Laissez les bon temps roulez 70.3

This race was on the calender because I've never been to New Orleans so it was a good excuse to go. Since I end up using all my vacation time from work doing triathlons, I like to make them count as "real" vacations whenever possible. It also was very early on the schedule, much earlier than I have ever done a 70.3 distance race so we had to be good about training early on when it was still cold. Luckily, we have a great group of people who braved the cold with us many mornings to get workouts in, be it swimming or biking. Thanks to all our great training partners who braved the long winter (for Florida).
On to the trip, er...race. I always thought of this trip as a cool trip with a race in it. I wasn't going to compromise too much on the fun aspect or the walking around aspect, it is New Orleans after all. I figured if all the fun bar hopping we did hurt me, so be it - I'm on vacation. As with any traveling race, if you forget things, which we all inevitably do, you can pick stuff up at the expo. Usually, not here though. I'm sure that will improve - it is a first year race after all. We got into NOLA early on Friday morning and got checked into the hotel and got familiar with our surroundings. We found a micro brewery near the race hotel so tested it out on our way to pick up our packets. Got our packets after an entertaining mandatory race meeting and all was smooth as silk. I'm sure we found another bar on the way back to our hotel on the edge of the French Quarter. Had to assemble the bikes prior to anymore bar visiting so did this then got back out. We ate at an Italian place called Bacco on Friday night and it was yummy. One thing for sure, there is no lack for restaurants in NOLA. Anyway, we did do a short run Saturday morning and felt pretty good in general - should have, I took both Thursday and Friday off which I don't normally do but I was really tired and worried the taper wasn't "kicking in". The bulk of Saturday was spent traveling to transition (you NEED a car for this race), standing in line for the mechanics and checking out the largest transition area I've ever seen. That's why they were saying it's the biggest 70.3 race in the world! Got racked with no issues and headed back to the hotel to gussy up for dinner. We went to a place called Attiki for dinner (actually, just went there for a couple beers but ended up staying) - really good, Middle Eastern flare type of place. Back to hotel early to get up early race morning. I woke an hour before the alarm (3am) with some nerves and excitement for the first race of the year. I looked out the window and it was very cloudy and windy. Got the Dane up and we planned to drive to transition (then take shuttle back afterwards to drive back with bikes - thanks Phillip L for the advice here). I brought oatmeal but had no way to eat it (no spoon, bowl, etc) so just consumed most of a Cliff bar and felt that was going to have to do - mistake number one. Got to transition (which is a Katrina tour each trip - very eye-opening) and had no issues. I had until 8:30am for my wave - the last wave of the day. It was raining a bit and that added a few extra challenges but I felt ok. Did a little run and felt ok. Walked a mile to swim start with 3000 of our best friends. The pro's got off at 7am. Lake Pontchartrain was calm as the winds were out of the south. The Dane was in the wave right before me which was good because we could sit around together and figure out where to line up, etc. The swim is a straight shot, west to east with bouys on the left demarcating the edge. I had a good start but tussled with a couple girls early on and had no draft the entire way - bummer. Got out onto the bike and could feel the wind straight away. I also could see that my SRM was not registering speed (or distance as result) so this would be my "power only" race. The roads for the first 20K are pretty bumpy concrete but not unreasonable. The roads also, some of them major highway, WERE COMPLETELY CLOSED! This, my friends, is a treat. I was concerned, being in the last wave, of the bike traffic but it was pretty well spread out and pretty easy to get around people - which is what I did for 56 miles. I went by power only and pretty much nailed my numbers. It was very windy, second only to Kona in my experience, but I concentrated on my power numbers and that kept me very engaged on an otherwise releatively boring (unless you like swamp land) bike course. The only hills were the bridges heading out and back in. Not much drafting going on except for the guy on the P3 who felt the need to sit on my wheel for a long stretch - not much draft off a 105 pound 41 y/o woman, must be desperate! Anyhow, totally uneventful ride but the wind gets to you after a while - the last 20 miles or so (no odometer here) was into a block head wind and reminded me of the Queen K so I kept my head about me. What I didn't do, is drink enough or take salt - mistake number 2. It was very humid and I was sweating a ton but I was totally focused on getting around other people and not getting my front wheel into a hole in the road. Off the bike, back onto the feet-cutting mile long transition area. Onto the run and I knew straight away I wasn't gonna have the run I wanted. The first 3.5 miles were into a really stiff, steady headwind. I felt horrible and tried adjusting pace to get better - the only adjustment that stuck was running much slower. Saw the Dane at just over mile 5 standing there waiting as he had a hip problem and couldn't continue. I was worried but he told me to continue, so I did. The only other gripe about the race was that the aid stations were 1 1/2 miles apart on the run when I'm used to (and plan for) every mile. This wasn't good as I was already dehydrated and not feeling well at all. I got quite dizzy and woozy at mile 9 and had to full stop. I thought I might pass out for a minute but gathered and walked a bit - there wasn't an aid station in sight. I jogged again and once at the next aid station, took everything they had. I was quite warm and humid at this point and wanted cola......bad. They had no cola at any aid station which is not something I'd planned for (these races always have cola at least later on). It was brutal and I had blood pooling in my shoe a bit from the chunks of skin I'd lost in transition area. I was ready to be done. Got to mile 12 and saw 4:52 on the watch. I wanted (and expected) to get under 5 hours so really had to hustle here. You get closer to the finish and thus closer to the French Quarter, it is amazing and loud. This finish gave me goose bumps! It was second only to Kona in number of people and excitement level - I thought I was winning the Olympics or something. I didn't quite get under 5 hours (went 5:00:11) but felt like I did what I could on the day. I hustled around to get on the shuttle back to transition area to find the Dane because I was worried about him. Got there and he was sitting on the curb near his bike, poor thing. We hobbled back to the car and drove back to the hotel. Got to the awards party right on time, took my Clearwater slot (thanks Pam K - I owe you) and went for a wonderful dinner at Nola. Pampered and fed, we hit the town for a while and just absorbed New Orleans. I loved it and will be back. Aside from the cut up feet, saddle sore the size of a walnut and one toenail coming off, this was an awesomely fun race in a totally unique locale. I'm sure it will get more competitive next year but I'll be ready and hopefully, won't make all the rookie mistakes. Thanks to everyone for the well wishes and everything. We're going to heal up, volunteer at Escape From Fort Desoto sprint tri Sat and prep for St Anthony's on 4/26. P.S. the woman on the song that pops up, Irma Thomas, sung our national anthem for the race. The whole town of New Orleans was so nice and positive - you get such a good vibe here. Great for racing! I'm sending an official invite to my family to join us next year for all the NOLA fun!

quickie report from NOLA

I'll do a proper report from home but wanted to say a few things now while my body still feels the pain of racing. First, this was one of the best, coolest races I've ever done. We had the roads all to ourselves and a finish line experience that was a very close second to Kona. I wasn't particularly pleased with my times but a win is a win. I actually won overall Masters which I've never seen awarded at a 70.3 event so that was really cool. We have to pack up to return home today - wish we had another day to hang out. The Dane was rocking this race until something seized up in his hip early on in the run - he couldn't run through it and was very hobbled to even walk. He was really upset about this because he was having a great race. We'll return home to repair our bodies and move on. Thanks for all the well wishes.
laissez les bon temps roulez

Hi from NOLA

From my most awesome iPod touch, blogging from restaurant in Nola. Bikes are checked and ready to rock. The Dane and I are having a real vacation, it's nice and fun. Race tomorrow, NO expectations.
Peace.

Taper sucks but other things are fun

The horses begging for a ride


So, one week or so of taper for NOLA 70.3 and we both feel pretty crappy physically. We had a bugger of a cold front come through yesterday (wind wise) and today (wind, rain, cooler temps) but had specific workouts to fit in. The week early on brought mile repeats on Tues and I ran faster than I have in a couple years for sure - no big deal though, I haven't done speed work in 7-8 months. Weds brought speed swim at masters and I really sucked - don't think I've gone this slow all year. Weds evening was threshold repeats on the bike/trainer with hard brick. Thursday brought our last "long" run, only 8.5 miles and went really slow and boring but all in all, faster with lower heart rate in higher heat outside. Sat was a two hour ride with some 10 minute sub-threshold sessions which are difficult in 20-25mph winds! Nothing like Kona winds mind you, but annoying, none the less. No brick Sat so we got ourselves out to the beach and the waves were starting to get kicked up with the winds. Got some much needed sun and the body surfing was really fun - we didn't want to leave. To bed early Sat (read, no social life) and awoke to thunderstorms on Sun morning. No worries, only an hour on the bike with more 10-minute sub-threshold sessions, doable on the Computrainer. Got the bike done then it was a 30 minute brick, zone 4 out and zone 2 back. This was not fun and I quickly felt the legs are not ready to race - thank God we have one more week! Went to the mall because it was still raining, to our favorite watering hole at International Plaza (we get there like twice a year) and couldn't find anything to spend my hard-earning money on. Came back home and the sun was back out so, back to the beach. The waves were bigger, the wind was on-shore and the air was cooler. We saw a perfect opportunity for some great boogy boarding. We made a pact not to get hurt - there is history of injuries here (not me). Water felt warm and the waves were definitely ripping so we stayed fairly shallow and safe but had some good rides. An awesome weekend of wind, waves, biking and running. Hoping for good legs in one week! I don't have anyone left to root for in March Madness so guess I'll choose as they go.

Last race rehearsal day before IM New Orleans 70.3

Mock transition, planning ahead

We had a good training week. I finally put in a run "speed work" session (better late than never) which consisted only of 2 x 1 mile repeats. Not much but I feel pretty healthy with the running now, finally. It is only March after all! Last long run of 90 minutes, which is about all I can muster this time of year without hurting myself. Have done 4 x 90 minute runs so which have all be faster than the last at same heart rate. I feel good about this. All in all, I'm running quite well for me for this time of year. So we had our mock transition areas set up in the house (not outside because I need privacy to change my shorts - don't want to moon all of Belleair) and tried to keep it pretty quick. It was quite breezy out on Saturday morning but not cold, around 60. We had a little bit of a warm up time then rode steady for 56 miles. I got to motorpace off the Dane, which is no easy task with the cross winds blowing! Anyway, good ride on tired legs then off for a 6 mile brick. Suppose to "ease" into the run, which we did, running 7:15 pace. Negative splitting, ended up averaging 7 minute/mile pace - goal pace but realistically, would be happy with 7:15's on race day. Today was supposed to be a day off but I don't do days off very well. So, we jumped into an open water swim with a couple of the Masters guys. The water is nice, not too cold but I was happy to have my wetsuit I can tell ya! Got a new 2XU V:1 Velocity suit and it got a workout today! The water was pretty choppy so it was annoying and after 2.6 miles or so, I was DONE! I don't have good patience with open water swimming which is why I need to do more of it! Since we live a mile from the Gulf and have good open water swimmers to go out with, no reason not to do it! We had some nice relaxing on the playa afterwards so a wonderful weekend in sunny Florida.
Oh yeah, Go Jayhawks and Boilers - gotta love March Madness!

Happy B--Day mikey!

Another Kona view

Today's my brother's birthday, so happy one to you. Also, little Dane's B-day as well, happy 12th to Johnny.
On the training front, let's just say I'm on a whole 'nother level than I've been this time of the year in the past. Yes, Cyndi, that's a good thing. We had a really hard week/weekend of training and, with a solid taper, I feel pretty good about a solid half ironman in three weeks. I have managed to string together two 30-mile run weeks which I know is not huge for most people, but good for me because I'm usually injured this time of year. We did a really hard threshold trainer ride on Weds with a brick. Long run on Thursday and some at pace swimming all week. Sat brought a hill ride with the group that I really had trouble with for some reason. Was it the week of training? Was it the stress of work? Was it nutrition? Was it that I wasn't slow but everyone else was really fast? I don't know really. We ran off that ride in the hills and 7:30 pace felt easy "all day" pace. That's not something someone who has really bonked says. So, I feel I got dropped because I got dropped. It is what is is and you have to get over these things. The Sunday ride out of downtown Clearwater has grown every week and now we have some really strong roadies on this ride which changes everything. The Dane and I pulled the whole way until the TT section just to control the pace a bit. The TT section was just tempo for me cuz I was pretty dead from the week. Normally, the route back is pretty steady pace and sane. Not today! I elected to try and hang on to the roadie group on the way back home, into the wind. I made it and it made me feel much more confident than I came out feeling yesterday. Even the Dane said it was hard. He is clearly in shape and one of the best men on two wheels in this area. I just try and hang on. Then, we ran 6 miles. Let's just say it felt like an Ironman run and the 55 degree pool felt good at the end! It was a beautiful, chamber of commerce weekend, weather-wise! We couldn't be more lucky to live in such a lovely environment! The beach was heavily populated but heavily enjoyed by us! We are three weeks out from IM New Orleans 70.3 and taper is everything at this point. I am pretty nackered in the legs but confident I will recover and, hopefully, carry this over for St Anthony's the end of April. We'll see but I have truly done the work. I will race with Aloha, always.

Belleair Classic 10K

Another 10K run in the books. Didn't really know how this one would go since my running has been hampered over the past 8 weeks or so with nagging pains and mini-breaks. I had absolutely no goal today......except to run hard. We didn't taper at all, obviously with New Orleans 70.3 in 4 weeks. We did move our "long run" (only 11 miles for me) to Weds from Thurs and then I did my bike threshold intervals (3 x 10min) on the computrainer on Thurs. Legs quite dead, as expected so, hence, no real goals. This race starts about 1 1/2 miles from our house so it was nice to ride over on the mountain bikes! Thanks to Outspokin, we were able to leave the bikes in a guarded corral. This course is deceptively hard and rolling. I know it's Florida but there are some rollers on this course. The Dane and my advantage was that we run on these roads all the time. The Dane felt he was defending his home turf; I, on the other hand, just didn't want to be slow or get injured. Well, the good thing is, I didn't do either. Started out way too fast, 6:05, then cooled down into a remarkably steady set of miles the rest of the way that were between 6:33 and 6:38, depending on the hills. I am quite happy especially since I haven't done ANY tempo runs or speed work since maybe September. Something to work with, I think. I came close to breaking 40 minutes which I haven't done in over a decade I'm sure. The Dane ran really well, a full minute in front of me - time he hasn't run since the mid '90's!
We will do some tempo TT riding tomorrow and a longer brick and call it a week. The fitness is ok, maybe not great for a half IM in four weeks but something to work with. We did an open water swim today too, whew - cold water! Now's the only chance I have to swim in water as cold as (or close to) what we'll face at IM Canada in August!
Good day, good week so far and got to catch up with friends, esp Sharon B, that I haven't seen in a while. Good times and perfect weather now!
Aloha

kickin' it

Old school, that is. Put new music on, from times where I felt I could do anything (athletically). I would put up more, except my mind is a bit scattered. Good week, though it's not over. Sunday is forecasted to be horrible weather for us babies here in Florida. I'll ride in some rain but not thunderstorms and 40mph winds. Anyhow, got in some hill (read bridge) repeats on the run this week. Long run up to 11 miles at good clip also. The hip pain is certainly better - bothers me more in bed when I roll on it than running! Good signs. I fear I'm starting back running a bit late for 70.3 race in 5 weeks but you never know. I like the old school music because it reminds me of a time in my life that I was fearless. Trying to regain that a bit for this year.
I got smoking hot new aerobars - 3T Brezza. My first ride on them today and they were very nice. Different position for sure but they are very nice. Too bad I left my good legs at home today! We had planned a "race rehearsal" ride/brick today but the ride was a bit slower than I would have liked. The brick, well, it was just hard. I had no legs today but managed a six mile brick at about 7:20 pace - slower than I want to race at 70.3 but I'm working on it. The Dane, well, he's Hell to keep up with anymore. Except in the pool. Our "speed Wednesday" in the pool was a broken mile (short course) - 3 x 550 with 30 sec between, add up the time, blah blah. I did quite well (for me.. 22:xx) and am happy with where my swimming is. We keep wanting to do an open water swim but these cold fronts are really churning up the water and making it difficult to get in any swimming. Maybe next weekend. I won't even bring up the pollen issue! It's making my life pretty miserable! So, a little recovery from today's workout and the next goal is Belleair Classic 10K on Sat - my run speedwork for the week. I'll post pics of new cockpit, have to eat now!
Aloha

Gettin' healed

Another really good training week in the books. I didn't fair as badly riding in the hills on Saturday as last week, always good. The Dane was more aware not to leave me out there on my own. Must have been something I said! It was cold at start there but we were there when many others weren't, hopefully this will pay off down the road. We did 70 miles in the hills Sat then a pretty hard ride today, the hard part at threshold working on TT pace/effort/power. Ran off the bike today, 4 miles again, a little faster than last week but effort the same on REALLY tired legs. I did manage a long run this week, just about 10 miles. I visited the podiatrist on Monday and bitched about my right hip killing me and it must be the orthotics because I didn't have this problem prior. He made an adjustment on my right orthotic and I'm feeling better with the hip pain. It's not gone but it's definitely better. He told me to keep running so I adjust accordingly, just not fast - I told him not to worry, I don't run fast in training! So, hoping to have a pain-free body in the next couple weeks.......yeah, right! I do need to get in some long runs, I figure up to 12 or so, prior to New Orleans 70.3 which is in 6 weeks. I can't believe it, 6 weeks! We have never done a long tri this early so it'll be interesting. One thing is for sure, the Dane is in really great shape. He's pulling the group along today at 28mph.....then accelerates leaving us all gasping amongst ourselves. Then he runs so fast that I surely cannot keep up with him on the brick. I'm happy to have the training version (as opposed to the traveling version) of him back! At least I can still whip him in the pool! So, we'll keep plugging along. I would say more here but this is all we do - work, sleep, eat, train. I wouldn't have it any other way! Aloha.

Happy Valentines day

So, we had a lovely Valentines Day together, smelling the fresh, cool spring air. Riding in the hills today was special. Haven't been up there for 3 weeks and I felt each hill dig into my sad, sorry quads. The Dane, on the other hand, is in another league right now. We had a small 6-people group so no hiding on this 75 mile venture. 75 miles, why am I riding this far - I'm only training for a 1/2 ironman for crying out loud. The Dane left me out on the road with the rest of the group but I got some good steady state TT training in by my lonesome Well, I may not be able to run in New Orleans, but I'll sure be able to swim and ride. ! I set 2 PR's for 200y in the pool this week (n the same set) so I feel really good about my swim training. My "hip" was killing me after the duathlon on Sunday so I saw my massage guru who made it even worse! We figured out it's my TFL (tensor fascia lata) insertion on the iliac crest that is hurting so much. I ran 4 miles on Thursday and flared it right back up. I only have 7 weeks til New Orleans 70.3 (now dubbed the biggest 70.3 in the world.........and I'm in the last wave, lovely). I have to run now, no more time to take off. Decided all my runs now will be quality, no "junk" miles. I will work on pelvic stabilization also, hoping that will help cure me of this nagging torture. We'll see. We have another hard ride tomorrow which I'd like to say I'm looking forward to but not right now!
So, I hope everyone has a more romantic V-day than us! We'll be sleeping (really) early!
cheers

Chilly Willy Duathlon....and the REAL race

The first multisport race of the season is done, thank God. It was ugly and painful, supposed to be I guess. I have managed to lose a lot of run fitness in my run break and it showed today. What showed more was my complete lack of power on the bike. I was really disappointed with my bike today but I realize that I've been working really hard on the bike over the past few weeks and I was really tired-legged. No excuses, just a "C" race anyway. I failed to win my fourth title here but lost to a very quality competitor, Rachel Chambers, who is racing as a professional in duathlon this year and a really nice girl. I managed to squeak out second overall thanks to my being pissed off on the second 5K run (because of my bad bike) and having to run down two girls who passed in me in T2. I definitely didn't feel anything close to good today but I really competed as well as I could and was happy with my overall effort. The Dane did really well, after he collected himself after a not-so-spectacular first 5K! He killed the bike (on his new-ish Cervelo P3) and went on the finish 7th overall for the men (second in his AG by a sliver). We had a good time and got to see a bunch of folks that we haven't seen for a while which is one of the many reasons this sport is so cool. Val from Outspokin was awesome as the sponsor and, in doing so, this race has grown to be the second biggest duathlon in the country (second to the national championship). Thanks also, of course, to Fred and Joe as RD's putting on another most excellent event! They are really top notch and put on, I think, the best and most organized multisport races in the country. I also have to mention something that has been foremost in my mind all weekend. Wendy J. of MSM (great race director) suffered a very serious medical event this week. She is doing the REAL race, the race for life. We did a moment of silence for Wendy today and I thought about her often during my race. I'm doing something that she couldn't do today and I wanted to make the most of it. I also want to mention that Wendy gave me entries into her races before she ever met me - she believed in me and wanted me in her races and believe me, that goes a long way in my heart. So, lots of prayers for Wendy.
Anyhow, I have some hip pain now from my new orthotics and need to deal with this and get this better. I don't think it's anything serious, just may need to take a couple runs off -something I hate, of course. On a good note, the achilles feels fine and trust me, I tested it today! Congrats to all who raced today and toughed it out!

Come on springtime!

Frost everywhere

More frost

That's why I'm doing this - Computrainer love


It's been a cold winter by central Florida's standards and my standards! Managed to get in some really solid training though. Trying to break in my new orthotics and I'm having a lot of hip soreness, all muscle though so I'm hopeful I'll get through it! Did a long run of 7.3 miles this week though - woo hoo! I have a long way to go and only 9 weeks until IM New Orleans 70.3! On a good note, the swim is going quite well and I'm definitely getting stronger on the bike. Spent 90 minutes on the trainer yesterday morning (hence the picture) doing endurance intervals then a quick 4 mile brick most at 7 min/mile pace. We did a tri-geek group ride today and it was chilly for sure! The Dane and his mates were really putting down the pace after a nice 20 mile warm-up (even after he chased Spencer Smith down Sand Key yesterday) but I had good time to sit at my threshold power which was hard but I'm learning how to make myself suffer more on the bike (something I have no trouble doing on the run). I'm hopeful by the end of August this will pay dividends, not sure how much prior to that.
So the Tampa Bay area is wild with the Super Bowl in town and we are staying in - plenty of beer in the fridge! Go Cards!

All I can say is thank you....

Thanks to my cousin Nik and my sister Cyndi for posting this amazing video. Please let us never forget why we can bitch about the daily sh!t that we do. It's because of them........

Done spectating

All this and we live here!


A really good, cold (for Florida) week of training. I hope now that I'm ready for our "10 weeks to half ironman" program in prep for Ironman New Orleans 70.3. I'm really looking forward to this race. The earliest 70.3 race I've ever done and starts us in to an extremely busy/ambitious spring racing season. As it is, 3 races in April........hopefully. If I can remain healthy, that's the plan. My achilles is feeling really good after the running break and I'm ready to gradually build my run back to where it was. I'm now sure I made the right decision by taking the run break even though I was running really well. We rode 75 miles in the hills yesterday with the temperature at the start in the mid-30's, not pleasant. It did manage to warm nicely though and we had a really pleasant ride with a great group. Four mile run off the bike was a bit ugly but it is January after all! I'm feeling stronger on the bike and best ever for the "winter" on the bike. We've never really done rides consistently in the hills this early so it's a real coup to be able to get these rides in before it warms up. Since the bike is my weakness, it is always good to work on this in the "offseason". We'll see how this pans out as the year progresses. I'm not really going to expect much until my "A" race for the year, Ironman Canada, at the end of August. Obviously, if we qualify for Kona, that would be the "other" A-race in October. Cross that bridge if we get there! Another nice, chilly ride today with some TT (that means "time trial", mother) work in Trouble Creek but the legs were dead. I feel sufficiently tired today and don't have anything hard planned until my Wednesday date with the Computrainer..........I'll be ready! I will be ready for that bike ride come IM Canada, or die trying!!
Aloha and kia kaha

Spectating

The Dane on one of the four bridge ascents


So, I'm back in commission. I ran twice this week with no pain or sensation of any type in the achilles. I am also breaking in some new orthotics which I didn't like at all the first run but they weren't so bad the second run. I visited with the podiatrist again today for an orthotic "follow up" and all is going as planned - he feels I'm gonna do well with them. We'll see.
So anyway, the Dane ran the Clearwater Halfathon half marathon yesterday. We/he didn't train specifically for this what so ever, mostly use it as hard run effort and marker. I didn't run for obvious reasons - yes, back in the day I would have sucked it up and ran anyway even though I'm coming off injury. I'm maturing (read getting old) and my body needs TLC now, sucks. Truth be told, I don't enjoy watching people do things that I'd rather be doing but I was determined to be a good crew and help the Dane out as much as I could. He had a really good run, went 2 minutes faster than the last time we did this in '06 - not bad for an old guy! He was 3rd in the Masters category which is also good. It was chilly and I had multiple layers as I was all over the course on my trusty mountain bike. I did go for a proper ride later so the training day wasn't totally wasted! Had today off, thanks MLK, so did a swim and bike. Trying to get in as much riding as I can. Swimming is going very well right now, best winter I've had in the pool. I actually PR'd in the 100 in swim practice last week. Hopefully that will translate into better open water times when I need them!

semi out of commission

Out on fishing adventure from Maui

This one refers to my body, not my iMac. In all honesty, I never mentioned the really, really sore left achilles I limped around Kona on in the days after IM Hawaii. Strange things happen with the body after an Ironman. Different body parts feel injured that didn't cause any trouble leading up. Maybe it's just because I'm old (that's what Linda M. says) and these things happen. Anyway, I did have quite a bit of achilles tenderness after IM Hawaii but took a week off and felt it was just one of those "ironman" injuries that resolve with a few days off. I began running again about a week after IM because, frankly, I love running and was in damn good run shape! So, I stretched and stretched and dealt with this nagging pain in my left achilles. I could run through it so couldn't be that bad (yes, that's how my mind works). I raced Turkey Trot with it and won Masters. I raced the St Pete Bowl 5K with it and won overall. You think I want to take time off running now, not! Well, I must be growing up because this past week, while limping around in the morning because this damn thing hurts, I decided I should probably take some time off now to let it, whatever IT is, heal. Better two weeks now than 3 months in the middle of a busy triathlon season! I also got new orthotics when I felt I might have some sort of biomechanical issue and am still breaking these in. They are much different from my old orthotics which are literally duct taped together! I saw a podiatrist who took an hour watching me walk and talking to me before making a pair of orthotics that he says will keep me healthier, running-wise. When that happens, I'll promote his office! On a good note, I'm riding the computrainer during the week with the goal to get stronger on the bike. Sometimes these running setbacks give opportunities to get better in other areas. This is one of the many reasons I love triathlon - there's always something to work on! Either way, we're are currently 12 weeks out from the first big race of the season, IM New Orleans 70.3, so I'm not panicking. I spent about 10 hours this week on the bike......this is offseason (what ever that is). We did 70 miles in the hills yesterday (2500 feet climbing - thanks Garmin) and another 50 today here. The trainer rides are very difficult so I don't spend much more than an hour at a time at this point. I am starting to regain motivation for training.....takes a while after a long season and a beyond-difficult race to end the season (IM Hawaii). This is good and I'll be healthy, count on it. And, hopefully, my bike splits will improve. I'll die trying anyway!
Training with aloha.\

out of commission

Thought I was out of commission for a bit when my beloved iMac didn't restart after an update. Not knowing what to do, I got on the Apple website from the Macbook and quickly scheduled an appointment with the "genius bar" at the Apple store in International Mall in Tampa. Not that going to this well-appointed mall is a bad thing, but we had spent the previous evening in New Tampa at a party with people we do a lot of our hill rides with. Because of that outing, we decided, smartly, to get a hotel room nearby and then drive 15 minutes to the hills (as opposed to 60 from the house) on Saturday morning. So, anyway, we had a nice ride in the hills though someone, namely me, had imbibed too much at said party and didn't feel so great. I got through the 54 mile ride (2500 feet climbing) happy that I didn't fall over. I wasn't looking forward to our trip back out to Tampa after we got home from ride/party/stay over but knew my beloved computer was ill. Got to the crowded Apple store and thank goodness we had an appointment! The lovely Genius bartender got my baby up and running in 30 minutes and a short lecture later about backing up, updating and whatnot, we were leashed upon mall world. Unfortunately, or fortunately for my wallet, I wasn't in any mood to shop. We ended up in a fun sports bar watching NFL playoff football with a couple of Kona beers (miss them dearly) and suddenly feeling really tired. Went home, had dinner that the Dane whipped up and fell asleep on the couch.....sad! We did, however, discover there is a Great Horned Owl living in the tree in our backyard and we love to stare at him while he does, well, nothing but sit there. But it is amazing to see how big he is when he flies off his perch.
We had overall, a really good week of training, especially biking - got in more miles than I normally do for an Ironman week! No wonder my legs are dead. We have a couple road races upcoming, for me a 10K in a couple weeks and the Dane is doing a half marathon the same weekend. I'm not doing the half marathon for many reasons which I don't care to go into here but anyway, I feel a 10K is better for my training at this point. The Dane killed us in the hills yesterday then again today on the group ride but we're all better for it! I hope! My household trophy is not long for this world....
Hoping everyone had a healthy and safe New Years - we were sleeping through it as usual.
Training with Aloha!

Too many horses in the barn?

The Primo horse - Giant TCR Advanced Womens specific sweet ride!

Too many horses??

Just thought, since we were cleaning out/organizing the garage (as much as can be with 9 bikes!) I'd line up the horses for a close up. Pretty scary to think there is still a bike hanging from the rafters from our vacant home in Largo! We'll eventually find some way to store these but for now, they keep each other company!
Happy New Year to all and go Gators!

Enjoying the holidays

The chef in his element

Not as surprised as I look over my new gadget!

One week of vacation time down, one to go. I really like not having to rush off to work every morning. We are getting some good training in. I have been able to ride a lot more which I like and need. Haven't run a lot this week - felt some left heel pain after the 10 miler on Thursday morning so am backing off a bit. Not sure why I'm having these issues but am trying to prevent any long-term layoff. I am getting new orthotics tomorrow which are much needed - have been duct taping my current orthotics for a while now! We rode in the hills on Sat (because it was warm) with a small group and this was relaxed and fun to be back out there again. There was a lot of traffic which wasn't nice but oh well. Did the Sunday group ride today, rode the Giant TCR Advanced women's specific demo bike and it is truly a dreamy ride! I hadn't ridden it with any real tempo until today and it did not disappoint! Thanks Val for letting me test this bike out! Legs weren't too bad considering we did over 3 hours in the hills yesterday. Tried to run but the foot was hurting so cut that short. No need to push any workouts this time of year! Thanks to my family for such wonderful gifts, we loved them all! Aloha!

Feeling blessed

I want to thank everyone for such a wonderful Christmas. We have had such wonderful weather all week and have been having "epic camp" training since we don't have to work. This is lovely and civilized! Getting up a reasonable hours to train vs getting up at 4:30 am the rest of the year and racing off to work prior to having second training session of the day is really nice. We did a 10 mile run then a weight training session in the gym this morning prior to enjoying the spoils of Christmas day. We feel tired and great all at the same time. We enjoyed a wonderful Christmas Eve meal of roasted duck ala Danish Christmas dinner last night which was wonderful. Tonight's menu is linguini with clam sauce and a wonderful cab! I love vacation time!
I am riding a Giant TCR Advanced women's specific road bike demo, thanks to Val at Outspokin and Giant bicycles, which is an absolute dream! This bike makes me want to be a bike racer. It is smooth as silk and faster than it's rider! More to come on that and pics to boot! I have temporarily installed my primo X-mas gift, Garmin Edge 705, on the bike and cannot wait to ride it more. May need a new horse in the garage soon!
I wish all a very Merry Christmas and great training! Or, just good weather to walk around and enjoy the world.
Training with aloha.

Merry Christmas

Just wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. I am sitting awaiting my Christmas Eve dinner that the Dane is cooking, yummy. Poor duck didn't have a chance! Inserted a pic of our little Christmas tree - my first real tree in many many years! We enjoyed a couple hours on the beach today as it was a perfect weather day. Sorry to all of you freezing but, hey, I chose to live here!
Love to you all!

Sunday ride

Resting after racing on Saturday, not in our world. We have gotten on routine to do this group ride on Sundays which is good for me since I don't love group rides (fear of crashing) and it gets really hard at times which, I hope, will make my overall cycling stronger. Today, we had a guy that is leaving in a couple days to begin training camp as neo pro for a European pro cycling team. This guy leads out sprints at 42 mph and that doesn't feel good when you're at the end of your rope as I was! Anyway, hard ride today but the weather was awesome, no fog today, just sunny skies to greet us. This ride seems to get bigger every week but at the end, the same folks are still there. Lucky for me, I'm one of them! I like that I have moved up a notch on my VDOT (for the run) and am able to stay in the front group for the Sunday ride. Hope it pans out for faster bike splits in my '09 tri's! I'm ready for a recovery day tomorrow. The Dane and I are off for a couple weeks but are staying home this holiday which allows us time to train and rest which we surely need! Just for good measure, we went to the gym after the ride today to lift weights for 45 minutes. Sitting watching football now and enjoying a nice cab - doesn't get better than this! I forgot to mention part of my "winnings" for the 5K yesterday was a free entry to the St Pete Beach Classic in Jan (which is very competitive) and a night's stay/VIP party the night before at the Sirata resort on St Pete Beach! I never would have gotten any of that in the local race! Like I said, Wendy Johnson puts on a great event!
Got a swim and ride tomorrow which will be at recovery pace!
Training with aloha!

Ok, I'm back....er....5K RR

So, as I was saying pre-first meal post race/beer! I love races that have beer at the finish! Quality event. Anyhow, we did the St Pete Bowl (new college bowl game) Fan 5K this morning. It was on the calender after we did Turkey Trot. The Dane really wanted to score a good time here. I, on the other hand, felt this was my "speed work" for the month. Honestly, we have been running during the week, nothing faster than about 8:something pace which is comfortable this time of year. The Dane has been racking up the run miles in his quest to return to FOP fitness. (FOP=front of pack) I merely wanted to try and go sub-20 which I haven't done for a couple years (sad, I know). Based on my 10K 3 weeks ago, I felt I should be able to go sub 20 on a fast course. We get to St Pete in pea soup fog and find the start area. It was wet, soggy but not cold. My second go in the Nike Lunaracers - highly recommended racing flats (if you can find them)! Got our packets and sat around and scanned the competitors. I seem to be very "bitchy" at the start of a race but I actually like to chat with others at the start - which likely drives them nuts! I had no plan other than to go out fairly hard but not too hard. The Dane got out good, ahead of me......until about 400meters. I went passed him and he let it happen so I knew he was having heavy legs (he blamed it on last night's sushi). I went by him and sat on a couple college guys, never a bad place for a 40-something woman! Even split miles one and two (6:10) but once we turned back on to Central Ave, I felt the false flat and began to suffer a bit! Felt the fitness from IM Hawaii would pull me through but if I needed to "kick", let's just say, not happening! The Dane told me during warm up exactly where he was going to start his sprint.......hmmmmm bad idea! So, running in the fog up Central Ave in the lead, for the women, I knew the Dane was back there, stalking me! Suddenly, the sounds of the finish line rang in my ears before I could see anything. I would take it, the illustrious household trophy! I had no kick, just a will to try and not slow down. Why do I love the Dane, well that would go on forever but let's just leave it today for the fact that he allowed me to have the finish banner to myself. He was sprinting like Carl Lewis to catch me at the end but allowed me have my "glory". All is fair in love and war.....and I have the trophy for the 5K! We enjoyed some networking post race and then had to get back home. One of the cool things about this race is every finisher gets tickets to the St Pete Bowl football game. We had every intention to attend but once back at home, we tend to stay home. Thanks so much to Wendy Johnson for such a great race, we'll be back for sure! We are now kicking back, relaxing and enjoying the time off from work. As I said, the Dane won the men's masters which he was very happy about and had to fight for in the last 100 meters! He is going to be a force come April, no more household trophies for me! Or, I will get REALLY fast! Cheers and Merry Christmas!

Whew!

Ok, I am still alive. Just got through the last week of work and now we have two weeks off to sit and do nothing........except train! Yipee, I love training. Anyhow, I'll do a mini-race report but the gist is we ran the inaugural St Pete Bowl 5k run this morning in the fog (it's snowing everywhere else in the country, so I can complain about some fog). There were a couple other races this weekend so you never know who will show. The Say No To Drugs race is closer to home but I like to support the MSM races, they are nice to me! Anyway, I won overall for the women and ran sub-20 minutes which was my goal. The Dane won Masters for the men too. Good day, all in all. Now we are going to eat. Later...
racing with aloha

20 hours in St Pete

The Dane and Mary D, we're out on the town

Room with a view

Pics taken with phone, not so good
Another ordinary week for the most part. Wonderful thing is that the week ended with the Mad Dog Triathlon Club Christmas party. A perfect chance for the Dane and I to test out the Vinoy in downtown St Pete (plus, we don't have to drive anywhere once there). It's always nice to see people we haven't seen in a while and hang out. The Vinoy was great, we loved our executive suite (got this on points!). Didn't really eat anything at the party so the Dane, Mary D and I went to Ceviche which was really great and really crowded! Had little more vino waiting for our table but the food was worth the wait! Once we emerged from there (after experiencing the loud Latin band in the basement, really cool), we headed over to where the post-Xmas party was to be held. To our dismay, they were packing up already! Guess it was a little late! Certainly felt late since we were up at 4:30 to swim and worked all day. Decided to call it a night and went back to our lovely suite. Slept in then ran the St Anthony's tri run course, since we were right on it! All in all, a really fun experience. We don't have much of a social life so it's fun to get out to new places and see so many friends every once in awhile. Sunday, we did the now routine hospital ride. Local group ride with some really sane people but also some fast people! Very female friendly ride. It's, technically, a no-drop ride but you better be near the front if you want to keep up! This is something I've gone away from in the last few years but during the winter, now, I want to do some hard group riding to keep my bike fitness up. Believe me, this ride is sufficient for that! It was windy and cold but pretty much has been every Sunday since we started doing this ride. All good, keeps the pressure on and the heart rate up! The Dane and I also started our power weight program this week, three lifts in and I've not got complete full-body soreness anymore, just partial body soreness! Hopefully, I'll get stronger, that's the goal. I love training this time of year because it's all just by feel and opportunity. We have the opportunity for a nice, hard group ride on Sundays, road running races and getting back in the weight room which I hope will all help when the season kicks off next Spring. We shall see..
Training with aloha.....

Turkey Trot '08

First off, happy Thanksgiving to everyone. I'm thankful for so many things that I couldn't list them because it would be too boring to read and they would all be at the top of the list. The Dane and I are chilling at home this year, cooking our little turkey and watching football, movies, whatever. We did the Turkey Trot 10K this morning. We saw a lot of friends and got to catch up with some folks that we haven't seen in a while. That is one of the biggest reasons for doing this race. It was chilly by Florida standards, in the mid 40's for us at race time, perfect for racing. No real goals but with what I've been doing in "training" lately as far as running, all base pace, no tempo/speed/long. Felt if I could break 42 minutes, that would start the winter off pretty well. Went through the 5K faster than I ran the stand alone 5K last year at this race, good sign. My main goal, other that getting my VDOT score for my half ironman program, was to really try and even split this. I had a not so hard time until about mile 5 when we head uphill a bit. Ended up breaking 41 minutes and nearly even split the race, ran the second 5K only 9 seconds slower which is pretty solid for me. I was 4th overall female and first Masters. Crazy on no real run training! Very happy with this. I will note that the Dane regained the household 10K trophy by going 30 seconds faster than me! He's been running a lot, frequency only at this point. I'm very proud of him and we both got our annual coffee mugs (which we need like a hole in the head). All in all, really good effort, had to pass the girl in front of me at the six mile mark, that hurt! I also had a really good speed swim, for me, yesterday. Hit all my 100's (SCY) 1:16 and below - doesn't sound like much, but a breakthrough for me! I really want to swim under an hour at IM Canada (have 1:02 PR) and I have to keep getting my 100 time down to do it. One thing's for sure, I'll die trying! So, we will enjoy our day relaxing, eating and having some tasty wine. Best to all.
Also, congrats to IMAZ folks - Lisbeth setting AG record and 3rd female amateur, Val finished with vertigo, Jennifer got her Kona slot.
Racing with aloha!

A hole in the ice

Another beautiful sunset in Kona


Yes, yes. I'm in Florida. That said, this has by far been the coldest November since I've lived here (since '97). As I mentioned before, we are trying to swim 2-3 times per week in this "offseason" portion of the year at our OUTDOOR pool. Well, it has been pretty chilly, even for here. We slept in Monday, no swim, it was cold. Wednesday was not to be missed. Another cold front came through (we're getting 2-3 per week as opposed to 1 per week in normal fall/winter). Unfortunately, it was 41 degrees on Weds morning. Gotta swim, can't miss. Got to the pool at 5AM, coach is there but nobody else. So, the Dane runs over and tells coach that we can live without a swim if nobody else shows up. Then the headlights, other cars showing up....hmmmm. Out of the car, here we go. There were only three of us initially, so we can swim in the 2 lanes in the middle of the pool between the tarps which means we didn't have to pull the tarps off half of the pool. It felt like swimming in a hole in the ice. The water was warm, thank God. The air was not. Dashing out of the locker room through the cold air to dive into the pool. Getting out is worse. This, after all, is the winter of HTFU. The weather is living up to the bill. Thanks, Mother Nature! Anyhow, our two swims this week were of high quality. I can add volume later. We have Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning, looking like we'll run the 10K this year and not the 5K. I've never just done the 10K here but I have absolutely zero foot speed but plenty of endurance so looks like the 10K will fit the bill. We'll see. It'll be fun. The household trophy is in serious threat this time, the Dane is running a lot. (I wouldn't be upset to lose this one anyway!).
As before, best of luck to those out in Tempe, AZ.
kia kaha.....still

Mad Dogs

Serenity and safety in Kona

Today was the Mad Dog Tri club anniversary party......and early sign up for St Anthony's tri in April! It is always fun to regroup with people we haven't seen for a while. Especially having the Dane with me, every encounter is always more fun. He has done some amazing feats of late. Since a little before we left for Kona, he has lost over 13 pounds (he's not fat, just not at "race weight") and has been running like a fiend. I can barely keep up with him anymore......except in the pool!! Anyhow, we are having fun doing training that is just what we feel like doing. I do love being back in the gym lifting weights! You may not know it by looking at me, but I do love lifting weights. I am holding off on the leg weight training until Dec to give the little chicken legs some recovery from a hard Kona effort. None the less, doing some very challenging group rides on the road bike and swimming with the masters group is all I can handle right now! I will continue to try and increase the run mileage as much as my body will allow - stupid to get injured in the off season (like last year). Running fast is such a powerful weapon in my age group now I'm really seeing! We'll keep plugging away and staying healthy!
Best of luck to friends doing IM Arizona next Sunday. Mostly to Val, my only sponsor and best of friends! Also, Mark, Pam, Ken, Jennifer and Lisbeth. Go get em! Better you than me at this point!!

Clearwater....glad we live here!

BEAUTIFUL VIEW!

JZ GOING FOR THE WIN

This weekend was the 70.3 World Championships in Clearwater and since we live literally 2-3 miles from the start, we rode out to spectate and cheer everyone on. Truth be told, I didn't qualify (which I'm sure is known if you follow along here) but only had one qualifier this season. The course (Rhode Island 70.3) didn't suit me the competition was quite strong and I wasn't fast enough. After seeing the times and the pelotons coming (here at Clearwater) on the bike, I didn't miss this race and may never wish to do it again. Anyhow, met some friends on the top of Memorial causeway bridge with cowbell in hand and cheered like it was my job. We had a great time and saw some really impressive performances and were truly impressed. I'm really happy that at the age of 38, JZ was able to win. She dominated on the run and suffered. The other impressive performance on the women's side for me was Nina Kraft. Say what you want but she dug in and had an impressive finish at 5th at 39 years of age! She has had some adversity in her career, chosen and otherwise, but has overcome. I have met and talked with Nina and she is a very nice, down to Earth woman and I have the best wishes for her. We missed the post race festivities because we were just too tired. Back to training though, easing into it. Trying to run with some consistency, swim 3 days per week and ride on the weekends. Back in the weight room full on in another week, can't wait to get STRONG! We had chamber of commerce weather and truly enjoyed it. You can talk about moving the race from Clearwater, but you won't get better weather but you'll always have drafters/cheaters. As you were.......
Racing with aloha

Another biathlon......aka anaerobic nirvana!

Ouch!

Brrrrrr! Glad to get out of the water!

Erin and me prior to start

Ok, I haven't done anything anaerobic in several months building up for Kona. So, today was the race formerly known as Strangeman's Biathlon. A grueling 2 mile run, 1/3 mile swim (brrrrr) and 2 mile run. I thought it would be fun, silly me. My goal this winter is to HTFU against the cold and get out in it, embrace it and get faster. This was day one. It would figure that we had record breaking cold weather this week to boot, enough to cool the Gulf down below 70 degrees. No wetsuits here, we're running first, no time for such luxuries. The weather this morning was much nicer, 60 degrees, as opposed to the 40's during the week. The Dane decided to run to the race site (Clearwater Beach) and cheer me on instead of racing - waiting to unleash his new found fitness on the AG next year! I was out here for fun and a good workout so no goals as usual. That said, I wanted to win depending on the competition. Ironman 70.3 World Championship is next Saturday at this very site so I felt maybe a great age grouper or pro might show to sharpen their form. Lucky for me (not the men, congrats Darby from Finland), that didn't happen. I went out hard on the first run and felt I could survive in the water, however I never actually got in the water to see how cold it was! I lead at the beginning with two gals not far behind. Into the water, it was COLD! I almost couldn't function and certainly couldn't dolphin out because when my face went into the water, I went into a full spasm. When we got past the sandbar, it was swim time so I dove in and went. Wow, it was cold. The swim was uneventful otherwise but I could see the second girl, Erin K, not too far behind. She is a solid swimmer so I couldn't slack and claim hypothermia. Got out and had trouble putting my shoes back on because hands were numb. The Dane was letting me know that Erin was "right there" so I ran scared. I am not in shape enough to run scared for short distances but I managed to pull it out for the overall womens win. Whew, it was indeed painful and cold. The winter of HTFU is in full force! Some friends are currently surviving IM Florida as I type, best of luck to them and I can honestly say, I'm glad I'm not there (even though they are having record-breaking conditions). I'm done. We will do Turkey Trot in a few weeks just to keep the running going and it's super fun. We'll be out at Clearwater Beach next Sat to cheer everyone on as they fulfill their dreams of competing in the 70.3 World Championships - it's actually much more fun to watch!
Cheers and race with Aloha!

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