teamTBB's Kona Girls
October 2nd 2010

Tereza Macel aka T-Mac lights up a room with her smile. So real and warm there is no hiding the fact that this lady loves what she does and is enjoying life. Forth in Hawaii last year she will be returning to the big island with another year of successful racing under her belt.

Many teamTBB athletes are known for their strength on the bike and the trademark low cadence style. When it comes to biking, T-Mac displayed a jaw dropping master class of power when she tore apart the field in Embrunman on her P4 in aero position this year.

When you come forth in the World Championships and possess the swim, bike, run qualities that T-Mac has you beome one of the ‘marked’ women. We can’t wait to see what the day holds for Tereza.

We know she is a fishy in the water and a powerhouse on the bike. When it comes down to the run, anything can happen. It is Kona and an IM. There are no guarantees. But we can guarantee one thing; the T-Mac engine will be fired up and ready to go!

10minutes, 10 questions with Tereza

ED: Life before triathlon for Tereza Macel was…
TM: My mom put me, my brother and sister into a swim club at age 12, to keep us out of trouble. :-) I can't say I was actually very good at swimming, but with a lot of time, patience and repetition eventually got the hang of it.

ED: If you weren’t doing triathlons, what would you be doing?
TM: I am not really sure, but must admit that if you asked 10years ago what I would be doing right now, professional triathlete would never have occurred to me.  

ED: Tell me about hubby, Chris, how do you balance being a pro triathlete and wife? Does traversing the globe and time apart make your relationship stronger?
TM: It is a challenge to be away so much but Chris has been very supportive and patient. There are certain opportunities in life that have an expiration date, and this has been one of them. Chris and I are very aware of that, so we both have made some sacrifices in order to give me a chance to follow triathlon for a while.

ED: A reoccurring thought/image that gets you out of bed each morning is…
TM: Usually the first thought is "where am I... what time is it.... why am I getting up... " Once I have that figured out I just try to follow my routine. There are definitely days that getting out of bed is more challenging than others, but 99% of the time part way through the day I am grateful I did, and did not take the lazy way out.

ED: You had a monster bike in Embrunman that was executed primarily from the aero position while the guys are spinning up the mountain. Many people would love to know just how you did that, so, how did you? Would it not have been easier to sit up and spin?
TM: Well to tell the truth I did not really plan it that way too much. I was not sure how long the climb up the mountain was, and it was rather steep and challenging, and so I just figured if I was in my aerobars, the way I usually ride in a race, and just pretended I was riding in a flat road- that happened to be tilted upwards, that it would be easier. That way also I would not see as far up the road, and be potentially discouraged by seeing it just go up and up and up. Instead I could focus only on a few meters at a time, and of course I love riding in my aerobars.

ED: You regularly come out in the front packs on the swim. What three tips would you give an age grouper to improve their swim?
TM: Becoming comfortable in the water takes time- so give yourself lots of swim opportunities.
Don't worry about drafting off someone in a race- swim your own race, if it happens to be in a draft then great, if not then don't worry. Too many people spend so much time looking for feet to follow that they forget their own race plan.
Know what your stroke strengths and weaknesses are - so you can have a focus each swim workout as to what you are working on.

ED: Superstitions, rituals, lucky charms, special food, do any of these apply to you in race week?
TM: I used to like to watch Rocky the day before a race, but now any movie will do- as long as it is not a tearjerker.  Special food? The day before a race I need French fries, strange but true.

ED: Mental toughness, confidence, belief, your biggest non-physical strength is and why?
TM: I think patience, and the ability to not get bored is two of my strengths. I think years spent swimming, staring at a black line at the bottom of the pool have helped me keep focused and not bored, even for hours at a time. Of course it has not helped with my sense of direction, I can easily get lost when there is no line to follow.

ED: Life after your triathlon career, do you and Chris think about kids?
TM: Yes, and since my brother and sister have not stepped up yet either I think my mom is worried she may never be a grandma.

ED: Kona. It’s just around the corner. This will be your second trip to the Big Show...how are you feeling and what expectations do you have of yourself?
TM: I am trying to not have expectations, but rather execution goals- swim fast, bike hard and "put my big girl panties on and run like I stole something" as my friend Andrea would say.