Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Sunday, October 14, 2007
My Kona Day
I had a decent sleep and woke ready and anxious to get going - similar to most race mornings. I downed almost six sachets of supercarbs with water - it never gets any easier but it is far easier than bars for me now.
Body marking and setting up my bike went very smooth. The level of organization here is far higher than any race I've ever done. Perhaps a reflection of the race being in its 29th year.
The swim was less of a fight than I had expected, though there were a few swimmers who needed some navigation skills. I hesitated a bit in the water and opted to hang back from the start line. In hindsight, I should have started more forward as I did have a number of slower swimmers in front to dodge as I searched for some feet.
I found it easy to find feet and got into a rhythm. About 1.5km into the swim, the chafing began and it wasn't the best thing to happen in salt water. My new non-wetsuit wetsuit - a BlueSeventy suit that cost $US200. I simply hadn't used it enough to appreciate what it was going to do to me. I bought it earlier this week when it appeared that almost everyone would be wearing something similar.
I swam the first half in about 33 minutes and I thought that was quite good. I haven't done a lot of swimming this year and in the past two months in particular.
On the return to the pier, I found a train of four or five people to follow and latched myself to them. It was very efficient and really helped me keep my focus. I think this is where I struggled at Ironman Malaysia in February because I found myself swimming alone there and lost the plot.
In any event, the current was strong on the return. I emerged with a 1:13 swim- compared with my pre-race target of swimming 1:15 for no other reason except not wanting to swim slower than that! Still, I was a bit disappointed because of the initial 33 minutes out, but after seeing the race results and how others had swum, I am content that I put in a solid effort in the water.
T1 was very efficient. All I had in my bag was my race number. I had my wetsuit off in a matter of seconds and headed to my bike. There I put my gel flasks in my pockets, before putting on my helmet and sunglasses. And I was off.
When I exited the water, it was chaotic to say the least. At lot of people swam a similar time and so the first 20km or so on the bike was insane because of the sheer volume of athletes. Drafting was inevitable though the initial road didn't really lend itself to going too hard anyway.
Out onto the Queen K, the wind made its appearance. I had been advised by everyone I asked to take it easy early in the bike - to race, but to really watch my heart rate and to hydrate, hydrate and hydrate. And to find some riders. And I did.
JH had been extremely helpful with pointers on the Queen K and every downhill was an opportunity to hammer and I didn't hesitate. While I'm not a huge fan of racing down steep hills with curves, the hills here are a bit more gentle and you can see far into the distance. So I went as hard as my legs would allow - and I felt great for the first 60km. My heart rate spiked once or twice and I eased back to let it settle
Then the hills to Hawi began and I started to slow and hurt a bit. I felt my nutrition was good. I was swallowing two salt tabs every hour. I was still passing more people than the reverse. I got water at every aid station and was sipping some of it directly and mixing the rest with my Supercarbs + caf mix in my front bottle holder. I was also sipping on my gel mix from the five flasks I had made a day earlier.
I had been riding as fast as 55-60km/hr at times so far and then hit the winds and slowed to as little as 15-20km/hr. I did my best to sit as low as I could on my bike. One thing that I've learned is that I've got to be patient and get through the low periods and be ready to go when I'm good again - something that took me years to get my head around.
I first caught Jacqui about the 80km mark. She yelled something at me but it wasn't until after the race that she told me of a drafting penalty she had received. She was telling me to be careful. At the time though, I was on a high and passing others with ease. I thought she was going through a bad patch and simply yelled encouragement.
With about 5km before the turnaround, I hit a strong headwind and ran out of fuel. I was barely moving - at least that's how it felt. After turning and passing special needs, Jacqui rode past me. She had regrouped. As for me, I was going through a bad patch. I couldn't figure out why. Was it nutrition? Was I dehydrated? I can't explain.
Then I felt good - in fact great. The crosswinds were relatively light and I cranked up my effort. I caught Jacqui and flew ahead. I was really enjoying the ride again. That lasted maybe 10-15km and I hit another bad patch. I actually dropped my chain and had to stop for a moment. I can't recall the last time that happened to me.
I really struggled on the short steep and twisting hill back to the Queen K and the turn home. I just couldn't get myself sorted and I was very frustrated. I was being passed at will by other athletes. Jacqui had long since passed me as had one of the competitors against whom I raced in Malaysia.
It was during the ride that I was able to think about all the support I had received in the last few weeks. In particular, I had received a very inspiring message from my parents who unfortunately were unable to make the journey here. Knowing that they were back in Toronto watching the results online and encouraging me helped me regain my focus.
I didn't think the wind was too strong but it was a consistent headwind all the way home. There wasn't any 60km/hr stretches here as during one of our training sessions. I started to look for coke at this point but couldn't find any at the first three aid stations. Geez, what's a guy got to do!
I never once doubted that I would finish but I kept having to reset my time targets! I felt that I could have cycled 5:15, and then at least 5:30. Mostly based on what I had done in training and previous races. That was later revised to sub5:45 and finally sub6! I cycled 5:50 in the end and wasn't a very happy camper in T2. I was very disappointed. One volunteer reminded me to smile, though at that point I wasn't in the mood for it.
I started to run and saw Margreet yelling in the crowd that helped a lot. Still it wasn't until about 10km into the run that I started to find myself thinking positively again. I saw my brother and one of my sisters heading out on Alii Drive and then back, and then Margreet and Stephen. It makes such a huge difference to have people cheering you on. A group of Aussies found my name in the program and were yelping at me big time - that was pretty hilarious.
As I headed out of town, my main objective was to keep running. In hindsight, the one training mistake I made was not to have run from town to the energy lab. It's about 10km and it's longer than I realized, especially when tired and dispirited. I had driven that way many times in the past two weeks and the solar panels always appeared a lot faster!
I saw John and Charlotte and most of the pros. I actually was boosted by seeing that the women's race leader was still on the Queen K - Ok, just barely - when I had begun my run out of town.
Finally I got to the energy lab. It was great that John and Jacqui and I had done a training session there. It's a mythic place and yet it's really just a short 2-3km out and back stretch that drops down to the sea and back. As I dropped down the bottom of the road, Jacqui was heading out. She was running strong.
I opted to carry all my nutrition so I skipped special needs. As I had gone on coke near the end of the bike in a bid to boost my spirits, I was on coke for most of the run as well as downing my caf gels. And yet I could easily and would have willingly downed a Red Bull too.
As I made the 1.5km climb out of the energy lab, I felt good. I was running a steady pace if nothing too exciting. I was going home and I always am able to dig a bit deeper when I can sense the finish line is approaching.
Stephen had cycled out on his new bike and was at the top of the energy lab when I arrived there. I was feeling good and moving good.
I started to push myself and I was running well. By my calculations I ran the final 10km in 55-56 minutes - a solid effort. I always like to finish as strong as I can.
I always was quite determined to finish while there was still daylight, and the sun was starting to drop on the horizon. I was doing a lot of math in my mind in terms of a potential finishing time. Ahead of the race - based on a sub5:30 ride and buoyed by my Gold Coast marathon time of 3:10, I was confident of maybe a sub10 or at the very least sub10:30! It's good to be confident.
In Malaysia, with a qualification on the line, I was able to muster the determination to race harder than I've ever raced. I was able to hurt myself and work through it too. But here, I couldn't. I didn't have the mental strength to hammer myself. Even a sub11 hour finish wasn't enough.
I opted to enjoy the run, so to speak. I wanted to make the most of this debut in Kona. Debut and potentially one and only competitive visit to the Big Island.
This race was the culmination of seven years of training - six-and-a-half with John as my coach and mentor. Thanks John. Thanks of course doesn't begin to say how he has helped me. I've had such a thoroughly enjoyable time becoming a triathlete.
I also like to thank my brother, John, who watched my first Ironman in Forster in 2002 and now this one. Perhaps if he catches the Ironman bug, I'll be able to help him reach a new level as a triathlete too.
Thanks to Marcelline for making the journey to the Big Island and seeing firsthand what it is that has been a huge part of my life in recent years. I do think that watching an Ironman is almost as grueling as competing in one.
I also want to say thanks to Stephen for making the effort to get here and coordinating my Kona crew. It was a huge help.
And mostly I want to say thanks to Margreet for putting up with my early training hours these past two to three years and my training grumpiness and pre-race focus on me and me and then on me.
I found the energy to enjoy the final 2-3kms of the race. It was the first time that I stopped in a finishing chute to say hi to anyone. I was smiling all the way. At that point I knew I had a sub11:15.
Ironman suits my personality in many ways. I thrive on the training and the discipline and pushing myself. It's also taught me that it's important to be flexible [apparently that includes stretching - though I've never been too good at that] and to adapt as the situation changes. It's also about relaxing and accepting the day as it unfolds.
Body marking and setting up my bike went very smooth. The level of organization here is far higher than any race I've ever done. Perhaps a reflection of the race being in its 29th year.
The swim was less of a fight than I had expected, though there were a few swimmers who needed some navigation skills. I hesitated a bit in the water and opted to hang back from the start line. In hindsight, I should have started more forward as I did have a number of slower swimmers in front to dodge as I searched for some feet.
I found it easy to find feet and got into a rhythm. About 1.5km into the swim, the chafing began and it wasn't the best thing to happen in salt water. My new non-wetsuit wetsuit - a BlueSeventy suit that cost $US200. I simply hadn't used it enough to appreciate what it was going to do to me. I bought it earlier this week when it appeared that almost everyone would be wearing something similar.
I swam the first half in about 33 minutes and I thought that was quite good. I haven't done a lot of swimming this year and in the past two months in particular.
On the return to the pier, I found a train of four or five people to follow and latched myself to them. It was very efficient and really helped me keep my focus. I think this is where I struggled at Ironman Malaysia in February because I found myself swimming alone there and lost the plot.
In any event, the current was strong on the return. I emerged with a 1:13 swim- compared with my pre-race target of swimming 1:15 for no other reason except not wanting to swim slower than that! Still, I was a bit disappointed because of the initial 33 minutes out, but after seeing the race results and how others had swum, I am content that I put in a solid effort in the water.
T1 was very efficient. All I had in my bag was my race number. I had my wetsuit off in a matter of seconds and headed to my bike. There I put my gel flasks in my pockets, before putting on my helmet and sunglasses. And I was off.
When I exited the water, it was chaotic to say the least. At lot of people swam a similar time and so the first 20km or so on the bike was insane because of the sheer volume of athletes. Drafting was inevitable though the initial road didn't really lend itself to going too hard anyway.
Out onto the Queen K, the wind made its appearance. I had been advised by everyone I asked to take it easy early in the bike - to race, but to really watch my heart rate and to hydrate, hydrate and hydrate. And to find some riders. And I did.
JH had been extremely helpful with pointers on the Queen K and every downhill was an opportunity to hammer and I didn't hesitate. While I'm not a huge fan of racing down steep hills with curves, the hills here are a bit more gentle and you can see far into the distance. So I went as hard as my legs would allow - and I felt great for the first 60km. My heart rate spiked once or twice and I eased back to let it settle
Then the hills to Hawi began and I started to slow and hurt a bit. I felt my nutrition was good. I was swallowing two salt tabs every hour. I was still passing more people than the reverse. I got water at every aid station and was sipping some of it directly and mixing the rest with my Supercarbs + caf mix in my front bottle holder. I was also sipping on my gel mix from the five flasks I had made a day earlier.
I had been riding as fast as 55-60km/hr at times so far and then hit the winds and slowed to as little as 15-20km/hr. I did my best to sit as low as I could on my bike. One thing that I've learned is that I've got to be patient and get through the low periods and be ready to go when I'm good again - something that took me years to get my head around.
I first caught Jacqui about the 80km mark. She yelled something at me but it wasn't until after the race that she told me of a drafting penalty she had received. She was telling me to be careful. At the time though, I was on a high and passing others with ease. I thought she was going through a bad patch and simply yelled encouragement.
With about 5km before the turnaround, I hit a strong headwind and ran out of fuel. I was barely moving - at least that's how it felt. After turning and passing special needs, Jacqui rode past me. She had regrouped. As for me, I was going through a bad patch. I couldn't figure out why. Was it nutrition? Was I dehydrated? I can't explain.
Then I felt good - in fact great. The crosswinds were relatively light and I cranked up my effort. I caught Jacqui and flew ahead. I was really enjoying the ride again. That lasted maybe 10-15km and I hit another bad patch. I actually dropped my chain and had to stop for a moment. I can't recall the last time that happened to me.
I really struggled on the short steep and twisting hill back to the Queen K and the turn home. I just couldn't get myself sorted and I was very frustrated. I was being passed at will by other athletes. Jacqui had long since passed me as had one of the competitors against whom I raced in Malaysia.
It was during the ride that I was able to think about all the support I had received in the last few weeks. In particular, I had received a very inspiring message from my parents who unfortunately were unable to make the journey here. Knowing that they were back in Toronto watching the results online and encouraging me helped me regain my focus.
I didn't think the wind was too strong but it was a consistent headwind all the way home. There wasn't any 60km/hr stretches here as during one of our training sessions. I started to look for coke at this point but couldn't find any at the first three aid stations. Geez, what's a guy got to do!
I never once doubted that I would finish but I kept having to reset my time targets! I felt that I could have cycled 5:15, and then at least 5:30. Mostly based on what I had done in training and previous races. That was later revised to sub5:45 and finally sub6! I cycled 5:50 in the end and wasn't a very happy camper in T2. I was very disappointed. One volunteer reminded me to smile, though at that point I wasn't in the mood for it.
I started to run and saw Margreet yelling in the crowd that helped a lot. Still it wasn't until about 10km into the run that I started to find myself thinking positively again. I saw my brother and one of my sisters heading out on Alii Drive and then back, and then Margreet and Stephen. It makes such a huge difference to have people cheering you on. A group of Aussies found my name in the program and were yelping at me big time - that was pretty hilarious.
As I headed out of town, my main objective was to keep running. In hindsight, the one training mistake I made was not to have run from town to the energy lab. It's about 10km and it's longer than I realized, especially when tired and dispirited. I had driven that way many times in the past two weeks and the solar panels always appeared a lot faster!
I saw John and Charlotte and most of the pros. I actually was boosted by seeing that the women's race leader was still on the Queen K - Ok, just barely - when I had begun my run out of town.
Finally I got to the energy lab. It was great that John and Jacqui and I had done a training session there. It's a mythic place and yet it's really just a short 2-3km out and back stretch that drops down to the sea and back. As I dropped down the bottom of the road, Jacqui was heading out. She was running strong.
I opted to carry all my nutrition so I skipped special needs. As I had gone on coke near the end of the bike in a bid to boost my spirits, I was on coke for most of the run as well as downing my caf gels. And yet I could easily and would have willingly downed a Red Bull too.
As I made the 1.5km climb out of the energy lab, I felt good. I was running a steady pace if nothing too exciting. I was going home and I always am able to dig a bit deeper when I can sense the finish line is approaching.
Stephen had cycled out on his new bike and was at the top of the energy lab when I arrived there. I was feeling good and moving good.
I started to push myself and I was running well. By my calculations I ran the final 10km in 55-56 minutes - a solid effort. I always like to finish as strong as I can.
I always was quite determined to finish while there was still daylight, and the sun was starting to drop on the horizon. I was doing a lot of math in my mind in terms of a potential finishing time. Ahead of the race - based on a sub5:30 ride and buoyed by my Gold Coast marathon time of 3:10, I was confident of maybe a sub10 or at the very least sub10:30! It's good to be confident.
In Malaysia, with a qualification on the line, I was able to muster the determination to race harder than I've ever raced. I was able to hurt myself and work through it too. But here, I couldn't. I didn't have the mental strength to hammer myself. Even a sub11 hour finish wasn't enough.
I opted to enjoy the run, so to speak. I wanted to make the most of this debut in Kona. Debut and potentially one and only competitive visit to the Big Island.
This race was the culmination of seven years of training - six-and-a-half with John as my coach and mentor. Thanks John. Thanks of course doesn't begin to say how he has helped me. I've had such a thoroughly enjoyable time becoming a triathlete.
I also like to thank my brother, John, who watched my first Ironman in Forster in 2002 and now this one. Perhaps if he catches the Ironman bug, I'll be able to help him reach a new level as a triathlete too.
Thanks to Marcelline for making the journey to the Big Island and seeing firsthand what it is that has been a huge part of my life in recent years. I do think that watching an Ironman is almost as grueling as competing in one.
I also want to say thanks to Stephen for making the effort to get here and coordinating my Kona crew. It was a huge help.
And mostly I want to say thanks to Margreet for putting up with my early training hours these past two to three years and my training grumpiness and pre-race focus on me and me and then on me.
I found the energy to enjoy the final 2-3kms of the race. It was the first time that I stopped in a finishing chute to say hi to anyone. I was smiling all the way. At that point I knew I had a sub11:15.
Ironman suits my personality in many ways. I thrive on the training and the discipline and pushing myself. It's also taught me that it's important to be flexible [apparently that includes stretching - though I've never been too good at that] and to adapt as the situation changes. It's also about relaxing and accepting the day as it unfolds.
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