My Lucky Day – Angels in Kona

My Lucky Day – Angels in Kona

This years IronMan experience for me will never be eclipsed even if I manage to reach my long-term goal of racing past my 70’s. It will be a treasured memory that I will keep coming back to in my effort to reach that goal. It will not be because of my own achievement last Saturday but because of a new understanding of the spirit of people who finish late in the night and right up to and sometimes past the cut off time at midnight (17 hours after the start).

(For those friends reading this but know little or nothing about IronMan Triathlons and Triathlons in general please take a look down at the end of this blog for some information about the sport.)

I am not talking about lucky people like me who would not have been racing that late in the night except for a mechanical problem and the help of some angels. I’m thinking of those who are out there because they are not fast. The reasons for the slower speed vary, injury/illness during or before the race, very senior athletes, some of the lottery winners and those who simply did not anticipate the difficulty of this course and were humbled but not broken by the challenge.

From a spectators point of view IronMan Triathlons are unique in sports. The best thing to watch is the last people finishing. This is very apparent if you count the number of spectators at the finish line when the winners arrive and those struggling in between 11 and midnight. There are more last at night.

I have now watched ten IronMan endings from the sidelines. They were all incredible memorable nights. I will never tire of watching these and I did not think there was anything that could be better in the sport. I was wrong. This time I got lucky and got to hang out with the late night finishers on their own turf and some who did not make it. Those of you who I met in the dark last night helped me to a totally new level of understanding of what you have accomplished. Here is my day.

My swim was a bit slower than hoped for (1:23) but in a race normally lasting 11+ hours for me a few minutes were no bother. I made up some of that time with a fast, for me, transition to the bike.

Those of you who know me well know that I am rather anal about race preparation. The one thing I did not check for was metal fatigue on my bike. I am well aware of this potential problem as an engineer but it was not something I could check or was expecting (my bike is only 4 years old and mainly used for racing.

Coming out of the transition area on the pier in Kona I rode up the short hill on Parlini staying in the gear I had set before the start. As I rounded the corner onto Kuakini I may have shifted a couple of gears on the rear cog and then the chainring. I rotated the pedals a few times and suddenly they locked up and some nasty noises came from the rear of the bike. I stopped; it looked line the derailleur was bent. I tried to straighten it but could not do so without tools. If you want to see a 2 sec video of me carrying my bike go to http://rcvman.blogspot.com/2009/10/kona-2009.html (I am about 1:50 into this video, the whole thing is worth a look).

My memory about the next 15 min or so is fuzzy. I think a spectator went back to transition and Dave (sorry Dave I don’t remember your last name) arrived back. He was a race official and became I guess you might say my guardian angel for the rest of the day. Shortly after he arrived a bike mechanic showed up. A quick examination resulted in an announcement that my derailleur hanger was broken (this is part of the bicycle frame and the gear shifting mechanism is bolted to it. If broken it is like a broken transmission in a car). I could not believe this had happened but a close inspection on my part confirmed it. The derailleur had tangled up with and broken one of the wheel spokes as well.

This was the hardest part of the race for me. I knew this could not be fixed on the road or even in a fully equipped bike shop. The frame is probably junk. My brain could not shake the idea that my race was over. I asked the mechanic if there was a bike I could borrow and learned that he was the only mechanic left in town, the rest and all their spare gear was out following the pros. I leaned over the aerobars and quietly cried. Two years of dreaming of a return to race in Kona and 10 months of training for nothing.

He then offered to convert me to a single speed bike (one amazing athlete did the race on a single speed, intentionally, earning himself an honorable mention at the awards dinner, crazy guy) by removing the broken derailleur and shortening the chain. I knew that this would mean an almost impossible bike ride for me but I was ready to try anything. Then he spotted my ovalized chain rings and said this would probably not work. He tried to set it up and also adjust the tension on the spokes of my wheel (It was out of true because of the broken spoke). I thought I was good to go. It did not work.

The mechanic had to leave to go out to the pros. Dave ran back to transition to see if there was any other solution. I walked slowly back with my bike. I was crushed there did not seem to be any solution. On the way back I found my friend Kevin Lynch, the cinema photographer who has filmed all the Computrainer Live Video courses). I did not realize it at first but most of our conversation was filmed. The mechanic had rejoined me and so had an angry spectator who kept insisting that he must find a solution for me. I did not think angels could/would get angry but this one did but to no avail.

As I left Kevin I had an inspiration and hustled back to transition. There were well over a dozen Cervelo P4 bikes at the Expo. Dave and others went off looking for a Cervelo rep or any of the bike reps at the expo. I think at this point more than half the staff on the pier were trying to think of a solution.

That took a good 15 min with no result. More discussion with the people around me and people coming thru transition and my biggest angel stepped up, Rocky Campbell, Director, and offered me his bike.

Rocky was about my height.He took off to get the bike after telling me to meet him where I broke down, to play by the rules. I wont go into the details why but it took another 45 min to get the bike. Angels are not all the same and come in different sizes.

The sight of Dave rounding the “Hot Corner” onto Kuakini riding the bike out to me looked like a present from Heaven. After over a 2-hour delay I got going.
It was amazing the love and concern I felt from all who tried to help or who were just there for me. There is a lot a talk of Ohanna (Hawaiian for Family and I think love and care for fellow man) out here. I sure felt it Saturday morning. Tears were now of joy. I was late stating but knew I should have no trouble finishing before midnight, my slowest time at this race distance including the swim was 12:15 and I had more than 13 hours just for the bike and run. I even started to think of a new marathon PR as most of the run would be in the cool of the night.

I worked my way thru town very carefully. I was well over an hour behind the last person to get out of the water. There were still cops on the intersections but they were not looking for a biker. It was like a normal training day.

It got even more like a training day when I found the timing mats and entire turnaround set up on Kuakini was gone. I rode an extra ½ mile looking for them. Out on the Queen K the wind was very light and progress was good. I did not have my normal fuel/food on this new bike but was not concerned, as I knew I would be OK with what is offered at the aide stations.

Surprise, the aide stations were now all on the opposite side of the road anticipating the return of the professionals. I was able to get food and water but had to cross traffic to do so, which was now building on my side of the road, and later dodge bikes returning. The timing mats were also gone at Waikoloa. It was not until near Hawi, halfway, that I found aide stations still on my side and the mats were still in place at the turnaround (but my chip did not register for some reason).

The ride was tough. The bike fit reasonably well but it was not set up like mine except for a decent saddle height. I could not stay on the aerobars for extended periods and this got harder as the ride progressed. It slowed me down but the math told me not to worry, I would make the cutoff. I caught up to the first three bikes just before Hawi and then very slowly reeled in a few more. It was not a happy feeling as is usually the case when I pass fellow competitors. I knew that many of these people would not make the cut off.

I started passing a few more bikes on the way back to Kawaihae. It is physically very hard for anyone in these races but most of us normally have a support team around us in the form of others suffering the same way. These people were on their own but still in the game and I am certain they were not ready to quit. It was impressive.

The headwinds returned on the Queen K Highway but I was still in great shape to make the cutoff although with this wind it was no longer quite the sure thing. The people I was passing would probably not make it. There were two people I was looking out for and not hoping to find for a while. Sister Madonna Boulder (yes a retired nun 79 years young) and Rudy Garcia Tollesen. Rudy is a double above the knee amputee who was trying to be the first person to finish this race with this extraordinary challenge.

I know how driven a physically challenged person can be. My father was a below the knee amputee and a powerful swimmer who is always mentally with me in these races. Seeing Rudy struggling against a cruel wind and knowing that making the cut off for the bike was all but impossible was very hard sight to see. I am sure he will be back for another day, he did not make it.

Growing up in Ireland with Nun’s all over the place never prepared me for Sister Madonna when I met her for the first time in 1997 in Perth Australia at the Olympic distance World Championship. I must confess to being a bit of a skeptic about her credentials. A Nun who was taking the time to race! But gradually over the years my view has changed as I learned more about Sister Madonna and recognized that the life of a Nun is not the same today as it was when I was a young boy in the 1950’s

She has been an inspiration to everyone in the sport and beyond for many years and she probably had hundreds of thousand spectators/Triathletes around the world rooting for her. I am sure she was out there just thanking God for just letting here get this far and for all the amazing things she has accomplished in her life. I got a smile as I passed her and greeted her. I did not have any magic words of encouragement and felt bad about that.

Both Rudy and Sister Madonna did not make it. The last person I passed on the bike two miles from the finish was 80-year-old Robert Southwell. He made it to transition before the cutoff but for some reason did not start the run. I so much wanted to chat with you Bob. I sure hope you will be able to try again. I would love to meet Rudy some day and get to chat with Sister again.

T2 could was a very welcome sight and I got a royal reception from a bunch of new and old friends, who had helped me earlier. Samantha Campbell, who had helped me all week and materialized on the water when I needed help with a cramp, high fived me. Dave and Esra Kellerman (friends from home volunteering and an aspiring IronMan) escorted me around transition and carried my bags into the Changing Tent, Ellora Weston

ART trained DPT, my ART Angel) rounded up a bench and a male ART Doc John worked on me for 20 min. Muscles that I did not know I had had not taken kindly to my new bike position. Twenty min later I got going again and was the last person out of T2. Dave, my guardian angle was also with me until I left on the run, what a guy. The bike worked Rocky and worked very well but one part of my anatomy did protest louder than the other parts the next day, the part resting on your saddle. Nothing wrong with the saddle Rocky just my ass was not used to it. Once again thank you so much.

I passed over 150 people on the run and said something to well over a hundred of them and ran/walked with many. I had the time of my life. At first I did not realize what was happening to me however. Gradually it became clear that I was not just watching these amazing people from the sidelines struggle to reach their goal but I was for the first time part of it.

I had no doubt at this point that I would finish the race so I was not quite in the shoes of the people I met. But I was out with them and could feel their will to finish being challenged every step of the way. I spent 15-20 min with Lew Hollander on Alii Drive. I have met Lew a few times before; he is a legend in the sport at 79 years old. He was worried about finishing before midnight. Somehow I knew he would make it. I kept looking for Bob Southwell not knowing about his fate.

Finding Ingrid my wife and her sister on Alii Dr was a special treat. Ingrid had a stroke two years ago a month after we came back from my last race out here. She is not 100% recovered getting tired easily and she had been expecting me to be finishing sometime after 6. Here I was starting the run. She was out there for me the rest of the night. How could this be hard to do with such

a special person rooting for me. I am lucky. Ingrid and sister Gisela.

The Queen K is a lonely place in the dark. I finally thought of an intelligent thing to say as I caught up with people, “How are you doing” with an answer I was able to come up with some appropriate words of encouragement, most of the time. I fell in with a lady on the Energy Lab road and ran down the hill with her. She was like many others out there not having the day she expected but was getting back on form and was I think over the worst mental worries, she would finish. Then she ran off the side of the road and fell. She sat on the ground for a few seconds and I could feel the brain going thru a mental checklist of all her body parts, she was OK. Not so Harriet Anderson, I think she was the oldest female finisher. I don’t know if she broke her arm but she was running with a sling when I saw her.

The wind was carrying announcer Mike Riley’s voice from the finish line well over 2 miles out the Queen K as we got close to town. I could feel my pace picking up and that of the other ghosts in the dark. I thought one more time about my personal inspirations, mum, dad, childhood friend Connor (died at 19), almost lifelong friend Ralph (died at 50) and other old friends. They had been with me the whole day.

It almost pays to get back to the finish area late at night. Let me revise that, it does pay. If you are on the sidelines it is amazing to be part of the excitement and feel the emotion of the finishers. Being the finisher is almost too much. I did feel during most of the run I was out there on false pretenses. But for the last 2 miles that idea vanished in the love I felt from thousands.

My angels were at the finish line, what a reception. After a massage Ingrid and her sister Gisela started to escort me home. It was about 11:15 at that time. As I got past the finish line I realized that all the brave amazing people I was watching finish were friends I had met in the dark. I cried and I am crying again thinking about them. Ingrid agreed to stay to the end. She has never seen the end of an IronMan and she now understood why I have gone back to watch the end in all of my 11 races.
I have got dozens of messages since writing this blog and they are all so greatly appreciated. I do honestly feel so lucky that things started out so bad on the bike. It was such a great experience. My respect for those around me Saturday night has soared. My respect for the Pro’s who sometimes have a bad day like us amateurs but finish anyway many hours late has also soared. My respect and love for Ingrid has soared.

Triathlons

IronMan races are the longest triathlons that are done by large numbers of people There are longer races but the participants are often less than 100 compared to over 2,000 for an IronMan race. The distances and order of events are 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and a 26.2 mile run. Triathlons are as short as a few hundred yards in a pool for the swim, 8-10 mile bikes and 3 mile runs. Kid’s races are even shorter. The Olympic Triathlon is 1.5 kilometer swim (just under a mile), 40K bike (24+ miles) and a 10K 6.2 mile run. The Olympic distance is one of the most popular.

The race in Kona is the World Championship for this distance. You have to qualify at another IronMan or Half IronMan, or get lucky in a lottery to race here. The Kona course is one of the toughest of well over 20 races around the world. Most athletes coming here for the first time get a very rude shock on race day. The only racecourse that is it’s equal and perhaps harder that I know of is in the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa. That’s not to say that the other races are not hard. Racing this distance and giving it all you have is very hard even on the dead flat usually cool IronMan Florida held in November.

What makes the IronMan in Hawaii so hard is the heat, humidity and winds. They are almost always high. Temperatures are usually at or above 85 with humidity varying between 70 and 90% (this is why I was happy to realize that I would be running in the cool of the night). The winds are always 20-25 mph and several years have exceeded 50mph in gusts. There is almost always a section with headwinds, crosswinds and tail winds. Often the wind switches direction during the day and you get a headwind coming and going.

Power Meters Oct 2

With and engineering degree I was destined to become a tech geek when technology arrived in the running and cycling world. Now I have a dilemma.

Yesterday I did a planned Functional Threshold test on the bike. This is something I should have done out here on my last two visits but did not. After a long warm up I did a 20 min test up a long hill at the end of Alii Dr. I forgot to run the calibration test before hand. The results were very surprising. In Boulder, at 5,000-6,000 ft my FT was just shy of 260 watts, yesterday it registered 293. I checked the calibration on the coast back down and the watts registered zero, a good sign. This morning I did a full Torque te

st and found 1 in-lb. Don’t know if this is significant but am going to do a 5 min retest up the same hill today to see if there is a difference.

Either way I think my power output is up and I am going to make some adjustments to my race plan. I may do another full test on Monday.

Today is move day from our rental unit to our timeshare closer to Kona, so this entry is short.

Ingrid Oct 3

Two years ago I dragged Ingrid out here for the 6^th time. Dragged is probably not the right word, she loves it out here, but she does put up with a lot when I am preparing for an IM. It’s a good thing this place is magic and we both love it so much. There is no way she would put up with my antics in any other place.

This year she is back with me and as many of you know not as healthy as she once was. She still loves this place but it is hard on her. She has been doing very well considering. Sleeping without oxygen is much more comfortable and she is sleeping much better. She seems to have a bit more energy than at altitude but does still run out of steam quickly. The hard part is communicating or rather not being too good at it. For someone who used to be able to hold three conversations at once in her very busy office

(I have watched her do this) having trouble focused on one conversation is very fr

ustrating and exhausting. And, we are in situations like this a lot out here.

Ingrid has always needed a bit of a push to try new things and places but I have been lucky that at the end of the day she has enjoyed most of passions or at least the side effects such as visiting Hawaii. This has included flying, skiing, sailing and now following me to Triathlons. I am a lucky stiff and thanks to her I am feeling lucky about the race in a week. It’s a very nice feeling, thanx Inka.

Kukio Blue Water Swim Oct 4

I did this race three years ago. If any of you get out here for the weekend before IronMan

Google this and sign up. The swim takes you out into Blue Water. For those not nautical this is water that is deep enough to not suffer from land born pollution and is deep blue. Swimming in it is magic and the sights magnificent. Divers will know what I am talking about. Today I missed the best sights, a small pod of dolphins, but there was about ten of them somewhere near me.

When I did this race in 06 there were less than 100 people in it, it is now over 230. Ages ranged from 7, yes seven, to 78. A 74 year old partially paralyzed on one side, he had trouble getting over the rocks to the beach were we started, did the swim in 40 min, an13 year old had one of the fastest times of 24 min, amazing.

I missed the friends that were around me from NY last time but we had a good time. Met some nice folks from the island and California. Food was great as last time and I was 5 min faster than 06, Yahoo!

Friends Oct 5

Good to have some, even it some of them are competitors. But the friends I am thinking about are not over here with me this year. When I raced here the first time in 2001 there were 11 members of the Long Island Triathlon community with me. Over the years there has always been several of those original gang coming back. As one good friend put it on the phone the other day “the competition is getting better and better” The bar is certainly being raised yearly but I suspect the economy has something to do with it as well. Those of you who have jobs are fighting hard to keep them and those that don’t are not spending their money on expensive trips. My SWAG, (Scientific Wild Ass Guess) is that it costs over $5,000 for one person to qualify and race in Kona and that just getting and staying at the location and paying for entry fees.

And of course there are our new friends in Colorado. Several are with us which is great but there are two VIP friends who are not, Barry and Jodee Siff. The last two times out here Jodee and Barry were in the Tower at the start line giving us an thumbs up. In 2006 somehow several LI friends found each other on the beach before the start and I found Mary Ellen hanging onto a surfboard at the start line.

I will also miss finding you on the bike and run. Typical of me was getting left behind in the water, passing a bunch of friends on the bike and getting passed myself on the run. I used to gage how well I had done in the swim by when I would pass Nancy Lipira on the bike and then how well the run was going when she passed me on the run. It was not until 2006 that I had learned enough about pacing not to pass Nancy on the Bike but find her on the run. Sadly that year Nancy was not having a great run day and my hope, when I caught here at about mile 13 that we would finish together did not work out.

I did have some great company in 2003; I think that was the year, when I was near and with Tom Waldrop (one of my big rivals in my AG) from Hawi to almost the finish of the race. That was the most fun IM ever for me Tom.

I will miss the mental push from Dave Schneider. He uncorked a sum 4-hour marathon in his first IM passing me at about mile 22 (his swimming sucks but he tells me he is working on this for real this winter). When he has been out here the specter of a near 8 min miler has pushed me to the finish line.

I have learned a bunch from all of you and do honestly think I have worked out the pacing game for IM. The weather can always be counted on to throw curves at you out here so

we shall see if I can adapt.

Friday – One more day

Not much time for Blogging the last few days. Ingrid's sister arrived Wednesday evening ready for some warm weather, it was heading to the first snow day in Boulder when she left.

Met a colleague from an Inside Triathlon article yesterday.

Desiree is unfortunately not racing this year. She lost her mum a few months ago which must have messed up her training. I think she will be back someday somehow. It was nice to be recognized.

It seems a long time since I qualified for this race back at Buffalo Springs. I was revisiting that race in my mind yesterday as I chatted with a couple from London. It is a small world. Amy Brooks (Swain) works for RTE, Ireland’s National Radio and Television Company. So does my cousin Tim Thurston who has a weekly radio show. Amy is going to surprise Tim if she can with a picture she took at the Welcome/Carbo dinner last night.

When I got up this morning I immediately went thru a physical check on my way to the toilet. Right calf (very tight after a bad cramp I got swimming on Monday) feels great. Minor back discomfort was not to be found. Plantar issues almost gone, nothing to worry about. Pulse a nice low 40. In short I think I am ready. Now all I need to do is stay relaxed today and get ready.

My mind is not working too well right now for blogging, I am fussing about what is left to do today, so will come back when all is done.

The Getaway, to Kona (Sept 25)

Three years ago I came out here three weeks ahead of the race and learned that the guidance for two-week heat acclimatization was on target, for me at least. So this year we arrived two weeks and two days ahead of race day.

As normal for most athletes preparing for a major race like this the last few weeks are hard. Not just physically but mentally. If things are coming together well, as they have been for me, you feel like you want the race to start tomorrow before you do something stupid or some germ comes your way. The latter does create some overly neurotic behavior. My sister in law started coughing on the way to the airport yesterday, I got worried about giving her a kiss on the cheek. A weeks ago the head guard at the pool were I have my masters swim program had a very bad something, I stayed clear, washed my hands after picking up some paperwork from her and again after touching the railings on the pool ladder. I could not tell you how many times I washed my hands on the way trip here yesterday. Hope it all works to ward off evil spirits.

It felt great yesterday morning to be on our way to our seventh visit to Hawaii. Kona is now the most visited tourist destination in our lives unless you count the one I lived in for 15 years of my childhood. The reason for all these visits is clearly the race but I like to think there is much more to it.

We had the most interesting travel companion on our flight from Phoenix to Kona yesterday, a (probably the) retired dentist from the village of Waimea. He met his wife in O’ahu a bit over 30 years ago and move to Waimea 30 years ago. Listening to his description of life out here confirmed my idea that despite a very big difference in climate my life growing up in Ireland must have been similar to a life in Hawaii. All very small scale, very self sufficient and close-knit communities. I can see keiki (kids) riding their bikes down to the beach from Waimea on their own and swimming at beaches with no adult supervision just like I did as a child. A bit dangerous perhaps. But, far less so than living in a big city with massive supervision. And, the fun factor, no comparison.

Hawaii has changed but is still a world apart from the frantic pace of life in big metro areas, even Denver/Boulder (although we both feel that Boulder Co has the best of both worlds). Barack Obama was very lucky to have been born and raised out here even if it was in the mad rush and hustle (our dentist friends opinion) of O’ahu.

The bad news from our companion was that that Madame Pele has been serving up some unusually bad stuff of late called Vog, a mixture of humid air and sulfur fumes from her volcano. Vog has always been a problem when any volcano has been active out here but for some reason the current activity on the Kilauea volcano has been especially problematic. The trade winds are carrying the Vog around the southern end of the Island and up the east coast to Kona. It was very visible yesterday when we landed. I could not smell it, you sometimes can, but my throat felt it. Today is better. Sometimes when it is very bad it affects the colors you see making the place look gray, not a good thing for the tourist industry or the locals.

So no we have humidity, wind and Vog to worry about. Stuff happens be prepared.

The Pit (Sept 26)

It is disturbing when you compare the finish times on the IronMan from the 80’s and early 90’s and consider that these times were done without aero bikes, aerobars, aero bottles or aero helmets (I don’t think there were helmets in the first few races). There certainly were tube socks, 10 speeds, home made fuel mixes. All of which has been replaced by rather expensive stuff that is supposed to make us faster, it’s a rather bad bang for the buck. And of course there was the “Pit”

I have pondered the impact of the Pit on the race, more specifically the run, in the past. Yesterday I took my first run into the Pit (we are staying near the original T2 at the Kona Surf Hotel, now a Sheraton) to refresh my memory. Coming out of T2 back in the day you immediately started up a short but nasty hill, I ran up it comfortably last night but very slowly. Then there is a bit longer down ramp and another short moderate climb leading to the decent into the Pit.

I ran about 5 last nights under a cloudy sky (with Vog in the air). Even then it got cozy and warm as the strong onshore breeze failed to penetrate the depression of the Pit and the surrounding trees. I can only imagine what people thought as they ran down that last steep incline and turned around soaked in sweat. On a day like yesterday with just a 30 min run planned the run back up the hill was not hard but it was not fast.

Now consider you are the Man or the Grip. You have just finished a bike split that is as fast as many Pro’s ride today without carbon everything and you have to deal with the Pit. They probably did not think too much about it, everyone had to go that way but it had to be slow. But consider, in the famous Iron War between Mark won the race in 8:09 and the current record is only 8:04.

The run, and bike course has changed but I suspect that anyone coming back to race after 10 years will not notice much different in the water. Even some of the man made landmarks on the bottom my be familiar, but with a few more barnacles. It sure felt good to follow the coral rather than a lane line. A fantasy realized after many meters in the Louisville pool.

Humidity (Sept 27)

Yesterday was more like the Kona I remember. The morning was clear and magnificently sunny. I looked like we would have an afternoon similar to the prior two days with a hazy overcast but coolish afternoon. But by 2pm the sun was in full bloom again and at 3:30 I headed off for my first more extensive workout, a short 30 min ride and 1 hr run. I forgot my helmet but realized that less than a mile from the house. When I got back I was already sweating hard.

The ride was more to test out my bike than a workout but even at what normally would be an easy pace it felt like work. Part of that was the heat/humidity (about 87/75) and the other part was working against a denser air. This dense air thing was a surprise when I first came from Boulder to Kona in 06 and it still something that takes getting use to and accepting. The good news is that there is more oxygen down here and I ran a test on the climb up Kuakini Rd (an early climb in the race). Normally for me an effort of 250+ watts up that hill would produce some significant heavy breathing and HR. This effort did not seem to be as hard as a similar one on Boulder.

The humidity had a river running down my legs on the run but the extra oxygen intake more than made up for it. Overall pace for the hour was just under my most optimistic goal race pace of 9 min miles (including walking every mile for about 30 sec). Pace when running on the flats was just over 8 min miles and felt easy.

I went to bed last night feeling good about the race. Heat adaptation I know will reduce the effects of the humidity as will some more tapering. Now if I can just keep the bike pacing under control in the race I should have a very good run. To that end I am riding about 70 miles today, the last 70 miles of the course.

The winds of Kona (Sept 28)

Yesterday we drove out to the beach in Waikoloa (about mile 30 of the race course) were I parked Ingrid on the sand and then did a ride to Hawi and back. She then followed me back to the top of the Energy Lab road were I went for a short run. It was a great workout, nailed the goal power output, I have it at 190 these days and averaged 19mph. The run felt very good after that effort. I have my hopes up.

The weather seems odd this year. Clouds have rolled in every day for most of the afternoon. Vog is clearly a potential big problem although I learned today that it has improved of late. It has not been bad the last three days but it is noticeable. If it gets any worse it will have a significant affect on the race. Locals have told me that over the last couple of years this problem has increased with increasing activity on the south end of the Island.

The wind was howling north of Waikoloa but not quite from the usual direction, a bit more to the North. It affected the ride all the way to Hawi although it was not a head wind until the last 4 miles. That made for a wild but fast climb and an even faster wild decent. I don’t like the wind at any time but when there is traffic on the road it is quite scary. With time it got better especially when I started to think like Natasha and “fly like an eagle” (excerpt from her acceptance speech in 2001 when the winds were gusting to 55). My guess is that some of the gusts today were 40+

I would strongly recommend a pre race ride up in the typically windy part of the course to anyone coming to race here. You do get used to it after a while and learn to adapt. I am still a firm believer in trying to stay on the aero bars when it is that gusty. When you sit up you present a lot more resistance and raise your center of gravity. After 30 min or so today I remembered a trick I used in 2001, watch the grass on the side of the road. It will tell you in advance were the gusts are coming from and to some degree how strong. The windy part of the course has more vegetation than closer to Kona on the Lava fields. Using an aero bottle between the aero bars is essential as there will be sections were you will want both hands on the bars at all times.

You do need to be ready for sudden 180 deg changes in wind direction. Most of the time this occurs as you go thru a cutting in a hill of lava. Heading north yesterday the wind was from the right. As you enter a cutting it gets all confused, switching from calm to the opposite direction. When it is calm the heat radiates of the lava walls and black road and you realize that it is very hot.

You don’t need to make it a long ride to get an appreciation for the wind and develop some skill and confidence. For anyone much under 150 lbs I would not consider an aero wheel on the front (unless you are chasing a podium finish or a pro). Something like the Zipp 404 on the rear would be OK and a 303 up front. I am riding a 404. I would not recommend anything deeper. Aero Helmets are a problem as well. With cross winds and slightly more rearward they were trying to lift my helmet off my head. It was quite disconcerting but I don’t think it was adding too much to the challenge of riding in a straight line. Sill I have asked my sister in law to bring out a regular helmet in case conditions get worse.

The other part of the visit so far, the tourist part, is going very well. The beaches are as magnificent as always and the undersea life in Kailua Bay as beautiful as ever. Lava Java is doing its usual constant business and the Germans are all over the place.

A ninety-minute run today will end the longer stuff for me except for some long swims. I am looking forward to a true Open Water Swim on Saturday, a fundraiser for a wilderness park 20 miles north of Kona. The swim takes you into water well over 200ft deep and the sights are amazing. I did this race in 2004.

Lane Lines (Sept 29)

For some reason getting into the pool yesterday after three swims in the ocean did not seem nearly as onerous as the last few in Louisville. It must be the knowledge that the next swim will be back in the ocean. I really think that inland pools such as those in Colorado should but a nice coral reef on the bottom of the deep end of our pools. Even if it was artificial everything, including some robotic fish, that would be cool. Perhaps the older members of the Aerobics class would be fooled into thinking that the water was warmer because it is tropical.

Nothing compares with the real thing and this morning’s swim was not exception. The first ½ mile out from the IM start line is quite shallow and there are several coral reefs with lots of little ones of many colors. I have not seen any bigger fish until today when out of the corner of my eye I saw something. It was a modest size Manta Ray. Fortunately a harmless and a very graceful swimmer. Tomorrow I will be heading out for a longer swim and have my fingers crossed that I will find my Dolphin friends. I have been lucky once in 7 visits and can’t wait for another encounter.

I think I am adjusting to the heat. A run a bit over 100 min yesterday and a 2 hr ride today all felt good. It is hot and humid but is not overwhelming. Saw Chrissie cruising down Alii Dr this morning and Crowie twice at the Pier heading out for a swim. Both look like they are ready to take on the challengers.

We headed out to the beach were the Kukio Open Water Swim ends next Saturday and were brunch will be served for all by the Four Seasons Hotel. This race is a fun raiser for the preservation of a wilderness area and historic park adjacent to the 10 million + homes that you walk past to the beach. A wise young lady observer a few years ago that there was something wrong with the picture of a bunch of athletes raising funds for a park that only makes the multimillion summer homes even more valuable. Ingrid had an equally good observation as we passed a sign yesterday that read, “Please stay on the foot path (a concrete one to the beach). This area is historic and has special meaning to native Hawaiians” Somehow the developer got to build these homes on “native land”. We learned a few years ago that the annual maintenance on these homes was over 100,000. Could they not pay for the park?

It’s worth the $45 to do this race; it takes you out into a magic world of deep blue ocean and magnificent schools of big fish.

Bit more on The Pit (Sept 29-30)

Slowtwitch has an interesting graph on its site showing trends in performance at IM. It compares the times of overall winners and the average for the top 10. It sure supports my idea that we have not got much from all the new bike technology. Chrissie’s best time, last year, was achieved on the run when compared to Paula’s record of 1992 when she went under 9 hours. On the men’s side the evidence is not as clear but if you look at the trend not much has changed in almost 20 years. And, don’t forget prior to 2001 there was the Pit.

Traffic in Kona (Oct 1)

My first visit to Kona was in 2001. We got here about 10 days before the race and the town seemed quiet but very pleasant. That changed a bunch during race week but still it was not what I would call crowded.

Nine years and a lot has changed. The news on Xtri that my friend Mark Van Akkeren had been knocked off his bike and out of the race only strengthened my view that paradise is not quite what it was. Mark was hit by a “cruiser motorcycle” that tried to pass him on the right as he was turning into his condo development. Fortunately his injuries are not life threatening, he has some hand damage; hopefully this is not too serious.

This is not a good time for my friends. Another, Nancy Lipira had a crash last weekend while on a group ride. From indirect accounts she will be back to race again (In Kona I hope) but has some nasty cuts and bruises.

Traffic is hectic out here these days although the economy (and a widening of the road into Kona) does seem to have taken the steam out of the growth rate. House prices are a steal (relatively) these days. You would not however know we had a recession based on the cost of food and gas. Gas is 3:50+ for regular, meat prices are off the charts even at Costco (Gas is cheap at their pump at 2:65).

I had a great chat with Bobby McGee yesterday morning getting some very valuable last minute advice from him ranging from pacing to nutrition, keys to success out here or in any IM, thanx Bobby. Now I have to execute those ideas.

Cool, wet and happy in Lubbock

My Ticket to Kona (again)?

The Buffalo Springs course is a hard one on a cool day like we had this year and a brutal one when the sun is out. It can also be windy, as evidenced by the two wind farms around the town that have been built in the last two years since I was here last. When hit with wind and sun the race takes on a Kona feeling but it gets worse. There is a vast Feed Lot less than a ½ mile from the turnaround of the out and back run. With the wind from the west you can smell the stench for 4 of the 13 miles; again we were lucky this year.

Competition in my AG was deep. Larry Krutka and I have raced in Kona more than once and I have never got closer to him than about 45 min, he has I think been on the podium. Ron Dent and I have raced in Boulder together several times and always been close winning and loosing. Michael Dwyer, who I did not know, was a major worry of Larry’s and Michael Zinn was a potential threat. He was doing his first ½ but was top 10 in USAT’s ranking last year. Larry, and the two Michaels had home course advantages of sorts all living in this heat bubble of Texas and Oklahoma. In half IM races I don’t think I have ever run against this depth of field.

At the Expo was a friend running the Computrainer Booth, Jack Weiss. Jack knows almost everyone in the sport in Texas and the country (he runs a whole bunch of very popular races in and around his home state) and especially my competition the next day. I asked him about Michael Zinn on Friday evening and then Larry on Saturday. By this time I think he had talked to all of us except Ron so we knew all our secrets and successes. Jack’s assessment was that we are going to have an interesting race. I don’t think he was putting money on any of us.

Reversing the clock a bit, I ran Eagleman two weeks earlier. My quest for a Kona slot this year was to smoke the bike on that flat course and cruise to a win on the run. I had two worries with competition in Cambridge. Both of them beat me the year earlier but not by much and I had always taken them in the past. A year can make a difference and William Wren and made big improvements with his swimming and overall fitness. My plan was working by T2 but his swim split meant that the difference was close.

He almost slipped by me at mile 3 as I stopped for a pee in the Port a John (remember this when we get to Buffalo Springs), I saw him go by thru the vents. We rand together for the next 4+ miles and I felt I would be able to stay with him to the end. A sprint to the finish would have been exciting. But that was not to be. I cramped, hamstrings, just past mile 7 and watched my potential Kona slot glide off into the distance. Those last 6 miles were punctuated by thoughts of a very hot and unpleasant race in Lubbock, my fall back plan.

The plan had a successful precedence; I came here two years ago after missing out in Eagleman and got lucky. I followed a very similar two week training plan, very easy workouts, low volume with race pace intensity intervals with the 5430 Sprint sandwiched in between. This time however I went nuts with all kind of therapy. This included a massage from my regular massage therapist Keira McMahon, ART Treatment from Phillip Bammer, Acupuncture (for my gimpy knee) from Whit Reaves, an IV full of vitamins and minerals from Kelly Parcel and finally some Muscle Restoration from Josh Shadle. Advice was gathered from anyone I could think of but most important was tips from Bobby McGee, Mike Ricci, Keith Watson Barry Siff (my frequent bike companion) and Mike Monastero. Even included was a group therapy session (unplanned) with Scott Fliegelman and his Fast Forward group of IM Louisville bound athletes who were doing a training race here in Lubbock. Special mentions should go to Donna Mitchell who came up with the mantra; “I will not Fail” There are many others who have helped me get to this point and many thanks to all.

I was dreading racing in the normal Lubbock heat/wind and two weeks out the forecast looked grim, It was still grim a week out and then a crack in the 95-100 deg heat appeared for Sunday. Collective prayers, offerings, and rain dances (well at least clouds) were made by the F4 group for the rest of the week.

Rain hammered the skylights during the race meeting Saturday evening and we knew the cool front had arrived just on time. I stuck my nose out of my room at 3:30 am and found another competitor doing what I was doing, checking to see if any stars were visible, and no twinkles, not even a glimmer. So my two traveling companions and I were happy as we drove to the race site at 4:15 for a 6:30 (for me) start.

The transition and swim venue is the nicest part of Lubbock and the residents, those with some money, make that obvious with homes around the lake. Those not quite so lucky have a couple of nice camp grounds and beaches. This is all in a gully that is over 2 miles long and perhaps ¼ mile wide. It is filled largely with a spring fed lake keeping the water temps always wetsuit legal, just.

The pros went off 5 min ahead of my wave. At 6:35 in the morning it is still not full daylight and with the cloud cover sighing was a challenge thru tinted swim goggles. My navigation was a bit off coming out of a cove at the start and turning right to the next left hand turn. But I was feeling very comfortable in my Desoto Wet Suit with, for the first time, no sleeves (Thanx Gail and Roger). I do seem to have lost my drafting skills loosing several feet that were swimming just a bit faster. The water tasted much better than the Boulder Res but visibility was not much better. The old geezers in that first wave were much more civilized than the mad crowd at the Stroke and Stride series.

I came out of the water looking at a slow swim time but quickly put that behind me as I know that courses can be off a bit (it looks like it was long). . 100 yards out of T2 and you are heading up the steepest hill, about 9%. The hills are produced by going in and out of the gullies along the stream that starts at the lake. Each has a drop/rise of about 250 feet. We climbed out of them 7 times. On the top the roads are almost dead flat, certainly dead flat by Boulder standards.

After that first hill, I pushed a bit harder than planned, the road screams back down to a dam at the end of the lake with a dangerous turn (at speed) at the bottom. With a Zipp 808 on the front I was breaking the golden rule, nothing new, and a wind gust caught me at the bottom at near 40 mph, dreams almost came to an end at that point. Another steep climb got us up on the flats for the next 15 mile or so. With the excitement of getting out on the bike over I settled into my plan to maintain a constant power output of about 240 peaking at 300 on the hills. The plan did have a problem early on in that I could not read the power meter thru my sun glasses.

It was windy this year I would guess 15mph+. I had a rental 808 on the front (again thanks Roger and Gail) and early in the bike that was a bit wild. Skies were threatening rain; there was a thunderstorm to the north as we dove out the race. The forecast was for clouds all morning and that was what happened.

The wind was almost blowing across the gullies from the North East. So the descents were screaming ones hitting almost (for me) 40 mph, my guess is some of the mail pro’s were getting close to 50. Coming back into the wind was a different story but I think both played to my advantage of more body weight than my competition and an aggressive aero position.

I passed my big worry, Larry Krutka at mile 30; he swam about 4 min faster than I did. I did not know it but I was in the lead at that point. Mother Nature then dished out a home court advantage to me, it started to rain, hard. I grew up with rain in Ireland and conditions were very much like my first and only bike tour at about the age of 16. I heard complaints about loosing time in the rain but I don’t think it altered my speed a much.

There were a number of keys to my success in this race and one, more than anything else was a new skill in body functions. Last fall I had peed on the bike on a very long downhill. That had taken several attempts earlier in that race and I thought it was a freak of nature (I had no hills and no luck at Eagleman). On the last three slight and short down hills I coasted and peed a bucket full (I had hyper-hydrated using Glycerin before the start). In races past that would have cost me minutes.

We got back to T2 with about 2 min between us and I felt OK the first 1/4 mile and then my good old hamstrings cramped, the left one. I recovered reasonable quickly (lost about 90 sec looking at my Polar watch data) now Larry was less than a min behind me. We ran down to the end of the lake and partially around the other side. I was debating on what to do on the 9% grade out of the canyon. Last time I had no choice and walked up. This time I ran to the steepest section and started walking. I needed to pee again and knew that if I stopped I would be passed. As I walked I tried to pee and to my amazement it happened, another bucket.

Magic, well not quite, I switched to Hammer Nutrition products in the early spring including their PSA pills. I have been taking Saw Palmetto for years to very little effect. Hammer has some critical dosing advice that you do not take them with protein. It must have worked. Their advice on carrying Perpetuem, their new Café Latte flavor, yum, was great. Double the concentration in your bottle, in my case a Never Reach Tank, then take a sip of the mix and water, in an aero bottle up front, to keep get the right concentration in your stomach. I was amazed and very happy to find that I had nailed my consumption on the bike with both containers one sip away from empty when I checked at the end of the race.

Gradually Larry ate up the little time I had on him and at the turnaround there he was ten steps behind me. I had a choice at this point. Continue at my pace or go faster and risk another cramp, I chose the latter. Larry conveniently is a noisy breather and slowly he dropped behind and then I could not hear him. At the bottom of the next downhill I cramped again and he by me while I was bent over massaging my leg (all’s fair in love and war). Again I did not loose too much time (about 30 sec) and was able to run up the last hill after another short pee (this is gross I know but it felt good warming up my leg). I was finishing up my pee when I heard heavy breathing coming up behind, I cussed at my protesting muscles and started to hustle again. This time the breathing got louder and louder and at the top of the hill he drew up along side and passed me. I got a new appreciation for young noisy athletes; there was a 24 on the calf of this athlete. So I thought I was still ahead of Larry and there was 3.5 miles to go.

At the 3 mile mark I started to fear I was reading a 60 on the back of another calf and creeping closer it was more competition. I eased past him wondering what he would do when he saw who was passing. For some reason, I was loosing focus on everything but myself, I did not hear any heavy breathing. All the way back on the south side of the lake I could feel my hamstrings protesting (now both sides). I focused everything I had on form. Bobby McGee’s advice rang thru my head constantly, lean, push and arm swing. I did a few exercises Josh Shadle showed me that could be done while running, I thought of my old friend a doctor in Ireland who tragically died at 50 and wondered if he could put in a good word with the boss (I am not religious but it could not hurt). It worked. At about 1/2 mile from the finish I willed then not to cramp and pushed a bit harder. Somehow I felt a presence very close. It was Larry that I passed and he finished 30 sec behind me.

The cramping in the run was the least disruptive of any of my recent races. I have three people to thank for that, Donna, I kept thinking of her mantra as I massaged my leg, Josh for giving me a great work over and some very valuable exercises that I was able to do in the car as I drove down her and a product called Cramp 911 (a topical homeopathic ointment) given to me to test by the developer). It did not stop the cramps completely but I have never recovered so quickly. I think with time the exercises I got from Josh will further diminish the chronic problem I have been having.

I was especially nice to have so many friends at Lubbock. Scott and Ivy Kroger had done the Sprint race, held while the 70.3 gang were out biking and won their AG. They were on hand to welcome us home. Many of the F4 athletes were doing their first ½ and it is always fun to be around people finishing their first long race, or a race of any distance. They are in great hands with Scott and Michael Kelly (Michael raced and had a great day) and the Fast Forward team as they prepare for their first full IM in Louisville. I know you guys will do great, “Will not fail” and have fun. I hope I can do some riding with you as we train for an end of season IM.

Ingrid was not with me at Lubbock but she was in spirit. To settle my mind when it gets too cluttered with negative thoughts I think of those who got me to this point. Parents naturally, two childhood friends no longer with us, the doctor mentioned before and Connor who loaned me he 4 speed racing bike with no brakes and almost got me killed at 10 and of course Ingrid. When I called her after the race she said she was very proud of me. Those of you who know Ingrid know she speaks her mind, like the time she told me I looked like Sh@#, at mile 3 of the run in my first IM in Hawaii. This complement was very special and I it was good to be reminded of how lucky I am.

The Perfect IM (My Plan and Actual Events (italics), IM World Championship 2007)

A wise man suggested to me a week before the race that I very good way to develop the visualization needed for a race like IronMan is to write a story of how you nailed the race before you do it. So hear goes. I plan to add how I did it to this report in italics before I leave the Island.
Previous Days Before the Race
The big taper started almost 4 weeks out with cutback of my long run from 3 to 2.5 hrs and long bike was down from well over 6 hrs to 5. While cutting the long rides I increased the run afterwards with a 1.5 hr run after the 5 hr bike. That last Brick was a breakthrough workout with Power under tight control for the first 4 hrs picking up the pace for the last hour (my race plan). The run was my best ever off the bike and the pace 30-45 sec better than any of my ½ IM races this year. I was a bit giddy after the workout with the success. Thanx have to go to three people how have helped me over the past year and longer. Mike Monastero an old friend and coach who has helped me grow my knowledge of riding with Power. Scott Fliegelman who got me focusing on the important stuff just in time this year, nutrition, pacing and key workouts leading up to the race. Bobby McGee who, starting last year with a 1 hour group session at the Tuesday night track workout and continued this year with private and group workouts, has I believed transformed my running. I know there is much to improve even now but much has been accomplished already.

Since getting to Kona on Monday and for the rest of the time prior to race distances are getting much shorter. The longest workout was a ride from Kawaihae (the end of the Queen K) up to Hawi. This starts out as a series of long rollers gradually gaining altitude to the last 7 miles that is clearly up hill. I warmed up on the rollers and then built to race pace for the hill part. This we hoped (I am rode with a friend Danielle Sullivan who is racing as a Pro for the first time) will also let us test riding in strong winds with or Zipp 808 wheels (Zipp's deepest rim real wheel and 404 up front).

The Day Before
I started the Day early, 5am, with an early night on Wed to make the switch to very early on Saturday morning easy. Breakfast was my favorite per race meal of toast, honey (raw), peanut butter and sliced banana.

I spent some time sending off some emails and updating my journal. Then at 6:30 I headed down to Dig Me Beach, the location of the swim start for an easy 30 min swim. A long warm up was followed by three pickups to race pace. After I turned around I spent the next 5 min anchoring in my mind the view to the finish of the swim sighting every other stroke. Behind the famous King Kam hotel is a tower with a Tsunami warning siren, a very good landmark. A short last session with the ART folks worked out some of my last kinks.

The rest of the day was spent relaxing on the beach, reading a good book and staying well hydrated. All week I have been having one liter each day of a Mineral water recommended by the massage therapist I have been to twice. It is his cure for cramping. It has been going down well so we shall see if it helps. Every other bottle of water I am taking a Salt tablet.

Lunch was a light salad with chicken. Then I headed to the Turtle Beach with my book. .Late afternoon I thoroughly checked the bike and then laid out all my nutrition and equipment needed for the race. Dinner was guess what at the King Kam Carbo dinner. I skipped the after dinner race meeting. Not something I usually do but I wanted to get to bed early again.


Day Before
Got up at 5 again and had my race breakfast and updated my journal. I got back to reading my book for a while. At 8:30 headed out on the bike for a 30 min final test of everything, me and the bike. Then I ran for 18 min along Alii Dr, sure would be nice if things felt that good race day. Big focus on hydration today. Good stretch session after the run.

Snacked on healthy carbs and some protein during the morning and had a light salad lunch again around 11. Then I headed off with my bike and Transition bags to town. First stop a little publicity with the Never Reach inventor, my water tank. After that dropped off my bike and stuff at Transition.

Got home and relaxed on the bed with the book for an hour and then made one final check of what was left of my gear and reviewed my race plan. Prepared the following fluids and food for the race:

Pre Race Hydration: Mix up Glycerol 20% solution.
Initial race fluids and food for the bike: 3 Cliff Bars and 5 gels (enough food to get me to Hawi). 24 oz of water and 12 oz Gatorade (enough to get me past the second aid station 20 miles out). Six packets of Salt Tablets, two per. Three packets of Acid Zapper and Overdrive, one each per.
Bike Special Needs Bag: Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich on whole wheat. 6 gel packets, 4 packets of Salt Tablets. Three packets of AZ and Overdrive.
T2 Supplies: 2 packets of Gel with Caffeine. Four Glucose Tablets. Race Belt with one bottle with Gatorade. 4 packets of Salt Tablets, two packets of Acid Zapper and Overdrive.
Run Special Needs: 6 packets of Gel with Caffeine. Four Glucose Tablets. 4 packets of Salt Tablets, two packets of Acid Zapper and Overdrive.
Post Race Needs: 2 Acid Zapper, one Overdrive.

Dinner at 5 included poached salmon and stir fry veggies. Sat in the hot tub for 10 min and did some light stretching. Got out the Loofah and followed Bobby McGee’s recommended exfoliation procedure to insure lots of sweating on Saturday before getting to bed at 8.


RACE DAY: Pre Race Breakfast
Alarm went off at 3:45. Breakfast at 4 was the usual. At 4:15 I started into another recommendation of Bobby’s, hyper hydration using Glycerol. I used Glycerol several years ago and based on his recommendation have tried it before a long Brick three weeks ago and the Open Water Race I did last Saturday. It works. While digesting that I covered the bare minimum of skin with suntan lotion, another Bobby recommendation. Took care of other necessities, suited up and headed down Alii with Ingrid and supplies.
Equipment Check
Drop off Special Needs Bags
Tire pressure 135 psi
Fill Fluid Tanks
Check Wheels and Brakes
Clear Power Meter
Set Gear in 50-19
Add food to Transition Bags
Warm Up
One hour from the start I found a quiet spot near the King Kamehameha’s and started my warm up routine, muscle activation, dynamic drills, and an easy jog. At T-30 minutes dropped off my post race bag at T2 and headed to the water, the line is long (so far this is what happened).

After taking in the start scene and looking out for friends, spotted Barry and Jodee on the stands. (I missed a few important points here. Had to pee of course and I also let my mind wander and think about the five other times I stared up at Hualalai. There were no clouds this year but you could see the humidity in the air as the sun lit up more and more of the top of the mountain. In the sun you could see the haze, below it was not visible. The demarcation line was sharp as a razor. Houses on the slopes stood out between the green of the tropical rain forrest climate. Yes, I am reasonably sure that 1,500 ft above Kona the climate changes from an almost desert climate to rain forrest.) I got in the water with about 10 minutes to the start. The start line is about 4 min of swimming from the beach; I got there with nice long strokes thinking of my constant admonitions to my master’s team, MDPS.


Swim
At most past races I have stuck myself in the middle of the pack about 4 or 5 rows back. This time I am a bit more conservative moving a bit further away from the buoy line but slightly closer to the start line. Wisps of Clouds are trailing off over Kailua Bay from the top of Hualalai 8,000 ft Peak; it is a morning I have come to know quite well. Man did that not go to Plan. I must have selected the spot were all the high testorone one men, and women, lined up. It was the most difficult start of my career. I got mounted more than one, kicked in the face several time and that kept happening at every buoy until almost the turnaround.

First 10 min
A recent Triathlete article by an old NY friend suggested doing catch up drill at the start of a triathlon with the idea that it protects your face from errant feet. I give it a go (a total impossibility. I don't quite know what kind of stroke I was doing, probably a combination doggy paddle, side stroke and simply just getting pushed alone) as a gun goes off and the coral reefs disappear in a cloud of bubbles. A second benefit that I discover is that it focuses you on your stroke. Hawaii as usual is not as bad a madhouse at the start as mainland races are. Number of athletes help, much fewer, but also better swimmers who know that kicking hard at the start of an 8-17 hour day is a bad idea.
First Leg
It takes about 10-15 min for the crowd to thin out a bit but there are still plenty of fast feet to follow and progress is good (as you read above that did not happen). I am now sighting every 10th stroke and keeping an eye on others in-between for navigation. I have started my new kick technique of letting my feet collide for a few kicks to wake up the calf muscles, it seemed to help in several practice swims. I go through a mental stroke check after each sighting to stay in the grove.

It is always hard to see the sail boat at the turn around buoy at the start but now it is very visible. Progress seems to be good but I am keeping the enthusiasm in check, there is a lot more to the day and from swimming out here the last week I know that the current if any is always carrying you out not back.

Approaching the boat I sight a bit more to determine how many bodies may be going around at the same time and were the anchor line is running. I aim for a spot about 10 feet out from the boat and get around without serious body contact (finally the plan happened).
Return
As I swim out to the second boat, about 100 yards apart, I sight for signs of current off the hull and anchor lines (a nice idea in theory). Non noticeable out here but I will be doing the same on the Buoys on the way back. I want to know the direction of the current more than its strength out here (I have not been out this far on practice swims.

Closer in I know the current is going to carry me away from the buoy line a bit and I sight every 6 strokes on the way back. Sighting is a bit of a challenge in the swells (there were not any) and the timing, sight on top of a swell, is essential. By now I have the wave pattern in my head.

All of the new things I am trying to eliminate the calf cramps are working. I can feel the warning signs of trouble and when they happen I got to foot tapping (I also found that twisting my foot out and down helped). The pier is now visible and it looks like I have made it to the finish without problems (The buoy line on the return was lined up with the beach to the west of the end of the pier, the pier is a long rectangle with the short side facing us as wee swim in. About 400 yards to the short side the course made a slight right turn to get around to the east side and Dig Me Beach. I did not make a sharp enough turn and I realized also that there was a current sweeping us from right to left. I picked up the pace and was less than 100 yards from the corner when my left calf cramped and it was a bad one. I probably lost 5th place right there because not only did I stop moving forward but the current was carrying me away from that corner). 01:32:00 is on the clock as I exit the water, that’s from the pro start so I have just swam my second fastest non wetsuit swim in 1:17, a good start to the day. (Despite the cramp I am still back on land in 1:18 and change)


T1
Bike: The Escape from Kona (first 15 miles)
My average power goal for the bike is around 180 Watts. Based on what I have learned from Mike and others the closer you can keep the output to your goal the better. Some variation is OK and I am trying to stay within 30 watts of this goal.

It is very hard to contain myself the first 6 miles (hard is not the word when I am being passed on the hills but I did a good job). I was focused on other things the first 400 yds getting away from Transition and up a slight hill to Kuakini Rd. Once I got my feet in my shoes and strapped in I got the Watts under control. The next challenge was the climb up the Queen K to the top of Palani. I did fine not going over 220. I realized now that I have a power meter how hard I used to go up this hill.

There is almost no choice but to coast down Palani as it is a no passing zone. a good opportunity to start sipping some water (I am taking Dave Scott’s advice and drinking just water for the first 20 min). Then came the long climb up to the top of Kuakini, about 2 miles. I am getting better with a peak of 215. The decent back down is a bit hair rising. There is a lot of traffic, bikes that is. Going up Palani, which has the steepest grade of the race I cheat and for a few seconds get up to my AT Power of 260.

The Queen K, now I have to get serious about pacing. It is tempting to hammer here. The wind is calm or a slight breeze from behind. Speed climbs to 22-3 easily and it is tempting to maintain this as the grade changes slightly from positive to negative. But with frequent checks of the Power meter I keep things under control. I am actually shooting for a 175 average for the first half of the ride something I have done with great benefit to my running in training. (I did quite well for the first 10 miles with a Norm power of 191 watts. Norm Power is something like the average power without counting coasting down hill. That's not an exact description but good enough for today. The Queen K for the first 3 miles is a construction zone, they are adding two lanes. They throttled us down to a narrow three bike width lane with cones on one side and the yellow line on the other, inside of that was a lane for running. Why they did that so early in the morning I don't know but it was DUMB. Both Harry and I almost hit a cone and as many of you know Natasha did with very sad consequences. I sure hope she can come back and stun us once again with her athletic ability next year. Through the grapevine I have heard a comment from a Massage Therapist that he has never worked on anyone with such
healthy muscles. )
Speed is frustratingly slowing down as I climb up a slight grade to the Airport turn off but I am staying in the zone. It’s 30 min into the race and I am now stating my nutrition eating every 20 min and drinking every 5. First up ½ a Cliff Bar. (Got that right and it is the first time I have started eating and drinking so early in this race)

Airport to Waikoloa (Next 15m)
Getting out to the West Hawaii Vet’s Cemetery is in my mind the first milestone of the race. You are now out in nothing but Lava. The traffic has thinned a bit but there is still plenty of company passing and being passed. There is a long decent out to Waikoloa and if there is going to be some ugly wind this is were it will start. Hydration is on schedule and I picked up my first refuel of Gatorade

So far the forecast has been quite accurate. Winds have not turned real nasty, about 10-15 mph crosswinds. I am still doing well with the eating and drinking, power is under control and I have averaged a bit over 20 mph as I approach the turn off to the Hilton and the first timing mats. (Madame Pele is not being as kind as last year. She surprised us with headwinds starting around the airport, never seen that before. They were not strong but got stronger and veered a bit east as we got to Waikoloa. It was subtle but I was going much slower than a training ride with Barry a few days earlier.)

Crossing the mats makes me think of friends following me online, other friends in the race and friends no longer with us. My childhood friend who tragically died in a car accident is always with me on the bike. He was the only kid in my town who has an 8 speed racing bike. It almost killed me going down a hill in my home town because, unknown to me, it had no brakes but it was my start in bicycling. My father is also with me especially in the water swimming with his one leg. And, I am on the lookout for One Arm Willy. He almost beat me out of the water in 2001 with one arm. Then we rode near each other for the entire race. Only the other day when I was out here in high winds did it dawn on me that he survived 50+mph gusts holding on with just one arm. Any wind ahead will no longer be a big deal to me. (Willy was not here this year but I did pass two hand cycles before Waikoloa. Ingrid had asked me how these guys swam without legs or paralyzed legs. Here was the proof and they go very fast thank you. Connor if you had set up my brakes for this race it would have been fine if the pads were missing. I only needed them twice the whole day, Hawi and the finish, and could have scraped the handlebars along a wall as I did 50 years ago to slow me down. An expensive thought with my Vuka aerobars.)

Waikoloa to Kawaihae Harbor
I have to be mentally prepared for slowing down if I am to maintain my power output from here to Hawi. The long decent is over and there are a series of big rollers and then a fast downhill to Kawaihae. I am using the uphill parts to stretch out with some out of the saddle climbs.

Fuel and Fluids continue to go down on schedule with the help of my watch alarm and I have picked up some water from the Aid station at the Hilton.

I am getting better at maintaining my power goal on the rollers keeping it within a range of 150-210 and most of the time a bit narrower than that. (Norm Power was a bit high here in retrospect, 181 watts, I think I would have been better off if I had kept it below 180. Hydration and fuel was on the money, I had 500 calories in me from Cliff Bars and two Gatorade bottles + water a little over two hours. There was some feeling that it would be nice to pee but for some reason, perhaps the Glycerol, I did not pee on the entire ride, but T2 was sure slow.)

Kawaihae is in sight, it would have been much earlier it I had dared to look into the distance, you can see the town 30 miles away (I did that anyway and it was not scary but reasuuringly familar, I am getting to know this place.). The downhill into the village, and the main harbor on the west side of the Big Island, was fast, average speed is still right around 20 (Unfortunatly that was not the case, it was just above 19. I think I would have been on target if conditions were like last year but they were not).


Kawaihae to Hawi
We (Danielle and I) rode this part of the course a week before the race, conditions were ugly and I wondered about the wisdom of racing with a deep rim front wheel that day. The good news is that the wind is not as bad so far. Power output peaked a bit high, 260, going up the steep hill out of the village but only for a few seconds. Food and Fuel is on target and I picked up more Gatorade and Water at the Aid Stations before Hawi. (Peak power was a bit more than planned at 317 but not for long. Norm power was good for this climb at 181 but I was about to start paying for going a bit too hard at the start)

Thoughts of Lunch, Peanut Butter and Honey loom larger as I get to the turnaround and the Special needs bag. The ride is going well, I am eating and drinking well and for the first time in this race it looks like I will have to stop for a pee around the half way point.

Hawi to Kawaihae
This is the twelfth time passing thru Hawi on a bike, 6 races and 6 training rides, the place looks very familiar. The sandwich is going down well as is the speed downhill. Sandwich eating has become a fine art thanks to some wild rides down this road. This time conditions are not the best I have seen but not the worst. Wind is 10-15 mph from behind for about 3 miles then as we turn from a westerly direction to South it becomes a cross wind. Eventually the wind switches to a sea breeze from the SW. It was cloudy at Hawi but as we get back to Kawaihae the sun comes out again. Kona way off in the distance is overcast, the forecast is correct. (Winds were higher than I had hoped getting upwards of 25 I suspect. For the first time I took a look out at the channel between Hawaii and Hawi. It was 25 to 35 out there and sailing would be wild. Just as those thoughts went through my head things got wild on the road. I had one hand dipping into my zip lock bag for another bite of sandwitch when a wild crosswind gust caught me. I was traveling over 40 mph and I thought I was dead. It was a dam good thing no one was passing me. It was a wake up call. I kept eating my PBJ, the wind was not going to postpone lunch, but it did have me watching out for potential gust spots, abrupt ends to hedges, high sides to the road ending in an open field ect. It was wild for about 6 miles as I expected and I was passing lots of bikes. Norm Power dropped to 164 on this section as expected with all the downhill but somewhere I peaked at 353)

Power is a bit low coming down the long mostly downhill road from Hawi. I refuel at the last Aid station before the village

Kawaihae to Waikoloa
This is where I usually find out if I have gone too hard on the bike; we are 36 miles out from Kona. It starts with the second steepest climb of the course. At the top is a welcome sound, my name being shouted by friends, Janet and Dan Sullivan and someone else I could not identify. Then follows a series of step ups to the high point before descending into Kona at the Cemetery. It is beginning to look like I have got the power right, average power is right at 180, a bit above what I targeted to this point but not far off (Things did go well up to this point but not any more. Dispite making a consious effort my power dropped to 170. I am not sure if this was focus or fatague, probably both. I did realize this was happening but I was now passing more and more bikes so I thought I must have done something right). I now need to maintain this and if feeling good perhaps a bit more. I wait to pass Waikoloa before pushing just slightly harder.


Waikoloa to Airport
I cross the timing mats again thinking of friends and start looking out for Donkeys (and singing a verse of "It's a long way to Tipperary". I guess I was having fun). Yes there are Donkeys in Hawaii, wild ones abandoned by their Sugar Cane Plantation Owners over 40 years ago. Power is up (Power was down but I was feeling good) and I am feeling very good. Average speed is down to a bit over 19 mph. This is very encouraging as it looks like I will be back at T2 by about 2:20. Doing the math that could mean a PR for this course of about 11:20

The watch is still keeping me honest and I am fueling and fluiding on schedule. These hills are not too hard on their own but we are back to the SW sea breeze that sent us flying out of Kona. Progress has slowed but the effort is only just above the goal (The sea breeze that slowed us going out had switched and was doing the same thing coming home. I was very focused on my legs trying to judge if they were ready for a run and perhaps I was trying to save them a bit by reducing power which was down to 170).

There is a landmark at the West Hawaii Vet’s Cemetery; a very old cinder cone that is getting bigger and bigger, around the corner is the Airport and a mostly downhill ride home


The Ride Home
There is nothing like a 25mph breeze on your face to make one feel good and the downhill past the airport is providing lots of good feelings. This can be an ugly part of the course as the sea breeze is often stiff. In 2004 it was so and we were doing 15-18 mph on the downhill. Last year it was a tail wind this year it is strong but more west than south west and the yaw angle for the Zipp wheels must be at their optimum. The forecasted cloud cover is above us and it looks like it will probably rain as was predicted. (Wrong and Wrong, the sea breeze is in our face and getting stonger, yes I had a 25 mph wind in my face but the bike was not going that fast. Still I felt good. I was going to get home in time to make a race PR if I could run like last year and at that point I was sure I could)

I need to pee again rather badly, it will mean a slow T2 but I think that is good news. Some years I have not pee’d until well into the run.

The big test is coming, can I run into and out of T2. I did for the first time last year and it looks like I will be able to do so again. I just better be ready mentally for a disappointment.

T2
So far so good, I ran in with voices calling my name, sorry guys if I did not acknowledge you all but it was a great welcome. Changing went fast, I sure needed to pee, great news but slow and I am running out, even better news. I sure hope that my competition can not do what one of my younger friends can do, pee on the run. I never knew why a Chlorine bottle was in her post race kit, until I learned of that trick.

I have my race number on my fuel belt with one bottle of water and caffeinated gels for use staring in about 90 minutes, hopefully when I get back to town. I also have 4 Glucose tablets and 8 Salt Tablets.

The legs don’t feel great but they are running and at a reasonable pace as I run out to the timing mats. It is 7 hours and 22 min into the race. The plan is to make it very easy to Lava Java, mile 1, then, a just easy to the Turnaround. Ultimate goal is a sub 4 hr marathon

(Well I did run thru transition but it was not fast and I did not feel as strong as last year. The pee took forever. Are there any doctors reading this who could perform some miracle that would let me pee on the bike and in the water, that alone cost me fifth place. Still no complaints I had come very close to getting the bike ride nailed. My optomistic power goal was a bit over 180, 77% of my AT power. A more realistic number was 175 and I cam home with 176, thanks Mike. Nutrition was the best ever by far, thanx Scott. I had two gels left in my pockets and had picked up fluid at every other aid station after the intial supplies ran out 90 min from the start. The proof positive that this was a successess unfoalded in the next 26.2 miles.)

Run: To Lava Java
More voices accompany me out of T2. Fortunately I do recognize one of them and stop for a sweaty kiss. Ingrid looks almost as tired as I do, they should give awards to spectators (sorry Ingrid missed that opportunity, perhaps if I had run over from the opposite side of the road and taken the time to give you a kiss I would have had more energy to run faster later).

Got to Lava Java and mission accomplished, pace was about 8:45. I am now picking it up 5-6 sec faster. I have been thinking lean, foot down, cadence, hands pulling a string from somewhere just above and in front of my head. The many sessions with Bobby the past 6 months are about to pay off.
To Turnaround
First Aid station is ahead just past mile 1 and I consume a Gel before a fast mincing walk thru the getting water a replacement gel and an ice bath. (and finding Bobby McGee on the other side. He said I looked good and I felt I did but it was sure nice hearing that from a world expert)

The first small hills on Alii look so easy when training but now it is a bit of a different story. I focus on form and the hill seems smaller. What a contrast to 2001 when I walked up all of the 5-6 inclines on Alii.

Hamstrings are telling me that they have been working but so far have not cramped. I stop for a short stretch of the left leg that seems to be in the most trouble (Yes they were telling me a sad story but no worse than most of the rest of me. I am past the spot were I cramped once last year and several times in the earlier races. I am geting a bit giddy, pace is under 9 min miles, not quite as good as my dream race but that was more than I realy expected. What is making me real happy is the slugish feel for the first 3 miles is drifing away. After the trunaround I hook up with a 50 year old and start chatting, the pace seemed to get faster for a while). I also start sipping on my water bottle about half way between each aid station and take my first two salt tablets. The plan is that every other mile I will pick up a Gel and eat it just before the next station. Every 30 min I will take a salt tablet. Ice and sponges will be taken at each station.

As I approach the turnaround I see an older gent who could be my age moving slowly back to Kona.

At the Turnaround I check progress, even at this pace I will come close to my goal and once on the Queen K I hope to pick it up as the temps drop with the lowering sun. I catch up with my target and he is 62. No special tactics are needed to get past.


Back to Kona Village
It is hard to keep my growing excitement under control. A mile past the turnaround I feel ready to up the pace a bit but hold back a bit longer. I want to get to Palani with the feeling that I can run up it I have yet to do that in this race. I will start using my caffeinated gels a mile out from town and keep that up for the rest of the race. (I had spotted friends Barbara and Harry on the way out. I knew I would not catch up to Barbara but Harry did not seem to be having a great run. I was right, I caught up to him walking just before we got back to town and found Nancy at the same time, time for a Photo Op. Harry was having a wee problem with gas. Still he was game for my pace for about a mile, thank for the company Harry)

I test a bit more speed on the last downhill into town and then settle back to a bit easier pace (Did that but the sun was out as we left the trees along Alii and the heat suddenly felt opressive), it felt good. It is also good to be back in the crowds. I can feel some extra energy coming my way.

Goal number 1 has been achieved. I missed Cam Brown pulling off a stunning win this year and upsetting all the experts predictions I also missed Macca and Faris finishing second and third but did see the rest of the initial parade of finishers. (I sure don't know nothing about picking winners)


Palani Hill
I am sure this is a challenge to everyone including the best. I start up just above a walking pace; the first 100 yards are the steepest. I get over that crest and I know there will be no need to walk, except at the aid station at the top. The effort is hard but not too much so. My mind is kept off this by hearing my name and finding Ingrid again. She is buried behind others so no kiss this time. (None of that happened. I chickend out of running up most of the hill. My excuse to myself was that it was getting very hot. If only I had know that I had closed 5 min of the gap to second place at that time)

The second and third competitors ahead of me are walking up the hill and they are well behind me as I turn onto the Queen K. (I never saw one competitor the entire run but in looking at the results I did pass one person in my AG)
Queen K to Top of Energy Lab
This has been a hard part of the course for me in the past, last year it was way better and this year it started even better with an easy fast pace down the first hill. I am now 11 miles into the run and have maintained an 8:50 pace so far, a bit faster than that between each aid station.

There is a big glow coming up the road towards me, it is Natasha with no one in sight behind her, I wish her well. (There was a glow somewhere along that road but I did not see her. Chrissie Wellinton, from her acceptance speach must have been glowing brighter than the sun at that point in the race as she had it in the bag. Again the rest of my predictions are way off) I note the time on my watch. Four min later Desiree is in hot pursuit with Miss Jones not far behind. I could forget what I am out here for if I am not careful. That is going to be an exciting finish.

The feeding fueling routine is going well, consume a gel just before an aid station, get water and an ice bath and get running again in less than a minute. Between every other station I have another salt tablet and now an Acid Zapper Tablet. The Glucose is ready for when/if things get a bit unglued. (In hindsight I should have been using up my Glucose tablets at this point. I was slowing down and did not know it. I was also taking too much time in the Aid stations. I was so happy about the fact that the only time I had walked so far was in the Aid stations and on Palani. I had alson not cramped, a whole new way to run an IM Marathon. These facts and what seemed like a good pace made me hold off on the Glucose.)

The short uphill then down to the Harbor turnoff goes quickly, now it is a long climb first to a short flat section by Costco and then another moderate but mile long grade. Think positive, this is downhill on the way home and mile 13 is getting close.

1:55 min and I am just past mile 13. It requires a bit more mental effort to get going after each aid station but it does come back (this was not happening, see comments above). I think of my last session with Bobby practicing walking thru an aid station and taking a bottle from him every mile. He also comes in handy with my frequent reviews of my body position (that I was doing).

Fueling must be working also as I stop to pee at the top of the Energy Lab road and visualize a fast mile ahead (that had happened earlier and was another milestone in this race).


Down to Energy Lab Turnaround
(Bobby materizes beside me as I walk thru the Aid station at the top of the hill and immediatly askes if I am lucid and passes on some other advice which I take. I had planned to take a Glucose tablet at the start of the decent and I am encouraged to do so. About three minutes down the hill the sun gets brighter, but it is not the sun it is me. I have tried Glucose tablets in training but never with the fatague that has set in in my body. I could not believe what was happening to me. The sun dancing up and down over the rim of my sunglasses was anoying but I realized that I would not have noticed this 5 min ago. Distances seem to take on more focus and I knew that I would be eating Glucose from here to Alii Drive.) The sun, what we can see of it thru the overcast is lowering. The Energy Lab road looks almost welcoming and downhill is indeed fast. My pace starts out near an 8 min mile and creeps under that (that was a nice dream but I was going well under 9). I check my HR to make sure I am not going over my goal max of 118 (HR monitor had failed in the swim and I never got it going again. I will not be racing with one in the future for running. My AT HR is so low and therefore ranges so narrow that I am much better off going on percieved exersions)

My contingency plan for cooling off is not going to be necessary again this year. There is a tidal pool that is fed by water from an underground stream coming from Mona Loa. It is about 65 deg at low tide and you can smell the sulfur. I am tempted to hop in anyway but I have a date I want to keep on Alii Dr.
Back to Queen K
At special needs I pick up more caffeinated gels, salt, acid zapper and glucose tablets. I pop my first Glucose tablet as I turn back up the hill.

As I start up the hill I realize that the old hamstrings have been very good to me this year and there is no sign of problems. So I get brave and push a bit maintaining just under a 9 min pace (more dreaming but I did go back up quite well). While there are no specific problems with all my running parts they are feeling like they could use a rest. I passed one of my competitors on this hill last year and do so again.


Top of NELA Rd to Costco
10 miles to go. If I can get this done in less than 95 min I will have set a new PR for the Marathon and the race. I may be delusional but I think I might even set a PR for any of my races (not including flat Florida). If that happens I will be home before sun down for the first time. (Those dreams are out the window but I have lost track of time a bit and I think I am still doing well, under 11:45 total. I can no longer read my watch in the declining light which explains my delusions but I feel strong and the periodic Glucose kick is magic. )

The grade trend is downhill all the way to the Harbor turnoff and my pace varies between 8:15 and 8:45. I realize I am gaining on a gent with a 60 on his leg, I slow a bit to run behind him for a few minutes and then pick up the pace and surge past, he does not respond. That’s the fifth competition that I know I have passed and none, that I know of have passed me.
Costco to Top of Palani
The last part of this run is the hardest. We will go down hill for a bit less than another mile then comes a sort climb and more descending to the Harbor turnoff. Another short up and down and then it gets rough. A long climb with an increasing grade to the top of Palani, the last climb of the race.

My vital signs are telling me that this better be over soon but I am still running at my dream pace just shy of 8 min, on the downhill. I managed 8:45 on the first short climb and back up to 8:15 coming into the aid station at mile 23. If I can keep this up I am now on track for something under 3:55, yahoo!!

I drive up and down the short hill and prepare myself for the last big climb. Then the magic sounds of the finish line reach me on the wind (no such luck. It is probably my hearing because the wind is in the right direction and this is were I heard Mike in 2001). It is a most welcome and inspiring sound. I pop my second Glucose tablet (I think this was number 4 or 5 at this point) as I start up and it kicks in quickly as Bobby promised. My pace is 8:45 going up the hill.

Adrenalin is kicking in as I turn down Palani and for the first time I see a solid sub 8 min pace on the hill. It is not doing my joints any good and I shorten my stride to get things a bit more comfortable, the pace holds.


Palani to Alii Rd
(As I round the corner at the top of the hill I hear a "Nice Job 282" followed by a "Nice Job 285" It takes a few seconds to let this bit of intelligence to sink in, I have competition on my sorry ass. Caution goes to the wind as I crank it up downhill. That 400 yards of downhill running is probably why my knees hurt today. Anyway at the bottom I hear no feet behind me but I have had another Glucose tablet on the way down to get me to the finish line. I push hard as I dare on the oh so long 1/4 mile to the second last right turn of the course. I look over my shoulder, no signe of the competiton) I let my mind wander a bit on this downhill about all my friends and family who have made this possible, I am very lucky to be alive and doing this.
Experience tells me to watch out for this last mile running away from the finish and I take one last Glucose tablet at the bottom of Palani and make a special effort to maintain my pace. I know once I get to Alii I will be on automatic. It is very hard but it feels good now and it won’t be long. Pace is under 8:30 and I am going to finish about 3:53, Oh am I on a high.


The last ½ mile
It is still daylight (It's night time, bummer). I don’t think the sun has even set and I am finishing the marathon in 3:52 or 3, qualifying for Boston, I wonder if I will go. I wonder if I am in the top five. This year I do see Ingrid at the finish shute were the clock reads 11:16 and change. A 20 min improvement on last years PR.

(Well the finish dream was not as planned but it sure was exciting. I must have taken the last Glucose tablet right at the right time. I was on the biggest high ever on Alii, and I am not just taking about racing and I did inhale a few times. Never before has my pace picked up the way it did the last 200 yards and thank goodness it did because number 285 was right behind me, 6 sec away. The only dissapointment was seeing the clock. My first reaction it was displaying the time from the pro start. Good thing I thought that way as it might have slowed me down thinking that I was so slow.)


Post Race
Pizza, Ingrid, water, ice cream, not quite in that order but it all goes down very well. I may be tired but I am on a cloud.

I knew in 2001-2 and even 3 I had a lot more in me than shown in the results. 2004 got messed up by cramps in the swim but still was a breakthrough year mentally. 2006 gave me an idea what was really possible with the 4:06 marathon, this year, well it all came together. (It did all come together but not with quite the results I had hoped for. Conditions were not as benine. Winds were not so gentle temps were hotter and the clouds did not do much to help. As a measure of the impact the fastest bike in my AG was 5:46, almost 20 min faster than the best last year. No one went under 3:45 and I think several did last year. That 3:45 was set by the chap who was 6 sec behind me, Scott Balfour from the UK. I also had the best help ever and I know that counts for a bunch. Mike has been counseling me on the benefits of Power training on the bike and two years of that finally got me to rind within my limits allowing me to run. Bobby got the running form to a much higher level, but I think there is more to that still, and Scott got me focused on my other critical deficiency, nutrition, and he helped me test that out in several key workouts leading up to the race. There have been many others who have given me ideas and insights into how to do this race, my team mates in NY and then Boulder, my training buddy Barry who reminded me to listen to my own advice recently, and it is not bad advice if I say so myself. And most important to all those voices, acknowledged or not who willed me on my way around the Big Island this year. Perhaps that was the secret of this race, I had the largest group of fiends on the sidelines cheering me on and when I went past the most important she revised her comment from the first year from, “You look like Shit” to “Wow, you don’t look like Shit this time” I still kissed her.

Natasha did make it in first but she had to hustle the last few miles, Deserie was just 45 sec back having passed Michelle as they turned on to Alii. Danielle did not make 10th as I was secretly hoping but she had a great race finishing in the top 50% of the Pro's, what an accomplishment. My other friends from Boulder and NY I think did very well from what Ingrid told me. What a day.

As I knew before the race I had a bunch of friends new and old to thank for getting me to Kona and racing I believe close to my potential. Notice I said close. That can be translated into I have not had enough of this race. For the second time I crossed the finish line thinking I want to do this again and go faster. That happend last year but before that 24 hours had to pass before I was ready to admit to Ingrid that I was not done with this racing. I have done a lot of thanking of people in ths report but missed her out. I blame that oversight because she is always there for me. She says some funning things about my passion and does not trully understand it, not sure I do either. In 2001 as I ran up to her on Alii at mile 2 the comment was "You look like Shit" This year she thought I look very hot in my new red while and blue tri suit. She was worried when I did not make it to the finish in under 12 hours that I would be very dissapionted. I was for a few seconds but her greating at the back of the finish line banished that thought for the night (love you Ingrid).

I am I must admit dissapointed that I did not push a bit harder, hustle through transition a bit faster or got going a bit quicker out of each Aid station. Just under 12 hours would have put me ahead of the chap in front of me, Charlie Windus (an old friend and rival) but 30 sec or so. But this is also motivation for the next time.