I have a lot of pictures to upload but the internet is a bit slow in our Airbnb(s) so I will upload pictures later on. If you'd like to see more pics from our trip, you can check out my
Instagram page. Monday
After a delicious dinner at D-Lizia (I got a huge pizza and Karel got a burger), we went back to our cabin and had a relaxing evening. Sadly, Karel woke up in the middle of the night with excruciating pain in his right leg. He thought it was a blood clot but we later put some pieces together that it was likely coming from his disc and SI joint. He couldn't bear weight on his leg and he said it felt like his leg was broken. It was really scary as it came out of no where when he got up to pee in the middle of the night. Even when we got up in the morning, Karel was still unable to walk normally. He decided to try a spin to see if that would help loosen it out. I drove him 15 min up the road (up the last descend of the bike course) and he went out for an 1+ hour ride. He said it felt a little better but it was still worrying him. However, over the next few hours, it started to calm down. As Karel was biking, I did a 40 min ECFIT session in our cabin. The weather was lovely in the upper 60's. My legs weren't too beat up from my 16 mile gravel run on Sunday but I enjoyed the day off from cardio.
We packed up our stuff from Airbnb #1 and I drove us to Airbnb #2 (home base) in Coyhaique. The drive took ~80 minutes and it was very beautiful. We back tracked the Patagonman bike course so it was good for Karel to see more of the bike course. We checked into our next Airbnb and walked down the street to get some groceries at the "super" market. We found that the produce was better at the mini market on the corner versus in the bigger store. After our shop, we walked back to our place, had a nice dinner of soup and rice (and a veggie burger for me, deli meat for Karel). We did a load of laundry and let it air dry. We went to bed around 9pm (it is hard to fall asleep because it stays bright until 10pm!).
Tuesday
We woke up to the sound of dogs barking as there are so many loose dogs around Coyhaique. However, they seem well taken care of by the locals. It's incredible how the dogs work with the traffic as they cross the street carefully, just like humans. The neat thing about renting Airbnbs in different parts of the world is feeling like a local. In our first Airbnb, we didn't have a microwave. In our 2nd Airbnb, we have a microwave and it feels like a luxury. The hot water wasn't great in our first Airbnb so we were careful to not take long showers in our 2nd Airbnb. I brought a voltage converter and a plug adapter (C and L are used in Chile) so that we could easily charge all of our gadgets, computers and phones.
Our plan was to swim on Tuesday morning but after I figured out how to login in to the Parque Austral pool, I realized I needed to reserve a lane. Since we didn't have enough time to swim, I bought two passes (~$11 each) and reserved a lane for us on Wednesday from 9:45-10:45am.
Karel decided to take the day easy and just focus on mobility and resting so we both walked into town and discovered the town square and market. Karel walked around the town for an hour (his leg was feeling better) and I went for a run. I ended up running ~11 miles (10 miles + 1 mile back to our place) on a walking/biking path by the river. The path was only ~1.5 miles but it was undulating and very scenic. The town isn't very conducive to running as the sidewalks are often uneven and there are a lot of people and cars.
Later in the afternoon, Karel and I walked around the town again and then we had dinner at Kuruf Patagonia. This region is very heavy in meat and fish but I found a nice selection of vegetarian options (falafel and seitan) at Kuruf. Karel and I both got a bowl and picked our ingredients. The menu was in Spanish so we have been using a translator app which we can scan words to translate from Spanish to English. Although I will say that my Spanish is coming back to me from High School (well, words - not complete sentences).
After dinner we went back to our place and got some of our stuff together to relocate to Airbnb #3.
Wednesday
We weren't sure how the process would work for us to swim (we had QR code passes via email) so we arrived around 9am to the pool (we drove the 1.5 miles to the pool just on the outside of town). Once the lady at the gym counter checked us in, we had ~20 min to wait until we could access our reserved lanes. We met another couple from Australia who was here for the Patagonman so we chatted outside before it was time to swim.
Karel and I did a workout for an hour (~2800 meters). This was our first swim since Friday (when we left) so the swim was all about getting a feel back for the water. Karel brought his paddles and pull buoy and I used a buoy from the pool.
WU: 600 easy
MS: 2 rounds
8x 25 (scull/swim)
4 x 50 (fist/swim)
4 x 75 (5-6 strokes strong off each wall)
4 x 100 steady
CD: As needed
There was a water aerobics class going on during our swim so the pool felt like open water. The water temperature was great (I'm guessing it was around 80 degrees).
Everyone is very nice in this area. We feel very safe and we love the culture.
After we had lunch, I walked to town and picked up some fresh fruit from two fruit stands. I got blueberries, cherries and strawberries (soooo good!). We finally got some cash from an ATM so I've been using my Spanish to count money :) I then made a stop at the supermarket to get a few more things before our next trip. As I was packing up, Karel went for a run on the walking path. He said he felt really good and his leg didn't bother him (Whew).
We packed up our car with a few things to last us the next 48 hours in Puerto Aysén (3 miles from Puerto Chacabuco - the race start).
I drove the 1:15 to our next Airbnb. Again, we continued on the reverse of the bike course. This ride was a bit more eventful as it was lightly raining, it was very windy (a theme here with gusts over 30 mph) and the road surface was constantly changing. We were warned about gravel but the gravel patches on Karel's bike course are super sketchy (long and super rocky!). There is also a long climb on cobblestones. You never know what you are going to get with extreme triathlons.
We arrived to Airbnb #3 (which is where we will sleep the night before the race). The Airbnb is super cute but there was a mix up with our host in that she had listed Wifi and the reviews said Wifi but she told us that this "new location" does not have Wifi. Certainly, we need Wifi to work so this was a big deal for us to not have it. Communication was challenging as she didn't speak English but with some back and forth on the app, she came up with a solution and the next morning she brought a router for us to use. When traveling internationally, you have to pack a lot of patience and the acceptance that things will not always go as planned.
After we made dinner, we watched a short Netflix movie that I had saved on my phone before our flight and then we went to bed around 9pm. We were woken up by some barking dogs and chickens in the backyard a few times and Karel had another episode with his leg acting up and causing pain.
Thursday
Today was the day. Karel's first swim in the cold water of Puerto Aysén. After we got some work done (thanks to the router), we made the 30 min, 12 mile drive to
Bahia Acantilada (which translates to Cliftop Bay). This is the location of the social practice swim on Friday (athletes are not allowed to swim at the actually race swim start because it's a working port in Puerto Chacabuco.
Karel has been practicing in different gear at a local lake (upper 50s) by our house and doing some cold water plunges but now it was time to put it all to the test. The water was ~52 degrees and a little choppy due to the wind. The air temperature was in the mid 40s. After Karel put on his booties, gloves, a base layer, hoodie w/ vest, wetsuit, warming oil, goggles, and two caps - he was ready for his swim.
He swam out and gave me two thumbs up and swam for ~30 minutes (which is a good baseline for testing gear and to fully acclimate to the cold water). The initial plunge on his face was very cold but he said the water wasn't as cold as he had been imagining - which was a good thing for him mentally. He's still a bit nervous for the actually swim as it may be a little colder (48 degrees) but Karel felt satisfied with his gear choices. And thankfully, he wasn't shivering after his swim.
While Karel was changing, I got myself ready for a run. I brought my run stuff just in case I felt like running when we got back to our place but after a 5-mile drive on gravel to get to the water, I decided to run back to the town (while Karel drove) and to meet him at the Unimarc grocery store in Puerto Aysén. I loved my run on the winding gravel road and I saw cows, horses, dogs, a big pig and incredible scenery around me. I met Karel at the grocery store and this was the biggest store we have seen yet since we arrived. We got a few things and made our way back to our place. We went a different route over the bridge (which was closed into town) so the drive home was only 15 minutes.
We had a nice lunch and after getting work done in the afternoon, we drove to local "host" hotel (
Loberias del Sur) to check out the port and the hotel. The hotel was very nice but we are enjoying our "local" experience at our Airbnbs.
Yesterday and today were rainy days with a lot of on and off rain (and a lot of wind).
Friday
Today was the social swim. Although it was an unorganized, non-official swim, it started at 9am. Because of the local traffic in Puerto Aysén, we left our place around 7:30am and arrived around 8:30am. Parking was free today (yesterday we paid 2000 pesos, around $2). There were a lot of people at the swim and the overall consensus was that everyone was really happy that they felt the water (and no one seemed too cold). Karel said it felt cooler than yesterday but much less choppy. He swam for ~22 minutes and wore the same gear as yesterday and felt comfortable in the water (minus the initial cold shock on the face).
Since arriving to Aysen (3 miles from Puerto Chacabuco) on Wednesday afternoon, we have had on and off rain and very strong winds. Because of the location in Chilean Patagonia, Puerto Aysén is influenced by strong westerly winds bringing moist air from the Pacific so there is always a chance of rain. It's also been cold (in the 40s) which is a big change from when it was 70 degrees when we arrived. I guess it's true what they say about Patagonman - you can get all four seasons in one day.
After the swim, we made another quick stop at the grocery store and then went back to our Airbnb. We have been enjoying our friendly visitor (the boy kitten next door) who is giving us lots of love (and making us miss our furry crew of 5).
We packed up some of our things and around 2pm, we drove back to Coyhaique. Karel was dressed in his cycling gear and a few miles down the road, he got out and got on his bike for a 20-ish mile ride on the course. It was lightly raining and in the 50's so he dressed warm. While he was riding, I got gas at the local Shell (someone pumps your gas for you and it's encouraged to tip 300-1000 pesos if they clean your windows) and then leap frogged Karel as he was riding. Around 25 miles into the race course, Karel finished his ride and got in the car. Although the drivers are alert while driving, there are a lot of semi trucks, busses and vehicles going to and from the ports so this isn't a place that I would recommend for cycling training or casual riding (although there are a lot of bike-packers but mostly near the gravel roads down south near Villa Cerro Castillo).
We hit some traffic from road construction so our 1:15 hr drive took around 2 hours (including the stops while Karel was riding). When we arrived back to our 2nd Airbnb (home base), we unpacked and then we walked to Hotel Dreams for Karel to pick up his stuff at registration. He also purchased a beanie and a coffee cup.
After registration, we walked to a local pizzeria (SO good) called
La Tranquera. Karel got the 4 seasons pizza with ham, salami and mushrooms and I got the caprese pizza (no olives). We also bought a brownie. We got our pizza to go and then walked .7 miles back to our Airbnb.
The pizza hit the spot. Plus, we like to keep with the pre-race tradition of pizza two nights before a race.
After pizza, Karel went through all of his gear so that I could get everything organized as I will be supporting him throughout the race and it's my responsibility to make sure he has everything he needs throughout the race.
Two more sleeps before race day!
