Ironman Hawaii 2012

This is the third time I've been fortunate enough to race on the Big Island; however, I feel like this is the first time I've finally been able to enjoy myself and feel like I belonged at the race. Leading up to the race, I was calm and ready to go. I knew I had done everything I could in training, so I didn't worry about all the little things I couldn't control. As long as I went out and gave it my all on October 13th, I didn't care what the outcome was.

Pre-race went smoothly and before I knew it, I was getting in the water with Adam Otstot (go Tribe!). I was a little concerned when the Ford vehicle wasn't in the water to line up at, but I made a point of going fairly far left and lined myself up behind a male wearing Sweedish goggles. I got fairly cold while I was waiting, but remembered this was the only time I'd be shivering all day so I embraced it.

Ready for Battle

Swim - 57:54

The cannon wasn't working this year, so they yelled go and we were off. The first 200 meters were mayhem, as expected, so I forced myself to keep my head down and keep swimming regardless of how many blows I took (quite a few). I got on the feet of a fairly large male and concentrated on breathing every other stroke. Unfortunately he took us a bit wide, but it was better than the brawl on the buoy line. I only saw one other pink cap, so I figured the pace was fine and just kept swimming. I felt strong the entire way, but started getting really disoriented with about 1,000 meters to go. I picked up the pace and passed almost everyone in the group I was in and was thrilled to reach the stairs. I broke my cardinal rule of looking at the time and was ticked to see I swam slower than last year.

I was pretty disorientated going through T1, so I felt like I was taking forever. I made sure to thank the volunteers as they put layers of sunblock on me, and ran out of the changing tents only to get plowed into by a male running full steam from the males' changing tent.  Seriously, you're not going to make up much time running 10 mph in T1, so really folks, unless your Andy Potts, be polite and at least get past the changing tents before you start running hard.

Bike - 5:24:18

Ummm, apparently I thought I should stand & rest before mounting my bike ???

I actually remembered to put my bike into my little gear, so I took it easy coming out of T1. The first thirty miles of the course flew by, I was continually getting passed by a stream of men and started getting very concerned I was riding poorly. Then I realized my average watts were right at my target range, so I told myself to ride within myself and started ignoring what was going around around me. We hit crosswinds around mile 75 of the Queen K, so I knew we were in for it. I made sure to get ahead of my nutrition before I hit the road up to Hawi figuring the crosswinds would be similar to 2010 where I was getting blown across the road. While the wind was strong, I stayed in my aero bars and hardly got blown around at all. The difference from 2010 was simple, I was riding faster and had a much higher power output. Weight really isn't as big of a factor as I once thought, especially considering how much weight I've lost since then.

I saw Haley Chura at the turnaround, so I knew I was having a good ride. I mentally prepared myself for the way down Hawi, but I hit 45 mph and really only got blown across the road twice. I'd do Hawi any day over Skyline. Once we made the left after the road down from Hawi, the headwind was back and I'm really not so sure when it went away. I have rode countless rides this year where I had a headwind for the last two hours, so I ignored it and while it was surely frustrating to be downshifting in some instances while going DOWNHILL, I didn't worry about it. The coolest thing of the entire day was when the TV cameras came by and taped me for a bit. I like riding near the front of the amateur pack :)

Last year I was very unhappy by mile 90, but this year was an entirely different story. I felt strong and in control and passed quite a few males at the end.  I was at the low end of my ranges, so I was excited to see if this was the day I would finally run the Ironman marathon.

Run - 3:57:08

T2 was uneventful (thank goodness!) and I was in and out before I knew it. I didn't have the back pain of Placid and while I didn't feel good starting out, I didn't feel horrible. I met Shawn around mile 1 and stayed running with him until almost mile 8. That was awesome.

My parents were stationed at roughly miles 9.5 and 10 on the course and I was very happy to see them both. I felt good when I saw my mom, but by the time I saw my dad at mile 10, I knew something wasn't quite right. I was starting to get the chills and my face felt so hot. I realized soon after I was badly burned on my face. I had had signs of heat problems at Eagleman and was able to manage it, so I attempted to do the same thing here with fluids and ice. Unfortunately around mile 13, my luck ran out and my stomach started turning south quick. I've been having problems with acid reflux since August, so I'm not sure if it was that, the sunburn or simply my body revolting after 13 miles of running. The last 13 miles were my typical Ironman death march and while it was discouraging to go from 4th to 8th in the 25-29 AG over those last miles, I did not give up like I would have typically done and kept the walking to the minimum.  I still ran my second fastest Ironman marathon ever and it was the first time I ran the first 13 without walking. I will certainly take an Ironman PR on a hard day and know that the best is still to come.

Final time - 10:25:28

As always, thanks to my family and friends for supporting me.  Thanks to Lindsay for developing me as an athlete and always being there when I need to talk. I can't thank my office mates enough for the office decorations and cake upon my return. Thanks to Powerbar for the nutrition products to keep me fueled,  H20 Audio for keeping me entertained in the pool and Cyclelops for helping me be the best rider I can be.

Kona

With the exception of some mechanical issues that left us sitting on the plane for FOUR hours at the Denver airport, this trip has been nothing short of amazing and I will say again how grateful I am to be here competing.  I haven't had one person ask if I received a roll down slot or if I was competing this year, so that is an accomplishment in itself.  In fact, the only thing I've heard is how young I look.

I've swam three times from Dig Me Beach, the start of Ironman.  The water went from being calm on Sunday, to downright wavy on Wednesday, so I guess only time will tell what Saturday will be.

Dig Me Beach

I have rode the Queen K twice - once with Alyssa on Sunday and once alone on Monday. I was quickly reminded how generous the tailwind is on the way out, and how strong the headwind is coming back into town.  I also made a trip out to Hawi to ride the toughest part of the course; unfortunately, the ever prevalent crosswinds were nowhere to be found on Tuesday.  While I'd like to think that will happen on race day, I'm mentally prepared for strong gusts blowing me across the road.

Out on the Queen K

I ran out at the energy lab on Wednesday and proved to myself that I could run the hills coming back up to the Queen K. According to my Garmin, they weren't exactly hills, so apparently I had a bit of a mental breakdown last year. I.WILL.RUN. on Saturday. Seriously.

I've worked the Powerbar booth, made custom goggles at the TYR house, and have been fortunate enough to talk to vendors of some of my favorite products.

Alyssa and I were lucky enough to be one of 400 that received Rudy Helmets to wear this weekend. I absolutely love this helmet, so I'm very excited for my new one.

New helmets!  Thank you Rudy Project

We've done a mix of cooking in the condo and going out, the best discovery has definitely been the acai bowls. I could eat these everyday.

The Banyan

I wouldn't be here without the support of my family and friends, so I can't say thank you enough.

 

Almost go Time!

AHHHHHHHHH, Kona departure is tomorrow! And as you may expect, I'm just a little EXCITED! My bags are almost all packed and I'm using my awesome new TYR luggage.

I've had a pretty awesome last week and I am feeling fit, fresh and happy that I have somewhat maintained a balanced lifestyle in the midst of Kona training. And unlike years past, I have not had ONE breakdown this entire training cycle.

Saturday morning was my last long run and I'll be honest, I felt like crap that morning. Absolute crap. I had the awesome idea a few weeks ago to ask Lindsay if we could extend the scheduled time of 2:30. I felt like mentally I needed to run 20 before Kona. Grumpily I started out a little before 8 am (late for me), but the miles ticked by fairly quickly and I had the most successful long run I've ever had and a huge confidence booster.

Later that day, Chris and I headed to the park for Apple Cross setup. While I was tempted to enter the CX race (HAH!), I watched everyone preride the course and enjoyed catching up with friends. It was great to see everyone and even more fun to go out for drinks and dinner that night (I am seriously the world's worst picture taker)! Kenny made a humorous toast that I will definitely draw strength from! :)

On Sunday I went to a winery. Fun! Since my typical Sunday involves riding my bike for hours on end, this was a very nice change of pace and a great way to start my taper. While there was some mention of Ironman, that conversation was limited.

This week has been filled with work, picking up a few last minute things I needed and getting some pretty awesome emails, pictures, etc. wishing me good luck. Lindsay sent me the plan last night and unlike Placid where I completely freaked out, this time around I felt completely comfortable and think it's totally doable.

I'm feeling very grateful to have the opportunity to go to Kona next week, compete with the best in the world and hopefully in the process, push myself to new limits. But regardless of whatever happens next Saturday for me, the sun will still set and nothing in my life will change.

Finish - 2011