Kona 2007

Here's the race report that started this blogging business (yup, it's long...it's a long race)

Hey everyone I thought I’d jot down a few thoughts on our time in Kailua-Kona over the last couple of weeks. The Big Island and the Aloha spirit are amazing, I don’t usually buy into the touchy feely “energy of the land” stuff but I felt different here. Some of the newest land to poke through the surface of the ocean was my playground for a short time and I do not want to take that for granted. Besides, they grow some damn good coffee on the Kona coast, how can you not have respect for that.

Anyway, this is really more for my benefit than anyone else, I’ve never been much for journals but I wanted to get these ideas down before the memories fade. If it interests you and you have a couple hours, grab a cup of coffee and settle in, it’s long and a bit (OK a lot) out of my character! I had a special couple of weeks down there and writing this helps me put a little perspective on my preparation, race day and why I spend so much time and energy training. The day goes by very quickly, writing this helps me go back and spend a little time enjoying the gift and the opportunity that I feel is unique to this race and the island itself. If you ever wondered what goes on in my head or why I do this stuff, here’s a little glimpse!

In the week leading up to the race I took care of the pre-race running around, did a little training on the course and tried to keep from bugging Elisabeth too much!! Kona is a very interesting place in the week leading up to Ironman. Everyone looks amazingly fit, it is easy to get psyched out but I kept to my game plan of lying pretty low and resisted the urge to get in one last good session. I tried to swim everyday, just to keep moving and stave of the sluggish feeling. It was easy to get out there and swim, the water is crystal clear and warm plus they had an Iced-Espresso Bar on an outrigger canoe about 700m out from the beach…very cool! The beach also seems to be the place to “see and be seen,” everyone hangs out in there Speedos, flexing their abs and talking about how many miles a week they ride, always trying to out-do the guy (or girl) next to them. An interesting dynamic, I can see why this little slice of sand is known during Ironman week as “Dig Me Beach.”

So after a week of relaxation mixed with intermittent bouts of anticipation and nervousness I was ready to go on Saturday. I knew that I was fit, I was ready to actually race, to see how my preparation and mental strength measured up against the best in the world. I wanted to respect the distance and the conditions the island brings but I also wanted to respect the work I had put into having a strong performance and not leave anything out on the roads.

I slept well and woke up for a good breakfast and a strong cup of Kona coffee at 4:00am!
We walked to transition at 4:45 and I said my goodbyes to Elisabeth and Mom, the first of many lonely feelings crept in but I soon ran into a buddy that I’d met in St. Croix so that helped pass the time as we worked our way through body-marking and bag drop off.
Before I knew it, it was time to get in the water, I made my way down the steps at about 6:40, and scanned the sea wall for my small cheering section and found them with some prime seats right at the edge (I guess there is one benefit to coming down with me before 5am!) I swam over to say hi, it helped calm me a bit and I was very glad to see them again before the long day began.
The pros went off at 6:45am, 15 minutes before I and 1700 other very antsy tri-geeks were to get under way. I’ve swam a few strokes to warm-up before I realized that people were starting to queue up for the start. I wanted a spot on the front row near the middle so I swam back and took my place. The energy was amazing, you could feel that everyone wanted to nudge forward but we were being held in place by a line of paddle boarders. The announcer said we had 4 minutes, then 2 minutes, about 15 secs. Later the cannon went off. A bit of a surprise but I dove under a paddler who was in my way and didn’t receive any contact thanks to a strong opening 400m. I looked to my right and there were two guys about 15 feet beside me, I angled towards them a bit hoping to get some fast feet to drag off but the first guy surged before I got there and opened a gap on the guy he was with and myself. I thought about putting an effort in to close the gap but decided to avoid going anaerobic and settled into my own rhythm until the turnaround boat. I looked back and had a few guys on my feet so I surged a bit to see if I could get anyone to go, a couple of guys fell off the back and a couple stayed. I eased up again to let someone else pull, a guy moved around me, I got on his feet and rode them into transition. I had a very easy swim and came out in 52:31, I think I was the 4th or 5th age-grouper out of the water.

I grabbed my gel flasks and salt pills, put them in my pockets and ran to my bike, a pretty smooth transition and I was off on the out & back loop through town. I rode this section pretty hard, and before I knew it I was turning out of town on the Queen K. highway for about 170km of hot, windy, rolling hills through the lava fields at the foot of Mauna Kea. I rode smooth and fast, just dialed into my desired power and kept it pretty consistent on the way out to the turnaround in a small village called Hawi. Hawi is at the top of a steady 13km grind up hill and into a stiff head wind, it’s nice to get to that turnaround and know you’ve got about 10 minutes of screaming downhill, it’s well earned at that point in the race. A few good cross wind gusts caught my attention so I had to be pretty aware of what I was doing at 70km/h. Throughout the ride I had been passing pro women, some who looked like they were having a tough day. Up to Hawi I started passing some pretty well established pro men. It was at the same time encouraging and worrisome. I questioned whether I was riding too hard but knew by my perceived exertion and my power meter/heart rate that I was within my abilities. On I went, keeping up with my nutrition/hydration/cooling/pacing strategy and before long I was riding up to the lead pack of pro women along with the huge media caravan. I passed them within a km or so and headed towards transition still in the top 10 of the age-group race and 42 overall, ride time was 4:59:00. I had a good ride, but it felt good to get off the bike and into my running shoes. I was determined to run a good marathon, I had the fitness and the confidence to run a good marathon. Elisabeth and Mom were at a corner about 2 miles from transition it was good to see them but once I was by, I knew it should be a while before I’d see them again. Apart from a few spots in town, this is a very lonely course, I realize now just how difficult it makes this race compared to Ironman events in other locations.

Another pretty smooth transition and I was off on the run, once again the crowd takes you beyond your realistic pace for a bit but I settled down after a mile or so and started to tick it over. I ran comfortably (as comfy as you can be after 6 hours of racing) taking in calories and water as best as I could and trying to keep cool. This was the “coolest” part of the course with a bit of shade but the sun was still beating incredibly hot off the smooth black pavement. At about 15km I was back in the heart of Kailua-Kona and heading up the toughest hill on the course. Seriously…it’s not right to put this hill at this point! I start chugging up the hill when I see two angels leaning out onto the road yelling nice things. I ran over and would have stopped for a quick hug and kiss but this hill was too tough to stop the momentum. I ran over and slapped both of their hands, probably mumbled something incoherent and kept running. At the top of the hill the race takes a left turn back onto the Queen K highway. This is where I started to get the feeling that things may go south.

At the aid station 15 miles into the marathon in the desolate (yet somehow still beautiful) lava fields I started walking. I grabbed as much cola, water and ice as I could carry and looked down the seemingly endless blacktop, at this point the enormity of this race became a reality. I looked ahead and saw nothing but heat waves radiating above the highway and surrounding rocky desert. Reflecting back to that point, the weakness in my mind, not the weakness in my legs forced me to walk. I was worried about blowing up before I was able to reach the next aid station only 1 mile up the road; I was worried about the loneliness and pain I would experience over the next 10 miles. Instead of focusing on running just one more step or running to the next hydro pole, I let the distance of the race intimidate me.
I walked a few more steps, poured some ice down the front of my shorts (that’ll wake you up!) and started to run again. This cycle continued for a while, sometimes I thought I was coming around and had good stretches where I was running OK and feeling strong mentally then I’d have some pretty bad cramping that would force me to stop.

Eventually I made it back into town and had to get down the big hill I ran up earlier, with quads feeling like tree trunks and cramps threatening to seize my hamstrings and calves I think it was harder going down than up! As I turned into town, I forgot about the previous 90 minutes and tried to enjoy my trip down Alii Drive towards the finish line. I scanned the crowd hoping to see Elisabeth and Mom, finally seeing Elisabeth reaching over the fence about 100m in front of the line. As big a smile as I could muster spread across my face and I ran up the ramp to stop the clock in 9:55:31.

So sub-10 on a typically tough day (the last two years were comparatively easy with cooler temps and lighter winds). It was 25 minutes faster than my first IM in Lake Placid last year but I had planned on going faster. A sub 3:30 marathon is a lot easier on paper and in training than on race day, especially in Kona. I had the fitness to run 26.2 miles at 7:30-8:00 pace off a ride like that. I simply was not strong enough mentally and let my focus slip too far down the road. So that’s why I’m going to keep up with this Ironman thing. I won’t race in Kona next year (unless I hit the lottery) but I may try Lake Placid again…or maybe not. I get a lot out of not only racing Ironman but from the preparation, it does take up a tremendous amount of time and energy though. Elisabeth has been amazing in her support of this crazy business. That is very important, and will remain the biggest consideration in keeping this up….maybe one day I’ll get her to “go long!” Regardless I’m a very lucky dude.

Oh yeah, we also had a very nice few days exploring the rest of this beautiful island. The Big Island has 12 of the earth’s 16 climatic zones. From the barren lava fields to lush rainforests, to snow on the top of Mauna Kea…what an amazing island. I always thought Hawai’i would be a bit cheesy and touristy, I’ve heard parts of some other islands are. Our trip was beautiful, as I said we’d go back every year if we could. (Yes, Elisabeth too!!)

Aloha and Mahola,
Ian