2012 Lavaman Keauhou Olympic Triathlon

Fear kept me from attacking any hills during training, after my nasty bike crash nearly 3 months ago.  Didn't run much hills either during training. No excuse there. It was scheduled once a week alongside the speed work and long training runs for Honolulu Marathon. Just felt like I needed to rest my legs more for the long runs. All that and the pressure of training for two different types of races a few weeks apart. More focus was on the Honolulu Marathon, but I still wanted to do well at Keauhou.

Joe Wedemman lent me his wetsuit for the swim, which made me feel like I was floating. The Outrigger closed down, so our new host was the Sheraton. The transition was a bit long, but it gave my legs a good warmup and bonus time to take off the wetsuit on the way. Had a little trouble with the legs, so I sat down to take them off. 1500m swim in 0:30:44 for 88th/320 and a 1:42 transition

This was the 2nd time I rode my TT since the crash. Had 28s on the back, but only 39 up front. Could've used a 34 for this climb. That first hill out of transition was killer. HR spiked at 180, then I eased off back down to 160s. Kam3 was a nightmare. I didn't have the gears or legs to get my cadence above the low 60s. My HR was steady 160, and my speed was a sad 7mph avg up the hill. On the way down, my cadence dropped to practically 0, because I was still afraid of going fast downhill, which was proof in my still elevated HR lol, I topped out at 35mph on this first section. I had no choice now but to go. It was a race! By the 2nd downhill section, I felt more comfortable. I think it was then when I hit 44.2mph, my fastest to date. I thought coming down Kaiwi St was going to be sketchy, but it actually wasn't as steep as Kaleiopapa St. I wasn't prepared for that one, and the transition turnoff felt like it was still on that slope! 26.7mile bike in 1:26:13 (18.72mph) for 107th/320 and a 1:45 transition. Avg HR 158bpm, 1,095' of climbing about 81 cadence.

The run was brutal. Started with a hill and the rest was through the golf course. Tried to chase down Kawika Singson and Adam Busek, but they kept getting away. The last mile flattened out and I finally gained some ground. Kawika is the best sport! He kept cheering me to catch him, which also kept pushing him to run harder. Finally caught him with less than a quarter mile to go. Missed Adam by a few seconds. The 100m home stretch was too narrow and windy to catch him.  6.2mile run in 0:47:39 (7:41 pace) for 42nd/320.

Overall 02:48:03 for 69th/320 overall and 5th/22 (30-34M)

Official results http://www.jtltiming.com/results/lavak.html
Garmin tracker http://connect.garmin.com/activity/244795922

Lavaman Waikoloa 2012

Winona got on her first road bike 2 months ago. She was discouraged by the limited amount of training she could get before racing. She didn't know she was ready before she even started training. But she trained hard. Winona organized training days on the other side of the island once or twice a week, around instructing spin classes Monday thru Friday. She alternated swims and runs 3 days a week, sometimes practicing after spin class, or even having the class do bricks with her! (bike-to-run).

She was terrified of swimming with an expected large group of people (300-400 in her wave), so we drove out to Kona the day after one of our toughest training days in Waikoloa to swim with about 50-75 others in a Peaman swim/run. This helped give her a sample of the bigger picture. She was less afraid of getting kicked, elbowed, drowned.

We tapered down in the final week, following the big training day where she hit a psychological wall. We did enough cardio to sustain and filled our muscles with glycogen. By race day, we had more energy than we were used to training with. This made the difference between a "failed course preview" and a great race.

We drove down for our race packets and pre-race meeting the day before the race. It wasn't until the moment I had my number painted on, did I get excited about the race. That's when I remembered that feeling you can only get from racing in a triathlon. The music playing in the background. Smiling faces all enthusiastic to spend so much stored energy. They all made it this far, overcoming hard training, illnesses, injuries, and more. For some it's just another training day, for most, this would be the most difficult physical achievement in their life.

The car was loaded the night before. We left Hilo early, Chris and Ken following as an eager support group. We ate breakfast on the way, drank lots of fluids and visited bathrooms along the way. Our support group took 2 wrong turns but found their way. Their positive energy instantly picked us up. We stalled a bit in the parking lot and transition area, forfeiting our warmup time. In a longer race, this would be vital, but Chris said we did the training without warmup so that boosted my confidence.

Reviewed navigation to our transition areas, our numbers touched up, timing chips, and with 12 minutes till Winona's wave start... one last bathroom break. The line wasn't ridiculously long, and if I hadn't made this one, I would have to buy a new suit for the next race. Exited the porta-john with a big smile and feeling race weight ready. Ran back to down an Endurolyte, when Jessica found us. She gave Winona a big hug, a few thoughtful words to encourage her, advice to overcome her swim, and helped her get her swim cap on good. This comforted Winona and I'm grateful.

"5 minutes till race start, all red caps in the water!" And Winona takes off. We didn't get to kiss each other good luck, but we knew how we felt and it could go left undone. She followed Jess' advice and stayed off to one side. Our wave started 5 minutes later and all I could think about was how she was doing. The water cleared up once we got a bit outside, and aside from the triathlon wake, was calm. I stayed on whoever's toes were in front of me, tried to keep one arm in front at all times, kept my head down, and kicked into my strokes. The current helped to pull us back in. For a few minutes, this Japanese dude and I were synchronized. I have to admit, it felt pretty awesome. I felt really good getting out of the water. Marked the split on my watch and noted 0:29.27. That's pretty good for me, so I was stoked. I ran through transition while Chris cheered me on. He may have been more excited about my time than I was! It took me a few seconds to run up to the transition area, where it clocked me at 30:13 for a pace of 1:54, transition time of 1:41, and 360th place overall. Winona finished in 27:21 for a 1:43 pace and 183rd overall.

Kept my socks off for the ride. Didn't have any major problems. We finished before the wind picked up, and it was a relatively peaceful day. Quads were feeling it early so I exercised my gluts. Just stayed low and tight and pedaled hard. I got into a rhythm on the way back and gained momentum. Finished 40km (24.85miles) in 1:15 with an average speed of 19.8mph for 238th place overall. Transition time was 1:14. I'm proud of my time with the amount of training I put in.

Running out of transition, Chris yells out "2:20 behind Winona, go get her!" So I did. What's incredible is her pace in comparison with her training times. She finished in 1:21, riding an average pace of 18.4. The week before, she averaged about 15 and on Tuesday was 14mph. What's equally astonishing is her transition time of 0:38 which was 19th overall.

The off-road portion of the run was pretty tough. The grade of the gravel was substantial. It really slowed me down. I finished 10km (6.2miles) in 45:38 for a pace of 7:22 and 59th overall. I passed Winona on turnarounds and she looked so strong and cheerful. This really made my day. I loved watching her run hard and enjoying herself. She finished in 53:07, at a pace of 8:34 for 230th overall place.


Winona finished 243rd/1600 at 2:43.57. 2nd out of 22 in her age group!
I finished 147th at 2:34.03. 20th out of 96 in my age group.

We're both really happy with the results and can't wait for Lavaman Keauhou. Chris will register early so he doesn't miss his slot. We're pushing Ken to get back into triathlon too, so hopefully this will be his comeback. This also might be Colby's first!


Congrats to everyone else I know who finished: Bree Wee (1st Female and New Course Record!), Andy Penny (3rd in AG), Brandon Perea (2nd in AG), Joe Wedemann, Kawika Singson, Zach Johnson, Tay Soares, Don Perea, Carol Langevin.


We're planning on hosting our own triathlon here in Hilo soon. In the meantime, we'll continue training in preparation. I really need to spend more time biking. I know I always promise to train more and don't follow through. I need to get better!

Thanks to Mariko Langevin for the awesome support and pics, and to Chris Gregory for filming and putting together this hilarious video. Check out his running page on youtube, as cicirunner

http://youtu.be/jfFCNzzqbr8

Here's a link to the results:

http://www.lavamantriathlon.com/waikoloa/index.php/results/2012-results

Lavaman Waikoloa 2012 Preview

A week before the race, we decided to practice the entire triathlon. We started a little late, so the wind was already up, and it was extra windy. I had just got off work and met them in Waimea. Chris was kind enough to swap with me so I could ride down with Winona. We were in good spirits and embracing the hard day awaiting us.

The water was murky and choppy but wasn't enough to slow us down. Winona pushed even harder to keep up with Ken, who can easily keep up with me in fins. We didn't waste much time and rushed off on our bikes.

I usually stay with Winona on the bike and try to guide her, but she's improved and was keeping up so Chris and I planned on playing catch up to Winona, Brian, and Ken. I told her to try hard to learn how to grab her water bottle during the slow parts like hill peaks and take sips often. A few minutes in, Winona's bike computer dismounted so she had to turn around to get it fixed. Luckily, Chris and I were taking our time prepping our bikes/gear. We started together and took off into the wind. Chris was gone in no time. My legs/gluts were feeling it from a run three days prior and squats the day before. I couldn't push. Winona had just taught spin/brazilian jump the day before, so she didn't get any rest either. She was right on my tail. We planned on riding to the 89 mile marker, but all did different distances. Ken and Brian were out first, realized the course was shorter and turned around at the 87 mile marker. Chris who was gaining on them, calculated that they couldn't have gone to the 88mile marker, turned around at the 88mm. Winona used her computer, and turned around at half the course distance. I just thought I was being slow, turned around at the 89 and hated myself for it. It felt like the wind had changed directions on us and were facing a headwind the whole way. On the way back, the wind had picked up and we were crawling up hills into it.

I was defeated and was out of the game. When I got back, the rest of the group were anxious to start running. We loaded the biked back into the cars and took off on the hilly, partly-trail run. I kept Winona company for the run. I couldn't really go much faster anyway. 1/4 mile in, she started feeling side-pain but ran through it. She told me she didn't drink at all on the ride and chugged 20 ounces of water as soon as she got back. She gave me an earful about how I forced her to race, buy a bike, with not enough training time. Her body was aching and she didn't believe she could finish the race. Everyone knows her as the cardio Queen. She had to do well. I tried to give her positive support but eventually got fed up with the negativity. We eventually got it together and finished about 4.5 miles of the run. She would later remember how she felt at this moment and how she pushed through.

TeamMangoRaces - Sprint Triathlon - Feb 28, 2010

Left warm, dry Hilo at 5am. Kona was warm, dry and sunny by 7am. The water was flat and clear.


swim - 1/3 mile (to last bouy) - 0:09.46.90

bike - 14 mile (to the pit) - 0:50.31

run - 2 mile (to kahakai rd) - 0:13.46

Had a great swim, but didn't have anything on the bike. Felt really good on the run.

Jeremy and I were anxious on eating at Sushi Enfuego since Thursday's run. Tim Robinson broke the bad news that they had moved to Waimea. We got shut down by 3 other sushi bars on the way to Bike Works, Sports Authority, and Big Island Running Co. I guess th

ey don't get much biz on Sundays. We gave up on sushi and decided to get some burgers. Got shut d by Outback also, so went to Oceans for sashimi, hot wings, Lavaman, buffalo ranch chicken sandwich (pictured) for me and a Philly cheese steak for Jeremy (pictured)

Overstuffed his Landcruiser with food from Costco, tripped out on some Waimea rainbows, then eagerly

returned home... to cold, windy rain.

Mango 2009 Post-Ironman Sprint Triathlon

This had to have been the most wickedly fun triathlon I've participated in yet. What a great turnout. At least 10 new faces, probably due to IM inspiration.

Beach start, 2 lap, 1/3 mile swim made for a frenzied pace. Bree took off like a... like a Bree Wee! Yup, that's her out in front, with a 7 minute finish. 1/2 of the swimmers bottlenecked around the surfer/turnaround point. I had to grab my knees for 2 secs after my first lap but felt good after the 2nd lap.

Saw Jeremy and Adam at T1. Jeremy was taking his time until he saw me hurrying, then he took off. Began counting the leaders as they passed me near the hotels. 1, 2, 3,4, JOE! He's doing awesome! Got picked by 2 people on the bike, but got them back on the way back. I was 21st onto the turnaround, and ended up 18th off the 10 mile bike. Forgot my socks, and it didn't feel too bad. I need single strapped bike shoes to save a few extra secs.

Immediately passed 2 people on the run, before Hualalai. I wasn't sure if I could hold the pace, but I pushed. My stomach was feeling it. My breathing was heavy. Fuck it, it's only 2 miles. Squirted some water on Joe as I cheered him on. He looked strong. How is this man getting so fast?

Tried to smile and shaka as Bree took my pic while I "sprinted" the last hundred meters. It felt like a sprint, but looks more like a brisk walk lol! The smile looks more like a grimace, cause I was huffin n puffin.

Speaking of puffin... Jeremy "the cigarette-smoking-man" actually beat Adam. I'm gonna have to step it up. Called Jessica today (Tuesday) and she's gonna help me win. Also gonna keep up the strength training so I look better than I do in that nasty off-season pic.

As usual, the ride over with the Hiloans was a blast. Much of what was said was too disturbing to post here. Chuckle. Jeremy and I were lost when Adam and Joe were comparing cars in which they owned at least 5 of (Adam's Chrysler New Yorkers and Joe's Pontiac LeMans). Rigging a 3-speed tractor tranny in reverse to a normal car motor... backwards... so they could haul-ass in reverse. One of the funniest stories I've ever heard was of how Joe "ended" his first car by stuffing the wagon with 8 buddies and "park-dropping" it. Ow?

Penis!

Road Trip! MangoMan 2009

Tanner decided not to race at Mango Man on Sunday and I noticed we got the start time wrong. So I called up the boys (Jeremy, Joe and Adam) on Saturday afternoon to let em know we'd be late by half an hour. Turns out we've all been kinda resting the past 2 weeks after Lavaman. The rain hasn't helped our motivation much this past week either. Bill's been going full steam, but he's in Oahu for the week.

I picked Adam's brain for a good hour or so then left with some new tri-shorts, fuel belt, and Heed. He told me about pre-race fuel and why oses (glucose, fructose, sucrose, etc) are bad alone.

Off to get some marinara. Foodland is on the way home. WTF, oh shit Hoolaulea! Place was packed. Found some with maltodextrin near the top of the ingredients list. I missed meat so I added some to my pasta (I had it already defrosting... self-defeating attitude?). Topped it off with fudge sundae ice cream. Oses!

Tried to hit the hay by 9am. Woke up every 2 hours on the dot (11, 1, 3). Re-heated yesterday's whole-grain banana pancakes and ate 3 on the way to town, dipping them in blueberry syrup. More yummeh oses!

We all pack into Joe's truck outside of Hilo Bike Hub at 4am. Not sure if squeezing in 4 bikes was tougher than 4 guys into an extended cab. Joe and Adam entertained us with stories. Jeremy vibrated the entire truck while telling us about a car he was following on the way to Lavaman. The "I just said that, dumbass" game unofficially began midway on this trip. Joe got the first point when Adam made the same topical joke Joe told a minute earlier. We made a pitstop at Chevron Waimea to unload, fuel the truck, and answer questions about triathlons from the attendant. This quickly became a history class on bicycle frame construction, which Joe interrupted before we were a day late for the race.

Fastforward to the pier. We got there around 6:30am. I felt relaxed while gathering my gear.

I'm finally not stressing out about having everything. Even if I'm missing something, like gels, the world isn't over. I had enough pre-loaded and I have my Endurolytes.

tires - pump pump pump!

tri-suit - run to King Kam hotel to change... check! On the way back, Macca and a pack of 8 rode past. Cool beans. But I didn't get too excited like my usual schoolgirl cheerleader self. Weird.

swim cap - check

swim goggles - check

socks - check

bike shoes - check

helmet - check

sunglasses - check

run shoes - check

fuel belt - check

watch - oops!

water bottles - empty! run to the faucet... yummeh.. extra chlorine!

Endurolytes - 2 pre-swim, 3 for the bike, 2 for the run (just in case)

Joe, Adam and Jeremy are getting course directions from the race director, Carl Koomoa. The water was choppy and the turnaround buoy wasn't visible (1km out). The water was choppy. I inhaled a buncha water. I wanted to see big fishies. I only saw little ones. I followed Jeremy the entire way, but still sighting more than I've ever done before. On the way back, I aimed for the big antennae tower. That seems to work. Jeremy and Adam mentioned a ginormous Honu. Dang I missed it. But a school of little fishies swam with me for a minute or so. That's when I found my rhythm and just glided through the water. Wish I could glide a lot faster though lol. 1.2 mile swim in about 43 mins.

Jeremy got in 30 secs earlier and waited for me so I could show him the bike route. He had trouble getting his tri-top on so I got up to help him, but he finally got it on. Turns out Joe had to do the same for Adam LOL. He broke loose up the hill and I tailed him the entire bike. My stomach was hating all the saltwater. Breath breath breath. There was a fresh blacktop on Kuakini, which was nice and smooth and added some grip. Each 500ft climb got easier. 15 mile bike, 1500ft total climb and equal descent, 3 loops in... oh yeah forgot my watch. Carl said my time was about 1:30 including the swim.

Still about 30 secs behind Jeremy. I tried to relax on the run. I tense up on race days. Aww... gotta piss again. Found a hedge and used it early this time. Ahhh feelin good... Awww... gas. My stomach is busy. Better take it easy. I walked on 2 steep portions of the climb. I tried to break loose at the top but felt my quads tighten up. Jeremy really picked up his pace on the last 4 miles of the run. I ended up 4 minutes behind him at 1:31.30. I think my run was about 9min pace. His was an 8. 6 mile run, 500ft climb, same descent, 55min run or so.

Cooled down in the freezing shower. I swear the shower water is colder than the water fountain. They must be pumping from OTEC, hah.

And now for the best part. Beef Stew!!! Wow, I love these guys. A full platter of warm rice and a giant pot of steaming beef stew. Delish.

I moaned about my ankle that's been bothering me for the past 2 weeks. But it was only a problem AFTER the run.

Saw Bree, Carl, Kris, Monica. Met Pablo, Rob VanUltraMan (Jeremy's nick for him). I love this sport and the people who make it lovable.

Post-Lavaman Keauhou Party, Peaman Biathlon, Pre-IM Tri Course Preview

Joe hosted a Post-Lavaman Keauhou Celebration where I helped Bill lose in a game of pool volleyball against Mark and Joe. They were snipers against us... well me, particularly.

Food was awesome! Jeremy and Kelly made stuffed pasta shells. Bill and Lorraine brought Chinese Chicken Salad. The guys hibachi'd the chicken I picked up on sale from KTA, while we played vball. Joe and Veronica made fruit salad, hot dogs, burgas (with all kinds of toppins), and best of all... deserts and drinks!

I was about to drive over to Tanner's to stay the night and drive over together to Kona in the morning, when I realized I was missing my charger and my cell was almost dead. So I slept at home. Only, I got about 3 hrs sleep. Meh.

Got to the race an hour ahead of schedule. Oops... Sorry guys!

We were definitely relaxed before the race, with tons of time to prep. We setup a towel to put all 3 of our transition items atop and wipe our feet on.

Peaman gave the race instructions and we were off at the pop/fizz of a 2 liter soda bottle reacted with Mentos. Conditions were a little rough. The currents made me zigzag a bunch. I have never sited soo much in a swim before. At least it wasn't choppy, or tooo choppy. 1200m in 26:30 for a 2:21/100m pace. But I felt like I worked a lot harder than the 1500m last week. My shoulders and chest feel worked. Got bumped a lot more, even though there were 1/4 the participants at most. Got my goggles elbowed, but they hung on tough! Tanner's leaked, though. He should look at a different style.

Transition was kinda fun. Wasted 5-10s getting my running shorts over my speeedo briefs (and untying/loosening them as well). Rinsed my feet, wiped em on the towel, put on socks, shoes in about a minute. Grabbed my water bottle. Up and at em in about 1:15.

I realized after about a mile that... I have never ran immediately after a swim! LOL this is new. I couldn't find my stride, my right calf gave symptoms of an upcoming cramp. Better take it easy. Kept pace with a friendly local Monica for a half mile, then felt okay to move up. While chatting with her, Bree zips past us at an unreal pace, still smiling! Joe crossed me a hundred yards or so from the turnaround. He looked strong though. I told Monica I wouldn't be able to catch him, but I'd try. Before the turnaround, a guy in a black ponytail zooms past me. I barely see him throughout the race. Joe is long gone.

Finished the run with a stick labeled 65. My overall time was 58:00 even. Estimated run was 30:25 for a pace of 7:34. Not too shabby. Tanner came in shortly after. He looked strong at the finish. I still wanna know how Adam trains with 9min/mile runs off the bike, and races at low 7's.

Joe and I later talked stories with the other athletes. The ponytail guy was Fredo. There was another guy around same pace, name Rob (I think... me and names... yeesh), who wore a lauhala hat on the run!

I also bumped into Kris after the race. He didn't race. I offered for him to join us on the pre-course ride, but he was headed out for a long ride on QueenK. He's prepping for Ironman 70.3 Championship! Good luck bro! Good luck to his wife as well, Kim (I think), who is training for Ironman Championship!

Finally got a pic with my Super-Friend Bree! She's gonna rock Ironman 2009 Championship. Representing Hawaii, F.B.I.!

I had called Bree about a description of the TeamMangoRaces Pre-IM Tri course but... me and directions, and times... yeesh. Each bike loop is just under 5 miles, for a total of 3 nasty loops. 1.2mile swim at Kailua Pier (should take me about 42 mins), then ride along Ali'i to Hualalai and up onto Kuakini. Uphill took me about 7 mins (with about 15s of heavy hammering at the end). The remaining ride was about 10 mins. Then, after 3 of those (about 51mins), we get to run it once! 6 mile run which I'll shoot for 7:40 pace (about 45mins). Total time 138mins plus 3 mins transition = 2:21.

Lavaman Keauhou 2009

Mark scored us a sweet apartment at Wyndham Kona Hawaiian Resort. Joe and Veronica whipped up some spaghetti, chicken Caesar salad, fruit salad, and 2 flavors of homemade bread. Mean. They and Mark also had cases of community Gatorade/Powerade.

We all shared equipment and checked each other's gear. Amazing teamwork.

Shared stories about how we got into triathlon (mine was reading about team Hoyte).

Joe put on some early Ironman videos.

We met up and set up as a team and started as a group. We all did very well at the race. Joe had his best pace ever. Hearing that gave me goosebumps.

The race was fun, but the camaraderie was the most memorable part. Crossing the finish line to find your buddies cheering you on (even though they beat you there). There's rarely a better feeling.

Jeremy and I were on spot with our predictions versus each other.

The water was a little cloudy, just a tad choppy, and Jeremy was shivering. Long, easy, relaxed strokes until I unleashed hell on the last few hundred meters. This was the best I've ever felt in the water. I was finally comfortable with the distance and the people around me. 31:57, only 37 seconds behind Jeremy, but 2 minutes ahead of schedule. He saved up for the bike.

But I was close on the bike as well. I dropped my water bottle near King Kamehameha hotel on the bike, right after Jeremy broke away. 1:18:11, now 0:01:54 behind Jeremy. Getting into the run, our distance apart was on schedule, but we were waaay ahead of our predicted paces.

I was supposed to catch him at mile 4. I trained with a fuel belt, and decided to forgo it on the short run. I was thirsty, so I gulped down 6oz of Gatorade at T2 after sitting down to wipe feet and change socks (worth it). Thanks to Mark for picking up the terry shop cloths! I was in and out in about 1.5 mins.

The first mile was up. 8 mins on the dot. Downed some water at 1st Aid station. I gotta pee. Second mile was up. 9 mins...? BOOO! Side pain. Third mile was flat, but offroad (in a good way). Very nice change of scenery. Too bad I'm grimacing cause I have to pee soo freakin bad. Crossing paths with Jeremy on the turnaround. Hmmm, I can still catch him. Probably another 8 minutes. Small boost of energy helped me get out of a pack onto the golf course. Hello Mr Coconut tree, you look thirsty.

Now I'm ready to rock! I musta blazed on the second half (remembering what Jess told me), cause my run pace was 7:26. Jeremy kept glancing back every minute. I hid behind some dude for a minute and rested while drafting. I laughed to myself while Jeremy took a second take. He saw my hat behind the guy. Jeremy would not let up.

17 seconds off his tail for a total time of 2:36:14. He earned that. I told him, I got his # at Waikoloa.

http://www.jtltiming.com/results/lavak.html

Without each other, we wouldn't have done so well. We're looking forward to the future. For the first time, I'm looking forward to the training as much as the races.

What I see in each individual in our training group:

Bill going nuts on the bike, and his passion of life.

Adam with his uncanny pace, and immense knowledge of nutrition.

Jeremy with his diehard attitude (he just might need to be injured to do well). We share the same goals and easy-going attitude.

Joe. Animal. If it ain't tough enough to present a worthy challenge, he makes it so. I easily relate.

Mark, Tanner and Brandon are fresh faces. Helping them helps us learn as well. Tanner is soo excited about continuing to race. It gets me all fired up as well.

Mark and Joe also get credit for bringing us all together as a group. Firefighters know damn well the importance of teamwork.

If you wanna know why our training team did really well in this race, read my previous post. 4 of the 7 of us hit the podium. And we had fun doing it.

Triathlon is a Team Sport

Had my loose clothes. Forgot my Yoga mat. So I grabbed the huge blue beach towel from the car. Rochelle let me borrow her purple mat. My hands were slippery, so I had to lay the towel near the top of the mat for grip. We held downward dog positions for the better part of the class. The shoulder burners / clie from Insanity Core / Balance, and noon swim was an excellent warmup for the pose. My shoulders were on fire.

I tripped out when I looked at the class from Warrior2. I was the only one dripping with sweat. The rest of the class were warrior poses. My glutes got their 2nd workout of the day. If you're familiar with these set of poses, you know it also works the shoulders.

I felt a lot better after class, but had to rush to Sook's to get a quick buzzcut, then to Coconut Island to meet Jeremy for a quick run. We did the 5k route in 13:30 + 12:00 negative split. Very easy, until we loosened up after the bridge, going downhill.

We talked about how we felt before this race, but more so about Ironman. His mind is set on qualifying. I told him I didn't feel like I was pushing hard enough on my swims and was thinking about swimming at 5:30am before my P90x or Insanity workouts on MWF.

Cousin Mark called me soon after, inviting me to a practice sprint tri the following morning (Friday). 8am would be too late, so they agreed to push it up to 7am. I knew Jeremy wanted to get in a bike ride before the race so I got him in too. I met Tanner, another fresh young triathlete. I don't think he trained as hard as Brandon did, but he's got a lot of heart and will finish strong. Mark is going to a concert the night before. lol

When you think about doing a triathlon, you think of it as a solo event. Nobody can physically help you progress forward during a race. I trained solo for my recent races. I finished. But I didn't do as well as I'd like. Training solo, I didn't push myself hard enough. I forced myself into isolation during training, and it also felt like it on the races.

I called Adam one day and he invited me to a group ride. That was probably the most beneficial change to my training I have ever done. The camaraderie. We bounce ideas off each other. Most times Adam and Joe have already experienced them and can give us a quick, detailed answer along with justification.

We want to continue the weekly, long group workouts beyond the race. I also suggested to Adam that we begin hosting monthly triathlons at the beach, similar to TeamMangoRaces on the west side. We can offset the schedule so people could do either race, and so they don't coincide with big events.

Coach Jess sent me some motivational advice today. Such a small gesture really does help me a ton.

Ironman 70.3 Hawaii

Half Ironman - Done.

Overall
Pos 626/1101
Time 06:26:21
Plc/Total 67/88
Cat M30-34
# 1047
Swim
Cat 66
Ovr 689
Time 41:10
/100m 2:04
Tr1 6:21
Bike
Cat 61
Ovr 560
Time 3:02:38
Mile/hr 18.4
Tr2 5:36
Run
Cat 65
Ovr 691
Time 2:30:38
/Mile 11:30

As you can see from my Cat & Ovr Places, I was fairly average.

The open water swim was more congested than I had expected. The first turn was only about 30 degrees, but there were 1300 of us squeezing through in about 5-10 minutes. I got elbowed a few dozen times. My feet were touched about 60% of the time. Someone actually pulled down on my ankle at one point. The water was warm, calm and glassy. The deepest spots were about 75 ft. I opened up on the second half where I steared away from the pack and was able to stretch out and keep my own pace. Not much time goes into the swim. I feel if my cardio enhances, so will my swim. My technique could always use help but I'm fairly satisfied so far.

I felt best on the bike. Which is funny cause it's the sport which has received the least amount of my attention. I passed people uphill and downhill. I mashed near and through the peaks and attained max speed through to the flats where I coasted/rested a few seconds, then repeated. There were soooo many rule-breakers out there. There was a guy who drafted basically the entire ride. Another rode inside of the white line the entire ride. Only one rider out of everyone that I passed eased up as I called 'your left!'. Joe said he's never seen it like this before. As I passed mile marker 11 on the way to Hawi, Craig Alexander blew past. He was fkn flying it! I realized why after the turnaround. That 900ft climb paid off. There isn't much I hope to improve upon, besides cardio (aerobic work). But I'm always expecting/inviting new methods. Jess' training advice has helped a TON for the bike. I have changed my mind about getting a tri bike so soon.

I had originally thought I had failed big time on the Run, but it wasn't that bad. I walked about half of it. Felt I had ate/drank too much on the bike/run. Plus I had my racing flats in the repair shop so I had my training shoes, which got super heavy when filled with water after dousing myself every few miles. Jess had me focus on running off the bike, but I haven't put enough effort on the runs.

I am glad I was able to finish. Now that I know I can finish, I'll need to get faster. I need to put a LOT more effort into my training. I hope to knock off 1hr by next year.

5 mins off the swim
4 mins off Tr1
15 mins of Bike
4 mins off Tr2
35 mins off Run

My weight got cut down to 160lbs this week. It's an ideal race weight, but I'd still need to replace some fat with muscle. P90X with Eric M-T-Th-F. Master's Swimming on Wednesday. Bike/Run M-F. Tri on Saturday. Rest/Stretch Sunday.

Next up is Joe Wedemann's bike-around-the-island (about 230 miles) on June 20th (I'll do the second half with him), Kona Marathon on June 29th, P-Mango Sprint Triathlon July 12th. I'm looking forward to more races, especially triathlons.

Captain Cook Tri Challenge

SWIM: 1 mile Kealakekua Bay Napoopoo Beach across Kealakekua Bay towards Captain Cook Monument exiting the SWIM at the Monument
and T1

TRAIL RUN: 2.5 miles STARTING at Cook Monument with a 1,500 ft. elevation gain ending at the TOP of Coffee Mill Rd.

BIKE: 28 miles - 1 & 1/2 x Laps on a hilly circut course. Start at T2 - TOP of COFEE MILL Rd. heading up the road to the STOP sign- Turn Right climb up towards and past Captain Cook Village heading SOUTH till intersection at the Honaunau Post Office- Turn RIGHT down towards Puuhonua o Honaunau, Pass the Natl. Park heading towards Kealakekua Bay on Old Government Rd. back at the Bay turn up COFFEE MILL Rd. for another Lap ending the Bike back at Kealakekau Bay and T3

2nd RUN: Starts T3 (Kealakekua Bay) Heading SOUTH through Napoopoo Village then out on Old GovernmentRd. till the TURN-AROUND at 2 miles out, returning back to Kealakekua Bay, and the FINISH LINE of the Captain Cook Tri Challenge

From the Team Mango website http://teammangoraces.com/Captain_Cook_Course_Map.html

Times

• Segment - Distance - Split Time - Total Time
• Swim - 1 mile - 34:45.93 - 34:45.93
• T1 - 5:59.57 - 40:45
• Trail Run - 37:56.71 - 1:18.42
• T2 - 6:59.13 - 1:25.41
• Bike Lap1 - 1:31.04 - 2:56.45
• Bike Lap1.5 - 48:23.79 - 3:45.09
• T3 - 1:06.30 - 3:46.15
• Run - 59:42.33 - 4:45.57

Honestly, I was not prepared for this. I've been slacking on the tri training, and this was a great example to show it.

SWIM - 1 mile - 34:45.93. The swim started around 8:15am. The sun was at our backs, just coming over the mountains. There's something about Kona water that I just love, and yesterday was evidence of that. High tide was at 4am, low tide at 10am, so the water was fairly calm. I could see reef for a few seconds, then it was all blue till the finish. It was a dark eerie blue. With the sun at our backs, it's rays penetrated the water in front of us, leading the way to the monument. I haven't swam a mile in a year, so past halfway was 'survival mode'. Sink or swim. I tried to draft the swimmers with fins. This helped me maintain course as well. My eyes played tricks on me about 2/3 way through. You think you see something in the water, but glance longer on the next rotation and there's nothing there. The monument would NOT get larger. It seemed to tease me. It only got larger when I reached the opposite reef, which was only about 20ft to the concrete platform. It was fun getting up. The reef got about 2ft shallow for the last 5ft. There was only 1 rock to get up on. I took a few seconds ensuring my legs were capable of carrying my weight again.

T1 (swim to trail) - 5:59.57 - 40:45. I took my time here and recovered. Items I should've added to my T1: salt tabs, sunblock, cytomax, energy gels, water, sunglasses, visor. Items I had in my bag: bike shorts, towel, iPhone, trail shoes/socks, short sleeve shirt, tank top. Items I didn't need: iPhone didn't catch GPS, bike shorts. I wore racing briefs on the swim, so I slipped the touring bike shorts over them. The sand/gravel dried on my feet so I rinsed them off in the water then toweled them off before getting my shoes on. I need to put the quick laces on all my shoes.

Trail - 2.5 miles, 1,500ft elevation ascent - 37:56.71 - 1:18.42. I hiked majority of it, keeping my heart rate down. I reminded myself to enjoy the race. This calmed me and gave me more energy to increase the pace at less effort.

T2 (trail to bike) - 6:59.13 - 1:25.41. Sat down and gathered myself. The cytomax was delish. I stayed a few minutes to await course directions. Items in my T2 bag: bike shoes/socks, 2 bottles cytomax, 2 gels, towel, Helmet, gloves, sunglasses. Items I need to add to my bag: sunblock, more gels, salt tab dispenser (in the handlebars, thanks for the advice Kris!).

Bike Lap1 - 17.5 miles - 1:31.04 - 2:56.45. I followed my new friend Dard, a local to Napoopoo, and veteran course challenger, whom I met on the trail. About 10 minutes in, before the downhill section began, I checked my brakes, and noticed the rear was loose. I forgot to enable the brake switch. Contemplating losing site of Dard for safety. Unaware of the course slope, I decide not to chance it. I got off, adjusted my tire and set off. Dard was nowhere in site. 15 minutes of riding later, I passed a mtb'r and asked if he was doing the challenge. Amazingly, he acknowledged and I laughed "whew, I'm going the right way then!" I made another stop 5 minutes later and asked him if an older guy in purple (Dard) had passed him. "He was going fast!". Good, still on the right track. Finally, the post office! Sped down the awesomely paved decline, past Puuhonua o Honaunau. The old Gov't Road was less maintained, not as smooth and quite hilly. Where did the wind go? Oh yeah, I THOUGHT there was no wind... until I got to the Coffee Mill Road uphill battle. NOW the wind was GONE. Moving at a verrry slow pace, I lost my own wind. The 11-12 miles uphill took about 45 mins (diff between the 2 splits). I thought it would never end. By the time I got back to T2, they took our bags to the finish. Oh noes! My extra cytomax and gels!

Bike Lap1.5 - ~13.5 mile, 1,500ft elevation descent - 48:23.79 - 3:45.09. Thought I could upshift when I got on the main highway. "Hah!", the road scoffs at me. It was a 1,000ft ascent, and I had to stay in the lowest gears for the first 10 mins! Knowing the course a little now, I picked up the pace. Rarely used the brakes this round. I showed less fear of the narrow shoulders. If I get hit, I get hit. Best bet is to make an attempt to keep up with traffic. Town traffic was the toughest, always on the lookout for someone reversing onto the highway.

T3 (bike to run) - 1:06.30 - 3:46.15. My racing flats lost a heel a few days ago, so I wore my Saucony's from the Volcano run, next best thing. Items in my T3 bag: cytomax, running shoes/socks, visor. I left my bike gloves on cause they had terry cloth on the back hand area so I could wipe sweat from my eyes. I poured the cytomax into my squeeze bottle from the bike and ran off. I joked with the awesome race director (forgot his name.. Carl, Chris?) "gotta finish quick so I can join the party!". "That's the spirit we love to hear!" Tim shouted out "Go Mike Brown!" My mind was shot and I couldn't remember his name so I yelled something like "Yeah!"

Run - 4 miles - 59:42.33 - 4:45.57. Legs feel great. Posture is automatic. Light on my feet, tight core. Doing about a 9min mile pace. 1 mile in both of my quadriceps cramped. I could barely walk. Downed some cytomax hoping it goes quickly through my body. I was walking like a pregnant woman. It was around noon, and the sun was beaming down hard. The skies were absolutely clear. No clouds, no vog. Another mile till the checkpoint, and water. Dard advised to walk it out, staying still will make it worse. I at least knew not to stretch, as this would tear muscle tissue. Cold water! Ahh... From then on I ran until the cramping came back and walked until it subsided. I passed by Rosario, who was also a first timer. I gave her half of my water. Poor thing. Saw Ted and Mai cheering me on to the finish, so I ran the last 1/4 mile or so.

The volunteer staff was soo helpful, friendly and informative. I learned a lot from them about the race, nutrition, etc. at the finish. I thanked them for their motivation and spirit. We followed Tim to his house and I picked up the stationary bike trainer. We laughed and shared the same thoughts about the race. Maybe we can train with each other on the weekends.

I've got some reading to do on recovery. I'm taking the day off from P90X, but want to get in the water. I won't push myself, but just want to... you understand, right? My joints are all good, muscles good, just some minor discomfort on the backside of my left knee (probably from the bike). I have a stretchy brace on it for supplemental support.

Need to invest in a tri-suit (to be more aerodynamic on the bike), racing sunglasses (my contacts dried up on the bike), aero bars (not needed so much for this particular race), salt tab dispenser, and a bike computer.

I'm glad this race chose itself for my first tri. After only a few days of riding a road bike, inadequate multisport training, poor course nutrition, chaotic gear preparation, sleep deprivation (5hours?)... I made it through. This was a strenuous course that demanded strength in addition to endurance. I know where I'm lacking, and know how to prepare for the next race. I just need to practice them. Honu here I come!