Race week in Kona

Reflecting back on the 'week that was' and I'm not too sure where to start. It was such an amazing experience from the moment we landed in Kona and were thrown the keys to our hosts old red pick-up truck, to the training runs along Ali-i Drive with free product stalls on the side of the road, to knocking back a Lava Java shake and engaging in the mandatory 'he-looks-fitter-than-me' not so subtle up-and-down checking out of each other, to brushing shoulders with the pros walking along the street, to the underwater wonderland of colourful fish, turtles and reef that welcomed me each time I swam in the bay, to the bike check-in where you first walk down a gauntlet surrounded by people counting the number of various brands of bikes, wheels and components and then get your own volunteer who walks you through the entire transition area. Oh yeah, and the race itself! The whole week felt as if a triathlon magazine had exploded all over the street and come to life, so for me I felt like a kid in a candy store!

We quickly slipped into Hawaii mode (which was easy given the glorious blue skies, palm trees and laid-back locals) and engulfed ourselves in everything the town had to offer: like the 'undie Run' (created to raise money for local charities and to take the mickey out of triathletes who have been here before and used to wear their speedos into cafes, supermarkets and other places where they just did not belong) where I got to ham-it-up with the now famous 'Wattie Girls'.

A trip to Kona also wouldn't be complete without swimming off shore to the 'Coffees of Hawaii' boat for a mid-swim coffee!

I did that swim with my wife on Friday, turned my back for a second and the next thing she has struck up a conversation with Pete Jacobs' mum (Jenny)! (Pete ended up being the winning pro on Saturday). Jenny was so down to earth and proud of her son - until she mentioned his name you wouldn't know her son was one of the best in the world. She was very humble, engaging and enigmatic - the apple doesn't fall far from the tree and there's no guessing where Pete got his laid-back but driven demeanour from. It was funny to hear here talk about Crowie and Macca the way my mum would talk about Marcus Randall and BD... "Crowie always looks strong and you know he comes prepared, but I think Pete is looking the best he ever has. I am his mum though so I might be a bit biased" (turns out she was in fact spot on!).

RACE DAY

By the time race morning rolled around I was feeling ready to go. I had managed to get a few of my training sessions in on parts of the course and prepared for a hot and windy day (I told myself if I expected that then anything else would be a pleasant surprise!). 

Standing on 'Dig Me' beach and walking into the water, hearing the war drums beating behind me with the sound booming through the bay, looking around at the crowd, the smiling and nervous faces, hearing Mike Rielly's voice carry over the speaker, was an experience that created an amazing hum of energy that coursed its way through every part of my body.

The swim - 1:08:12

The cannon boomed (actually, Mike Rielly started us with "GO GO GO GO" as the cannon had miss-fired and went off about 10 seconds late) and it was a wash of arms and legs all around me! This part of the day went smoothly as I kept my calm (made easier with all of the coral and reef to look at) and almost enjoyed being wedged in a constant battle with people all around me. As it was a mass start of 1950 competitors there were A LOT of us heading off at once. Next time I would have more confidence in my ability as I self-seeded behind a few people that actually slowed me down until the turn-around. It was a human traffic jam!

The bike - 5:11

Through town and out onto the famous 'Queen K' Highway, what a buzz! This is what I had seen on TV for so many years! Sections with nothing but huge stretches of rolling hills in front and black volcanic rock paving our way on either side of the road. I felt good heading North towards Hawi, doing my best to keep working through the groups of bikes that were building up. It was a draft fest in parts, with single lines of riders as far as my eye could see. 

Looking back now I realise how naive I was, but at the time in that first third of the bike I was becoming more and more amazed at how good I was feeling. "Soul-destroying, windy lava fields? I'm the one destroying it today!" I was going so well that as I got towards the halfway point I remember thinking "I'm a good shot at cracking 5 hours here! Under 5 hours on the bike at Kona - you beauty!". Here comes the Big Dawg, right? 

Famous last words - the Big Island heard me and for the next 10k as I climbed to the turnaround I was brutalized by ferocious headwinds,  side-winds, and every kind of winds as madam Pele tried to crush me into submission! By the time I had made the turnaround and was heading back along the Queen K, I was more like a ragged little puppy with his tail whimpering between his legs. "Ok ok Island you're right, I should respect you more". With 60k still to go into this punishing hurricane I was wondering how I was going to get back into town (let alone get off the bike and run a marathon!). With a bit of patience and food I started to come good again and like a horse knowing that home is just around the corner I was able to push it out for the final 15ks.

The run - 3:25:24

The first part of the run is great as it snakes through town and the crowds of people lining the streets are going crazy! Seeing some friendly faces along the way (Al and YoYo) also puts that extra bit of spring in your step. At about the 16k mark I saw Al and couldn't help but laugh at how unglamorous this sport can be - sweat, salt marks, snot dripping from my nose, sticky gels on your hands and face, cold sponges shoved down my top. Funny when you think about how much effort many triathletes put into looking 'the part' pre-race - shaved down, tanned, svelte ("haha guilty two out of three!"). 

The joy of this run is that the final 23k are pretty lonely, out onto the highway and through the infamous 'energy lab' (isolated and HOT). When the waves of thoughts telling me to stop rolled through my mind, I reflected on the things that had gotten me to this point, the people, family, friends, the sacrifices I had made and my wife had made. When that didn't work I promised myself I could walk through the next aid station. And when that didn't work I set up the whinging part of my mind with a mircophone in the corner so it could keep gibbering on but I didn't have to give it much attention. After all, here I am running at Kona! This is awesome! How lucky! It is definitely a race of attrition, as the further I got into the run the more the course started to reflect a war zone with bodies littering the sides of the road giving in to cramps, the heat and the mind-gremlins. I pushed it hard through the final 6k and played that fun game of balancing cramps and extending full stride. 

The final 2k is pretty much downhill, winding through town and then along Ali-i Drive through packed crowds and over the finish line. You feel like a rock star! (this didn't stop through the day, and in fact became more like a massive music festival as it got closer towards the midnight cut-off. Unbelievable). 

Total time - 9:53:22 (70th in AG and 292nd/2039 overall).  

Before I came here I wasn't sure if afterwards I'd think "that was great, I've accomplished a lifelong dream, job done" or "that was great, I can't wait to do it again". Safe to say it is the latter! I think I will wait a few more years before trying to qualify again (that will give time for the memories of the pain and suffering to fade and the glory to remain) but I am very keen to experience this again. There has been nothing like it in my life. 

I have no regrets with my race, I left it all out there. But one of the things I love about this sport is that you are constantly learning, evolving, growing and challenging yourself. This race has highlighted things I can improve on, given me the confidence that I have so much more room to develop as a triathlete and (at the risk of sounding too philisophical) also filled my heart with a enduring sense of what I can accomplish as a person. 

On that note, I'm off to put my feet up, savour a few cold beers and take in a world that's not focused on the next training session or race. See you when I resurface :)

Big thanks to the guys and gals who have supported me along the way, put up with my tiredness and lack of availability, and been there when I needed you. Without my wife, family, friends and coach this not have been possible. Thanks also to ChainGang Performance Bikes, Mizuno, Shane and Geoff at Edge Marketing, Three Girls Skipping, Reddog Triathlon Training and Active Stride. 

 

Kona Countdown - 8 days to go

I have done a quick (somewhat monotonous and boring) video blog to start the journey off - I hope the next few that I do in Hawaii will be more exciting and vibrant (and that I sniff less in them!)

Some would say too much time on my hands

This is what happens in a good old fashion game of one-upmanship. Bazinga. 

It started with my dig at Adz...

 And then Adz' reply... Which I can't seem to load. Anyway, it left me no choice...

Ironman Cairns - put it on your bucket list

When 'Challenge Cairns' changed ownership and became part of the 'Ironman' franchise a few months ago, this race suddenly popped up on my radar like a sneaky U-sub. It would be one of the best opportunities to grab one of those illusive slots for the big dance in Kona (the Ironman World Championships), because many of those who had been focusing on getting over to Hawaii would have already committed to the other qualifiers in Australia (and NZ). 

I still wasn't convinced it was such a great idea. It was the tail end of a massive season, I'd been doing mainly short course stuff, and the plan was always to take a break after Mooloolaba (which was only 9 weeks before Cairns). Enter stage left, one Tony Applin, who planted some seeds in my ear while I was high on endorphins at a Reddog SBR session! A few beers later on that night and I was done for EUI (entering under the influence). 

Fast forward past two months of solid training to exchange the twin turbo engine for a V12 and I found myself in Cairns ready for the countdown. I'll admit I was pretty nervous on the Thursday and Friday thinking about what was about to happen. Luckily I had my beautiful wife, mum and step-dad with me to act as human versions of Valium. Plus, staying at a place with a name like this was always going to be a good omen...

 Come Saturday the calm 'hindu cow' feeling kicked in (some form of prehistoric caveman pre-battle instinct I think) and I was ready to GET IT ON! The morning of the race I was up at 4 for a feed, back to bed for an hour or so and then headed down to transition. 

No need to stress as everything was done. Perhaps I was a bit too relaxed though because I missed the swim start by about 100m! There was a fairly large group of us just getting off the pier into the water when I looked up and all of these arms were in action heading towards the first buoy! On the upside I missed out on some of the initial carnage of flying elbows and fists and was able to find my own space pretty quick. 

The two laps of the swim were fairly uneventful - I managed to consistently pass people (another benefit of missing the start!) which made me feel like I was going alright. No sign of crocs so that was also a bonus. Out of the water in 1:04:53 (28/99). Slower than I hoped but not too shabby considering the length of the run into transition (and the late start). 

Out onto the bike course, and what a bike course! Along the coastline up to Port Douglas. Spectacular views (check out the video at the bottom if you have the time). There was a bit of 'argy bargy' for the first 15k as we were looking for a bit of space on narrow sections to keep with the 12m drafting rule. I got a laugh out of seeing a guy who had ridden up beside a few of us shouting "sort yourselves out!" get a yellow card for drafting a few minutes later. 

180ks is a bit of a hike so I got into my own rhythm as soon as I could - keep within the power range I knew I could hold and did my best to keep the speed above 36khr (I wanted a sub-5 hour bike split) without burning too many matches (i.e. spiking my heart rate). I'd like to say I used the time to solve world famine and the economic crisis, but in all honesty my mind just floated around a bit. I took in the scenery, made sure I was keeping good form, thought about the food and drink I was putting in, waved to the crowd and acknowledged the volunteers, pondered the fact that I hadn't peed yet and then thought "don't think about it because you'll make yourself want to go"...

I could see two of the guys in my Age Group that I knew ahead of me at the Port Douglas turnaround and started to focus on slowly closing the gap. Anything to break up the time. 

The further into the ride the quieter it started to get in terms of passing bikes and from 15k out it was empty in front of me (except for Brett Pidgeon who shot past me like a rocket!). In the end I was watching my computer head towards 180k and it looked like I was going to crack the 5hrs! But then... 180.1 ... 180.2 ... up to 181.5k! So my bike split ended up at 5:00:25 (4/99) and I was 5th off the bike and onto the course. 


At this stage I was still feeling good. Time to bounce back through the cane fields and into town! A glance at my watch told me I was running 4:05-4:10 min pace per k, quicker than planned but I made the decision that as long as I felt comfortable and my breathing wasn't labored then I would just let my body do its thing. Again, I think my motto for the day was "it's all about the rhythm - relax, smile and enjoy". Like a train on the tracks I just keep moving forward, running tall, light feet. Easy right? 


It's about 23k into town, so for a long time it's just you and an aid station every few ks. And your friend the sun. Lesson learned from my one and only other Ironman distance race was to have a plan but listen to your body as well. So while I had an idea of how much food I needed to get in, I balanced it with what I felt like. Some coke, lots of ice and a gel at every 2nd aid station. "Little bits often" I heard Craig Alexander (World Ironman Champion) say in an interview. 


I was lucky enough to have Carlos Rubio drive past on a scooter checking out my ass - while I felt like a piece of meat I enjoyed the quick chat and hearing someone say "you're looking great! Keep it up!" (in hindsight coming from Carlos that is a bit suggestive?) Haha ;-) My goal was to get to town as quick as I could, knowing the crowds would help me through the second half of the run.


It was great to see my family, friends, the Reddog crew and Joey literally dressed as a red dog. While I was hurting it was controlled and I thought that if I could hold it together this was going to be a good day. Famous last words, as with 8k to go the body started to mount it's attack. First my groin cramped, then my hamstring, then both of my big toes curled up! I was getting cramps in places I didn't know could cramp! 

The warning signs had started and I tried to get some salt into me asap. It would work for a few minutes and then BANG! Gone again. I continued this back and forth dance with my body until a heart-sinking thing happened - I ran out of salt. Almost 9 hours into my day and now my legs don't want to move forward anymore. I shorted the stride length a bit, but it was a slippery downhill slope that I was on.

By far I had just entered the toughest 6ks of my life. I knew I was in third, I knew the guy behind me was only a few minutes back, and my legs were tighter than an emo's jeans that had shrunk in the wash. To say I felt devastated is an understatement. I was on struggle street through to the end but just had to keep running. I figured until I fell over then my muscles would just have to get over it. A few times they put up a good fight and I had to stop dead in my tracks. But each time I just started to shuffle forward again and managed to get a short stride going.

Marathon time of 3:16:24 (4/99).

I have never before felt the elation and personal satisfaction I did when I crossed that finish line. I put everything into this day from beginning to end and can say honestly that it pushed me to new limits. And after someone had labelled me a few months ago as a 'Gatorade superstar with the heart the size of a half sucked hundreds and thousands' who would shrivel up in an Ironman, it was nice to prove that such a small heart can make it around an Ironman course ok ;-)


Across the line in 9:28:17 for 3rd place.

The good news - that was enough to qualify for the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii! Turns out this year I am going to fulfill a longtime dream. What better timing could I have - I will be over there to see the Lance / Macca / Craig Alexander showdown. 


A big thank-you to the following for your support, not only leading into this race but over the entire season: Chaingang Performance Bikes, Mizuno, Active Stride, Endura, Reddog Triathlon Training, Three Girls Skipping, and Dale Boase Massage and Soft Tissue Therapy. Special thanks to my wife for her patience and massage skills, my mum, step-dad, sisters, brother-in-law (ish), niece, nephew, family and friends. Yes, even you Carlos Rubio. 

This is more for the family, I'm sure the rest of you will find it a bit boring. This is when the big announced was made and I knew I was really going to Hawaii!