volunteerism

view from our new favorite bar in Kona

Yesterday was the Suncoast sprint tri which I have never actually competed in. I let the RD know early last week that I wanted in, I can do a sprint tri two weeks out from Kona. Yeah, sure... with who's body. Certainly, that was a crazy idea. I ran four miles on Tuesday and the last two felt just like the last two in the marathon of IM. Later in the week, decided I would volunteer and give something back to one of the best RD's out there! Anders ended up staying home this week so we have had some nice time together reintegrating into work life. So, up at 4am, we drove down to the Fort to volunteer. It was pissing rain and it's hard to body mark wet bodies. There were a lot of brave souls that showed up, even I was surprised. After body marking, we headed to the boardwalk to keep the spectators off the race course - fun to boss folks around there! hee hee. Then, I went on to the run course to cheer people on. It was fun and I got to catch up with a few friends. The Dane and I then went for a 5 mile run while they were giving out awards. We got back from the run and one of the original Mad Dogs (www.stpetemaddogs.com) walks up and hands me an award. I thought she had certainly mistaken me for someone else! It was the prestigious Ralph Perry award for volunteerism. I was informed that they did a nice speech about my race in Kona and I was speechless to hear all of this had happened. What a cool thing to get a volunteer award and completely unexpected! I really really appreciated it and we had a lot of fun down there, especially giving advice to first-timers and cheering on complete strangers! You tend to forget how all of this just comes so natural now. I could have used some advice when I was a first-timer! The water was rough, winds were blowing and rain was falling but I saw so many smiles on so many faces - makes me certain I selected the right sport for me! It was a rough week getting back to work, the usual payback for being gone! The Dane is here though and that makes me happy. I got in a couple swims, three runs, a couple weight workouts and bike ride today. I can only take so many days off before I start going nuts. There is a beach biathlon on Saturday (2 mile run, 1/3 mile swim, 2 mile run) which I'll do if the weather is good, otherwise we'll be out riding. Nothing hard or serious, just keeping it fun. I mentioned that we are doing IM Canada in August, but didn't mention that we also intend to do IM 70.3 in New Orleans in April, that should be fun!
Go Rays!

Hawaii hangover

No literal hangover, just wishing I was still in HI. We had a blast and don't want to get back to the reality of full-time work weeks and time management. I learned a lot in Hawaii, mostly about myself and what I can survive. I really want to return in to Kona '09 to race. The bad news is, I'm not signed up for one of the qualifying races. The good news is, there are a lot of North American Sports Community Fund slots still available for all the North American qualifiers. The Dane's favorite and first IM race was IM Canada so that's where we are going to race on 8/30/09. It is, along with IM Louisville (ugh, no thanks), the last qualifying race for Kona. It is hard to do two IM races in 6 weeks but I am willing to try this. HTFU and give it a go. At least we have 10 months to prepare! So, for anyone who wants to join us in Penticton, Canada the end of August, we welcome the company. I will try my hardest there to get a Kona slot and get back to Kona and make bigger goals. I've not got 'Kona greed', just ended my season on a good note and want to plan ahead. My fallback is IM Cozumel 11/09 (which I've already signed up for) for Kona 2010 ( I seem to be on an even year schedule for Kona). We rode 100 miles this weekend and I don't feel as shattered as I thought I would (or as bad as I did last year after IM Florida). I am going to postpone running a few more days because I have a little tenderness in my left achilles, weird. I'm in no hurry to get injured! I'll get back into the pool this week because I obviously need the work. I have somehow managed to inspire a couple people here who are great swimmers to help push me to get faster in the water. Other than Kona and St Anthony's, I've had a great season in regards to swim improvement, I want to continue this. I know one thing, not swimming won't help me at all! Bottom line, I am motivated still to continue and, Donna S, I'll try the 'running every day in December' - will you join me??? Come on! Last but not least, GO RAYS!
Racing with Aloha!

My favorite part of awards banquet

Got video of the banquet before the skies opened up and a very meaningful bit of words from this native Hawaiian.

IM Hawaii race report

Not smiling anymore

OOoooops, caught me walking

pre-race, still smiling

Overall, no glaring rookie type mistakes like last time I was here. I had the opportunity to meet some other athletes leading up to race day and for the ones who had been here several times, asked about different strategies. One of my concerns (and something I messed up on in '06) was where to line up for the swim start. I made sure this time not to get into the water too early and waste a lot of energy treading water. I stood around in the water while the pros were still filing in and that was pretty cool to be in such great company. I decided I wanted to avoid the bulk of the fray so lined up on the outside and several rows back. I definitely lost some time here but felt it was better than getting the crap beaten out of me for 2.4 miles! I also wanted to be conscious of how much sea water I was inadvertently consuming - this has been known to wreck many stomachs out here. I ended up likely swimming a lot extra but I decided when I wanted to mix it up and when I wanted to have clean water. All in all, decent decision but definitely cost me some minutes out there. My swimming this year, with the exception of this performance, has been great so I'm not totally happy with my time. Through T2 and onto the bike without any problems. The first 30 miles or so are pretty hectic because the guys out here are so aggressive so I just motored along on the right side of the lane and let them have their space. I saw a lot of them again in the last hour of the bike. We had a nice tailwind leading out of town on the Queen K which was nice to build some rhythm; I just kept thinking this is going to end so I had better make hay while the sun shines. Thank goodness the Dane reminded me to take a bottle of plain water with me to dilute some of the sea water sloshing around in my stomach! I did have some nausea on the bike but that would end up being the least of my worries. The crosswinds started really early this year (from what I hear). Once we hit Waikaloa, I was getting bounced around like crazy. This really tested me mentally. The entire way up to Hawi from there was very stressful. I started to lose quite a bit of my nutrition and hydration at this point for fear of letting go of the death grip I had on the handlebars. People who know me know that the crosswinds were indeed my biggest fear of this race. We were then faced with the usual head-crosswind all the way up to the Hawi turn around. The trip down was even scarier! I had hit about 33 mph at one point when a real blast of wind nearly tossed me into the lava fields. This is something you always hear and read about but you can't imagine how terrifying it is and there is nothing you can do. I rode my brakes the entire way down so I could better control the bike at a little lower speed. It was easy to remain focused, if you didn't, you'd end up blown off the road! When there seemed to be some respite, I would try and drink, get calories in and take salt. Otherwise, it was survival. Heading back towards Kawaihea, the wind subsided and it was hot! Once we turned back onto the Queen K, about 35-40 miles from the end, the headwind was relentless. It was a sudden crosswind at times as well but mostly a block on head wind. I actually got more comfortable here, hunkered down and stuck with my designated wattage. I must have passed a hundred people here, there was serious carnage for those who went out too hard. Got back into town and was never so happy to have to run a marathon. It was pretty hot but all the heat training over the summer definitely prepared me for this. I don't think I've had such dead legs coming out ot T2! Granted, I started way too fast but I always do! I began the first few miles wondering how in the world I was going to be able to finish if I felt this bad already. I had a lot of mental battles and thank goodness the Dane was all over giving me great words of encouragement and telling me that I was in this race and just needed to keep it going. I settled in a bit around 10K and started to feel a little better in the legs. I remember being sooooooooo thirsty this whole time, not doubt being dehydrated from the bike. I found a few people to run with and that really helped me along. Went through the half marathon at 1:45 and decided I wasn't going to look at my watch anymore. My long run going in was an 18.6 miler so I knew I could make it that far, beyond was just going to be me having to tough it out. My quads really started hurting around this time and I wanted to just walk. I thought about people who go through more pain and agonizing situations every day and this really helped me keep going; at least all I had to do to make the pain go away was stop! I didn't stop but did walk about 5-10 seconds through the remaining aid stations just to give my quads a break. About mile 24, the Dane was out on the Queen K and this helped me keep focused and keep running when I wanted to walk soooooo badly! I hit mile 25 and decided to look at my watch again and saw 10:49 and knew if I could push it in the rest of the way (which is mostly downhill), I could break 11 hours (one of my personal goals here). This was extremely painful but I managed to sneak in under 11 hours on one of the toughest days there has been in recent years. I was very happy and content with my effort and still have no idea how I managed to run a sub-3:40 marathon! Ended up 13th in the AG which satisfied my other personal goal, top 15 finish. Ended the night going back out to watch the greatest spectacle on earth, the late finishers at IM Hawaii. This is an experience that cannot be duplicated. I threw my finishers lei into the sea this morning in hopes that I will be privileged enough to be able to have this experience again. It is truly an honor to be able to come here and do this magical race and I'm trying to figure out how I can come back even though I cannot walk without a limp still. Mahalo to everyone who helped and supported me - none of us could do this without great support. We return tonight (actually tomorrow) but I have many memories to keep me motivated to keep training in my quest to accomplish more wonderful personal goals. More pics to come.....
Racing with aloha!

ahhh, the crosswinds!

Pre-race - a nice volunteer shot this pic


I'll post a full RR from IM Hawaii later but just wanted to say thanks to everyone for their kind words and support. This was the worst I wanted to quit a race but I didn't and am really happy with my results. Could swim faster and bike faster but never thought I'd run sub-3:40! The winds were pretty terrifying on the bike, I nearly lost it several times! Couldn't drink as much as I wanted on the bike too because of fear of letting go of the handlebars and getting blown off the road! Felt really bad starting the run, worst ever that I can remember but once I slowed down and settled in after about 10K, I started feeling a little better and got into a pace I could hold. Very happy to finish under 11 hours, there was a lot of carnage out there! We left the awards banquet early after getting poured on for about 45 minutes. Unfortunately, we missed the VIP post party also (thanks Lisbeth for the invites) because the rain just never stopped. Just as well, no hangover today! We'll head out to Lava Java for a bite this morning and relax today. Many mahalo's to everyone for their great words of support. It was a tough day and I needed all of it!
aloha

Friday in kona, pre-race (pre-shower)....

Guess I should've showered first. You get the idea.
aloha

Thursday swim at Pier

Ahh, lovin my day off!

Wednesday in Kona

"beast milk" tat, ready for Hell's Angels now

Swim at the Pier

another beautiful sunset

Ok, so I'm still waking up before 5am but at least I'm sleeping well. Weds started with a walk to the Pier, the usual, and a swim. Started earlier this time because it isn't so crowded in the water. I wanted to get a little more in so we went out to a further buoy and the swells were definitely bigger for this swim than in previous days. Luckily, this doesn't bother me because we do enough open water swimming. Lots of fish to be seen and I heard some folks talk about the dolphins swimming amongst us all, we didn't get to see them....yet. Out of the water and ran into Lisa Bentley and hubby Dave for a quick chat as well as Luke Mckenzie (IM Japan champ) who is looking lean and mean. We walked by these guys giving away t-shirts, and being the swag wanters we are, asked what it was all about. Well, you had to put on their tatoo which translates to "beast milk" to get a tatoo. Sounded good to us so tatooed up, we grabed our shirts. They also said if we took pics with our tatoos and sent it to their web site, we could win trips and other goodies. Yup, we're in for that. Walked back to the condo to fit in 30 minute run. I'm feeling pretty good aside from some aches and pains and needing to stretch a bit more. Quick shower and back into town to register. These folks have this down to a science and it is extremely organized so there is no waiting. Got race pack and goodies in hand, back to the condo for some food. The Dane made poke which is basically a raw tuna salad type of thing with seaweed and soy. His actually tasted better than the restaurant! We them commenced to laying/sleeping in the loungers right above the lava listening to the surf for three hours. We also had a show by some spinner dolphins a bit off shore, very cool. I downed about 4-5 bottles of Gatorade endurance and some water during this stretch. I'll surely be sick of G-rade by the end of day Saturday! We then got picked up in the shuttle to an EST welcome dinner at Ken's condo and I got some beautiful pics of the sunset. The vog is thick and is obscuring the sunset most days. That's what you get when you sit on an island with an active volcano! The dinner was a nice way to sit and chat with some other folks from around the globe. Spoke with the UK girl we rode with the other day and she did ok but was a bit shocked by the heat and wind....."it doesn't look that bad on the telly" (insert UK accent). Back to the condo and in bed by 8:30 but it felt like midnight! Today will consist of no exercise for me (planned day off) and the Dane has committed to a long swim and ride with Phillip L. Maybe I'll get a pedicure and do some shopping. I'll definitely find my way back to the lava lounger to read.
aloha and kia kaha

Kona condo video

Uh oh, I'm figuring out you tube!
Aloha

Life does not suck

Lunch at the Kona Canoe Club

Mood is improving

How beautiful is this

We had an eventful Tuesday in Kona (and beyond, more later). Started the day meeting the Endurance Sports Travel (Ken Glah's company which got us this fabulous condo) crew for a quick van ride to the Pier for swim. A lot more people here than on Monday for sure. Had to swim head up a bit so as to not run into others swimming. That is a bummer because can't watch the beautiful fishies! Anyhow, great swim and I feel pretty comfy in the water. We had a Chrissie Wellington (last years female champ) sighting as she was being interviewed just before her practice swim. The Dane still cannot get over the size of her tree trunks, I mean legs. Wow, is she put together. Anyhow, ran into Crowie (last years men's runner-up) before leaving and had a nice chat with him. We know him from Clearwater 70.3 '06 as we had dinner with him, Lisa Bentley and her hubby and amazingly, he always spots us in a crowd. He even said he'll yell for me if he see's me on the course........cool! We had a quick breaky at the buffet EST sets up daily then made a needed van ride to the grocery store. I guess $300 is the new $200. Next on the agenda was a van ride out to Hapuna Beach and ride the bikes back. We had a small crew, a nice girl from the UK and Adam, another American guy. She was a bit concerned about the wind as cycling is not her strong suit, according to her. Anyway, it was pretty windy out there and I had to spend a bit of time in the "oh shit" bars but not nearly as much as two years ago. The time spent riding in the hills is definitely going to pay off and I'm much more confident in this wind........unless it gets tons worse. So, 34 miles later, we end up back at the condo. It was a good ride and great practice for Saturday. We ran into Adam at the expo and he was wondering why we rode "so hard".......we didn't! It's all relative I suppose. He was nice enough to accompany the UK girl back as she was riding her own pace. We headed, as I said, over to the expo to try and meet Thunderbear (last year's men's third place, the other Dane), but he was occupied so we had a nice chat with the co-owner of Argon about their TT bike, very interesting design and got a cool t-shirt. Back to the condo to relax for the rest of the day and eat our wonderful clean food we picked up at the grocery store, Ahi tuna filets with rice and broccolini! Yummy. Slept better last night, didn't wake up at all until 5am, I'm finally getting on island time! I have a swim and 30 minute run today and am so looking forward to them both. I love training out here, you get free energy from the Gods - if you stop and feel it, it's there. Sounds strange to anyone who hasn't been here. Life does not suck....enjoy.
kia kaha

some photos

swimmers at the Pier

view from condo balcony

I am not as stressed as I appear!

Monday was a swim at the pier. The water was beautiful and clear and fish everywhere! Like swimming in an aquarium. Then, back to the condo for a 30 minute run. My legs are starting to not feel so tired. We have been walking around a lot but that's our mode of transportation. Tuesday, another swim then we'll get shuttled out to the Queen K and ride back in. Should be fun and I'll have my camera. We saw a ton of pros out training which is always cool. Later
kia kaha

Aloha from Kona

We made it in one piece and all our luggage arrived with us. Amazing. A very uneventful and pleasant trip. We arrived at the condo around 7pm (Hawaii time) and had to pick up some provisions. 70$ later at the convenience store, we had water, beer, coffee, etc. We sat on our wonderful balcony and listened to the Pacific ocean batter the lava for a while - that is therapeutic! I have a little video of it, mostly for the noise, too dark (won't download now). We haven't seen our view in daylight yet but feel certain it will be beautiful. Just put the bikes together but have no pump so will have to remedy that today. We'll head down to the pier to swim around 7am. I will try and snap some photos there.
Kia kaha

Big Thanks

Madam Pele.......on my quilt

The last masters swim practice prior to a big race is always fun. Most of the time, everyone knows you're racing and if they don't they act like they do or ask someone else. We have a pretty low key crew which keeps it light and fun. Don't get me wrong, there's plenty of competition if that's what one is seeking. Just (just, sheesh) 4000 yards today so I was there for a little over an hours and pretty much saw most of the regulars. I so appreciate all the well wishes, it means so much to me. Like, Maude (best free stroke under water) wearing fins on part of the set (only cuz she's been out of the pool a few years having babies) to keep me company. Wayne, for bringing a book for me to read on my trip. May-li, always with a fun/crazy race story to share - this one about her adventures at the Duathlon World Championships......that's how she rolls. Cashel, aka Zookeeper, great coach and always just asks how many yards I need. Bill, had to ask my last name so he could keep track of my progress. I'm sure I'm leaving out some people, but those were just today. I take this energy with me and let it help me keep moving along - I'd be rich if I could only bottle it! Also, are the people at work who think I'm really nuts to be "working out" so much but many well-wishes from them also. Patients too, they seem to know all about my races sometimes........must the the girls up front telling them. It's all good and all appreciated in ways they will never know. I will do my best, you can be sure! Biggest to the Dane who is struggling to keep up at times when I'm in my taper because the pace heats a tad. Couldn't do any of this without support. I'm leaving out other friends and family but this was about people I came across today and I was overwhelmed. Big thanks!
Kia kaha

Go Rays!

I'm not much of a baseball fan but have jumped on the local bandwagon of the Tampa Bay Rays. They made the playoffs for the first time in their existance and it's nice see sports news that doesn't revolve around the Bucs (not a fan). A great story and one we'll continue to follow in Hawaii.
1051 is my bib number. It's exciting to have a number finally, makes the whole thing feel more real. I'm getting through taper well. Sleeping more due to fewer early morning swim sessions, feels kind of weird actually. The Dane is feeding me wonderful, clean dinners with plenty of protein. I'll push more carbs next week. The weather here is beautiful, nice little dry front has come through and tonight's long run (only 1:15) will be delightful. Looking forward to blogging from the Big Island...
kia kaha