Elizabeth Simi - Triathletes Journey - Athletes in Motion Podcast Ep 041

Narrator: 0:10

Welcome to the athletes in motion podcast from race to recovery. With your hosts, Tom regal and Kenny Bailey

Kenny Bailey<br>: 0:30

Hey, Tom, how are you?

Tom Regal: 0:31

I'm fantastic. Kenny, how are you?

Kenny Bailey<br>: 0:33

I am doing fantastic. Let me introduce you too. Elizabeth shimmy got into Sorensen. So this is part of our, our triathletes journey series. So Elizabeth is going to be competing in the Ironman California in October. Is that correct? That's right. And Tim is from multisports insurance Academy. And is Elizabeth try coach Plug, plug plug. So welcome to the podcast. So we're excited to have you on we we want to get to kind of know you're, you're one of three of our guests. So we have Jordan, who's two and a half and then we have Sarah who's doing a sprint and Olympic. So you are our long distance person. So before we get kind of into what's going on with that, tell us about yourself a little bit. So background were you sporty as a child, did you grow up in sports? Or is it something is sort of a late stage I've decided I need to go do a triathlon.

Elizabeth Simi: 1:36

I probably have been doing sports all of my life. I started swimming when I was eight, I think and you know on swim teams and stuff. And then I played a little bit of soccer, played volleyball in high school and then swam on the swim team in high school. So kind of been moving all my life and my mom's big hiker. So we did a lot of Heike when I was a kid. So I'm not I'm not a great athlete. But I've done a lot how

Tom Regal: 2:08

active lifestyle from the beginning, right? Yeah, competitive swimmer, which gives you an advantage over some other

Elizabeth Simi: 2:18

let's just say I know how to swim. I don't have competitive

Kenny Bailey<br>: 2:24

but you have the background. So when did triathlons start in your in your life? Um, I made you decide that was the thing.

Elizabeth Simi: 2:30

Yeah, I had seen Ironman, you know, in Hawaii. On television. I remember when it first started. I remember seeing that and thinking it was the most incredible thing I'd ever seen. These athletes were amazing. And how the world could they do even do that. And then it just kind of got put in the back of the head. I'd have kids and stuff and life went on. And then around in 2007. Kids had graduated high school and I was I that's when I heard that there were things that were smaller triathlons. And it wasn't an Ironman, because I was like, why would anybody ride their bike that far and run that far? I swim. Yeah, we'll do that. So I decided that I was going to try out a little triathlon because I probably could do that. Right. And so I had gotten into some training, I was swimming a little bit, I was thinking about this, and I happened to be at the gym, and I'm sitting in the hot tub, I start talking to people and they're like, Have you ever heard of TBF, which is a local training group out here? And I was like, No, and they're like, oh, they do these Sprint's and they train people. And I was like, okay, so I want to check it out. And they actually had a women's thing going on at that time. So my first trial was in 2007. And it was a sprint distance. And you know, that I that's all I figured I'd ever do was that so you know, but the Iron Man was always back here bugging you, right? So yeah, I mean, because it's the coolest thing ever. And then the California when it happened with the bomb cyclone in that whole thing. I was going to go out and watch them. And I was very excited for everybody. And then of course, I was heartbroken for everybody. And then a few weeks later, I was like, huh, California, it's right here. I think I'm gonna try to do that. And so that's what I decided to do.

Tom Regal: 4:39

So from my understanding, sorry, from 2007 when you did your first sprint, what did you do in the years following? Did you continue to did you get hooked into kind of the lifestyle of it and, you know, start doing more races and doing that?

Elizabeth Simi: 4:56

I did. I did a lot of sprints. I did a couple of Olympic distance. I just kind of messed around with it for a few years, I moved out of state and Arizona really didn't have a lot going on with triathlons. So I happened to be coming up on 50. And I decided to start running. And I did a bunch of half marathons. In fact, I did a half marathon every month, the year I turned 50, which is wow.

Tom Regal: 5:29

That's good.

Elizabeth Simi: 5:30

Yeah. And then it was we were fit my husband, he joined me in this craziness. And we did him all over the place. And then to finish it off, I was like, well, we should do the California marathon. To finish it off. We'll do half and half. And he's like, Well, I want to go across the finish line. I'm like, Well, I want to go across. So we did a full

Tom Regal: 5:54

finish. Why not? You had the training.

Kenny Bailey<br>: 5:58

I love that. It's like well, you know, why you're not getting the glory.

Elizabeth Simi: 6:04

So then when I came back to California, I started messing around thinking about getting, I mean, I love triathlon, and I love the people and the whole thing. So when I got back, I kind of tried to get back in a few times into doing it, but it was a lot going on. And I basically got really back into doing tries last year when I started training for California. So

Kenny Bailey<br>: 6:32

yeah, and it's neat because you guys are from Northern California. So like you said, Sacramento, you're you're in Sacramento, you went to when a brand new triathlon comes in Sacramento. Tim, can you give us a little bit of background on the TBF series? Because that's an interesting series, right? It's uh,

Tim Sorenson: 6:48

yeah, actually, they started your late 90s They were just a training group. And fleet feet actually created a this little tribe for fun. And that was when triathlon was at its peak of growth. It was like the fastest growing sport in the nation. And fleet feet started this little try for fun, and it got way out of hand and they said, hey, you know, we're, we need a little help. So TBF came in and took over that try for fun series and then they just increase the distance. So try for fun is on Saturday, try for real, they call it a try for real, which is the Olympic distance they have that on Sunday.

Kenny Bailey<br>: 7:34

Okay, we're doing this for real now. Your warmup.

Tim Sorenson: 7:38

Exactly. So and then and then, you know, over the over time, they created it into basically this this multi sport Series event. So June, July and August on this particular weekend, they do the try for fun on Saturday, they try for real on Sunday. And then they also throw in for boasted distances, the Aqua bikes. So it's a swim and a bike or I think they'll do the you can just do a bike and run I mean, they created they have a paddleboard series. So they just created all these different multi sport events. On this particular weekend in June, July and August of every year, the Bucha has been going on, like I said, since the late 90s. So

Kenny Bailey<br>: 8:19

yeah, it's a nice here. It's it's actually my first one was the TBF sprint. Oh, really? Yeah. And you're the swimmer and I'm not. And when I saw the buoy turned around, I ride a little Wait a minute, is that they're still gonna bring it in, right? I mean, that's, it's floated out there overnight, right? That's gonna come in, right?

Elizabeth Simi: 8:38

It doesn't matter if you're swim or you still look out there and go a little further than I thought it will. Yeah.

Tim Sorenson: 8:45

Right. When you pull up you see the lake and you see the whole lake and you see a part of the park the buoys are and you're like, Oh, who's doing that?

Tom Regal: 8:55

It's just that. Were that smaller?

Kenny Bailey<br>: 9:00

Were you looking at your phone as you guys got? Here, put it here. So Elizabeth, we're going to talk about a slightly painful thing and which was the Ironman last year. So you, you registering trained?

Tom Regal: 9:15

You got to the start. What happened? What happened?

Elizabeth Simi: 9:21

So last year, yes, I did. I trained really hard and I did it all on my own. I actually did three Olympic distance in two sprints last year warm enough for this. And then um, yeah, California. Ironman was beautiful. The swim was amazing. I have to say I love that swim. It was just so fun. Got off, got on the bike. It's all good. And then that wind was incredible. I mean, it was it was tough. I actually, when we made the turn and we Got, you come to the stadium and you're making that turn around. I was like, Oh, please, somebody pulled me off this thing because I don't want to go back out and do that again. And then my brother was there with his all his friends and they're cheering and I stopped, I got my sandwich. I'm like, Okay, I'm going back out, because everybody expects me to go back out and go back out. And I'm thinking, they gotta pull me there's no way I'm gonna make this time, right? And I'm going, going going, and then I look and I'm like, Okay, actually, I stopped at a rest area to get a little drink and everything. And they actually said, Hey, we're calling. Do you want to quit? And I was like, No, there's no way I'm ever quitting. Somebody's got to pull me off.

Tom Regal: 10:49

Oh, wait here.

Elizabeth Simi: 10:50

Yeah. So I get back on the bike, and I go in, and I'm thinking, I know they have to pull me because there's no way I'm gonna make the time. But I wanted to, I was like, I'm gonna get to 100 miles, I got to get to that 100 mile mark. And I all of a sudden, I see the people getting ready to pull people and I see it. This is really weird, because I see somebody in the middle of the road. And I'm like, What the heck's that person doing? What is what's going on here? What ended up it was my husband and my son, and they're filming as I'm coming up. And it was like, mile 99. And they're, they're like, I looked at the, you know, officials, I said, Am I done? And they're like, yeah.

Tom Regal: 11:39

Okay. For me.

Elizabeth Simi: 11:44

My next thing was I said, but I wanted to make it to 100 miles. And my son says, well, the car is over there. You could work your butt there, and you'll give it 100 miles. I'm like, thanks. So basically, I didn't make it off the bike, which was a little disappointing. I actually was I handled it a lot better than I thought I would when they you know, said you're done. I didn't break into tears. I just, it was it was okay. I wasn't too happy when I had to go pick up my bag at the end by the finish line. Yeah. That part wasn't too fun. But yeah, so that's what happened last year. And unfortunately, I'm the type of person that said, if I don't finish this, that year, I have to do it again, because I have to finish. So I think it was maybe 24 hours. I'm ready to sign back up. And that's neat.

Kenny Bailey<br>: 12:45

Well, it just sounds like you've been, you know, doing a half iron, you know, half marathons a month, right? I think you it's, it seems from your attitude. We love it too. Right? It's like, Yeah, I mean, that bike, that bike ruined a lot of people, right. I mean, I did that raise and I was more fortunate to finish it. You know, I was hobbling across the line, but I finished it. But that that, that that like it took many, many souls

Tom Regal: 13:10

watching half a dozen or more athletes that I knew that were out there that were going and you watching their times, and all of a sudden, they all dropped significantly. It was like, Oh, there's the headwind. Just went went out turned and all of a sudden, boom, everybody's time has dropped. So you just knew everybody was dealing with the same issues and the wind was was I'm just sitting back here drinking coffee. Yeah. Good on you.

Elizabeth Simi: 13:38

It was crazy, too. Because you would see the people come in the opposite direction. And it looks like the bikes were holding still they weren't moving. It's like people are pedaling in the bike is just sitting there it was, it was actually kind of cool to see the other people out there. I mean, that's half the fun of the whole thing is to see everybody else. Yes. Like, whoa,

Kenny Bailey<br>: 13:57

yeah, the last I think the last three miles they had a they had a mat, you know, to let you know that you're coming in and I average 9.6 miles an hour coming in. And I usually average 20 miles an hour. So it I mean, I was yelling at the wind. Just in the last mile. Just come on. Like that's not even funny. Just like a break at all. I'm dropping F bombs like crazy people.

Elizabeth Simi: 14:23

Yeah, it wasn't like it was just the head where there'd be these gusts sideways. Please don't let me fall.

Kenny Bailey<br>: 14:33

That's fun. So when did when did Tim into your life?

Elizabeth Simi: 14:37

I actually met Tim last year when I was training on my own. I we were both hanging out at Rez he was you know doing all his little clinics and stuff and I would just pop in and learn from him. I was taking all the free training I could get about all the free stuff and do it out and did some swims when he went out to the river with his athletes and different things. So Tim was kind of in my life all the year before, but I just hadn't said Hey, will you help me?

Kenny Bailey<br>: 15:16

Official? What was it? So you felt like getting a coach this year is something that was necessary.

Tom Regal: 15:24

Yeah, what was the trigger point on that? That you just kind of said, yeah, maybe I should.

Elizabeth Simi: 15:29

I think just knowing Tim for one and my husband saying, hey, maybe it was either you need a better bike or maybe you need a coach. And so you know, we went with ya know, Tim says My bike is fine, even though it's 500 years.

Kenny Bailey<br>: 15:50

So, so, Tim, when when Elizabeth came to you, I mean, you kind of like you said she she's been showing up to your classes and stuff when she came to you. What was sort of what was the analysis? What what did you start thinking about sort of how to approach I mean, it sounds like her attitude was fantastic. As far as you know, you look you had to get pulled but she wasn't like you said you weren't like you know, kicking cats and dogs and throwing stuff. I mean, you've obviously been upset but what how did you want to approach the kind of that training plan

Tim Sorenson: 16:20

so one of my biggest sayings with all my athletes is start where you are use what you have, do what you can. And I have been lucky enough to be at the finish line of lots and lots and lots of Iron Men finishes right and, and the crown for the air quote, and I mean, big air quote, easy Iron Man's, it's hard to put those two words in a sentence is his Ironman Arizona, and going down due to the we'll say, less ridiculously aggressive terrain at Ironman, Arizona, having the joy and luxury of sitting there watching every walk of life cross that finish line. It's hard for me to look at anybody and say, You're Not You can't finish an Ironman. That's that's I mean, I've seen I've seen every everything that you could possibly imagine, cross the finish line of an Ironman and the ridiculous amounts of adversity that people have overcome to cross their the Iron Man finish line. So I'm of the opinion that there's, unless you have something catastrophically wrong for you, you can do this, right. And if we just figure out where you currently are, and this sounds a little, you know, simple, not easy to figure out what you need to do and figure out where you are, and then just plot the course. And with Elizabeth she had, she had a very unique experience with Ironman California last year, right. So as somebody who will be a first time Ironman finisher, next year, she has the luxury of knowing what the swim is going to be like, knowing how brutal the bike can be, you know, everybody was talking about Ironman California going, Oh, it's going to be the easy one because it's flat. That inherently carries a lot of its own challenges. And the knowing that, you know, it can be brutal out there, she's got a little better idea of what to expect rolling into this year. So when I give her certain exercises or certain intervals, she has a little better idea of like, I don't just hate you, I'm just actually preparing

Kenny Bailey<br>: 18:47

coaches or just status. We all know that you're in pain. Know you guys smile every time we say the word bonk so so sorry, you're you're a special snowflake and the fact that you come from a swimming background, right? Because most people that don't want to do a triathlon is because it can't swim. So and and you know, the fact that you said the swim was the most enjoyable thing ever. It was, I think a huge start, right?

Tom Regal: 19:22

It's rare to hear that. And in an Ironman distance race that the swim was enjoyable. So that's always that's always refreshing. For sure.

Tim Sorenson: 19:33

Well, one of Elizabeth's one of the things that Elizabeth can say is that particular race is one of the more enjoyable race I mean, any race where you just put your feet in front of you and you have your hands up and you get to the finish line even one minutes 100 yards splits I mean, I'm not saying not

Kenny Bailey<br>: 19:52

a kid can't get finish that but still it's

Elizabeth Simi: 19:55

right. But and to be fair, it's a great swim except for when you go from the American River into the Sacramento River and the buoy is downstream, and you're trying to swim up to that buoy, and I'm swimming, and people are yelling, and people are stopping in front of me, and I'm like, I'm yelling at them, keep moving, keep. You're just trying to get around the buoy and you're seeing people not go around the buoy. And I'm like, There's no way I'm not going around that buoy because I'm not DNF and now there's

Tom Regal: 20:31

gotta make that downhill swim a little challenging. Exactly. Just a little hiccup in there. Just

Kenny Bailey<br>: 20:36

not only that, yeah, the buoy was like way on the left side, and I'm swimming like on the other side of the river, and I guys come get yelling at me. And there's, you know, everybody's 50 yards over that way. And I'm like, what the buoys? Here I just was I in the buoy? Why do you do it was insane.

Elizabeth Simi: 20:49

So it's not the easiest swim come on to.

Kenny Bailey<br>: 20:53

So it's, it sounds like since you have you finished a marathon to have is it the bike that that's the part that you're kind of honing in on?

Elizabeth Simi: 21:02

No, I'm a terrible runner. I am. I just

Tom Regal: 21:09

will. So rank the three sports from best to worse. Is it swim bike run. Kind of like,

Elizabeth Simi: 21:22

swims all goods, I swim, I'm happy. I mean, I, you know, my bike, I'm slow is anything and I really learned to accept my bike last year. And I had one person told me your bike and your one. And I embrace that. But you know, your one thing with your bike. And so I'm very comfortable on my bike now where I was not comfortable on my bike, especially I did fall years ago and break my arm when I was cleaning it in. So, you know, it's and I fell a few times out there on that canals to which Tim might not know that happened to me several times during those time trials.

Tim Sorenson: 22:07

I didn't know that. No, yeah. No, you

Elizabeth Simi: 22:09

didn't know that. Did you think I was gonna come back and say, I fell on the hill again.

Tom Regal: 22:16

Like, no, I'm good.

Kenny Bailey<br>: 22:22

Nobody else's bleep.

Elizabeth Simi: 22:25

Look, luckily, all the other athletes were did not pass the word on Hey, Elizabeth. But I would say I don't know, the bike and the runner probably about equally as challenging for me, in the respect, I'm just not that quick. And but if I can get through the bike, I think my run is getting quicker, which I know from my time trials that this last run was a lot quicker than in the past. And if I ever start jumping rope, like my coach wants me. I, you know, I'm gonna be really fast.

Tim Sorenson: 23:05

We need to do this on more bases, I'm getting a lot of truths that are heard

Tom Regal: 23:11

of the podcast.

Kenny Bailey<br>: 23:14

It's sort of like when your spouse talks to somebody else about you're like, wait, what? With that, so

Tom Regal: 23:21

what kind of workouts? Are you setting up to build that bike to get that strength on the bike? What What kind of what kind of training are you having to do to do that.

Tim Sorenson: 23:31

So we got three key workouts per, per discipline per week. So three swims, three bikes, three runs, each one of those has a specific focus. So the one of the workouts is going to be for muscular development, durability, and strength, and those are going to be short, hard intervals. And then the other one is going to be pretty much at race pace. Now, this is kind of a weird thing with Iron Man, because it's just your race pace is slow. But still may be a little bit faster than you know, let's just say 65% of your lactate threshold. So I we are we are working with a heart rate and lactate threshold with her. So we figure out what those numbers are and then work out at percentages of that. So the there's a tempo, which would be like the shorter middle of the week run will have, you know, a little bit faster than Ironman pace a little bit slower than Ironman pace. And then the weekends are both the long bike in the long run and that is just long and slow and that's pure aerobic development. And I try to keep those polarized so that the if you're Going too fast and your longer workouts, it takes you too long to recover. So there's a lot of fatigue management going on to make sure that we don't put any holes in our training plan and she could keep real solid consistency. Yep.

Kenny Bailey<br>: 25:13

And I think they lived with that. That's kind of is are you are you? You know, we joke around about you know, you're not doing jumping up with stuff. Do you feel like you're a kind of person that can stick to a plan? Or is it always sort of ups and down? I'm horrible, by the way ever. Yeah, these these guys hate me. Both of them independently?

Elizabeth Simi: 25:32

Yeah, definitely up and down and try I have moved things around and said, Hey, Tim, I did this on this day, can I do this on that day? Or I just do it add?

Kenny Bailey<br>: 25:47

Later. Got it? Yeah.

Elizabeth Simi: 25:51

I'm trying to be more consistent in April is my month that I really am like, Okay, this is it, you need to be more consistent and do what Tim is telling me to on the days that he's telling me to do it. But I am an all over the place. And when you've kind of worked out on your own a lot, you kind of go, Oh, I'll move this here and move as there. And now somebody's saying, Oh, this is the way to do it. So that's kind of weird, in a way. But he also has explained to me like, in my head when I was training on my own, I would always do bike one day and run the next with my long bike and run. And Tim explained to me that I shouldn't be doing that I should be doing the run the day before the bike and that, Tim, what does that have to do with muscles or something I don't know.

Tim Sorenson: 26:42

As long as you're as long as you're doing it, that's fine. And I there are some people that disagree with me, I'm not going to suggest that the way I coach is the only way to coach but I put the run in front of the bike. Because unless you crash on your bike, you're not likely to get any sort of an overuse injury or a strain on riding your bike on tired legs or if you're running on really, really tired legs. You might end up you know, like I said overuse injury or some sort of a strain. Shin splints, plantar fasciitis, you name it. And like I said, with Iron Man, there's so much volume involved that my whole focus is fatigue management.

Tom Regal: 27:21

Yeah. So Elizabeth, how do you feel the training is coming along at this point?

Elizabeth Simi: 27:28

Actually, really, really good.

Tom Regal: 27:30

I feel a difference from last year. So yeah, and

Elizabeth Simi: 27:35

luckily, I kept a lot of numbers. I wrote down stuff from last year, and so going this year, and I can feel the difference in my body this year. So it is making a difference to have a coach and somebody you're I mean, somebody that you know, can say hey, what the heck are you doing when you're not doing what you're supposed to wear? Before was it you know? i The only thing that I had going was my husband say if you don't do this, you're gonna be sorry late.

Kenny Bailey<br>: 28:13

Like what do you know? You're not training?

Elizabeth Simi: 28:17

You get out here? Yeah. I was gonna say, well, he's did a few marathons. And he his big thing was he used to do the one down in Huntington Beach. I can't think of what it's called right now. Yes, sir city here I love on. Yes, he loves that marathon. And there were a few years that he did not train very well beforehand. And he felt it and it was awful. So he always brings that up. Because remember, you don't want to feel sick, like what happens.

Kenny Bailey<br>: 28:50

And so as your as your volume is going up, you know, you're you know, you've got a regular job and responsibilities and duties and all that. How do you how do you find that management? How do you find that balance?

Elizabeth Simi: 29:03

It's awful.

Tom Regal: 29:08

That's the question I've had. Exactly. Yeah, it is awful. Well, and

Elizabeth Simi: 29:13

it's funny because last year I took a leave from work and so I wasn't working at all last year. It was all my job was training for Ironman this year. I am working part time I work at a dog that I am on my feet for eight hours and I'm exhausted when I get home. So a lot of times I don't want to go train because I am so tired. So that's a real that's a hard balance for me even today. What I knew I had this happening and I still need to go do my bike ride and it was a long hard day at work. So it's really it's it's not easy. So balancing it, I'm not doing a great job and I don't want to blame the weather. But right now that rain has just been horrible for getting training done. So you know, that so? Yeah, it's awful. It's it's a work in progress.

Kenny Bailey<br>: 30:09

No. And that's, you know, that's part of the reason why we went when people like you on on on this podcast is to say that this, it's not all, you know, linear and how this stuff happens, right? You don't just start everyone's happy and you know, none of us are pros. I mean, Tim's quads are pro level quads. But so but it what's nice is, and I think that theme that we're hearing, too, is you have a support system around you that understands what you're trying to get done. Yes, right. Your husband understands the bigness of it as well. So, Tim, do you do you find that with some of your athletes about do you have like folks that have that support structure? Do you? Do you see people that don't? Do you see a difference? Without? Or do most of your athletes? Kind of, you know, they they get their family to sign up? Or is it some of them are coming, kicking and screaming?

Tim Sorenson: 31:05

Yes. Yeah, it's actually it's really interesting. And my respect is, is is massive. For the athletes that don't have a solid support structure. It's really difficult. I trained a gentleman last year, an elite athlete and just just a stellar athlete, and his partner was not only not interested in supporting him, but very much you need to stop doing this. So it was really difficult for him because I could see the joy and excitement in what he was doing, but also the tumultuous relationship with his partner that, you know, there wasn't the support on the backside. So that and then there are some other athletes which you know, every even heavens, somebody's gotta mow the lawn, right? I mean, there's gonna be problems. My wife and I both do this, and she is an amazing endurance athlete. But when we sign up for the same races, it's it. That can be a little challenging on its own. So your support structure may be there, but it may be a competitive support structure, which, which carries its own challenges.

Tom Regal: 32:33

But at least slightly more positive than the you know, you need to drop this and not do it. Again. There's always stress that mental stress Yeah, that that just drags on him to see that. It's a full time job, all of this training load, and then having that mental drag, even on your recovery side of it. I think for athletes, I agree with you fine. And when you get athletes like that, that are just struggling through that that's, it's it's almost more impressive that they get the things done that they do. Yeah, based on that boat anchor that's just dragging them down. It's awful.

Tim Sorenson: 33:07

Oh, and then there's the then there's the families, a good friend of mine, their their license plate literally says iron family on it. They're a whole family of incredible athletes. And he gets up at four o'clock in the morning and does his workout so that that when the wife gets the kids up, he takes over right and then starts helping with the kids while she goes and does her workout. And then they find that, like,

Tom Regal: 33:37

that's awesome. Yeah, that's awesome. Yeah, that's incredible. So you said Yeah, so your husband gonna, you know Is he is he thinking like, you know, follow your footsteps on the Ironman? Absolutely. So he's not that supportive. You can have a super supportive but not gonna.

Elizabeth Simi: 33:57

My husband thinks I'm the best swimmer in the whole world because he does not swim and he's scared to death swimming.

Kenny Bailey<br>: 34:05

That's kind of a problem. Yeah. So you mentioned last year when you did a couple of Olympics and a few sprints Do you have stuff lined up before California or on deck?

Elizabeth Simi: 34:16

I have taken it easy that I am going to do a sprint in its Folsom Lake. I don't even know when it is. It gets in May maybe up and then I was gonna do Oregon for the half but it ends up my cousin's getting married that day. So guess who's not going to Oregon? I'm going to California but yeah, so the only thing I really have in my sights right now is the Folsom spread and I may do a few other spreads. I just kind of leaving it out there. As you you know, not everybody knows but out at Rancho Seiko. It's brutal those races out there with the Heat and everything. And I just don't know if that I want to do they can

Kenny Bailey<br>: 35:04

roll with it. Well, the good news for you is you've done the so like, do you feel like your transitions are fairly good? Like, you know what to expect, right? Oh, yeah,

Elizabeth Simi: 35:11

the drill, right? Yeah. And I mean, I've done so many transitions at this point that I mean, I took a little bit of time at Ironman between swim and bike, but that was a whole different animal. But, yeah. Oh, one thing if anybody's doing California Ironman, do not put your bike shoes on before you get down to your bike, because there's no way to run on that plastic stuff.

Tim Sorenson: 35:41

That stuff was a little slick.

Elizabeth Simi: 35:43

Yeah, we got

Kenny Bailey<br>: 35:44

a few things to work on.

Elizabeth Simi: 35:45

I plan on not putting my shoes on. But there's my hint for transition. But yeah, so I'm pretty comfortable with my transitions. And I did so many last year. That yeah, it's, it's not really a worry. For me, I think my big worries are getting the bike done. And then being able to finish the run. I mean, for me, it's all the times you know, it's because there's all those cut off times in, swim wise. I still even think I wish I would have got in the water faster last year went with a quicker group of people just so that I would have had more time on my bike. But I didn't. So you know.

Kenny Bailey<br>: 36:33

But Tim, you also do you do a couple of dry runs, right? Is that Is that still something you do? Do you want to kind of explain to us?

Tim Sorenson: 36:39

Well, so we starting four weeks prior to the event. And then every four weeks prior to that we'll do an encore group workout. I'll bring my athletes out there, I invite the athletes from the rancho endurance sports Triathlon Club, and we'll meet at the confluence of the Sacramento and the American River and swim up river. Right now, nobody's getting that water. But normally, when it's a little bit closer to raise the water significantly warmer. And you can it's it's wide enough and calm enough that where you can swim up river, albeit very slowly, and then turn around and have fun on the way back down. But that's a really good way to go in there and get a good feel for swimming, on course. And then since that particular area is a good transition, because you're on both the bike horse and there, well, you're not really on the bike course. But you're, you're you're on the run course and that particular spot, so we'll get out of the water run up jump on the bikes, and then it's only about a mile and a half from there to be actually on the bike course. And the bike course is pretty straightforward. It's It's you, it's difficult to get lost, it's kind of a straight line and go out and do the bike course. This it's the swim has a point to point, the bike has two loops. And the run kind of goes all over the place, kind of like a bow tie type thing. So it's really easy to go out and just do one cord, one loop on the one out and back on the bike course, depending upon where we are in the season. Obviously, as we get closer, those long days get much longer as we build the volume. But it's a fantastic little spot right there in the middle of the run course, to hurt the middle of the transition. It's only about a mile from the actual transition area from the ballpark. So

Kenny Bailey<br>: 38:32

So How lucky is that? Elizabeth? I mean, how many people get to actually train on the actual course? Well, that's a huge advantage.

Elizabeth Simi: 38:39

It's a total and a VIN for me last year that was amazing to have Tim doing that because I did get to ride the bike course a few times, my husband would out in the car would you know feed me along the way, which was really nice. And it got me that gave me so much confidence on the bike ride to have that. And of course, I'd been in the river several times. So that gives you confidence. So I really, I mean, anybody who can get out there, it's amazing to be able to get on the course and actually do that because it does give you all the confidence. And for me unfortunately, I probably should have been on the run course a little but I didn't even visualize the run at all I knew the swim, I knew the bike. Rod, what kind of a

Tom Regal: 39:30

it didn't happen. I think the benefit of having a local race that you can check out the course and do everything really helps because especially when you get to an Ironman distance where the the just the aura of the event is just it's amazing, right? The energy level of all the athletes, it's hard to describe that. And then if you don't really know the course and you're your first Iron Man, you don't, you know, understand the grandeur of the transitions and everything you're going through. It can be You know, very off putting and very anxiety, you know, driving at that point so having the to be able to practice on it to have that under to have one attempt under your belt so to speak you know already I mean, that gives you a leg up for sure because now you you've you've gotten over the the the flash and the the dazzle love it right. So now you're I don't know about like, you should be coming in there a little less in awe of the fact you have respect for it. But and you're not like this wide eyed like overwhelmed about everything that's going on here because it is it is quite the these these Ironman events are quite the events. I mean, they're they're pretty amazing to experience from an athletes perspective, even from you know, just watching. So

Elizabeth Simi: 40:51

yeah, just watching I was I was lucky enough to have been in Kona, when it was the race was going on one year and there and see that is amazing. And then when I lived in Arizona, I lived right there at Tempe. So I saw that and just it you're just experiencing it from the sidelines is amazing, I think so it's a great

Tom Regal: 41:13

vibe. It really is a great vibe I love I love it. You know, I just tell everybody, if you don't, you don't want to do it. Just get down there and cheer people on. I mean, there's just the energy that you get out of this crowd and out of the athletes, it's just a great, it's just a great experience all levels.

Elizabeth Simi: 41:28

It is totally amazing. And just as somebody, you know, running a race, the people on the sidelines, how cool is that. And I was lucky to be in California, in Sacramento, where I knew people from try clubs and different things. And they would yell your name as you're going by. And it's really cool. So if you're not going to race go out and yell people's names. Because

Tim Sorenson: 41:54

it's very helpful. Yeah, oh, one smile from a perfect stranger when you're feeling like death, and you're still running. That'll make a difference.

Tom Regal: 42:02

All right, yeah. Well,

Kenny Bailey<br>: 42:04

I know Tom and I are going to be cheering you virtually from the sidelines, as we do this, you know, we appreciate you coming on today. We appreciate you sharing your story. We're we I love your spirit as far as like your approach to this thing is, is, you know, is is both hopeful and realistic, you know, together, which I think is fantastic. Right? You rarely do you get that combination. I mean, you're going in focus, you're not going in Anchorage, right? You're going realistic, you're not going in, you know, like I'm gonna podium and you know, let's just let's go

Tom Regal: 42:36

to slots.

Kenny Bailey<br>: 42:36

Let's get this you know, let's just temper that bag. Code your code. But anyway, we appreciate you coming on. We appreciate it. Tim, your your kind of insights into kind of how you're building her program. And we're glad to see that, that you're starting to see the those games already. So

Tom Regal: 42:59

yeah, and thanks for being a part of this and sharing your story. Because we're, you know, following you as you go through the stages and go through the training and everything is always fun. So this is going to be we're super glad to have you a part of a part of this triathletes journey program that we're doing. So thank you so much for that. Thank you, Tim, as well. And Kenny, thanks. Thanks, everybody. We appreciate all your thoughts and comments and feedback all that's great. Excuse me, keep up with the five stars and the thumbs up and all that that helps the algorithms and helps us get out there a little bit more. And yet, share this. Make sure you subscribe. So you can follow along on the story and you don't miss any of the episodes that we'll be dropping the check ins that we're doing throughout the year. And then follow us along. So once again, thank you guys. Thanks, everybody, and we'll catch you on the next one.