Thu - June 29, 2006
Ironman CDA 2006
Final result: 10:23:30. 67th overall and 20th in
my age group. The final Kona slot in my age group (35-39) went to the 17th
placed person who finish at 10:20:57. Oh, so close!
Friday:
Biked 2 hours at or below IM pace, then spent the day at Silverwood with the
family
Saturday: Biked with Mitch, Hack, Chris and Dan for about 40 minutes, then ran 20 minutes off the bike easy (HR ~135)
Sunday: Even though I know enough not to have time goals for an Ironman, I did have in my head the following time targets that I felt would indicate if I was on pace for a 10 hour finish. Based upon my abilities I felt the following times were realistic:
Swim and T1: 1:10:00
Bike and T2: 5:15:00
Run: 3:35:00
Woke up at 4:30 AM. Drank a Yoplait Nouriche and mixed a 1000 calories of Sustained Energy with fruit juice. Drank the smoothie by 5:00 AM, while mixing up my 2 Perpetum bike bottles (800 cals each).
My nutrition plan was the following: 4 packs of 5 Endurolytes for the bike taken 1 pack per hour. 1 bike bottle of Perpetum and 1 bottle of water to start the bike with. Put the other bottle of Perpetum in special needs. I had a fuel belt for the run with 3 packs of 5 Endurolytes and 2 Hammer gel flasks.
Headed down to the start around 5:30 AM. Did the usual set up: pump up tires, put on bike computer, put bike bottles on bike. Turned in special needs bags and then stretched and listened to music. At 6:35 AM, the volunteers started yelling at people to get to the beach. So, I put on my wetsuit, put my warm up clothes in my Dry Clothes bag and dropped it into the designated area.
Race summary: I started my swim in the center of the pack and right behind Scott Davis, a very fast swimmer I met at Epic Camp NZ. The swim start was great, I got out good and was able to swim a pretty clean race. About half way back on the first loop, my left calf started to cramp. I had to flutter kick and swim on my right side to deal with the cramps. On the second loop my right calf started to cramp. I struggled in the swim to keep the cramps in check. Whenever I tried to get back to swimming fast, I'd cramp.
I exited the water, had a quick transition. I was on my bike and outside of town before looking at my watch, 1:08:00 into the race. I figured I'd been on my bike for at least 5 minutes already, so I was ahead of schedule for the swim and T1. I kept my HR in check and was having a good start of the bike. About halfway up the first big climb in the hills, this guy rides up to me and stares at me with his big mug. It was Liby! I was so shocked to see him it took me a couple seconds to register who he was. It was a hoot! Tom slowly pulled away from me as we rode through the hills.
After the big climb up Spokane hill, and into the descents I was moving fast and closed in on a Support motorcycle. I closed in on him gradually and I yelled that I was behind him when I got close. But then, on the next left turn he completely surprised me by braking hard into the corner, I had to hit my brakes and my back wheel slid out from under me. I recovered and braked again, and again my back wheel slid out. My momentum took me off the road onto the narrowest of shoulders before the hill side dropped away. I was still moving fast and bouncing all over the bike. I barely got back on the road again before hitting a rock the size of a football. I yelled and screamed at the idiot on the motorcycle about how he almost killed me. He kind of waved apologetically and then slipped back behind me. I was furious and had the shakes for probably 20 minutes afterward!
The out and back section in Liberty Lake was nice, there was a stiff tail wind going out and then we were fairly well protected on the way back on the Centennial Trail. The head wind was tough coming back into town, but I stayed low and felt really good when I got back into town. My first loop split was around 2:30. Ahead of schedule I thought. I took it easy, keeping well within my IM pace, through town and out and back along the lake. I felt so good in fact, that when we crossed over the freeway, I picked up the pace and pushed it a little too hard up into the mountains. I felt great and the section in the mountains went by really quickly. Once I was out in the flats again, the winds had changed direction and perhaps strength as well. I was starting to feel a little fatigued from my earlier efforts and I was glad the head winds I experienced on the first loop were no longer there.
I got back into town and approached the transition area and tried to figure out my bike split in my head. I wasn't sure exactly what my first loop split was, but I knew the second lap was at least 15 minutes slower as my final bike time was 5:23. But, I rationalized that I was probably still on pace, as my swim was about as fast as my bike was slow. In T2 had had to switch heart rate straps, so I stripped down top of my one-piece tri-suite as I grabbed my transition bag and entered the change tent. I had my old HR strap off by the time I sat down on an open chair, pulled off my helmet and cycling shoes and began putting on my running shoes. I put on my new HR strap and visor, then grabbed my fuel belt and jogged out of T2. With my fuel belt in hand I jogged out through the crowds, lining the dike road, trying to put my top back on. All the while people were yelling at me to move my race number to the front, this is because the photographers were setup here. I can't wait to see this photo! :-)
I jogged along the dike road, to the college turn around, and I could definitely feel some serious fatigue in my legs. I was running on stumps and kept trying to relax, settle in and run with light feet. But, I was pounding the ground! I was glad for uphill section heading through town, as I felt I'd be able to smooth out my pounding going up hill. But, it didn't come around. By the 4 mile marker I was struggling. I had to stop and pee, and decided this may be a good thing as it will give me a chance to maybe reset, and restart, my run again. I ran along the rich neighborhood of Lakeshore Dr. still trying to shake out my legs. I struggled out on Coeur d'Alene Lake Dr. and started to get depressed that my running form, which I had put so much time into training for, wasn't coming together. Then I saw Mitch around mile 8. This alone picked me up and reminded me that there were other people I was racing for other than just myself. He said the typical coaching words of encouragement and I continued on to the turnaround. I really focused on getting my running form back and when I saw Mitch again he said something that resonated with me more then the previous words of encouragement. He said not to be disillusioned, there was a lot of attrition happening in the race, and I was having a great race to this point, so don't loose focus and screw it up now.
He was right. I was having a good race, other than my painfully slow and cumbersome running, I had been on my targeted race pace, I wasn't suffering in the heat, and my nutrition was good. I didn't stop at another aide station until the 22 and the 24 mile markers. I started to feel like I was cruising, though I was running around 8:45 to 8:50 per mile pace.
When I finished I was actually very pleasantly surprised at my finish time. I didn't really know where I was. I had been taking mile splits where I could, but the inconsistent mile markers made it difficult. There were a lot of people walking and it made it a little hard to run though the crowds of people who were walking 3 and 4 abreast.
As I ran into town and could see straight down the road to the finish line, the crowds of people on the first loop turned off and I was shocked to find myself alone. For the 1/4 to 1/2 mile of road down to the finish I could see one person way ahead and no one behind. I ran down the center of the road, with people lining the road on both sides. It was great! I found my daughters waiting near the finish line and they ran with me across the finish line. I thought I was well over a 10:40:00 finish, so seeing 10:23 was a pleasant surprise.
T2 to Turn 1: 6:46
Turn 1 to 2: 1:03:12
Turn 2 to 3: 57:57
Turn 3 to 4: 59:58
Turn 4 to finish: 46:02
Overall Run: 3:53:53
Final result: 10:23:30. 67th overall and 20th in my age group. The final Kona slot in my age group (35-39) went to the 17th placed person who finish at 10:20:57. Oh, so close!
Saturday: Biked with Mitch, Hack, Chris and Dan for about 40 minutes, then ran 20 minutes off the bike easy (HR ~135)
Sunday: Even though I know enough not to have time goals for an Ironman, I did have in my head the following time targets that I felt would indicate if I was on pace for a 10 hour finish. Based upon my abilities I felt the following times were realistic:
Swim and T1: 1:10:00
Bike and T2: 5:15:00
Run: 3:35:00
Woke up at 4:30 AM. Drank a Yoplait Nouriche and mixed a 1000 calories of Sustained Energy with fruit juice. Drank the smoothie by 5:00 AM, while mixing up my 2 Perpetum bike bottles (800 cals each).
My nutrition plan was the following: 4 packs of 5 Endurolytes for the bike taken 1 pack per hour. 1 bike bottle of Perpetum and 1 bottle of water to start the bike with. Put the other bottle of Perpetum in special needs. I had a fuel belt for the run with 3 packs of 5 Endurolytes and 2 Hammer gel flasks.
Headed down to the start around 5:30 AM. Did the usual set up: pump up tires, put on bike computer, put bike bottles on bike. Turned in special needs bags and then stretched and listened to music. At 6:35 AM, the volunteers started yelling at people to get to the beach. So, I put on my wetsuit, put my warm up clothes in my Dry Clothes bag and dropped it into the designated area.
Race summary: I started my swim in the center of the pack and right behind Scott Davis, a very fast swimmer I met at Epic Camp NZ. The swim start was great, I got out good and was able to swim a pretty clean race. About half way back on the first loop, my left calf started to cramp. I had to flutter kick and swim on my right side to deal with the cramps. On the second loop my right calf started to cramp. I struggled in the swim to keep the cramps in check. Whenever I tried to get back to swimming fast, I'd cramp.
I exited the water, had a quick transition. I was on my bike and outside of town before looking at my watch, 1:08:00 into the race. I figured I'd been on my bike for at least 5 minutes already, so I was ahead of schedule for the swim and T1. I kept my HR in check and was having a good start of the bike. About halfway up the first big climb in the hills, this guy rides up to me and stares at me with his big mug. It was Liby! I was so shocked to see him it took me a couple seconds to register who he was. It was a hoot! Tom slowly pulled away from me as we rode through the hills.
After the big climb up Spokane hill, and into the descents I was moving fast and closed in on a Support motorcycle. I closed in on him gradually and I yelled that I was behind him when I got close. But then, on the next left turn he completely surprised me by braking hard into the corner, I had to hit my brakes and my back wheel slid out from under me. I recovered and braked again, and again my back wheel slid out. My momentum took me off the road onto the narrowest of shoulders before the hill side dropped away. I was still moving fast and bouncing all over the bike. I barely got back on the road again before hitting a rock the size of a football. I yelled and screamed at the idiot on the motorcycle about how he almost killed me. He kind of waved apologetically and then slipped back behind me. I was furious and had the shakes for probably 20 minutes afterward!
The out and back section in Liberty Lake was nice, there was a stiff tail wind going out and then we were fairly well protected on the way back on the Centennial Trail. The head wind was tough coming back into town, but I stayed low and felt really good when I got back into town. My first loop split was around 2:30. Ahead of schedule I thought. I took it easy, keeping well within my IM pace, through town and out and back along the lake. I felt so good in fact, that when we crossed over the freeway, I picked up the pace and pushed it a little too hard up into the mountains. I felt great and the section in the mountains went by really quickly. Once I was out in the flats again, the winds had changed direction and perhaps strength as well. I was starting to feel a little fatigued from my earlier efforts and I was glad the head winds I experienced on the first loop were no longer there.
I got back into town and approached the transition area and tried to figure out my bike split in my head. I wasn't sure exactly what my first loop split was, but I knew the second lap was at least 15 minutes slower as my final bike time was 5:23. But, I rationalized that I was probably still on pace, as my swim was about as fast as my bike was slow. In T2 had had to switch heart rate straps, so I stripped down top of my one-piece tri-suite as I grabbed my transition bag and entered the change tent. I had my old HR strap off by the time I sat down on an open chair, pulled off my helmet and cycling shoes and began putting on my running shoes. I put on my new HR strap and visor, then grabbed my fuel belt and jogged out of T2. With my fuel belt in hand I jogged out through the crowds, lining the dike road, trying to put my top back on. All the while people were yelling at me to move my race number to the front, this is because the photographers were setup here. I can't wait to see this photo! :-)
I jogged along the dike road, to the college turn around, and I could definitely feel some serious fatigue in my legs. I was running on stumps and kept trying to relax, settle in and run with light feet. But, I was pounding the ground! I was glad for uphill section heading through town, as I felt I'd be able to smooth out my pounding going up hill. But, it didn't come around. By the 4 mile marker I was struggling. I had to stop and pee, and decided this may be a good thing as it will give me a chance to maybe reset, and restart, my run again. I ran along the rich neighborhood of Lakeshore Dr. still trying to shake out my legs. I struggled out on Coeur d'Alene Lake Dr. and started to get depressed that my running form, which I had put so much time into training for, wasn't coming together. Then I saw Mitch around mile 8. This alone picked me up and reminded me that there were other people I was racing for other than just myself. He said the typical coaching words of encouragement and I continued on to the turnaround. I really focused on getting my running form back and when I saw Mitch again he said something that resonated with me more then the previous words of encouragement. He said not to be disillusioned, there was a lot of attrition happening in the race, and I was having a great race to this point, so don't loose focus and screw it up now.
He was right. I was having a good race, other than my painfully slow and cumbersome running, I had been on my targeted race pace, I wasn't suffering in the heat, and my nutrition was good. I didn't stop at another aide station until the 22 and the 24 mile markers. I started to feel like I was cruising, though I was running around 8:45 to 8:50 per mile pace.
When I finished I was actually very pleasantly surprised at my finish time. I didn't really know where I was. I had been taking mile splits where I could, but the inconsistent mile markers made it difficult. There were a lot of people walking and it made it a little hard to run though the crowds of people who were walking 3 and 4 abreast.
As I ran into town and could see straight down the road to the finish line, the crowds of people on the first loop turned off and I was shocked to find myself alone. For the 1/4 to 1/2 mile of road down to the finish I could see one person way ahead and no one behind. I ran down the center of the road, with people lining the road on both sides. It was great! I found my daughters waiting near the finish line and they ran with me across the finish line. I thought I was well over a 10:40:00 finish, so seeing 10:23 was a pleasant surprise.
T2 to Turn 1: 6:46
Turn 1 to 2: 1:03:12
Turn 2 to 3: 57:57
Turn 3 to 4: 59:58
Turn 4 to finish: 46:02
Overall Run: 3:53:53
Final result: 10:23:30. 67th overall and 20th in my age group. The final Kona slot in my age group (35-39) went to the 17th placed person who finish at 10:20:57. Oh, so close!
Posted at 11:42 AM
Sat - June 3, 2006
Honu Half Ironman Camp - Race Day
Finish: 4:52:50 Swim: 33:02 Bike: 2:38:01 Run:
1:37:09
4:00 AM wake
up.
Made a fruit smoothie with 4 scoops of Sustained Energy and a little water. Made about 30 oz. Drank before leaving the house. Drank about half a bottle of water on the drive to the race.
The drive took about an hour to get out to the park. It was just getting light when we arrived at 5:30 AM.
Since this was a split transition race, meaning the swim to bike (T1) and the bike to run (T2) transitions were in two different locations, the logistics were kind of interesting. We were allowed to have a swim to run transition bag placed along the runway from the beach. But there were no accommodations for warm up clothes, sandals etc. So, we arrived full dressed in our race clothes. I brought sandals just to protect my feet.
We unloaded the bikes about a mile from the entrance to the park as parking and congestion were a problem, mounted the bikes and coasted downhill into the park with our swim gear in the T1 bag. I took my bike directly to the bike racks and left my shoes clipped to the pedals and then placed my helmet, sunglasses and Everite packs on my handle bars. Then walked over to line to the porta-pots.
I then walked down the runway to beach and noticed where the transition bags were to be placed. Farther down the ramp was a table where water, gatorade, sunscreen were provided. Further down were the showers for rinsing off the salt water. Then the line for body marking was next. At Honu, they mark your age on the left calf in a permanent marker, but then use the number stamps they use for the Ironman World Championships for the arms. Very cool!
After getting my numbers applied I walked back up the runway and applied sunscreen to everywhere exposed and not covered with a number. Then I put my Tyr swimsuit over my Boise Aeros tri-suit and put anti-fog on my goggles. This is when i ran into Greg and shared my anti-fog. We took a couple glasses of water from the table to rinse off the extra anti-fog. I took my swim cap out of my T1 bag and put everything else in them and walked it to the bag drop. Then walked back down to the beach. It was 6:30 AM at this time and I found Brinja and Gant out on the beach and chummed with them until about 20 minutes to 7:00 AM and then went for a 10 minute warm up swim.
It was a little chilly, in and out of the water and I started to get a bit of the chill waiting and had to jog up and down the beach to try to warm back up.
The swim start was really confusing. It's a diagonal start with the right side deep in the water while the left side was supposed to be on the shore. The first swim buoy is to the left and out about 400 yards from short. The race organizers put an extra swim buoy about 30 yards on the left to prevent people from running down the beach to the left before entering the water. But what happened was everyone positioned themselves up on this buoy instead of the correct one. So with a couple a minutes to go, they race organizers were trying to force back the swimmers to the correct starting line. I positioned myself to right and I think there was some advantage of being on the left near the beach, since I felt like I was passing a lot of slower swimmers the first 1500 yards of the swim. The long back section of the swim was really choppy, making it very challenging for a inlander like myself. I felt like I was being beat up and it was difficult to get clear breaths. The main body of the swimmers all went far to the left, farther out to sea, away from the line of buoys the paralleled the shore. I was grateful to find myself alone and swimming a perfect line. The swim was hard enough and not having to fight people or swim extra yardage's was great. The final part of the swim made a 90 right turn to the shore for 300 yards or more before taking another 90 right turn back to the swim start/finish. However, again may swimmers ran off course and after making the 90 right turn to shore, they extended the turn and tried to swim directly back to the start/finish, cutting the final turn. I went straight for the buoy and found myself swimming alone again. Those who tried to cut the corner didn't make it. After making the final turn I could see a guy on a jet-ski rounding them up and directing them back to the buoy.
Swimming the last leg was nice, there was no more chop, I felt good, and I didn't have any cramping issue in my calves. Finish time was 33 minutes and in 146 place, not great but no too bad.
I ran up the beach and through the finish chute and over the timing mat. The runway up to the transition area was packed and moving slow in my opinion. As I approached the shower area I decided a little fresh water would be good and briefly showered off the sea water. Then continued the run up the ramp, grabbed my T1 bag and ran to my bike. No belongings were allowed to be on the ground in this transition area nor was the changing of clothes. However, I put my swim goggles in my T1 bag, pulled off my Tyr swimsuit and put it in the bag. I put on my bike helmet, glasses and put my Everite packs in my back pocket and ran with my bike out of the transition area. Once I crossed the timing mats I jumped on my bike and the shoes, which were attached to my bike, decided to auger into the hillside. I struggled to keep moving uphill while trying to get on top of my shoes and get them to stop inhibiting my forward progress. I finally got onto of the shoes and pedaled up the steepest rises and then tried to coast and get into the shoes. It was very frustrating. In retrospect, next time I'll have my bike shoes in the T1 bag and then put them on before leaving the transition area.
It's a mile or two climb out of the park to the Queen K highway. At the highway the bike route turns right, south, for 6 miles to the entrance to the Mona Lanai Resort. Then we make a U-turn and head back North to Hawi. It was breezy as usual. Climbing the rollers to the left turn at the Akani Pule highway I could feel the fatigue in my legs. Chris Whyte passed me on the last roller before the left turn and I decided to try and stay with him. We made the turn onto Akani Pule highway and the wind was at our back, we flew into the little town topping out at 44 mph! A few miles up the road, literally, up to Hawi, the wind turned into a direct head wind and it rained twice. I was able to hold a pretty steady pace and keep up with Chris until he caught up with and entered a group of riders. They didn't seem to be loosening up, and I didn't want to get a drafting penalty so I held back. At the next aide station I throw my water bottle I had been drinking on exclusively now for the last 30 minutes. Unfortunately, the aid station had taken off the squeeze tops of the water bottles so when I grabbed for water it was an open container. Bummer. Then I noticed rider laying in the middle of the road, still within the aide station. Later I found out this was Chris Whyte who crashed. I decided to try and drink all of the water in the bottle and then toss it. Otherwise, I'd loose the water if I tried to put it into my water bottle cage. It took about a mile to drink all the water. Then I began to systematically, drink on my food bottle. I had some difficulty on my training rides getting down the Perpetuam I normal train and race with, so this time I had 3 scoops of HEED and two hammer gels in my food bottle. About 500 calories.
I continued climbing to Hawi and I could really feel the fatigue in my legs and gluts. I began to get a little down that I had lost track of Chris, and the climb was tough. I was able to pick up speed by standing on the pedals, but I felt I should stay in an aero position, even though it was a gradual climb. So, I alternated the best I could when I was passing people I'd stand and then I'd try to settle back into my blazing 11 mph climb in the aero position.
The turnaround at Hawi came closer than expected. We had been in Hawi twice this week and the turnaround was probably a mile before town. This was nice. I made the turn and began to fly back down. For the next 7 to 10 miles I average 35+ mph. A nice payback for the slow climb up to Hawi. I was able to pee off the bike twice on the decent down Akani Pule highway. And then from no where Chris Whyte passed me. "Where did he come from?", I thought.
In the section were I had gone 40+ mph before, the wind was still blowing and I could barely keep 9 mph now. It was tough to not push too hard as the race is now around the 42 mile mark and with less than 15 miles too go it was tempting to power over the hills and get off the bike. I made the right turn back onto the Queen K highway and the final rollers to the turn off into the Mona Lanai Resort. The wind was still blowing and I was no longer able to get up to the high 20 mph speeds on the downhills as I was earlier in the day. The wind was just too tough.
The turn into the resort is a long 3-4 mile "No Pass" section. I felt fortunate not to have anyone slow in front nor anyone pushing me from behind. I had no idea where the transition area was, I just watched my bike computer mileage and followed all the curves and bends around in the resort until I as people with "slow down" signs, signaling that T2 was near. There's a big speed bump right before the dismount line, just to get our attention, I guess.
I dismounted, volunteers took my bike and I ran across the timing mats – in my bike shoes this time. I found where my T2 bag was on the ground, grabbed it and headed to the changing tent. The change tent was too small and there wasn't enough chairs for everyone, which was a little frustrating. I put on my socks and shoes, and decided to leave my fuel belt with a water-bottle with gatorade and my visor in the bag. I also decided not to switch my HRM straps - as my bike HRM doesn't work with my watch HRM. But I did take the time to take off my bike HRM. I grabbed my race belt with my race number on it, put my bike shoes in the bag and handed the back to one of the overwhelmed volunteers, and began my run in 83rd place.
At first the run is a bit of a maze around the transition area before following a paved path up a hill to around a club house area. Over the hill and the course turns right, for one of the three out and back fingers the course makes in the first 6 miles. As I approached the first mile marker I readied my watch to start taking lap times and then began recording all the run splits except the first and the last miles. My legs started feeling like running legs during the second mile, which was a nice gradual downhill section. Time for mile 2: 7:28. I started taking water at the aid stations – one cup in the mouth, one on the head. The third mile was pretty warm and so I grabbed some ice and put in into my tri-suit. As soon as I did it I realized it wasn't a good idea. The ice melted quickly and ran into my shoes. I hate running in squishy water filled shoes! Mile 3: 7:08.
During the second out and back section I saw Pastor Dan, and took a look at my watch, at the turn around I found I was 4:20 back. I wondered if I'd be able to catch him. He looked strong and steady. Mile 4: 7:10. At the third turnaround there was a timing mat and the volunteer announced I was in 75 place. This was the first time I had any idea where I was overall. And I was now 3:30 behind Pastor Dan.
The run course now headed back towards T2 and downhill I saw Sean Hackney and Eddy going the other-way and we cheered for each other, my time for mile 5: 6:39. I ran through the transition area and hear someone yell my name which was nice even if I didn't know who.
The next several miles of run are on the golf course and on two sandy sections. The sand was tough! I saw Tawnja and Michelle along this section and remember Michelle saying "Wow!" as I passed. Talk about a nice boost!
Mitch flying on the run!
Here I am letting it all hang out. :-)
Clearly Chris was feeling strong as he ran me down!
I was able to keep my pace and real in one person at a time, my times for next miles: 7:24, 7:49, 7:26. Around the 7 mile marker is a big roundabout and I was only 40 seconds back, but then I saw Chris Whyte was behind me again. I tried to focus on the three runners between myself and Dan and tried to real them in. I finally caught Dan just at the 9 mile marker – time for mile 9: 7:42. The run course turns left for about 1/4 mile or less back on to the stability of roads. The last 4 miles are on a long straight out and back section. As I made the turn to start this section I saw Mitch cresting the hill, finishing this section. I yelled out a cheer for him. I liked this section as it's a gradual downhill for almost 2 miles and I was able to right my legs a little and I was able to see and give a cheer for Gant as well. The next mile I ran a 7:37 as Chris passed me. I followed him around the turnaround and watched him run down the three people ahead of us. I made it my goal to try and run down these same people even though it was a gradual uphill section. Time for mile 11: 7:56. As I crested the hill I caught the first and second runners, the first was 44 and the second was 25 and glad I wasn't in his age group. The next mile and a half is a long bend to the right with another gradual downhill. I pushed for all I had to catch that third runner, who happened to be the last Pro to finish. Time for mile 12: 6:56. I forgot to stop my watch as I finish the race and missed my last mile time. But finished my run in 1:37:09, a personal best. And I finished the half ironman 51st overall, moving up 32 places in the run!
What do you think? Do I look shot in these pix?
Hack, Eddy, JD and Greg finishing!
After the race we loaded up our bikes in the van, grabbed our clean clothes, showered and grabbed some food by the hotel pool. We also got a group shot with the race winner Chris McCormack.
Chris, Eddy, me, Hack, Macca, Mitch, Gant, Brinja and Dan.
A long day!
Made a fruit smoothie with 4 scoops of Sustained Energy and a little water. Made about 30 oz. Drank before leaving the house. Drank about half a bottle of water on the drive to the race.
The drive took about an hour to get out to the park. It was just getting light when we arrived at 5:30 AM.
Since this was a split transition race, meaning the swim to bike (T1) and the bike to run (T2) transitions were in two different locations, the logistics were kind of interesting. We were allowed to have a swim to run transition bag placed along the runway from the beach. But there were no accommodations for warm up clothes, sandals etc. So, we arrived full dressed in our race clothes. I brought sandals just to protect my feet.
We unloaded the bikes about a mile from the entrance to the park as parking and congestion were a problem, mounted the bikes and coasted downhill into the park with our swim gear in the T1 bag. I took my bike directly to the bike racks and left my shoes clipped to the pedals and then placed my helmet, sunglasses and Everite packs on my handle bars. Then walked over to line to the porta-pots.
I then walked down the runway to beach and noticed where the transition bags were to be placed. Farther down the ramp was a table where water, gatorade, sunscreen were provided. Further down were the showers for rinsing off the salt water. Then the line for body marking was next. At Honu, they mark your age on the left calf in a permanent marker, but then use the number stamps they use for the Ironman World Championships for the arms. Very cool!
After getting my numbers applied I walked back up the runway and applied sunscreen to everywhere exposed and not covered with a number. Then I put my Tyr swimsuit over my Boise Aeros tri-suit and put anti-fog on my goggles. This is when i ran into Greg and shared my anti-fog. We took a couple glasses of water from the table to rinse off the extra anti-fog. I took my swim cap out of my T1 bag and put everything else in them and walked it to the bag drop. Then walked back down to the beach. It was 6:30 AM at this time and I found Brinja and Gant out on the beach and chummed with them until about 20 minutes to 7:00 AM and then went for a 10 minute warm up swim.
It was a little chilly, in and out of the water and I started to get a bit of the chill waiting and had to jog up and down the beach to try to warm back up.
The swim start was really confusing. It's a diagonal start with the right side deep in the water while the left side was supposed to be on the shore. The first swim buoy is to the left and out about 400 yards from short. The race organizers put an extra swim buoy about 30 yards on the left to prevent people from running down the beach to the left before entering the water. But what happened was everyone positioned themselves up on this buoy instead of the correct one. So with a couple a minutes to go, they race organizers were trying to force back the swimmers to the correct starting line. I positioned myself to right and I think there was some advantage of being on the left near the beach, since I felt like I was passing a lot of slower swimmers the first 1500 yards of the swim. The long back section of the swim was really choppy, making it very challenging for a inlander like myself. I felt like I was being beat up and it was difficult to get clear breaths. The main body of the swimmers all went far to the left, farther out to sea, away from the line of buoys the paralleled the shore. I was grateful to find myself alone and swimming a perfect line. The swim was hard enough and not having to fight people or swim extra yardage's was great. The final part of the swim made a 90 right turn to the shore for 300 yards or more before taking another 90 right turn back to the swim start/finish. However, again may swimmers ran off course and after making the 90 right turn to shore, they extended the turn and tried to swim directly back to the start/finish, cutting the final turn. I went straight for the buoy and found myself swimming alone again. Those who tried to cut the corner didn't make it. After making the final turn I could see a guy on a jet-ski rounding them up and directing them back to the buoy.
Swimming the last leg was nice, there was no more chop, I felt good, and I didn't have any cramping issue in my calves. Finish time was 33 minutes and in 146 place, not great but no too bad.
I ran up the beach and through the finish chute and over the timing mat. The runway up to the transition area was packed and moving slow in my opinion. As I approached the shower area I decided a little fresh water would be good and briefly showered off the sea water. Then continued the run up the ramp, grabbed my T1 bag and ran to my bike. No belongings were allowed to be on the ground in this transition area nor was the changing of clothes. However, I put my swim goggles in my T1 bag, pulled off my Tyr swimsuit and put it in the bag. I put on my bike helmet, glasses and put my Everite packs in my back pocket and ran with my bike out of the transition area. Once I crossed the timing mats I jumped on my bike and the shoes, which were attached to my bike, decided to auger into the hillside. I struggled to keep moving uphill while trying to get on top of my shoes and get them to stop inhibiting my forward progress. I finally got onto of the shoes and pedaled up the steepest rises and then tried to coast and get into the shoes. It was very frustrating. In retrospect, next time I'll have my bike shoes in the T1 bag and then put them on before leaving the transition area.
It's a mile or two climb out of the park to the Queen K highway. At the highway the bike route turns right, south, for 6 miles to the entrance to the Mona Lanai Resort. Then we make a U-turn and head back North to Hawi. It was breezy as usual. Climbing the rollers to the left turn at the Akani Pule highway I could feel the fatigue in my legs. Chris Whyte passed me on the last roller before the left turn and I decided to try and stay with him. We made the turn onto Akani Pule highway and the wind was at our back, we flew into the little town topping out at 44 mph! A few miles up the road, literally, up to Hawi, the wind turned into a direct head wind and it rained twice. I was able to hold a pretty steady pace and keep up with Chris until he caught up with and entered a group of riders. They didn't seem to be loosening up, and I didn't want to get a drafting penalty so I held back. At the next aide station I throw my water bottle I had been drinking on exclusively now for the last 30 minutes. Unfortunately, the aid station had taken off the squeeze tops of the water bottles so when I grabbed for water it was an open container. Bummer. Then I noticed rider laying in the middle of the road, still within the aide station. Later I found out this was Chris Whyte who crashed. I decided to try and drink all of the water in the bottle and then toss it. Otherwise, I'd loose the water if I tried to put it into my water bottle cage. It took about a mile to drink all the water. Then I began to systematically, drink on my food bottle. I had some difficulty on my training rides getting down the Perpetuam I normal train and race with, so this time I had 3 scoops of HEED and two hammer gels in my food bottle. About 500 calories.
I continued climbing to Hawi and I could really feel the fatigue in my legs and gluts. I began to get a little down that I had lost track of Chris, and the climb was tough. I was able to pick up speed by standing on the pedals, but I felt I should stay in an aero position, even though it was a gradual climb. So, I alternated the best I could when I was passing people I'd stand and then I'd try to settle back into my blazing 11 mph climb in the aero position.
The turnaround at Hawi came closer than expected. We had been in Hawi twice this week and the turnaround was probably a mile before town. This was nice. I made the turn and began to fly back down. For the next 7 to 10 miles I average 35+ mph. A nice payback for the slow climb up to Hawi. I was able to pee off the bike twice on the decent down Akani Pule highway. And then from no where Chris Whyte passed me. "Where did he come from?", I thought.
In the section were I had gone 40+ mph before, the wind was still blowing and I could barely keep 9 mph now. It was tough to not push too hard as the race is now around the 42 mile mark and with less than 15 miles too go it was tempting to power over the hills and get off the bike. I made the right turn back onto the Queen K highway and the final rollers to the turn off into the Mona Lanai Resort. The wind was still blowing and I was no longer able to get up to the high 20 mph speeds on the downhills as I was earlier in the day. The wind was just too tough.
The turn into the resort is a long 3-4 mile "No Pass" section. I felt fortunate not to have anyone slow in front nor anyone pushing me from behind. I had no idea where the transition area was, I just watched my bike computer mileage and followed all the curves and bends around in the resort until I as people with "slow down" signs, signaling that T2 was near. There's a big speed bump right before the dismount line, just to get our attention, I guess.
I dismounted, volunteers took my bike and I ran across the timing mats – in my bike shoes this time. I found where my T2 bag was on the ground, grabbed it and headed to the changing tent. The change tent was too small and there wasn't enough chairs for everyone, which was a little frustrating. I put on my socks and shoes, and decided to leave my fuel belt with a water-bottle with gatorade and my visor in the bag. I also decided not to switch my HRM straps - as my bike HRM doesn't work with my watch HRM. But I did take the time to take off my bike HRM. I grabbed my race belt with my race number on it, put my bike shoes in the bag and handed the back to one of the overwhelmed volunteers, and began my run in 83rd place.
At first the run is a bit of a maze around the transition area before following a paved path up a hill to around a club house area. Over the hill and the course turns right, for one of the three out and back fingers the course makes in the first 6 miles. As I approached the first mile marker I readied my watch to start taking lap times and then began recording all the run splits except the first and the last miles. My legs started feeling like running legs during the second mile, which was a nice gradual downhill section. Time for mile 2: 7:28. I started taking water at the aid stations – one cup in the mouth, one on the head. The third mile was pretty warm and so I grabbed some ice and put in into my tri-suit. As soon as I did it I realized it wasn't a good idea. The ice melted quickly and ran into my shoes. I hate running in squishy water filled shoes! Mile 3: 7:08.
During the second out and back section I saw Pastor Dan, and took a look at my watch, at the turn around I found I was 4:20 back. I wondered if I'd be able to catch him. He looked strong and steady. Mile 4: 7:10. At the third turnaround there was a timing mat and the volunteer announced I was in 75 place. This was the first time I had any idea where I was overall. And I was now 3:30 behind Pastor Dan.
The run course now headed back towards T2 and downhill I saw Sean Hackney and Eddy going the other-way and we cheered for each other, my time for mile 5: 6:39. I ran through the transition area and hear someone yell my name which was nice even if I didn't know who.
The next several miles of run are on the golf course and on two sandy sections. The sand was tough! I saw Tawnja and Michelle along this section and remember Michelle saying "Wow!" as I passed. Talk about a nice boost!
Mitch flying on the run!
Here I am letting it all hang out. :-)
Clearly Chris was feeling strong as he ran me down!
I was able to keep my pace and real in one person at a time, my times for next miles: 7:24, 7:49, 7:26. Around the 7 mile marker is a big roundabout and I was only 40 seconds back, but then I saw Chris Whyte was behind me again. I tried to focus on the three runners between myself and Dan and tried to real them in. I finally caught Dan just at the 9 mile marker – time for mile 9: 7:42. The run course turns left for about 1/4 mile or less back on to the stability of roads. The last 4 miles are on a long straight out and back section. As I made the turn to start this section I saw Mitch cresting the hill, finishing this section. I yelled out a cheer for him. I liked this section as it's a gradual downhill for almost 2 miles and I was able to right my legs a little and I was able to see and give a cheer for Gant as well. The next mile I ran a 7:37 as Chris passed me. I followed him around the turnaround and watched him run down the three people ahead of us. I made it my goal to try and run down these same people even though it was a gradual uphill section. Time for mile 11: 7:56. As I crested the hill I caught the first and second runners, the first was 44 and the second was 25 and glad I wasn't in his age group. The next mile and a half is a long bend to the right with another gradual downhill. I pushed for all I had to catch that third runner, who happened to be the last Pro to finish. Time for mile 12: 6:56. I forgot to stop my watch as I finish the race and missed my last mile time. But finished my run in 1:37:09, a personal best. And I finished the half ironman 51st overall, moving up 32 places in the run!
What do you think? Do I look shot in these pix?
Hack, Eddy, JD and Greg finishing!
After the race we loaded up our bikes in the van, grabbed our clean clothes, showered and grabbed some food by the hotel pool. We also got a group shot with the race winner Chris McCormack.
Chris, Eddy, me, Hack, Macca, Mitch, Gant, Brinja and Dan.
A long day!
Posted at 02:31 AM
Fri - June 2, 2006
Honu Half Ironman Camp - Day 8
We loaded up all the bikes in the vans to make
sure we could do it. Drove the the race swim start, swam the course and then
biked home. Then drove back out to register for the race.
We got up grabbed coffee and a light snack again
and loaded up the vans with the bikes. We packed our swim and bike gear for the
day. The drive out to the park where the race swim will be tomorrow, to us
1:10:00 to drive to. It's a long way with a lot of
traffic.
There was an organized swim for today, hosted by Gatorade. They were just setting up the buoys as we got there. The water was excellent. Great beach, crystal clear water and hardly any waves or chop. We swam for 30-40 minutes and then got ready for the bike ride home.
By the left the swim area it was getting crowded. Lots of people out to swim and ride. We got to meet a lot of people in the parking lot, as we prepared to ride home, as we appeared to have one of the few bike pumps out there. :-)
The bike ride home was a little longer than I had expected. For some reason I had in my mind that the swim start and the host resort were much closer to Kona than they were. The ride home took me 1:50:00.
Back at the condo we had breakfast and relaxed a bit before heading to register. We had to figure out our T2 (transition 2 - bike to run) bags before leaving, as we have to turn them in at registration. We left the condo with the plan to pick up Stefan at Lava Java, then stop at the Bike Works store to pick up last minute nutrition (HEED, Hammer Gels and Sustained Energy). The traffic in town was pretty bad and we were really pushing our time schedule to get to the registration in time before it closed. As we pulled into the Bike Works parking lot, Stafan realized he had forgotten his shoes! There wasn't time to go back so he went in and bought a pair of new shoes there at the bike shop. The amazing part is Stafan is a big guy and wears a size 14 shoe, and they had something in stock for him!
Race registration was at the host hotel Mona Lanai Bay Resort. The event parking was over a mile away. We had to take a shuttle to the hotel.
Between the long drive to the hotel and waiting for a shuttle to take us the hotel, we barely made it to registration by the official cut off time. Luckily we didn't have to find out how flexible the race organizers were with late registration. Registration is always a little crazy. Get in one line to get paperwork to fill out (legal wavers and releases). Then get in another line to show you've filled out the paperwork correctly, then another line verify your race license is up to date. Then another line to get an official race invoice sheet which you present to the next available volunteer to verify all the information and sign. Then get in another line with all this paperwork and then get the race packet including the all important timing chip and wrist band. Then we found some free floor space and organized our T2 gear into the official T2 bag were were presented, and then got back into another line to hand off our T2 bag. And then finally, the last step is to verify the timing chip works in another line. Such fun.
Greg checked out the Ironman gear at the little expo area. We then wandered over to the pre-race meeting which lasted until 5:30 PM. Then shuttled back to the vans and drove back to the condo for dinner.
We ate dinner around 7 or 8 PM, and then made the final preparations with our gear. Including putting bike numbers on, switching old tire for fresh or simply replacing training wheels for race wheels. Then we loaded up all the bikes so they were ready to go in the morning.
There was an organized swim for today, hosted by Gatorade. They were just setting up the buoys as we got there. The water was excellent. Great beach, crystal clear water and hardly any waves or chop. We swam for 30-40 minutes and then got ready for the bike ride home.
By the left the swim area it was getting crowded. Lots of people out to swim and ride. We got to meet a lot of people in the parking lot, as we prepared to ride home, as we appeared to have one of the few bike pumps out there. :-)
The bike ride home was a little longer than I had expected. For some reason I had in my mind that the swim start and the host resort were much closer to Kona than they were. The ride home took me 1:50:00.
Back at the condo we had breakfast and relaxed a bit before heading to register. We had to figure out our T2 (transition 2 - bike to run) bags before leaving, as we have to turn them in at registration. We left the condo with the plan to pick up Stefan at Lava Java, then stop at the Bike Works store to pick up last minute nutrition (HEED, Hammer Gels and Sustained Energy). The traffic in town was pretty bad and we were really pushing our time schedule to get to the registration in time before it closed. As we pulled into the Bike Works parking lot, Stafan realized he had forgotten his shoes! There wasn't time to go back so he went in and bought a pair of new shoes there at the bike shop. The amazing part is Stafan is a big guy and wears a size 14 shoe, and they had something in stock for him!
Race registration was at the host hotel Mona Lanai Bay Resort. The event parking was over a mile away. We had to take a shuttle to the hotel.
Between the long drive to the hotel and waiting for a shuttle to take us the hotel, we barely made it to registration by the official cut off time. Luckily we didn't have to find out how flexible the race organizers were with late registration. Registration is always a little crazy. Get in one line to get paperwork to fill out (legal wavers and releases). Then get in another line to show you've filled out the paperwork correctly, then another line verify your race license is up to date. Then another line to get an official race invoice sheet which you present to the next available volunteer to verify all the information and sign. Then get in another line with all this paperwork and then get the race packet including the all important timing chip and wrist band. Then we found some free floor space and organized our T2 gear into the official T2 bag were were presented, and then got back into another line to hand off our T2 bag. And then finally, the last step is to verify the timing chip works in another line. Such fun.
Greg checked out the Ironman gear at the little expo area. We then wandered over to the pre-race meeting which lasted until 5:30 PM. Then shuttled back to the vans and drove back to the condo for dinner.
We ate dinner around 7 or 8 PM, and then made the final preparations with our gear. Including putting bike numbers on, switching old tire for fresh or simply replacing training wheels for race wheels. Then we loaded up all the bikes so they were ready to go in the morning.
Posted at 11:03 AM
Thu - June 1, 2006
Honu Half Ironman Camp - Day 7
Long day: swim 4700; bike to Hawi 115
miles.
We got moving first thing in the morning, grabbed
some coffee and a light snack and headed to the pool.
The master's swim time was already over, so we nearly had the pool to our selves. We did get to swim in the deep pool for the first time. The swim set was really good, and prevented me from cramping:
300, 3x100, 10x75 warm up
500 pull; 5x100 on 1:30
500 pull; 5x100 on 1:25
500 pull: 5x100 on 1:20
Then we went back to the condo and had a big breakfast.
Around 10:00 AM we left for Hawi.
We had a nice tail wind today and were able to get to the gas station in 1:40:00 from the house. We were hauling! Mitch and Gant allowed me to hang on and we road into the gas station and got water together. A couple of minutes later Sean Hackney showed up alone. With only a brief pause, we continued onto Hawi. Again, the three of us arrived together, sans the last half mile sprint of Gant and Mitch to the Hawi Town sign. We bought some water, I got a snickers bar and a Rockstar energy drink. And a few minutes later Hack showed up. Mr. Consistancy!
The ride back to Kona from Hawi was fast and hard. We made it back to the Jamba Juice in Kona, 109 miles round trip in 5:02! I had offered, more like bribed, to buy everyone Jamba Juice if they didn't drop me on the way back. And, promised Hack if he makes it there I'd buy his as well. Just like clockwork, Hack arrived just a few minutes behind us at the Jamba Juice.
We rode back to the condo, which is another 5-6 miles, with our Jamba Juices, it was pretty leisurely and took another 18 minutes. Total ride 5:20 with 115 miles.
Big dinner again back at the ranch.
The master's swim time was already over, so we nearly had the pool to our selves. We did get to swim in the deep pool for the first time. The swim set was really good, and prevented me from cramping:
300, 3x100, 10x75 warm up
500 pull; 5x100 on 1:30
500 pull; 5x100 on 1:25
500 pull: 5x100 on 1:20
Then we went back to the condo and had a big breakfast.
Around 10:00 AM we left for Hawi.
We had a nice tail wind today and were able to get to the gas station in 1:40:00 from the house. We were hauling! Mitch and Gant allowed me to hang on and we road into the gas station and got water together. A couple of minutes later Sean Hackney showed up alone. With only a brief pause, we continued onto Hawi. Again, the three of us arrived together, sans the last half mile sprint of Gant and Mitch to the Hawi Town sign. We bought some water, I got a snickers bar and a Rockstar energy drink. And a few minutes later Hack showed up. Mr. Consistancy!
The ride back to Kona from Hawi was fast and hard. We made it back to the Jamba Juice in Kona, 109 miles round trip in 5:02! I had offered, more like bribed, to buy everyone Jamba Juice if they didn't drop me on the way back. And, promised Hack if he makes it there I'd buy his as well. Just like clockwork, Hack arrived just a few minutes behind us at the Jamba Juice.
We rode back to the condo, which is another 5-6 miles, with our Jamba Juices, it was pretty leisurely and took another 18 minutes. Total ride 5:20 with 115 miles.
Big dinner again back at the ranch.
Posted at 10:13 AM
Wed - May 31, 2006
Honu Half Ironman Camp - Day 6
The schedule for today is breakfast, a 4 hour
bike ride followed by a 90 minute run.
I was the first one up this morning, around 6:15
AM, but only for a couple of minutes before I was joined by the usual suspects
of JD and Sean. We made coffee and had snacked on bagels and Energy Bar bread
with peanut butter until breakfast was
ready.
Then the plan today was to ride up to Captain Cook again and then across on the "top road", down Hina-Lani St. to the Queen K, then out to Waikola and back into Kona. We all pretty much rode at our own pace. It was really nice not being tortured trying to keep up with Gant and Mitch.
We pulled into resort area in Waikaloa.
Hack got sunburned the first day out. He applied sunscreen everywhere he could reach. Where he missed... the sun didn't. On the ride out he started blistering so Mitch bought big bandages to try to cover up the blisters. Ouch!
It's lonely out on the Queen K. Gant was up there somewhere and Mitch was closing in from behind.
The final stretch of the bike Mitch, Gant and I rode into Kona together. Here we were passing the famous Natural Energy Lab.
Afterward, Gant, Sean and I went out for our 90 minute run. It was so hard to run. It was overcast during the run and not too hot, but it was still hard to do after four hours on the bike. I didn't quite make it the whole way. But it was over, and I enjoyed heckling those who waited to run.
Mitch went to the airport to pick up our final camper: Chris White. He's wants to race the Honu Half Ironman really hard so he decided not to train with us all week.
I had my second message tonight. I wasn't in too bad of shape, but I'm glad to have it, with the day planned for tomorrow. Oh, boy!
Dinner tonight was two different chicken pasta dishes, with garlic loaf bread, and Caesar salad.
I drove to the Jamba Juice tonight, and Hack, Greg and Chris went with me.
Then the plan today was to ride up to Captain Cook again and then across on the "top road", down Hina-Lani St. to the Queen K, then out to Waikola and back into Kona. We all pretty much rode at our own pace. It was really nice not being tortured trying to keep up with Gant and Mitch.
We pulled into resort area in Waikaloa.
Hack got sunburned the first day out. He applied sunscreen everywhere he could reach. Where he missed... the sun didn't. On the ride out he started blistering so Mitch bought big bandages to try to cover up the blisters. Ouch!
It's lonely out on the Queen K. Gant was up there somewhere and Mitch was closing in from behind.
The final stretch of the bike Mitch, Gant and I rode into Kona together. Here we were passing the famous Natural Energy Lab.
Afterward, Gant, Sean and I went out for our 90 minute run. It was so hard to run. It was overcast during the run and not too hot, but it was still hard to do after four hours on the bike. I didn't quite make it the whole way. But it was over, and I enjoyed heckling those who waited to run.
Mitch went to the airport to pick up our final camper: Chris White. He's wants to race the Honu Half Ironman really hard so he decided not to train with us all week.
I had my second message tonight. I wasn't in too bad of shape, but I'm glad to have it, with the day planned for tomorrow. Oh, boy!
Dinner tonight was two different chicken pasta dishes, with garlic loaf bread, and Caesar salad.
I drove to the Jamba Juice tonight, and Hack, Greg and Chris went with me.
Posted at 12:27 AM
Tue - May 30, 2006
Honu Half Ironman Camp - Day 5
I'm finally feeling my normal self. Schedule for
today: Run 60 minutes, breakfast, bike shop to fix a couple bikes, then ride 4
hours, lunch swim 6K and dinner.
We ran from the condo which is located near mile
marker 4 1/2, to the pier and back. I ran with Mitch and Gant. It was a hard
run to make it to the pier and back in an hour!
Afterwards breakfast. Oh, it's great having my stomach working again! The mangos are from the tree in the yard. Michelle gets about six ripe mangos a day off the tree. They are a little small but just as yummy. This is the first year the tree is baring fruit and it's probably 15 feet tall.
Eddy and JD (notice JD is in "his" spot) with Michelle serving breakfast.
Greg Allan and Sean Hackney. Greg's a Captain in the marine corps. He was Mitch's commander at one time. This is his first year in the sport and he has had one breakthrough workout after another. He's my new hero. Sean Hackney, or just Hack, is realtor from the Bellingham WA area. Hack as a number or Ironman finishes under his belt and has been coached by Mitch for about year.
Hack and Mitch are having some mechanical problems with there bikes. So going to the bike shop was was the next event on the agenda. Afterwards, we road out the Queen K south towards Captain Cook, then along the "top road" – not sure the name of the road. This is a 14 mile road that weaves and rolls through coffee fields and a couple artist communities.
We climbed the Queen K south out of Kona towards Captain Cook. It was about 2 to 3 miles of just climbing.
Riding along the "top road" as we are calling it, since we don't know the name. This is an really awesome road to bike on. Then we dropped on Hina-Lani road. This is the really steep road that drops down 1100 feet in just 2 miles, out near the Costco which is north of Kona.
Then we were heading north out on the Queen K when Hack flatted. So we turned back into town and got water and snacks at a gas station.
Then Mitch decided what we should do is go back the way we came. Back up Hina-Lani road... that's sick. Literally, for JD.
The ride back on the "top road" was great! We were flying and it was a total blast. Once, we got to the end it was all down hill from Captain Cook to Kona.
We snacked on chicken salad sandwiches, left over oatmeal, and fruit smoothies. Then we headed to the Kona pool around 6:00 PM.
We swam until they kicked us out around 7:30 PM. I've been doing pretty well trying to keep up with Gant and Mitch, but my arches and calves continue to start cramping up a little over an hour into it.
Dinner tonight was baked tuna sandwiches. The tuna steaks where huge and the bread was freshly baked rolls. There was also a fresh green salad, cooked greens and a big wok of home made fried rice. Yum, yum!
Mitch, JD and I went to the local Jamba Juice to get on the net around 9:00 PM and were kicked out at 10:20 PM. Hope you like the pix.
Afterwards breakfast. Oh, it's great having my stomach working again! The mangos are from the tree in the yard. Michelle gets about six ripe mangos a day off the tree. They are a little small but just as yummy. This is the first year the tree is baring fruit and it's probably 15 feet tall.
Eddy and JD (notice JD is in "his" spot) with Michelle serving breakfast.
Greg Allan and Sean Hackney. Greg's a Captain in the marine corps. He was Mitch's commander at one time. This is his first year in the sport and he has had one breakthrough workout after another. He's my new hero. Sean Hackney, or just Hack, is realtor from the Bellingham WA area. Hack as a number or Ironman finishes under his belt and has been coached by Mitch for about year.
Hack and Mitch are having some mechanical problems with there bikes. So going to the bike shop was was the next event on the agenda. Afterwards, we road out the Queen K south towards Captain Cook, then along the "top road" – not sure the name of the road. This is a 14 mile road that weaves and rolls through coffee fields and a couple artist communities.
We climbed the Queen K south out of Kona towards Captain Cook. It was about 2 to 3 miles of just climbing.
Riding along the "top road" as we are calling it, since we don't know the name. This is an really awesome road to bike on. Then we dropped on Hina-Lani road. This is the really steep road that drops down 1100 feet in just 2 miles, out near the Costco which is north of Kona.
Then we were heading north out on the Queen K when Hack flatted. So we turned back into town and got water and snacks at a gas station.
Then Mitch decided what we should do is go back the way we came. Back up Hina-Lani road... that's sick. Literally, for JD.
The ride back on the "top road" was great! We were flying and it was a total blast. Once, we got to the end it was all down hill from Captain Cook to Kona.
We snacked on chicken salad sandwiches, left over oatmeal, and fruit smoothies. Then we headed to the Kona pool around 6:00 PM.
We swam until they kicked us out around 7:30 PM. I've been doing pretty well trying to keep up with Gant and Mitch, but my arches and calves continue to start cramping up a little over an hour into it.
Dinner tonight was baked tuna sandwiches. The tuna steaks where huge and the bread was freshly baked rolls. There was also a fresh green salad, cooked greens and a big wok of home made fried rice. Yum, yum!
Mitch, JD and I went to the local Jamba Juice to get on the net around 9:00 PM and were kicked out at 10:20 PM. Hope you like the pix.
Posted at 02:25 AM
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Published On: May 22, 2007 09:51 PM
Published On: May 22, 2007 09:51 PM