Also, here is an article (Hebrew) I wrote for bonk.co.il

Run (garmin was stopped about 10 min after I finished)

1. Days leading to the event were miserable as I was sick as a dog.

2. Swim: Huge swells, extreme current, some sharks were spotted in the area

3. Bike:  Rain would not stop, wind constantly blowing people off the road, hills that never ended

4. Run: hills that never ended, freezing cold, not enough aid stations

5. Spectators: through tomatoes as you pass by

6. Almost did not make the finish cut off

Now that I got your attention let’s get a bit more on my experience. 

Monday night the 3^rd wheel team got on the direct flight from Tel Aviv to Sao Paulo.  All seemed to go to well up till the announcement was made letting us know of the 2 hour delay due to a failure in the entertainment system.  For a normal passenger  this is a well justified delay, after all this is a 15 hour flight.  For a soon to be Ironman you don’t really care for entertainment during the flight as all you want to do is catch up on the much needed sleep.  For us it was even worst as we had to make a connecting flight from Sao Paulo to Florianopolis.  Our short connection became a very long one and we found ourselves stranded for 9 hours in an old airport terminal with not much to do.

Landing in Florianopolis we anxiously waited for our bikes and Endurance Sports Travel (EST) were anxiously waiting for us.  Having booked all our travels with EST (through Issta Sport) all our hotel, meals, mechanic, and transportation were all taken care of.  What was left for us to do was unpack in our ocean front apartment and stare out to the ocean to the sound of gentle waves.  A sound that sadly disappeared as the race weekend approached.

The very next day, Wednesday, my pre-race relaxation turned hectic.  Knee pains, fever, and sore throat hit me hard.  Not leaving anything for chance, I found a pharmacy next to the hotel and got myself some antibiotics.  Smart, not sure.  Took care of the problem, it sure did.  To top this, the mechanic that went over my bike informed me that the metal piece which connects the wheel to the frame was bent.  Nearly 3 hours of stress and the problem was solved.  Now came the next big balagan (mess in Hebrew).  My trusted Garmin 310xt decided to play two tricks on me.  The first was simple, my cadence sensor stopped working.  The second was a bit more complicated, the hand strap broke.  Without getting in to the drama I will just say that Anat came to the rescue and took matters into her own hands.  She magically became a Megaiver and fixed the plastic strap.  Finally we could all “relax”.

Thursday was a day for training.  Jet lag helped us wake up early and get on our bikes.  We rode for about an hour to make sure all is in order and check out the transition area.  Most importantly we got to check out the short but steep wall we will be climbing during the marathon.  Later that morning we put our bikes with the mechanic for a last tune up and went for a swim practice.  The practice took place on the course itself with only one difference, there were no waves during the training.  On the way to the practice we met some interesting people that stayed in the same hotel.  Some making us feel completely unprepared (K-Swiss sponsored athletes who place in the top finishers) while others were building up our confidence (a Harvard & Stanford graduate who’s wetsuit looked like it was chewed by a great white shark and then spit out to swim an Ironman event). 

Later that day we hit the expo to pickup our race kits and spend some extra money.  I was really impressed with how well organized everything was.  We got a bag for each part of the race.  White for prerace, black for the wet stuff after the swim, green for the bike, blue for the bike special needs, yellow for the run, and red for the run special needs. The sponsors were generous and we got lots of goodies including race shirt, IM colon, deodorant, IM sun screen lotion, etc…  To top this off, my parents and sister arrived in Florianopolis to be the best ever support/cheering crew.

Enough of the boring details.  The night before the race we were in bed early and got a solid sleep of about 5 hours.  3:30am the alarm clock went off but its sound was muffled by the sound of crushing waves.  All that was going through my head from this point forward is the countdown to becoming an Ironman.

At the transition area we changed into our wetsuits and Brazil colored wigs (so that my parents can identify us from the 1,650 other beached seals).  Making our way to the beach the excitement and adrenaline grow stronger.  Suddenly the sun was rising, the sky turned orange, Brazilian anthem was playing, and the gun went off.  All 1,650 athletes hit the waves and we started our swim towards the first buoy. 

I tried to remind myself of the tips I was told and staying in control.  Not so easy.  The water was murky and it was difficult to see the man ahead.  I got kicked, punched, drunk water, and could hardly see the buoy.  All I knew was to follow the crowed and soon enough I will get to the turning point.  And so it was.  I kept my cool and was not returning punches.  I stayed focused and was soon enough out and back in the water.  The half way point is marked by exiting the swim and then getting back in to complete a second shorter leg.  After 1:11:00 I finished the swim.  Waw, I was 15 minutes ahead of schedule, amazing, lets run to the dressing room and get ready to ride.  Oh the wet suit.  No problem, some hot Brazilian chick grabed me and yanked it right off.  Wait, was it a chick or a chico?  Ahhe, who cares, need to rush to change.

Arriving at the transition area all I could see is a million people and one angle running towards me with my ridding gear.  I was planning on a fast transition but 2 major problems occurred.  The first was the fact that I never put on my riding shorts over wet shaved legs.  Definitely needed to practice that during training.  It took me forever as the ridding shorts got stuck to my skin and almost ripped when I tried to pull them up.  The second was the fruit buffet in the dressing room.  I could not help it and had to eat some watermelon and orange slices on the way out.  12 minutes later I was on my bike.  12 minutes, my god am I going to regret this after I look back at the race clock when I cross the finish line.

Running into the bicycle parking lot I saw that my carbon horse had the company of only one more 3^rd wheel bike, Raanan’s.  This meant that Anat who made it with me out of the water was already on her bike, what a relief.  I wondered if I will see her at all during the long day ahead.  I felt very strong and was pushing my body yet keeping my heart rate at bay.  During the ride all I could think about is how lucky I am to be participating in an Ironman……. “Lucky? Maybe a bit, mostly I was there because for all the hard work I put into my training over the past 8 months.  Now it is time to enjoy the moment.  Look around you, can you believe it? Amazing.  Oh, here is Anat, say hi and bye, she is racing her own race.  Why did I pass her? Am I going to fast? is my heart rate ok? Forget it, just stick to your plan, you will see her during the run.  Was that a drop of rain or did a bird just pooped on me.  Crap, its raining, but only 2 more hours to ride, enjoy the rain its better than sun screen. Opps I forgot to pose for the camera, hope there is another one soon”…. As you can see I was pretty good at entertaining myself.

I have no clue how I managed to ride for 6 hours with only one short stop to empty my bladder.  I have no clue how I managed to ride so hard without elevating my HR to far.  I have no clue how I managed to beat the hills, wind, and rain.  I have no clue how I the hell I did it averaging 30km/hr, no clue!  What I do know is that having my spectators (family) at the U-turn point which marks the start of the 2^nd loop of 90km helped greatly.  What I also know is that I probably paid the price for the fast ride during my run. 

Getting off the bike at T2 was the best feeling ever.  Even though it was still raining, I knew that there is no stopping me and that I will finish the race with a much better than expected time.  OK, again, I took to long, 12 minutes, darned that watermelon. 

Adrenaline kicked up again knowing that this is it, the final leg.  I started the run a bit fast with a pace of 5:45 min/km.  No more than 5 minutes into the run I felt my ITB (knee) hurting.  This pain would last and get stronger as the run progressed. Running the first 15km was done gracefully.  I was smiling, chatting, drinking without stopping, climbing the wall while running, I was superman.  My stomach started to remind me of my sway away from the nutrition plan, darned that watermelon.  I had shooting pain in my gut.  No worries, the special needs bag packs pain killers.  I kept smiling as I passed by my parents, after all they did come for a good show and not to see me sour.  I got to the special needs back and downed the pain killers.  Doubt they helped.  My knee was killing and my stomach needed emptying.  At the 30k mark I emptied my stomach but that did not help much.  Shortly after that I saw Anat, she was looking very determined.  We run together for about 3 minutes and then I decided to walk through the aid station, perhaps some soup would do good, and cake, and bread,… yes I know.  I was happy to know that Anat will be at the finish line waiting for me.  Oh the finish line.  Crossing the finish line did not stop going through my head.  To join that thought was how to carry the 2 bracelets which mark the final loop when I stand in the arch of triumph.  I got my head together and said pain or no pain I must start running again, if not I will have to make another stop at the port-a-pody which I hate.  The lights and sounds of the cheering crowd helped.  I carried the flag which my parents handed me during the final loop and I held it up high as I entered the final stretch. 

I looked up and saw 12:22:26.  I’m an Ironman!

Thinking back, the day I bought my first bike marks the start for my Ironman training. The date is June 14th of 2009. Since that date I logged 160Km in the water, 5,589Km on the bike, and 2,106Km in my running shoes. That is 50 weeks of training with slight rest, no social life, and little time with the family.

Now I got my tattoo.

So if you ask us how we feel I can use Anat’s analogy and describe it this way:
Close your eyes and imagine that you are in the middle of the ocean on a boat. The seas are high and choppy. Your stomach is churning and you are about to throw up. All around you are athletes from all over the world, clam as a nursing babies. Some of them professionals others are experienced age groupers. Now open your eyes and see that you are still on land. Only difference between you and us right now is that our stomachs are still churning and the boat has not sailed yet. Storm is about to begin.
OK maybe a bit exaggerated but you get the picture.

If you want to be updated with the action here is how we can be followed:

1. Follow this link or search for it on the Ironman website: http://ironmanlive.com/updates.php?race=brazil&year=2010
2. Use the following information to search for your favorite athlete (so they say):
Tamir Gotfried, bib number 1682
http://ironmanlive.com/tracking.php?rid=286&y=2010&race=brazil&athlete=1682

Anat Kramer, bib number 1683
http://ironmanlive.com/tracking.php?rid=286&y=2010&race=brazil&athlete=1683

Raanan Cohen, bib number 1681
http://ironmanlive.com/tracking.php?rid=286&y=2010&race=brazil&athlete=1681

Our last morning jog on the beaches of Florianopolis

Send us wishes for good weather and call to say congratz

Two weeks to go until the big day… and when I say big, I mean long.  There is nothing I can do at this point to improve my performance and my head is full of pointless taper wonders – Did I do enough? am I prepared? Mentally? Physically? Philosophy? For now though, it’s time to relax.  Today is the first day in months that I didn’t exercise.  It’s a strange thought but it feels good.  I actually slept about 9 hours last night. So this is what it feels like to be awake?? It’s wonderful! Why would I ever sacrifice this? Another pointless wonder. 

Tamir and I have pointless wonders together like what kind of tattoo to get after the Ironman? Should they match? What colors? Where? How big? Maybe we shouldn’t get one at all.  It stays on for life… I’m a normal person and I never wanted a tattoo before.  It’s scarier than it seems but so cool at the same time.  I have to get one, I worked hard for it and sacrificed a lot. Will it hurt? I hope I don’t regret it.

How will I feel? Did I pack everything? What if I don’t finish? NO! I will finish. Stop thinking about that! What if I throw up or have an upset stomach? NOPE! can’t think of that either. Whats wrong with me…  Everything will be fine, I just want it to be over or maybe I want to be at the start line.  The truth is that it would be good to just be on that flight already.  Really, I should just go and have a good time, this is a hobby after all.  I mean, there is some competition. I’m sure I can do better than most girls in my age group so it won’t exactly be a day in the park.  I can probably geta Kona slot if those Brazillian girls don’t have money to go.  I’m a strong triathlete.    Nah, that won’t happen, be realistic.  People train for Kona their entire lives. This is your first Ironman so just enjoy… but be competitive too.  I guess, somewhere in between.

Tapering is fun, but it also sucks. I have to eat less because I’m not working out as much and now I have more time to eat. Don’t think about that.  You need to be fed so that you can perform for this race. I need a piece of chocolate, just a small one to calm my nerves.  OK, I should be calm now and relax until the race…

What time is it? Oh.. 19:30 and I’m still at work… I have to train two hours tomorrow. That’s a lot… how did I work out for 7 hours when I wasn’t tapering, 2 days ago… Those were crazy times back then. 2 weeks of this? really? I think I’m forgetting something…

For those who don’t travel and are sitting comfortable at home with a job that requires them a short drive, bike, or run to work, please do not envy what you don’t know. Don’t get me wrong, I love what I do for a living and the “glamour” that comes with traveling. The problem started when I got serious about my IM training. TIME. That is what I learned mostly how to manage. OK so my teammates might say “try to do it while having kids at home” or “at least you don’t have a 9 to 6 job”.. well this is my post so if you want to cry or brag then I suggest you write your own!

One thing is certain, we all have our difficulties which makes our training just that much harder. Anyone who has family, girlfriend, full time job, and friends will attest to the sacrifices we make from our life for the sake of executing our training plan to the best of our abilities.

Back to my travels (notice how travels rimes with troubles). Two weeks ago I was forced to alter my training while traveling from Tel-Aviv to Madrid to Dusseldorf to Zurich and finally to Rome. All in a matter of 6 days most of which I spent in the car. If you want to know more and can understand Hebrew follow these links:

An skype video interview on Israel Channel 2 news (jump to minute 3:45).

An article on Ynet about me.

Training while traveling requires planning ahead and when planning is not possible you must be flexible to alter your training. Alter it to what you can do wherever you find yourself. Running is almost always possible. Biking is a bit tricky. Swimming requires a large bed of water. Here are a couple of tips that might help if you find yourself on the road (or air):

Tip # 1 – Always, always pack running shoes, running cloths (can be used to ride on a stationary bike or spinning class), Sports watch with HR (I use Garmin 310xt but for traveling polar is better due to its size, which means you only need to travel with one watch), a couple of energy bars and gels, your Speedo and goggles, and last but not least is the all mighty body glide.

Tip # 2 – Make sure to look for the basic essentials when booking your hotel. By basic essentials I mean a good gym, pool, shower, and internet. Most importantly, even if you see on the hotel website that they have a nice pool, you must make sure to check its size (so that it is not a kiddy pool shaped like Mickey Mouse), operating hours, and to make sure there are not renovations going on at the time of your visit. Call the hotel and ask all the questions. Make sure the gym is equipped with a stationary bike and not one from the 1980s. Personally I like hotels that are partnered up with a local gym and the hotel guests are welcome at the facilities. Some hotels in the big cities in Europe are partners with Holmes Place (Anat can attest to that from her visit to Greece last week).

Tip # 3 – Be flexible with yourself and your training plan. Try not to let it affect your mood if you happen to miss a day of training. I know this is the most challenging one but remember you are there for your job that will get you the money you need to support this expensive hobby you adopted.

Tip # 4 – It is very tempting to eat and drink all the goodies being offered locally. Don’t !!! you are still in training. Keep this moderate. On the plane, drink lots of water and lay off that alcohol. Again, easier said than done. I am guilty of being a chocolate addict and could not stand to the temptation of the Swiss art of eating the good brown, black, or white gold. Anat, I will find that chocolate you hid from me!

Tip # 5 – Kid yourself not, there is no chance in hell you are going to train like you do at home. It is not your bike, not your sea, not your climate, and you are all alone. OK some of this can actually be part of the fun.

Tip # 6 – Read tip 5 again. Train hard. Don’t slack. Don’t feel sorry for yourself because you are on the road. Train harder than you would at home.

Tip # 7 – Use the jet lag for your advantage. If you happen to wake up at 4am go for a run and make it back in time for breakfast.

Tip # 8 – Study the surrounding where you are going to be before heading out on the trip. Find out where are the best parks, running paths, hills, or bike shops. Perhaps you can add some hills to your training. Perhaps you can rent a bike and go with a local group. Maybe switch your run for some skiing. See if there is anyone that you know and can help you train. I am lucky, during this trip I got to train at WellFit with Sharone Aharone, Anat’s last coach.

Advertising moment: Sharone runs a really cool gym for triathletes, WellFit. His gym has an endless pool which I abused for 45 minutes. Its amazing when you can swim in one place and look in the mirrors placed underwater to see your form, or there lack of. If you are board take a look at the video that Sharone took while I was swimming. It is a really cool tool to review your technique. Another cool part of the facility holds the computrainer stations. Here we downloaded the IM Brazil bike course and I got to ride ¼ of it. It was really good to be able to ride the first portion of the course (which you do twice in the race) and go through the hills. They are not scary as I originally thought they would be. After 2.5 hours of training (I planned on just 1 hour but got carried away) I did a short transition run on one of his high-tech treadmills. To summarize, if you are in the Chicago area, WellFit is a must!  www.wellfitinc.com 

A thanks to my new colleagues at Abbott: Bets Lillo knew I will be traveling to Chicago during my peak week and so, without me having to request, she set me up with a pass to her gym where I could use the 25mt. pool. Delores Patterson heard that I could not purchase Abbott sports nutrition in time and so she was kind enough to hook me up with several flavors of Abbott EAS nutrition bars.

Tip # 9 – Take your compression socks on the plane if you have to run or bike later that day or the next.

Tip # 10 – If you must check in your luggage make sure to take your fitness stuff on-board. It happened more than once that the airline lost my bag. Of course it’s a good excuse to have for purchasing some new compression shorts, Speedos, or a million other items.

Tip # 11 – Every hotel has an ice machine. If not the bar surely does. Get a large bag, fill it with ice, sit on the floor and ice. On the floor? Yes on the floor! Last time I used it on the bed the bag leaked all over and I spend the night sleeping on wet towels.

Boring? Probably!
Do I care? Probably not J

A few steps further on the left is the shower. “His & Hers” wetsuits are lying on the top of the shower curtain dripping down, drying from the morning ocean swim. It already looks used and we have a few tears to fix. Then there is THE room. THE room with everything else. A room full of our workout clothes, shoes and everything in between. A dresser that was used in the 1960′s for some ladies purfume, brush and lipstick was now home to about 7 body glides, two sports sun screen bottles and about 15 trophies. My Zipp wheels are resting on the couch (tapering for race day), another neglected mountain bike and my teleporting folding bike stand in the shadows of our serious equiptment.

The bedroom is no better. There are ice packs from the night before which we promptly return to the freezer for next time; More pills and water bottles next to our bed and a tredmill covered with drying towels and some clothes just to feel normal.

This is our life right now.

It won’t get better until we return from our Ironman and regain sanity.

We can’t think about that now though.

Now we just have to live through this week, taper right and plan our race and race like we planned.

UPDATES

I now have two 200km ride under my belt and one 5km open water swim. Tamir and I just got back from a weekend training camp. On Friday I rode 4 hours, swam 1 hour and ran 1 hour. On Saturday I rode 4 hours and ran 2 hours. On Friday Tamir swam 1 hour and ran two hours. On Saturday he rode 180 km and ran 20 minutes.

We are BEAT!

Raanan – People in Zone 3 smile sometimes. We just have to do it in secret so that a certain someone doesn’t see. Then we can pretend that the sun is in our eyes if we get caught. It will be worth it when I’m not throwing up during the marathon. You wait and see

As for the future – This week was tough and I’m planning an 8 hour sleeping night, needless to say “woo hoo”. Tomorrow morning I have an ocean swim with Mor, my spiritual zone 3 leader and a 2 hour run in the evening. Friday is a short 4 hour ride and saturday is a super duper double brick (say that ten times fast).  In English that translates to 85km ride, then 17km run, then 51km ride, then 8km run.

the man who rode with Ben-Gurion

Just finished the 1st week of the peak period.
The weeks with the highest training volumes of my trainig plan.

The week started with my first ocean swim of the season. Puting on my wetsuit I was thinking how all the winter leg weights workouts paid off, “this is so tight”, till i realized i forced my right leg into the arm sleeve… after fixing my suit i met Gadi the TI-Zen-man and his freinds that kindly invited me to join them for a 4k swim in the super flat ocean. was great!

Saturaday, while Anat was swiming with the Zone3 no-smilin’-while-trainin’ team, Tamir & I had the honor of riding with one of the courages 26 that did the first Israman race (Back in the days the dinesores walked the Earth). Roni (“we used to ride into Gaza, eat humus & ride back” ) came carrying a modest nutrition plan – 2 bananas & few dates, and while we were swallowing 300-400 calories per hour he was kicking our asses climbing the hills on the way back. Overall was a great 140k ride (Roni did 170 riding from home… ) to Emek Ha’ela with perfect weather and a 30 min run around Einat for desert.

My weekend concluded early Sunday morning with a 30k run.

To summerize – feeling good, no pains/injuries, just very very tired…Next weekend, bike peak with a 180k ride.

5 Weeks to IRONMAN BRAZIL!

and Tamir… you must get some sunshine on your white shaved legs…

So…. On the eve of the Jewish Passover holiday Anat and I landed in Milano and started to 380km drive to Riccione. Riccione is located in the north east coast of Italy’s Romana region. Lucky for us the navigation system did not work and so Anat played the role of Christopher Columbus which came along with full control of the map (iPhone). As for me I played the role Mario Andretti which came along with full rights to the driver seat. On the way there we decided to stop for lunch at a great little Italian restaurant where we enjoyed the best pasta of our lives… no kidding… and fueled up for the expected week (3 riding days) ahead.

Once we arrived to the hotel we were greeted by the sweet smell of espresso and a key card to our suit. The hotel is just perfect. Small and modern, situated about 100 meters from the beach. First thing we did was head to the hotel bike storage to rent our Carbon Scott bikes and be “fitted” by the on-site mechanic. Not to bore you with the details, the hotel was all inclusive. Pre-ride breakfast, Snack (sandwiches, bananas, sports drinks) while riding, post-ride lunch (pasta), dinner (pasta), and all the coffee and beer you can possibly imagine.

Each night they would post the next day bike routes which were divided into 4 categories: Espresso (recreational tours), Cappuccino (avg. speeds of 20-22 km/hr), Cappuccino Super (avg. speeds of 22-25 km/hr), and Limonciello (not for the faint of heart). The routes were very scenic with hills and hills and hills, and hells, and hells…

We felt nice and strong the first day. Our confidence was supper high, after all we both did over 180km ride just 3 days ago. “hey why not go for the Cappuccino Super group and do the 130km ride?” surely we can do this. And YES WE DID !!! and it was great. Midway through the ride, after a 16km hill with the last km being 18%, we stopped at a restaurant for some well deserved pasta. The group members were all nice and experienced riders, the instructor old and professional, Anat fit right in there. As for me… I survived…. Kind of. I felt very strong and kept up with the group. I felt so strong that I decided the instructor was my spinning instructor. When he stood on the bike, so did I. When he slowed down or sped up I was right there…. And at the 100km mark my knee decided to teach me a lesson and remind me that I am still an amateur. Some sharp pinch in the inner left part of my knee gave me a rude awakening. What a way to start the bike holiday. And so with almost a tear in my eye I swallowed my pride and fell to the back back back of the group. Thank god there was a Jacuzzi, ice, and another 3rd wheeler in the hotel.

Day 2 was a rest day. Much needed for my knee. By rest I mean an hour run and a 2km swim. Later that day we drove through the country side and took in the great views. To bad we did not bring our wet suits as it is still considered winter and the sea is to cold for a semi-naked swim.

Day 3 we decided to take it easy and ride with Cappuccino (regular).

Was a nice 80km ride but the team was not at our standards. No one was communicating, people rode sloppy, Anat almost killed a little boy how toppled over into the grass so that he does not run into her wheel after her unexpected technical problem causing her to come to an abrupt stop. No worries, Anat survived his fall.

Day 4 we were back in the arms of Cappuccino Supper and Anat’s new found friend, a 10 time Ironwoman who gave her many interesting tips and gave me a “full monty” (when we stopped for a pee).

The day was perfect. 100km ride to Urbino, a beautiful mountain top city. We made it back to the hotel just in time for a tortellini workshop and at night a prize ceremony where we were awarded a bottle of wine for Anat’s great tortellini skills.

In conclusion, Hotel Dory is a must for anyone who wants to get a good feel for the Romana country side. We will be back!

This weekend, ending this training block was an “Iron weekend”. Doing an Ironman distance in 48hours.

Friday 4k swim+11k run

Saturday 200kride+5krun

Sunday 32k run.

The main reason for this Iron weekend was of course low self-confidence. It worked! As stupid as it sounds, after the 200k doing 180 seems no big deal. Doing the 32k run 14 hours after getting of my bike was definitely not the best injury prevention practice… but also contributed to the confidence build up. And surprisingly, overall feeling great, no injuries (hamsa, hamsa…), and ready for a nice relaxed recovery week before the final-push month toward the training peak.

7 weeks to go!…