KONA RECAP: THE BIKE (PART 3)

When I turned left onto the Kawaihae Road shit got real. There was a pretty steep descent into Kawaihae and I remember whining to myself: Oh man. I don't want to climb that. I knew that on the way back this hill would be a challenge. Right after town, the six mile ascent began.

I was actually in a good mood I had finished two of my nutrition bottles. I looked to my left from the top of a cliff with a view and suddenly was overcome with gratitude. My thoughts were with Jen and I said out loud: Jen you would love this. I pulled out Don Keyote. Don is a finger puppet that Jen gave me before I left. I had tucked him into the back pocket of my kit. Similar to my Pez co-pilot, she always takes a finger puppet along for long rides and races. Don Keyote is a master at fighting windmills and I thought he would be perfect to bring to Kona.

This section of the ride got steeper and steeper and the wind blew harder & harder. I was grateful for a headwind. At least it wasn't side-wind. It also meant that we would have a tail wind on the down hill. I made it to the turn-around in Hawi. It looked exactly me like I thought it would. It looked exactly like it had on the NBC tv special for the 20 years I’ve been watching.

The mile 60 aid station and the personal needs bags were about a quarter mile apart. I stopped at the aid station to refill bottles and my camelbak. I was VERY disappointed they didn't have ice. But, the water was cold. I played bartender with the help of one of the volunteers (I think it was Hannah) and was off to personal needs. Erin had warned me that it was not a real stop, but I was able to pull the ziploc bag out of the orange main bag……then fish out what I needed: DANISH coffee licorice, three gels, gummy colas, chamois butter and a note from Amy. I ate three pieces of licorice, applied the chamois butter. I ditched a lot of mechanical stuff: tire, tubes and canisters on the side of the road and I took the rest with me. I was fine for about 45 minutes and then the darkness fell. Not literal darkness. The sun was still high and baking everything under it. Let me be clear. There is no shade for 112 miles. But, I went to some pretty dark places. The first and major trigger was seeing the aid station at mile 45 being dismantled and cleaned up. I was at mile 70…..but, hadn't I just been through here? Was I that far behind? Are they sweeping the course? Oh my! There's the last athlete on the other side of the road! Crap! I’m not going to make it.

KONA RECAP: THE BIKE (PART 2)

Those first 40 miles were actually beautiful. The whole 112 miles were incredible looking. I can picture the way the sun was rising over Mauna Kea and lighting up all the women from the right. It made their bikes shimmer and sparkle. It was phenomenal. The ocean on the left and the mama mountain on the right was a sensational sight. I could smell the ocean still and see the blues and greens of the Pacific and feel the heat off the dark contrast of black and brown lava on my right.

I passed a few girls and got passed by others. I spent those first miles on the Queen K singing Moana songs. I sang I Know How it Feels to Be an Ironman (see below). I played the alphabet game with movies: About Last Night, Breakfast Club, Cinderella, Dead Poets Society, E.T. I kept an eye out for the pros. Specifically, I kept and eye out for the helicopter. I could see it tracking from Kawaihae and then down the Queen K towards me. At about mile 30ish, I could see it and hear it. I watched as it rose up and around an upcoming hill and right after that, saw Lucy Charles Barclay crest the hill right as I did. It was incredible to watch the fastest triathlete on the plane fly by. Go, Lucy, Go! I yelled. I could hear others behind me cheer her on as well. There was a motorcade around her and eventually another group of cyclists minutes behind her. This was about mile 90 for them. Only 20 miles to go! It was mile 32ish for me. Only 80 miles to go!

Sunrise on the Queen Ka’ahunumanu Hwy.

Kailua Kona in the background. Headed out to Hawi.

The view from the Queen K. On the right, you can see the part of the island that heads up to Hawi.

To the tune of I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For (U2)

I have felt 100 degreeeeees.

I have witnessed the winds and the hills.

Welcome to Ironman. Welcome to Ironman.

I have ridden in rains of a monsoon.

I have swum through a swarm of jellies.

Welcome to Ironman. Welcome to Ironman.

And I know how it feels to be an Ironman.

Yes, I know what it means to be an Ironman.

KONA RECAP: THE BIKE (PART 1)

The run out of transition was long. I made it past the Banyan tree and down the chute and finally able to mount the bike. The first part of the bike is a little intimidating and an abrupt uphill on Palani. But, the best advice I received in the lead-in was to sit in the saddle and spin easy up the hill.

My biggest fear was to fall over! But, I had set my gears in the right spot and I was able to get up the first section of Palani with no problem. The first few miles were through town and it was fun to wind through the streets of Kona. It was the first sight of the Queen K….and then you head back down Palani to the hot corner and out onto the Kuakini Hwy.

I saw Maria, Tonya, Neal and Ken just after the hot corner as I headed up to the first turn around, Most of this stretch was a gradual uphill. It was fun because there were so many people out there. Spectators, athletes and volunteers lined the course. It was so amazing to see all the bike and the women - even as they passed, were (for the most part) friendly. I was a little tense - the road conditions here were a little dicey and the crowded conditions made me a little uneasy.

I tried to relax and drink some water. It was so delicious to drink plain water and rinse the saltiness out of my mouth. I ate most of my first waffle in those first five miles.

I made it back into town and was excited to see the crew. The turn up Palani to the Queen K was not as bad as I thought. It was a solid climb, but it reminded me of the climb in France. At the bottom of the hill, Maria, Tonya & Ace cheered me on and at the top of the hill I recognized Nick. I felt a little sad heading out on the Queen K because I knew that I was leaving behind my support crew. It was going to be a long day.

The first thing I noticed was that all of my bottles had thawed. I mean, it had been 3 hours since I took them out of the freezer, but their last few minutes of cool water were past approaching. I drank from my camelback. I drank from my nutrition bottle. I took in salt. I ate more waffle. I hunkered down as the morning sun rose over the lava fields & fire grass.

Up Palani to the first part of the bike.

Off I go! I think this is on the Kuakini Hwy headed to the first turn-around.

I am constantly trying to get my picture taken.

KONA: Transition One

Way back in 2009, I volunteered for our local half and full distance race: Beach 2 Battleship. I was assigned the women's changing tent. I helped women out of their wetsuits and into drier, warmer gear. It was cold that day and I remember women of all shapes and sizes in a 8×10 tent in various degrees of undress. Smiling, teeth chattering. One woman came to the entrance, opened the flap of a door, raised her arms & shouted BEST SWIM EVER. Everyone paused for a moment and cheered and then it was back to business. It was a loud, muffled din.

Kona T1 was eleventy times louder. Our changing tent was long and was set on the blacktop of the Kona pier. Athlete voices were triumphant. There was some ordering around. Some barking. Laughing. Volunteer voices were questioning - how can I help, here is your bag? would you like a towel? It was a cacophony of chairs scraping, the clickety-clack of bike shoes. The smell of sunscreen. The humidity of salty bodies. Excitement floated and bounced noisily. It was overwhelming. The color inside was golden. I had showered in the hoses & grabbed my bike gear. Top to toe I undressed: cap, goggles, swim skin. From top to toe I dressed: headband, jersey, camelback, socks, shoes.

I exited the tent and headed to my bike. I clicked the latches of my camelbak as I ran; secured the straw to the magnet. Ace was there as I turned into my bike row. I got to Lana and was grateful that she was upright. I clipped on my helmet & headed out at a good clip. The bike chute seemed to take forever but it was a chance to walk and watch. There were sooo many people-spectators, athletes, staff, volunteers. Everything was so uplifting. I couldn’t wait to get out on the road.

This is what transition looks like.

My hat for the day.

And off I go…

IMNC 70.3 RUN COURSE RECON

On Sunday, I ran a half marathon (plus a little extra). As part of my role as local run lead for the IRONMAN NORTH CAROLINA 70.3 here in Wilmington, Sami and I ran the proposed run course for 2023 We start from the Transition 2 exit and follow the course from downtown Wilmington to Greenfield Lake and back. We take notes on the where the mile markers and the aid stations are located and measure the start to the finish.

Last year, we ran it once and then drove it. I think we scouted it at least three times. We had everything figured out. On the Wednesday before the race, I drove it again with Ironman staff. About a mile from the finish, we came around the corners at the Convention Center and lo and behold - a section of the sidewalk was fenced off. The fence was protecting the world from an eight-foot wide and four-foot deep hole in the sidewalk. There was no way it could be repaired by race day - even if race day was a month away. This meant we had to remeasure the entire course again — multiple times! Including me - hopping on a bike and riding the course with three Garmins on me and one in the official truck behind me.

Hopefully, nothing like that will happen this year. We know of a possible construction project well in advance and already factored in a new route and new location for one of the aid stations. Our run this year was on a cool but humid day and the miles flew by. It’s amazing what a difference having a run buddy makes on long runs. My last long run was a scorcher and I was gassed by the end. As we approached the car, Sami exclaimed: I don’t even feel tired! And I agreed.

My one mistake on the run was not enough fuel. I am using SKRATCH for my liquid hydration and it wasn’t quite enough for the run. Plus, before the turn-around, I felt my stomach growling. However, because we were steady on our run:walk:note intervals, I was able to eat solids (two stroop waffles) and sustain my energy until the end of the run. I was so happy to make it to the car because I still had the cooler in it from the ride the day before! We had icy cold water and grapes for the finish!

ROAD TRIP!

Road trip!!! Yesterday, Jen, Erin, Sami and I drove to Pinehurst, NC to get in some hill training. It was a GREAT day and I am so pleased with my climbing right now. I also had a lot of fun with these amazing women! I am feeling confident in my riding right now.

I had planned to get up about 3:15AM, but Sunny decided to alert everyone at something in the back yard at 2:45A and woke us up with her attack-mode barking. So, coffee was started by 3:00 and I was packed and ready to go by 3:45. I picked up Jen and headed to a local mall to meet Erin and Sami. We arrived in Aberdeen two and a half hours later and prepped for our ride.

It was COLD! Well, more like chilly. All of us had looked at the high for the day (82) and had not accounted for the low: which was 57 degrees at the start. Lately, the temps have been about the same from dark to dark. All hot. We had no idea that we might need a jersey over a tri top or at least arm warmers. I was happy to dig out a pair of arm warmers from my organizer bin the back of the truck.

Our first loop was the new course for the Pinehurst Olympic tri. I had done this ride in the spring with Sami and was prepared for a few rolling hills. It was not as hard as I remembered. During the race, I was trying to outbike Sami. We knew she’d be behind me in the swim so I was trying to make it to the halfway point on the bike before she caught me. I was about a half mile away when I heard her come up behind me. GRRRRRR! Yesterday’s pace was much easier and maybe that made the hills on that loops seem a little easier.

The second loop was the old Pinehurs Olympic course. It was much hillier - but the roads were in better condition, the traffic was lighter and our moods were even better than the first 26 miles. There is one challenging section that was made better by newly paved roads. The hardest section — the four hills — was actually beautiful and was made better by the fact that I could (sorta) keep up with Sami.

We even did a little off-roading at the end of that loop. We thought the Pinehurst Lake community connected to our start point. And it did. Sorta. Via a long and partly muddy dirt road. We had to walk our bikes for about 300 yards to the next neighborhood. It was our cyclocross moment.

I did do a run off the bike. My aim was 35 minutes total and I got almost 3 miles. Erin, Jen & I ran back to the lake via our dirt road pass and were able to get in some solid hill work. Plus, Jen & I did ONE hill repeat - so I am absolutely, positively, ready for P’Alani.

Sunrise Over Aberdeen

Pinehurst Ride

Post-Ride Lunch at The Workshop in downtown Aberdeen.

Countdown to Kona

It’s starting to get real. Kona is 43 days away! I have found myself randomly singing or do a little happy dance as I walk through the house in a burst of excitement. It is better than randomly screaming in fear and nervousness!

Today’s workout was a run at the track. Technically, because I’m training for an IRONMAN, there’s no need to do a TRACK WORKOUT. [I use all caps there because TRACK WORKOUTS can be intimidating. IYKYK] I like it because it’s a way for my group of friends to warm up together and then run our own paces for the main set and then cool down together.

Michelle and I did a good warm-up and then 4 minutes run + 1 minute walk + 6 minute run + 90 second walk + 8 minute run + 2 minute walk + 6 minute run + 90 second walk + 4 minutes run + 1 minute walk. We watched a beautiful sunrise and the almost full moon was high in the sky!

There was a little drama on the track today because one of the bigger endurance teams moved their practice to today. There were about 60 runners and they took over the entire width of the track with their warm-up and pre-workout meet-up. [They are renowned for taking over any space they swim/bike/run.] Michelle and I had to bob and weave around them for the first few laps because they won’t budge or acknowledge other runners. Their workout looked tough: 20 minutes of tempo pace. At least the coach had the music pumping and the weather today was cooler than we’ve had in months. The drama came after their main set. Michelle and I moved to the inner lanes to do our run and the outer lanes to do our walk. At some point in our 8 minute set, two women came from behind us and said: coming through in lane one. Their lack of lane etiquette reinforces the group’s reknown. First of all, you’re not going much faster than we are (it certainly looked like either a warm-down or a warm-up for you.] You’re not being timed and it’s not an official race. And, if it were, you’d have to go around the runners in the back who your were lapping. So, whatever. We’ll move over a second while you pass on the inside.

The good thing was that it made me run faster.

THE RACE IS ON........

I’m behind in my updates! But, that is a good thing because that means training is in full swing and races are ON!. Plus, someone dared me to do a daily video+ photo update so I’ve been TikaTokkin’ and Instagramming and not as much Squarespacing. (Made up verbs are my favorite). I have done thre races since my last update. I mentioned doing the Azalea Sprint in my last post. Just last week, I did the Pinehurst International. And this weekend I did the Swim Against Racism one mile time trial swim. I will do an update on all of those later this week!

Today, after the swim, Tonya and I ran 10 miles in a nearby neighborhood. I am really proud of our run - we did 15 hill repeats and averaged a 12 minute mile. We finished at the YWCA and stretched and waited for Hayleigh, her sister to come pick her up. As we sat on the curb enjoying the sunshine, a couple pulled up, got out of the car and headed into the pool.

You look like you are getting ready for a run, the woman said.

We just finished up a 10-miler, I said, proudly.

What?! she exclaimed. I think her husband said something like, well done!

Actually, I did the Swim Against Racism time trial and then we went over to Pine Valley for a run, I said.

What’s that on your forehead? she asked.

Um….I don’t know? Did my swim cap leave a line? I said. I turned to Tonya and she looked at me quizzically.

Is it her handband? Tonya asked the woman.

No. D-U-M-B is written there, the woman said.

Tonya and I laughed and explained that we were training for a triathlon. It did not change her opinion of our smartness. In fact, I’m sure it cemented the dementedness. When they walked away and were out of earshot, Tonya looked at me and said SHE JUST CALLED US DUMBASSES! Hilarious.

Not dumb.