Da Kona Race Recap

I figure I would take a moment on my day off to write a bit about the race day experience.  To me, it's always amazing how different each athlete's experience is from the next... and what the spectator sees versus what actually occurs.

Body MARKING
So rumor was that tattoos were being used this year. However, they weren't in the race packet and it was a mystery as to how they were going to temporary tattoo 2100 athletes on race day morning.  Well, leave it to Ironman to have it so organized that they had it all sorted out by number so that you could zip through in less than 10 min with a weigh-in included.  Funniest part of this was when I went to step on the scale and the doctor goes... "by the way, the scale is running heavy today so don't be surprised." I looked at her and laughed and said... "it's ironman race day! that's the last thing on my mind right now!"

The tan lines from a tattoo... #2071 for the next few weeks!

The SWIM

I haven't said this before.  But this was probably THE MOST VICIOUS SWIM i have ever experienced in 6 years of open water swimming.  If you know my open water swimming history, you know that I have raced for cash before... $10,000 take all (clearly, I didn't win).  I have raced multiple open water races with great swimmers and multiple mass open water starts with terrible swimmers.  But I have never, ever... gotten to a start line and had males with such big egos that they punch, kick and taunt the females (they were not Americans...) just because they are females trying to hold their position on the front of the starting line.  I'm talking 20 min before the cannon was even supposed to go off... having some early- mid 30 males literally just not stop elbowing, kicking and trash-talking to point where I ended up just saying.. "have a great race, I hope you learn that kona is a different beast and I wish you all the best" and moving away to find some females who were experiencing the same thing and telling me that it was ridiculous how rude the males were being at the front.  But it didn't stop there...
As soon as the cannon went off the swimming was absolutely HORRID.  Perhaps it was because I had gotten pushed back to about 4 rows back (because that front line of males were pushing out so much past the start line and I refused to go there).  My swim skin immediately was unzipped, I was dunked under, my cap and goggles was pulled on by someone going over top of me.  I counted my blessings for having played water polo for 10 years.  At least I knew I wouldn't drown and I could take a few elbows and punches.  But they didn't stop.  All the way down to the turn around of the swim I got kicked, elbowed, swum over, etc.  At the turn around I made a decision to go wide and take my own line- swim in my own ocean.  I was OVER all the darn people who couldn't swim straight.  I literally had been fearing the whole way down that someone's safety pin would come undone and just tear into my skin because I kept getting nailed by the velcro and nails of people kicking me as I passed them.
So on the way back to the pier I went outside the inner line of people swimming the buoy line and enjoyed the ocean to myself.  Until the end of the swim.  Of course, about 20 yards from the finish some guy still had to stroke wide and literally try to dunk me under and pull my leg again as I tried to swim past him (maybe because he didn't want to get chicked?)  I made sure to come in before him.

View from the pier

Anyway, so it's funny when people keep telling me that I had this awesome swim because it was literally a BATTLE from start to finish and I felt like I was hardly swimming at all and rather fighting for my head to stay up.  I didn't get tired because I never got a chance to actually get into a swimming rhythm or pick up speed with out having to dodge head strong ego-ed males that didn't want someone to pass them.

The BIKE

Rumor was that there were No Winds heading to Hawi.  I had never heard of such weather before let alone experienced it.  All I can say is this.  Up to Hawi- piece of cake.  I felt like I was flying.  I wear a Garmin on my wrist that I hardly ever look at (it's like jewelry for me and I feel naked without it), except when I hit 56.2 miles and I saw that I was at 2:30:00 I did a silent happy dance on my bike.  I was smiling because it was the easiest bike ride I had ever done and I knew I just had to keep pedaling strong because Madame Pele likes to whip up the winds when least expected.  I started to slow a bit when I hit some head winds on the way back from Waikaloa... but I knew that would happen.  I didn't want to disappoint myself, so I kept setting small time goals (like every 5 miles I had to keep on track and I gave myself generous buffers so that I would achieve these goals).  I was very excited to break 5:40 mark in the bike... something that I never thought I would do because my friends were betting that anything under 5:45 and my run would suffer.

Speedy Pink and Blue

The RUN

As many of you know... I am not a stellar runner.  So this year- I focused on my run.  Coming off of the bike knowing that I have a marathon is probably the hardest thing mentally for me to get through in an ironman.  So I started with this hand-held bottle... and then ditched it at mile 1 and decided that my reward for running the marathon would be walking the aid-stations.  And that's how I mentally got through the whole marathon and felt fine!  I might have been able to push a bit harder, but a 4:07 marathon for me with walking each aid station is a huge achievement over last year's 5:15 marathon.  I was able to thank a lot of the volunteers on the course, take in the water and ironman perform without spilling it all over myself (or choking on it), and actually ran ALL of the uphills with even a smile on my face!

Captured Smiling

My NUTRITION

I never thought I would actually blog about this.. but a lot of people keep asking me what I do and what I train with.  I will preface it with this .... I AM AN ODDITY to the sport.   So last year, I started with taping 6 Gu's to my bike because that's what people did.  It looked super cool.  I did the same in Honu, I did the same in Coeur d'Alene.  But as I became more attuned to my body- I started realizing... it's not what LOOKS COOL it's what works for you.  So while a lot of people talk about how these diets of gluten free, all veggies, no sugar, etc. etc. works for them- it simply doesn't work for me.  I was... actually eating a pint of ben and jerry's and cold left-over pizza the night before kona (you're cringing.. I know).  In my defense, I did make some pasta with meat sauce and tried to cram some of that down too (although I was pretty full from the ice cream).
That being said... I now dive into my race day nutrition.  I make sure to have a really good breakfast.  And by really good... I mean, really large.  I will not actually take in any coffee because I feel that it makes things in your system speed up and I don't need that because my nerves are already speeding things up enough.  So I find some alternative form of caffeine (be it cytomax's drops with caffeine like I had race morning in kona, or some chomps with caffeine).  Then I just eat way more than what I would think until I'm not hungry... Kona race morning was... 2 packets of oatmeal, a banana, the cytomax chomp things (they were free from Alii drive), and some powerade.  It doesn't sound like much but after dinner the night before at 8 PM... that's all I could fit!
My race day nutrition has become basic.  No gu, no anything extra.  A bottle of Herbalife Endurance Formula and a bottle of water.  Once those are gone then I switch over to perform and water.  Sometimes it's A LOT (depending on the heat and humidity) sometimes it's not.  I had 2 cliff bars stuffed in my jersey for the bike ride and I gave one to another triathlete who missed his special needs bag.  I didn't eat any of my other cliff bar until T2 when I had a bite and threw the rest in the trash on the way out.  When I get a special needs bag for a run... I always put a sugar-free red-bull in it.  It gives me the wings to fly out of the energy lab :-).  I had 2 bonk breaker bites when I got hungry on the run (they tasted surprisingly good... just make sure to have water around because those things are dry!)... and some perform, water, and coke.
All in all- I tell people, practice what you think you'll race with and if you get thirsty on race day... then throw the nutrition plan out the window because Hawaii is a different beast.  It is HOT.  While I might train with 2-3 bottles per 56 miles on Oahu, I have been known to consume 7-8 bottles for the half Ironman distance in June. I don't freak out... I roll with it and adapt as I go.

The amazing Kona finish.  Best feeling ever!

Dan, my age group swim coach, flew over and watched.  He was a finish-line catcher and got to be the first to give me a big congrats hug!

Awesome support.. it takes Ohana to help on pre-race and race day to post-race. 

Thanks for messages and support... from virtual FBing, to posters, to texts.  I read all of them and they all mean a lot to me.

WRAP-UP

In general, this year Kona was a blast.  It exceeded my expectations in so many ways.  I met a lot of really amazing and fun athletes from Oahu and other places.  The stories that I hear never cease to intrigue me and inspire me.  More than just a race, the Kona Ironman is about the journey and the phenomenal people that are there and around the world supporting and helping in so many different ways.

The Oahu UPR group made the cover pic of triathlete news.   Nothing but fun and smiles!

      

Kona is for Kim

Everyone has their own reason to train. Their own reason to race. Their own reason to push when their on the brink of breaking.

This year... Kona is for Kim.

My first half ironman in Hawaii was spent practically on Tom and Kim's family vacation to Waikaloa in 2010.  I had a blast going down the water slides in the Hilton Hawaiian Village the day before the race (maybe not the greatest pre-race activity if you are serious about tapering... ) and making the most out of a weekend of family fun with their two younger boys.  In October that year Tom, myself, and a few other people were able to get over to watch Kona Ironman and I promised that I would not come back as a spectator again.  Only as an athlete.  We both have kept that promise so far.

This year, Tom was able to race Ironman World Championships 70.3 for his wife Kim.. who is in a race of her own.  For her life against cancer. It really puts a lot of things in perspective.  For me, it has made me sometimes stop in the middle of a workout... look around, and just say a quiet thanks for all the good fortune I have had on the road and in the water.  So, now that all the bike training is done, here are a few pictures to take everyone (and especially Kim who hasn't seen the Koolau's in quite some time), on some of my previous biking journeys done during my Kona training.

Through rain, sweat, flats, sand, and red-dirt... there has been lots of smiles, jokes, story-telling, hard work and 7-11 stops.  The hard work is done, it is all mental now.  That is why I will keep this one for Kim.  Race for someone who has a bigger heart than all of us and more strength and dedication for family and love than I can even understand at this point in my life... and possibly ever.  Kim- this Kona is for you.