Friday, October 8, 2010

Keena in Kona!

Aloha!
What a terrific week I have enjoyed here in Kona!  I fear I have enjoyed myself way too much cause I have really just enjoyed a  nice vacation with the the Ironman and all the fun that goes with it as a bonus!  I have just been mostly chillin with some nice Ironman activities thrown in.  Determined not to get sucked into the adrenaline and craziness that this event is known for.
And...I've never felt so out of shape ever!  This place is crawling with the most FIT people in the world!  I am amazed at how many people of all ages are just absolutely amazing looking!
BUT...can they bring it when it REALLY counts...out on the course??  We'll see!
As long as they  look good, right?
So, here is the breakdown for my last 5 days (really?  5 days already?  how fast they have flown by!)
Got in late Sunday night...so that doesn't count.  But, Doug Gordon was SO awesome and came and picked us up from the airport and brought us straight to our really great hotel right on Alii Drive.  So cool!
Monday morning we swam the entire 2.4 mile swim course at 7 a.m.   Great swim!  Loved it!  If only I could always swim in a crystal blue, clear, gorgeous ocean with the sun rising on a tropical island!  Sorry AF Pool...you, don't hold a candle to this!
After the swim we went back to the hotel for breakfast (great buffet here) and got settled in.
I also went for a nice 45 minute jog in the afternoon.
Tuesday we swam again on the course at 7 a.m. or so.  Then Doug and I went and drove the ENTIRE bike course.  It was great to see the course and get a little better sense of what to expect. 
It is MUCH hillier than I was expecting.  But, the wind is really going to be the unknown.  Even driving, we could feel the wind on the ride out to Hawi pushing our car around.  But, what I really LOVE is that this ride really reminds me of being down in St. George.  The lava fields, red dirt, hot somewhat desolate landscape.  Even winds.  We have those down in St. George.  And, I love riding down there! 
So, my game plan is to pretend that I am down in St. George riding with all my awesome friends and having the best day of  my life!  Can't wait!
Wednesday was another swim in the morning and then registration.  I got lucky and missed the crowds, so I just walked right in got my stuff and went out with no problems.  I LOVE the weather here!  It is WARM and humid and feels awesome!  I know...the humidity might be an issue during the race...but, I am going to just focus on how much I LOVE it! 
Thursday was another swim and the well known underpants run!  I got lucky cause just when I was getting out of the water from my swim, i noticed all these people running in a group towards the pier.  Then, I noticed the lack of formal clothing and knew I had lucked right into the middle of the annual underpants run!  So, I grabbed my camera and started documenting!  Doug Gordon was RIGHT in the front having the time of his life in a pair of bandanas knotted together to cover his delicates!  Documented!
So, Friday has been a good day.  I got on my bike and made sure everything was working well.  I ran into trouble on Wednesday with one of my wheels and was going to have to rent a replacement, but I got lucky and ran into a friend (literally) on Alii drive who said I could borrow his wheel cause he wasn't racing.  Cool!  So, I had the bike worked over by the local bike shop here (I had some brake cable and front derailleur problems as well and hadn't been able to ride the bike since Tuesday), put the wheels on and had a great (short) ride today just to make sure everything was working well. 
At 2:00 today Spencer and Megan and Cade and I drove to the bike check in and Spencer and I got all our gear checked in and headed to lunch.  It was crazy checking everything in cause as you walk through the chute where you check in the gear there are just people lined up checking you and all your gear out.  Talk about feeling self conscious!  Especially when everyone is so freaky fit!  You just have to keep in your own head and not worry about anyone else!  I had a great time just enjoying the energy and magic of the whole experience!
Oh...last night (thursday) was also the pre-race banquet.  It was terrible food...but, it was great to be there with all the other athletes enjoying a pretty cool show and then getting familiarized with the course, rules, etc.  They also announced that the Ironman 70.3 World Championships will be moved to Lake Las Vegas for the next 5 years!  Cool!  Actually,....HOT!  September!  Yikes!
Ok...so, YES...I had peanut butter and chocolate ice cream for dinner from Baskin Robbins!  Cade and I also went and watched "The Social Network" tonight.  It was pretty good!  Made me glad to be kind of stupid and happy (and definitely NOT rich!).  I wouldn't want to have his life...I'm happy with mine!
So, here is my game plan for tomorrow's race:
Take it somewhat easy on the swim ....draft every stroke possible, and enjoy the time in the cool water.  I plan on staying somewhere in the middle of the pack for the most part.  Hopefully under 1:10 (my swim has been very weak lately).
Go easy on the bike for the first 40 miles.  Think of it as a nice warm up and don't let anyone else affect my pace or effort.  I am wearing my heart rate monitor and plan on staying in the mid to high 150s and let it drift into the low 160s during hill climbs or heavy winds.    Keep the cadence high and mental attitude even higher.  Songs are gonna be flying as I ride!  Who knows which songs yet...but, they will be keeping me company (and perhaps my fellow riders as well).
Run is going to hopefully be a social experience.  I LOVED my run in SG IM and would like to try and simulate that same wonderful experience.  Get a couple of great people, talk and motivate each other and remember how great it is to be doing this.  I plan on walking most aid stations and staying happy!
My time could be anywhere from 11 or so hours up to 16 hours and 59 minutes!  (Hopefully closer to the former rather than the latter...)
But, mostly...I just want to LOVE every minute of my day (yep...every minute...even the really miserable ones...cause they will be there)
I have had a terrific time with Cade and he has been a really great support during all of this!  That is a BIG bonus and I am really glad we got to spend time together!
OK...guess I need to go to bed cause the night is getting late and I need to get up at 3:45 a.m.!
Happy Racing!!

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