5:40am race start, we woke up at 3:15am. We left the house around 4:15am to drive to the shopping center parking lot (~1/2 mile away) to park and then walk to the transition area behind the Edgewater resort. We still hadn't heard if the swim was happening or if it was non wetsuit legal. We later heard it was happening and not wetsuit legal.
After setting up our stuff in the transition area, we walked to the ocean behind the resort. I wish I would have arrived earlier than 5:20am as it was really crowded and I really didn't get a good look at the ocean before I was in the corral for the race start near the front.
For the rest of our race recap, you can check out our video report HERE.
With the 5:40am race start, we woke up at 3:15am. We left the house around 4:15am to drive to the shopping center parking lot (~1/2 mile away) to park and then walk to the transition area behind the Edgewater resort. We still hadn't heard if the swim was happening or if it was non wetsuit legal. We later heard it was happening and not wetsuit legal.
After setting up our stuff in the transition area, we walked to the ocean behind the resort. I wish I would have arrived earlier than 5:20am as it was really crowded and I really didn't get a good look at the ocean before I was in the corral for the race start near the front.
For the rest of our race recap, you can check out our video report HERE.
Photo:Brittany
We slept ok after the race and around 7am on Sunday (after packing up the car), we made our long 9+ hour drive home.
Karel and I did not specifically train for this race. It felt really good to be able to race well enough to be competitive despite not having this race as our primary focus in this early season racing block. Our big focus this year is on XTRI events. Karel will be participating in his first XTRI event in Italy in late June and I will be participating in Norseman (the XTRI World Championship) in August. To keep the winter training fresh and fun, we do a lot of off-road training (trail running, mountain biking, gravel biking). This helps keep us mentally and physically healthy. Although the training isn't conventional, it keeps us enjoying triathlon at this stage in our triathlon journey.
Karel and I did not specifically train for this race. It felt really good to be able to race well enough to be competitive despite not having this race as our primary focus in this early season racing block. Our big focus this year is on XTRI events. Karel will be participating in his first XTRI event in Italy in late June and I will be participating in Norseman (the XTRI World Championship) in August. To keep the winter training fresh and fun, we do a lot of off-road training (trail running, mountain biking, gravel biking). This helps keep us mentally and physically healthy. Although the training isn't conventional, it keeps us enjoying triathlon at this stage in our triathlon journey.