Czech born triathlete Tereza Macel is often the first woman out of the water in the races she enters. She now resides in Canada and checked in with Slowtwitch.


ST: Tereza, why don’t you tell us about your 2007 season and what you consider the highlight of the year?

Tereza: My 2007 season was a big disappointment until the last race, which helped to end it on a good note. Ironman South Africa was a long way to travel. I got sick going into the race and ended up walking the run. The Muskoka Challenge was personally a big race for me but for some reason I was just flat from start to finish. I got injured going into Ironman Lake Placid. My body healed in time but by mind didn’t and I proved to be my toughest adversary in that race. I then put all my hopes into Ironman Florida for what only seemed like tiny break through. I was lucky that Ironman Western Australia let me in last minute. It was not my best placing at an Ironman but it was my best race. It marked the first time I swam under 50 minutes, ran under 3:30 and raced under 9:30, all of which where very big goals for me. It’s amazing how as a pro triathlete you sometimes only feel as good as your resume: not ideal but too often true.


ST: What is on schedule for you in 2008?

Tereza: Maybe not so many Ironman events for 2008 I think. I have done 10 Ironman races in just over 2 years. That is a lot but I guess still pretty far off my countryman Petr Vabrousek’s record of 14 in one year.

I think I would like to try some more Half Ironman races this year. I gave them a crack a few years back when I was focusing more on Olympic distance but I just wasn’t strong enough to race them. Now I think I have the strength but I will need to regain some speed. I guess you always want what you don’t have.

Hawaii is going to be a big goal for me in 2008. I raced there once in 2005 and I found it hard to watch from home in 2006 and 2007. Qualifying can always be a bit tricky as there are so many good female athletes out there these days so I hope it happens.

ST: Can you describe a mid season training week?

Tereza: I only swim 2-3 times a week, which gets me by. I just try to get the volume up to 5-7 k a session. For running I always get in a 2.5-3 long run a week and a few long bikes of about 5-6 hours. On average I train 20-22 hours a weeks and 25-30 on big weeks. I don’t always take a day off every week but I do take a legs day off weekly.


ST: Do you consider yourself disciplined in terms of training and nutrition?

Tereza: I am pretty balanced both in mind and body and that might be why I am where I am and not at the very top. I feel guilty if I miss a workout but I won’t run through a stress fracture or train with gangrene or anything like that. If my body says stop I do.
Maybe I need to be more obsessive-compulsive to reach the next level.

Nutrition is something where I haven’t been disciplined enough in the past. I eat relatively healthy, but haven’t really cracked the whip and dropped those last few pounds to reach ideal race weight. I am one of the bigger pro’s out there, and know that at 5 pounds lighter that marathon at the end of an Ironman would fly by faster.
I have seen a few too many eating disorders from other pro’s and some unhealthy ways to loose weight, so I have perhaps been a little scared by the whole idea.


ST: What is your favorite race and why?

Tereza: The Muskoka Long Course race (now the Muskoka Chase) will always be my favourite as I developed as a triathlete over the years at that race. It was the first race that really kicked my butt and took me 3 attempts to win it.

The first year I did it I was only run-walking 10km a week and the race is 2k/55k/15k. I lead until about 5 km on to the run and ended up third to a fast charging Lisa Bentley. The next year I was a little more seasoned and got to the last 750 metres before she did it to me again! The third year was the charm and I finally bested both the other athletes and the course.

Since then I have enjoyed racing it under its new chase format. The competition is getting stronger with the likes of Simon Whitfield, Craig Alexander and Sam McGlone showing up on the start line and the course requires an honest effort. I also like racing hard off the front and making the boys work to catch me. As I am running I like to see their faces at the run turn around, the first time they see me. If I see that "crap she is further ahead than I thought" look in their eyes I know I have them.

ST: Can you share with us what is going on with you in terms of sponsorships?

Tereza: I have never been one to go after sponsors. I could probably afford to travel more, get more massages etc if I had more sponsorship, but I like having the freedom to use or do what I want.

Saying that, I have been lucky to be sponsored by Saucony from my first days on the road and will run in them probably to my last. My husband and brother work for Cervelo so I always have new bike toys to play with. Next week I should be getting the new 3T Ventus aerobar, which will be cool. Then I have Nineteen wetsuits. They allow me to have input into the design of the suits so I always feel comfortable in the water, which I think has really helped me achieve the swim success I had in 2007. 3.8 km straight is long for even a club swimmer and if you’re fighting your suit the whole way it can seem even longer.

Last but not least there is my husband Chris who is my biggest supporter. Without him working I wouldn’t be able to play like I do.


ST: Did you have any help with your bike fit?

Tereza: I started off triathlons on a steel road bike and complained about how uncomfortable the gel saddle was. When my husband (boyfriend at the time) realized the gel had all disappeared and there was no padding whatsoever I stopped having control of all things bike related. Chris has his B.Sc. in Kinesiology and has always been a bike super freak so I leave it to him. I have been riding in the same position since the early days so that has helped me to gain efficiency on the bike. I have always ridden forward, even when I raced ITU. When you are fighting the wind it’s a benefit for sure.

I am also fortunate that I can ride pretty low although like most women I am constantly looking for a more comfortable saddle. Currently I am trying the Fizik Vitesse and I am pleased with it. For women I think saddle selection is the key to getting the proper position. If you are not comfortable on your saddle you start pushing rearward on it and that changes your whole position. If you put in the energy to find a good saddle then a good sustainable aero position is possible.

ST: How do you typically spend the off-season?

Tereza: I don't swim! I have been getting up at 4:45 am to go swimming for over 22 years so I enjoy a sleep in when I can get it. I always take about 2-4 weeks out of the pool for sure.

I don’t think I need so much of a physical break from training in the off season more so of a mental one. Having a change from the routine of regular workouts, and the same old pool and run route makes a big difference.

I also try new things. I have been cross-country skiing, trail running, bunging jumping. Okay I have never been bunging jumping but if I felt like it one day I would.


ST: Do you follow any other sports?

Tereza: I don't follow mainstream sports like football and baseball. I am a tennis fan, which I watch often, as well as figure skating and track and field. I watch the Tour de France when it is on but not other cycling events. Far and away my favorite sport to watch used to be the world strongest man competitions. I even named my i-pod nano Magnus after the great Magnús Ver Magnússon, but since he has retired it just hasn’t been the same.


ST: What sports did you take part when you grew up?

Tereza: My mother initially put my brother and I into diving but I was too afraid and ended up switching to swimming. I was terrible too. I started at such a late age and it was 2 years before I made my first pace time. I don’t know why I kept at it. I swam through grade school, high school and into university. My brother inherited all the co-ordination and talent in the family. I didn't really try other sports, which I regret so perhaps in my next life I will be a decathlete, because they do it all.


ST: What is your favorite and least favorite food?

Tereza: I have traveled a lot so I have learned to eat different types of cuisine. I am a pretty easy person to please but I don’t liked cooked celery or onions. I don't mind either raw but something happens once they are cooked. Yuck.

I eat sushi regularly but my favorites are the Czech foods I grew up on. It is funny, as I don’t think Czech cuisine is world-renowned. For me it is comfort food and reminds me of my childhood. Things like nakyp (a sweet rice dish), knedliki and koprovka (dumplings and dill sauce).

ST: What about music, what do you like?

Tereza: I listen to more music now with the i-pod and have even recently started running with it occasionally, but I need to find more fast beat dance songs which my library is lacking. Mostly I listen James Blunt, Hawksley Workman, Killers, Brett Dennen and the classic David Bowie who I have been a fan of since high school.


ST: Where do you think you’ll be in 5 years?

Tereza: If I could wish for anything I would love to design sports clothing. Maybe I will go on that show Project Runway and design a race outfit and in the final episode get to wear it in an Ironman. If it doesn't fall apart on me then I get a passing grade.


ST: Is there anything else we should know about you?

Tereza: I had two toes removed as a kid and now I still have 10 toes. Would have been nice to see how those two toes would have affected my swim.
Not really, but that is what my husband tells people. I have funny looking feet that appear to have started with 12 toes and that would explain it.