Kona Day 5

Did an easy swim this morning, followed by an ART (Active Release Therapy) message from Jan. She was concerned when I told her my left leg goes numb sometimes on the bike - "that's not normal" she smiled as she proceeded to put my hip flexor through the ringer.

Afterward Sena, Erika, Rachel and I took our first full family outing in a while. We drove 1.5 hours to the southern most point on the island and walked 2.5 hilly, rocky, dusty miles to a beautiful green sand beach. It really was worth the trip, but we all got a little sun burned and a tad dehydrated. I'll post some pictures later.

Had a nice dinner at 'oodles of noodles', then picked my sister up from the airport.

Time for bed now.

Kona Day 4

I took a short swim early, focusing on open water skills (sighting for race day, drafting, etc.) and planning my race day tactics. I saw a sea turtle about ¼ mile into the swim, and stopped and followed it for a while - pretty cool.

My mom got in last night and she met us at the condo after my swim for a trip down south, to the ‘Place of Refuge’ and the ‘Painted Church’. We were also going to pick up some Coffee for Rachel’s boyfriends parents, some “Donkey Balls”, and do some more snorkeling while we were down there (fyi - Donkey Balls are chocolate covered macadamia nuts - nothing to do with the wild Donkeys crossing over Queen K highway at dusk ; ).

After our excursion down south, Sena dropped me off to pick up my registration stuff. They checked my ID about 10 times before they gave me my race number and goodie bag. The goodie bag is half the reason I do these races. The hat they give you is definitely cool memorabilia, but the bag itself was a generic Ironman bag - nothing that said Hawaii or World Championship. Not as much cool stuff as I had hoped - I just hope my registration fee gets me some cold water on the course. I guess I'll need to go shopping.

After I got back to the room, we chilled in the pool for a bit, then I took my mom to the grocery store and ran into Ken Glah and his wife Jan (also my message therapist). She told me to come and see here the next day for a pre-race tune up message.

Later we checked out the “Parade of Nations” - we had some fun with it - cheering on the well represented Swiss and the one guy from Hungary alike.

Ken Glah had his own car in the parade and had some trouble throwing lollipops to us, saying this is why he does triathlons and not baseball ; ). Paula Newby Frasier and Natasha Badmann each had their own cars at different points in the parade.

Later in the evening we picked up my eldest daughter Erika at the airport (yeah!). She was fully of energy as always and I could hardly believe she had just flown in from South Carolina.

Kona Day 3

Today we decided to ride up to Hawi, the turn around point on the Ironman bike course known for it’s long uphill ascent and extremely windy downhill. Sena and Rachel were going to meet me at a small snorkeling spot at the bottom of the hill.

On they way there, I stared out the window at mile after mile of desolate lava fields with the sun baking down on the occasional bike rider. Man oh man, it's going to be a long day on Saturday.

The hill leading to Hawi is fairly gradual and I was surprised when we actually got there because I didn’t think we had climbed enough. At the top of Hawi, we got out and I reassembled my bike (it wouldn’t quite fit in the trunk without removing my wheels and aero drink holder) and took a couple of photos for the bike club at home (wearing my WCCC Jersey of course).

Sena and Rachel decided to stop and get sandwiches in Hawi for later as I started my short 7 mile ride down the hill. It was still a bit early for the high winds and I didn’t see any white caps in the ocean below.

I flew down the hill at speeds between 27 and 35mph, occasionally getting a blast of wind from the side, but nothing serious. I got to the snorkeling spot really fast - Sena and Rachel weren’t there yet, so I started to climb back to Hawi until I saw them ata at a fairly slow pace (13-16mph). When I saw them coming in the opposite direction, then I turned around and met them for sandwiches and snorkeling.

The snorkeling was interesting – and old sugar factory with massive chains and machinery at the bottom of the ocean floor. The fish were somewhat sparse, so we made it a fairly short swim, then the long ride back to Kailua Kona.

Back at the condo, I took a 6 mile run up to Queen K highway in the heat of the day. Unfortunately, there was a lot of cloud cover, so I didn’t get a feel for the conditions that I might encounter on race day, but it was still a tough run, particularly the short ¼ mile up Palani road which is about mile 11, and then the long gradual return on the Queen K to Palani – which is about mile 25 of the marathon course.

The rest of the day we hung out at the pool, went shopping, drank some beer and just relaxed.

Kona Day 2 - Part 2

Just got back from my run. That Burrito (and last night's pulled pork) were a big mistakes - I had to make 2 pit stops in 8 miles and was extremely fortunate that there were two beaches with facilities fairly well placed and aligned my very impatient digestive system. I've got to get with it - only 5 days until race day - trying to enjoy my vacation and get ready for the Ironman is proving more difficult than I thought.

When I returned to my condo after the run, I realized that I left my key in the last bathroom I was in, so I had to run back (only about 1/2 mile) and ended up with a 9 mile run. I grabbed a cold water and went to this nice little garden court yard next to the condo to stretch while enjoying the sun glimmering across the ocean waves.

So one thing I learned is that the first 10 miles of the marathon 'may' have some shade. I'll try to check it out tomorrow at the right time of day when I think I'll be at that point in the course.

For me, staying cool is critical. That means finding as much shade as possible, running on the white lines on the road, hoping for cloud cover and rain, dosing myself at every aid station - whatever it takes. My afore mentioned stomach problem were not solely due to my poor dietary choices of late, but in large part, due to the heat and humidity. I felt fine at first, but it caught up with me after a few miles and my blood began to boil.

After today's run, I've decided I need to do at least one more run (maybe tomorrow) that includes a few miles in the lava fields.

I got a feel for the'furnace blast' feel on the bike course yesterday, but as soon as the clouds came out, it was fine. So I'm really hoping for cloud cover or I'm toast - literally ; )

Anyway, when I got back to the Condo, I noticed Sena picked up some cold Stella Artois - yum.

Kona Day 2

Did another swim today - felt a bit more comfortable in the open water, finishing approx 1.2 miles. Sena came to take some video, but lost track of me with all the other swimmers. Rachel chilled back at the condo.

After the swim, we headed down south for some snorkeling. It was really nice to get some time with Sena and Rachel (but we missed Erika so!). It took forever to get the the spot we had picked due to road construction - and there are very few alternate routes on Kona.

For lunch we had 'Bitchin Burritos'. I tried to stay somewhat healthy, with a fish and black bean burrito, which turned out to be pretty good. Now I'm just trying to digest so I can go for an 8 mile run.

Kona Day 1

Well I made it to our Condo in Kona late Friday night (11:30pm Hawaii time; thats 5:30am Saturday Eastern standard Time). I was pretty wiped out by the time I got here, not sleeping well on the plane due to a muscle cramp in the middle of my back. I somehow managed to unpack and get to sleep by 12:30.

At 6:30am on Saturday morning and put my bike together. I wanted to get a swim in fairly early, so I ate a hammer bar for breakfast since I hadn't gone grocery shopping yet. The swim start is less than 1/2 mile from our hotel and I got there about 8:30 - swam about a mile. On my way there I crossed paths with Michelle Jones, womens winner of last years Ironman World Championships.

It was a really nice swim with the fish, clear water, and fairly calm surf. Unfortunately a 1/4 mile into the swim, the salt water and my skin suit conspired to chafe my arm pits (I didn't think to put on body glide). About 1/2 mile in I decided the fire under my arms would not heal very well if I kept going at the same rate, so I pulled the top of my skin suit down and headed back to the start. I finished in about 37 minutes with plenty of stops - I'm only guessing that it was a mile.

On the way back to the hotel, I stopped at a local farmers market and picked up some organic bananas. Yum. When I got back to the hotel, I finished a few items on my bike assembly and hit the road for a 2 hour ride. It was a really nice ride and I met a couple of nice folks from Australia. I got back to the hotel, scarfed whatever food was handy, then headed for the grocery store. At the store, I was kind of out of it, and picked up a few random items, knowing that I was tight on time - I had to pick up Sena and Rachel at the airport at 2:50.

Before heading to the airport, I scarfed a couple of PB&Js and a glass of milk. Once at the airport, the parking lot was full, so I waited roadside for a while, waiting for a call from Sena which didn't come. Long story short - their flight was 2 hours late and I just sat in the car waiting and waiting.

All ended well when we got back to the condo and had a nice meal and an early bedtime.

The trip to Kona (October 5th)

Saint Sena
Getting up before the alarm this morning was easy – my trip to Kona lay in front of mean and I was ready. The day was going to be a long one, with 2 significant mainland layovers; I would leave Philly at 10:15 and arrive in Kona 15 hours later. Using frequent flyer miles isn’t always as great as it sounds, but I sleep pretty well on planes and am pretty good at keeping myself busy reading, writing, drawing, and listening to music.

Sena, drove me through early morning rush hour traffic to Philly airport where I arrived 2 hours before my flight to ensure I didn’t have any trouble checking my bike. For some strange reason, I felt extremely calm as we drove to the airport. Sena, on the other hand, was anxious about the whole family trip, the coordination required and responsibility she felt getting all four of us to the Island at different times. Believe me, I don’t take it for granted that she has taken on the majority of the burden in planning this.

Extra Airline Charges for your bike
Over the past two days, I spent many hours disassembling and packing my bike. I had gotten both my bike container and my checked bag down to under 50 pounds each in an effort to avoid additional, costly airline fees. Based on the American Airline web site, I expected the airline to charge me, at most, $100 each way for my oversized bike case (greater than 67 diameter inches). Based on my last airline trip with my bike and some additional research, I know that the check-in clerk has some discretion in this matter and how they interpret the rules. The conversation with the airline check-in clerk went something like this..

“Good morning, how are you?”
“Is that a bike?”
“Yes, my pride and joy”
“You know we have to charge you extra, right?”
“I understand, but sometimes they waive the charge if it is under 50 pounds”

“Well it’s going to be 160 dollars”
“Hmm, I looked it up on-line and my understanding was that at most it would be 100 dollars”

“Ok, well it says if it is collapsed in a hard case, under 50 pounds, and less than 67 inches, there is no charge, so I guess I don’t need to charge you”

“Here, let me print this out for you and you can show it to check-in on your return trip”

Hopefully I have the same fortune on my way home. As it turns out, I think she was charging me $160 round trip, which is $80 each way, which is what the printout said. I’m fairly certain my bike case is over 67 diameter inches, but I’m not sure she knew what diameter inches meant, so I lucked out.

The subtleties of bike packing
The flight to Chicago (my first layover) was uneventful and I was able to snooze for about an hour, then practice bladder control in the Window Seat. As we sat on the runway waiting to deplane, I had a birds-eye-view of the baggage handler as he removed my bike from this plane. As he slammed it on the transport, I remembered something a my friend Joanne told me on my last trip – make sure you remove your derailleur when packing your bike. I wish I would have remembered it yesterday when I was packing my bike! I won’t find out if there is a problem until I’m in Kona 10 hours from now.

Is that Bruce Jenner?
So while I’m sitting at Chicago O’Hare airport for a layover in route to LAX, just finishing a McDonalds grilled Chicken sandwich. I look up, and there is Bruce Jenner sitting 30 feet from me. I figure that is a good omen on my way to Hawaii.

Taking Bets
I spoke with my sister Liz on while I waited for my first flight. Liz is my sister whose husband Jim died earlier this year and he is who I have dedicated this race to. Liz will be joining my in Hawaii, but she told me that she had a fear of the big island due to the volcano and no where to run. This strikes me as kind of funny, and I made a few jokes about only the good swimmers would survive, but I think she is really nervous about the whole thing. However, she really wants to be there, particularly since the race is dedicated to Jim.

Anyway, Liz tells me there were a bunch of people down in Florida betting on my finish time. Now I really feel like a pro athlete! I started to think of all of the bets you could place on a race like this – odds against finishing at all; odds against finishing in the top 50% in the age group; odds against finishing in the top 25% of the field. The weather on the day of the race will have a significant impact on finishing time, so betting on finishing time is a bit like betting on the weather. In any case, if you’re reading this and betting on me, good luck!

Venkat
Last week, out of the blue, an old friend (Venkat Ramanan) from Los Angles called. It has been 20 years since we last spoke and it was really good to hear from him. If I had thought ahead, I would have realized that I had a 4 hour lay over in LA that we could use to get together. By the time I realized the potential opportunity, it was too late as Venkat had business meetings late Friday afternoon, but he assured me when he visits his son at UPenn during the fall, we will get together and talk about old days.

weekly stats

Target was 15 hours, and I just barely got it in...

47run miles in 6 hours
5.5swim miles in 3.42 hours
111bike miles in 5.75 hours

not sure why I did so few bike miles - I guess I was trying to run in the sun / heat early in the week - my bike sessions were mostly hard efforts

My foot felt better today and I did 1 hour on the eliptical and 1 hour on the treadmill - good compromise to an outdoor 13 mile run that I had on the training plan.

busy packing

It is really tough to pack for a 10 day trip to Hawaii when you're doing an Ironman. My weekend was spent mostly on tuning my bike and packing.

My bike tuning included: replacing the chain, putting on a new cassette, replacing brake pads, replacing front derailuer cable and housing, cleaning, etc. I still have to take it apart and get it in the bike travel case. I also found out my race wheels aren't true, so I'll need to get that taken care of before I leave. The wheels came with a special truing tool, that I spent an hour trying to find. Finally found it with fairly detailed specs on the tension required. Sena is going to drop them off at the bike shop tomorrow.

My battery on my heart rate monitor seems to have died, so I'll want to replace that before I go. Hopefully it is just the battery. I'll probably want to clear the memory on my Garmin too, so I don't get that 'out of memory' message 40 miles into the bike. I only run out of memory maybe once a year, but I don't want to take any chances.

I put all my protein drink mixes into plastic bags - I just hope airport security doesn't mistake it for drugs! - it'll be in my carry on, so low likelihood.

There are hundred little things to remember - well I have a few days to get things in order.

Plantar Fasciitis strikes again!

I've been trying to manage the plantar fasciitis, but since the Philly Distance Run it has gotten worse. Taking most of the week off of running after PDR didn't seem to do the trick. It seems to be worst when I do fast runs, like my 5 mile tempo in Valley Forge yesterday - I think the fast down hills took a toll. I'm debating whether I should do my 13 mile run tomorrow - see how I feel - maybe on the treadmill.

I had a good 2.5 mile swim today - it was the first time I was actually able to control my speed going faster and slower throughout the workout.

I spent most of today working on my bike, and going to the bike store to get tools to do the job right. I'm pretty happy with it right now, but I put my race wheels on and noticed they are out of true. I'll take a shot at truing them, but if I have any trouble, I'll need to bring them to the bike store pronto.

I did a fast ride on Creek Road today (midway through my bike repairs). 2x12 miles at a pretty agressive pace. I'd like to do the same tomorrow, but if I have to cancel my run, I may do a longish ride instead.

My iPod went through the wash earlier this week, so I decided to go out and get another (long plane on Friday - to Hawaii!). Spent half the night last night getting decent music on it.