Kona 2008

So, Ann and I in the past 11 Months:
13 races. 3 Ironman, ITU long course worlds, 3 HIM, 3 Olympic, and 3 Sprints. I am tired, not so much physically but mentally. The strain has hurt me, and I (we) are deserving of a multi-year break from Ironman.

So, this was the 30th anniversary here and word around here is that it was the 2nd most difficult year here. Arguably not as difficult as the 25 anniversary race though. So, maybe stay away from anniversary races here? Well, we knew that the streak of 3 good racing years here was bound to end eventually and were expecting the typical Kona conditions, so no big surprise. The only real issues with me were low back pain on the left, which I kept between my massage therapist and I. The source I cant be certain of, but probably the bed we slept in as the pain was each morning and subsided throughout the day. By the 6-7 day, wasnt subsiding so much. So, 30 min before the start, Jesse had me laying down on the grass outside of transition trying to knead out the knot in my back. My right foot also, moderate tendinitis along the lateral aspect, and under the ankle. Jesse worked that out pretty well and even though its moderately sore today, I didnt notice during the race. The low back held up reasonably, but pain on the bike was an annoyance. On the run, I started putting ice down my back, letting it gather against my fuel belt. I had to since up the fuel belt pretty tight to hold the ice on my low back but man, after 5-6 miles, my back started to feel better. So, all in all, pretty happy with the way things held up.

10:10 and change, 48 of 230 in the age group. Far from my potential in this race, but still...improvement from past finishes (2004, 11:07, 113/228)(2005, 9:58, 68/271)(2006, 10:59, 139/216). So, not great but my best I believe in the 4 runnings I've had.

Swim: 1:05.16, PR here for me. Definitely a sub hour swim if in a wet suit so I cant complain. The swim had a significant rip tide a few minutes after the turn and it took quite awhile to go the next 500 meters. Like in 2006, we were swimming at nearly a stand still for about 10 minutes. Looking at the pro field, it looks like only 1 pro broke 50 minutes...so, slow. Once through however, we caught the current and really flew in the final portion, making up quite a bit of time.
Pretty brutal at the start but that only lasted 5 minutes, then again at the turn around. Ann and I decided to start in the 3rd row out of about 20 so we took the chance here. The main thing is getting swam over by excited starters, and getting the goggles kicked off. I hit a few people swimming aggressively but that's how it goes. You have to hold your ground here, and I beat a couple of people up holding my position. I told Ann a minute before the start to make a decision, here up front, or lets go to the back and start last as in 2006. She said, "no, lets stay"...and, she looked a bit scared because even before the start, we were getting pushed from side to side and kicked, which I admit began to annoy me. I told Ann to just stay right behind me for the first few minutes. The gun went off. I swam out 4-5 strokes and looked back to check on Ann. She was right on my feet. So, off I went. Literally clearing everyone out of my way. Each stroke at times putting my hands on athlete's torso's and hip and shoving them to each side. I have never swam so aggressively in any race but I was bound and determined to not let another athlete ruin Ann's swim by shoving her under water or kicking off her goggles. So, yeah, I hit people that tried to get in my way. Frankly, I decided 30 sec before the start that in this race, I wont be bullied for position in this one. I may not be the best physiologically out there, but I convinced myself that I am one of the strongest. So, I did my best to blaze a path for us through that first several minutes of chaos. You cant swim Ironman races passively if you want to do well. I believe too many athletes treat the swim as a tempo workout and dont "race". You have to race. Just like a bike race, you fight to stay on the wheel in front of you despite rude people trying to steal your position. You have to hit shoulders and shove people over...you have to fight for your position. So, I believe, esp. at IM Hawaii, you have to swim aggressively like you're racing. Or...you wont have your optimum race. Difficult firt part of second half as swimming through the rip tide by increasing kick caused my right toes to cramp up. In the pool, you stop and stretch the foot against the wall which works well. Here, a mile from the finish, no options. So, every 3-5th kick, I kicked my right foot with my left foot. After several attempts, my accuracy increased and I was able to kick my right toes, 3-5 right on the tips, bending them backward briefly. After about 10 of these swift kicks, the toe cramps resolved and I relaxed and kept moving.

T1: 3 minutes. Happy with that. No problems except no sunblock readily available and I wasnt going to wait. I decided at the last minute not to place my shoes in my cleats on the bike. I thought about it...and realized we have a climb almost directly out of T1 and there is virtually no time to coast and slip into, and cinch up the shoes. Then, I walked over to the pro section and saw all of 10 bikes out of 100 with shoes on the cleats. So, that clinched it. I took them off. Someone told me later they saw a few athletes having trouble getting into their shoes because of the uphill. So, good decision I made.

Bike: 5:22.57
Wow...not at all happy with this. Watts were fair at around 250. I would have liked to have reached 260 but it just wasnt going to happen. I was nearly 45 watts higher today then my 5:17 bike split couple of years ago here, and with a wattage that much higher, the bike should have been at least 20 minutes faster. So, thats it...pure conditions. Tail wind going out for about 30 miles made for some easy pedaling. Not pure tail wind though as I only averaged 22 mph, so the hills here are still a factor. People tend to forget this course has 4500 ft of climbing. In total, near that of IMCDA and Canada. Around 30, head and cross winds started up and the downhills became a bit slower. By the turn to Hawi, about 20 miles from the turn around I could see the trees bending in the wrong direction so I whispered a "here we go" as I turned into the headwind. Then, the final 16 miles climbing with direct headwind commenced. I saw the pros coming down on the opposite side and not a single one was in their aerobars so I knew the tail cross wind coming down much be significant. So, I managed the climb without too much damage. Made the turn, grabbed special needs and, and then started the 52 mile trek back. The downhill was as expected. Gripping bars, actually braking a few times, as the bike is jerked back and forth at 30-40 mph for about 20 minutes. At the bottom of the 16 mile rolling decent, we made an east turn toward the Queen K and that 4 miles was mostly 11-15 mph as sustained cross headwind was the major limiting factor. I approached the turn onto Queen K at 11 mph. Then, a direct 90 degree turn to the south and...yeah...direct headwind. From both directions? This is Kona.
Sustained headwinds varying from 10-25 mph for about the next 30 miles. Just prodded along but at higher watts than my average going out as I expected headwinds. The final 7 miles or so, from the airport, I caught a moderate amount of tailwind so a reasonable finish.

Couple of points on the bike here: A pro told me today after the race they only caught 15 or so miles of direct headwind. This is typical here and its a reason why the pros are advantaged by starting earlier..and of course racing much faster to the turn around. The thermals create the tradewinds, and they start mild, around 11 am or so, then build throughout the day. I believe a key is to get out to the turnaround with a bit higher watts and faster than usual, then deal with what you get the final 30-40 miles. I "saved" some of my wattage expecting headwinds on the way back. Thus I got back to the 40 miles to go point probably a good 15 minutes slower than I could have. Thus, I think the winds were worse for me than the pack of my AG 10 minutes ahead of me at the Hawi 60 mile mark. That 10 minute gap lengthened to 15-20 in just the last 30 or so miles. I also think the girls had it even worse than me as they commented on no tail wind from the airport, but sustained headwinds all the way in. So, getting to the "headwind point" as early as possible is probably a better move here.

Aero helmet dilemma. Aero helmets probably arent a good idea here. Yeah, argue to deaf ears here because unless you've done 4-5 races here, no need to comment to me on this one. I dont care about aerodynamics and savings of 1-2 minutes over 112 miles at 21 mph...the ventilation is poor here, and you're ventilating your helmet with 90+ degree heat. A comment by a guy we talked to at T2 said people were taking off their helmets and sweat was pouring out like they were filled with water. He believes...and I do now..that a traditional vented helmet, one you can dowse with water, is the best thing here. The scalp is a primary source of temperature control and hyperthermia is a primary limiter in performance. In fact, hyperthermia is arguably the most important primary limiter..even over adequate carb intake. After talking to the guy in T2, and he has raced here multiple times living in Kona...it hit me that yeah..I did see at least 5 of the pros without aerohelmets on. I cant think of any other reason a pro would not choose an aerohelmet. They are just too hot here, and forget the venting issue...its irrelevant here. I know it's tempting, but at 105+ temps in the lava flats, with the typical headwind, and traveling 11-19 mph, I dont think you're gaining an aero advantage.

T2: 3 minutes. Pretty happy. Dont forget, the T1 and T2 runs are each 150 meters. That means you run around the transition about 150 meters each time. This takes about 45 seconds and you've got to be careful. There are ridges and slants and you can easily twist an ankle. So, best to just relax and jog along the matte around transition and look down at where you're stepping.

Run: 3:36.26
Second slowest run here. Not the 3:20 I'd hoped for. Regardless, it didnt much matter. First and second segments were pretty good. Second segment is skewed because I ran a 10 minute mile up palani as the HR spiked into Z5. So, this added 2 minutes onto my segment and put the average up around 7:50 when in fact I ran 7:30's virtually the entire way except for the palani hill. First problem encountered was a hot spot on the left foot, on the ball of the foot, about mile 1. I caught Mitch Gold at about the 1200 mark and his goal was 7:30's so that fit in good with mine, so we ran together and chatted on how brutal the bike was. He agreed it was one of the most difficult bikes he's ever done here. At mile 3, the hot spot was becoming unbearable, so I pulled over and sat down, took off my shoe, and sure enough..a big crease in my sock right across my foot. I straighted it out put shoe back on and took off. Mitch was a good minute in front and it took me 2 miles to catch up at 7:20or so, as the bike was taking its toll on him. Plus, Mitch had done very little running in prep for this race so he knew he would just be taking it easy today and not pushing it. Well, the damage was done on the foot and the hot spot was there to stay. The low back pain had started about mile 3 or so, when I sat down to fix the sock, and progressively began to spasm as we ran At mile 5 it hit me that I could ice my back with my fuel belt on. So, I cinched up the belt moderately tight and at each aid station, put 1-2 cups of ice down the back of my shirt. This worked as the ice build up until it was halfway up my back against my fuel belt. I kept this going until mile 11, until we were out on the Queen K heading to energy lab and my back pain had become un-noticeable. Then the demoralization ensues. My splits for the final 2 segments are a bit skewed at 8:40 type pace. I ran a few 8 min miles going into the 3rd segment, then a string of 8-9 (cant remember) 9+ miles consecutively, and through the energy lab. The sun was clouded over each and every day this week but not today. Blazing sun boiling down, and temps recorded at face level around 108 according to the paper this morning. I just didnt have it and lost confidence, and became broken. I hit my split during a mile in the energy lab and thought, "ok, lets get back into this." That mile was 9:15. My I looked at my HR...112. One thing worse than a high HR (or just as bad) is the inability to drive your HR up. I was 14 beats below top of Zone 1 and had no energy to drive forward. But, I didnt stop...I moved forward. This continued to mile 22, slogging along with not one single sub 9 minute mile. At mile 21.5, Nathan Smith passed me running about 8 min pace. He said some encouraging words to me as I watched him run away. As I crossed mile 22, I realized...if Nathan can suffer out here, I can suffer...and...I am not suffering enough. As I glanced up, the clouds were moving over the sun, cutting some of the direct heat. So, I hit my split on my watch at mile 22 and went. Within 30 seconds my legs started to become sore and I felt the heat reflecting off my face and head and felt the energy leaving me. I had to find a distraction, a focus. So, I looked down at the white stripes separating the lanes on the highway. I counted my steps running along the stripe, and in between. "1-2-3...1-2-3-4...1-2-3". I repeated this as I ran down the center of the lane and stared at my feet as they landed, repeating this mantra over and over again. I just stared down, counting, over and over, and ignored everything around me. My breathing became labored, I glanced at my watch...zone 4, HR 145. I passed Nate but he was more like a shadow. I said something like, "come on man, lets pace it in". Few minutes later, Rob Williams pedaled by and gave some words of encouragement. I asked "where's Kelly (McKean), as I was a bit worried about everyone because of the day. He said she was ok and was looking good. I resume counting. Few minutes later I cross mile 23, 8:05, and hit my split. Resume counting. Somewhere here I saw Kelly M, Linnea, and Kelly H (I think), but it was all a blur. I remember yelling "you've got all day, just finish" to someone, maybe all of them, I cant remember. Then resume counting. Somewhere I see Jason Lester, and we slap a high five as he runs by on his way to the energy lab. I thought, "Oh my God...handling the bike with one arm in those cross winds..oh my God..."
Mile 24, 7:40. I stare at the road and count. Several minutes go by and I realize I am counting over and over again but not even to my footsteps lining up along the white lines. I am just counting. This is the first time I've counted over and over again for 3 straight miles...I cant tell you how this saved me. Almost like meditation, the focal point. This...and the decision. The decision to not be afraid. The decision to put myself out there...really out there. I am human, and I am vulnerable. Its not the negative state we find ourselves in many times in life. Its how we resolve the situation, how we deal with fear...how we find our inner strength.

I see the 4-5 guys in my AG that had passed me at the energy lab as I turn the corner to Palani. I pass them right at mile 25..7:30. I stop counting and look up ahead. I see the M30 in the VO2 Max top that passed me back around mile 13, about 100 yds in front. I stare at his top and imagine I'm connected by a cable and being reeled in, slowly. I'm reeled in within a minute or so and pass. I turn right, heading to alii drive. I see the M40 in the red suit who passed me back at the turn around on the bike. He reels me in. I pass as we turn right onto alii. 400 meters and all clear in front of me. As I cross 26 I look down at my watch, 7:15. I have 90 seconds. As I look up, there's the M40 in blue who passed me way back on the Palani hill at mile 10, directly in front of me. I go, and he pulls me in as I pass within a few seconds. Now its clear in front. I see the finish lights and drive to the line. That's it. Over.

Sorry for the length. In forming my final IM race report for I hope a few years, I want to get across what we go through. How to deal with the demoralization of this course. Ideas to try to lift yourself out of the despair that comes with this place sometimes. The isolation. Find your focal point, and you'll find your way.

Why do we fall? To learn to pick ourselves up. I have fallen alot...and I've learned to pick myself up in many ways.

Never give up.
Never quit...not here.

Great Job Kelly Hovland, Kelly McKean, Linnea Alvord (who as late as friday was not even able to race due to injury), and Dave Lowe. Each of whom showed courage in spite of all the island threw at them...each of whom delt with this place in their own way. All of whom now have a 30th anniversary finishers medallion.

Jason Lester, with his use of only one arm, used this race as a stepping stone to Hawaii Ultraman next month. He won his division and is a World Champion. Strong work Jason...just another workout. The big one is coming and now you can start thinking of Ultraman, the pinnacle of your season.

Ann Ciaverella, I learned I was more disappointed than her in missing the podium by 3 minutes and I'll let her race report tell her story. But, considering she set her PR here by 15 minutes over 2006, with her 10:43, in conditions far worse than 2006...10:43 at Kona for a woman 38 yrs old, and coming off her ITU triathlon world championship victory last month...wow!