Is it possible NOT to have fun in Kona?
I don't think so, even if I crash on my bike which I did (no worries, it was not really serious). In fact, with every visit, it just feels like I'm back home. Here are a few pics from this trip:
I ran two small 10K races while there. Both courses were a bit long and pretty tough but I got in some good speed work and ended up with two first place F40-49 finishes which was nice. I'd hoped to also do two open water swim events (a one mile and a 1.2 mile) but, unfortunately, both were too soon after the crash and my shoulder and ribs were not up to swimming long so I did my own shorter ocean swims. Next year for sure!
Oh, as for the broken Blackberry in my last post, no, it wasn't me who hit it with a hammer. Dave did it, but only because he already had a new one with him and just wanted to see what my reaction would be. What a dirty trick!!
But high speed internet service was fairly unreliable on our trip so the last couple weeks I've been dabbling with Facebook. Can you believe it? Me, one of the last hold-outs. But now I see how much easier it is to stay connected with friends via Facebook vice Blogger, especially when connectivity may be limited and every click that results in a new page being loaded can be painful. So like many of you already have, I am switching to using Facebook for most of my postings. This blog will serve mainly as a place to house race reports and longer thought pieces as well as my race schedule and 50 states progress. If you're on FB, you can find me here. Look forward to connecting with many of you there!
Showing posts with label Hawaii. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hawaii. Show all posts
Monday, July 26, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
Aloha!
This Easter, Smoosh Bunny (SB), a Giant Marshmallow Bunny that has been mailed back and forth between my hubby Dave and his sister for years, turned 21!
And he (she?) showed up with a message.
So I brought him along with me back to Kona. SB got lucky and had his own seat on one of the flights.
He hung out on our lanai when I went out for my first run in 2 weeks after having sprained my ankle at the Gator Half Iron.
He hopped and sat in Dave's patio chair and watched surfers and boogie boarders play while patiently awaiting my return.
After my 5-mile run, I was drenched but very happy that I had no ankle pain at all -- Woohoo!!! But I was NOT used to running in heat having been spoiled by an unusually cool winter in FL. Need to start out earlier, not mid-morning when it was already approaching 80!
As promised, I took SB out for a bike ride. To make sure he had a good view, I put him into one of my rear bottle cages.
I'd been mostly cycling while I couldn't run to stay in shape the past few weeks (unfortunately, the ankle flexion involved when swimming bothered my ankle so Coach didn't have me swim much once I could put weight on my foot). Below, we are at the bike ride turnaround. I had to hold onto SB tight when I took him out as that rascal wanted to keep going!
As usual, we had a headwind going back but lovely ocean scenery and other cyclists to try to catch made the ride back fun.
Next up for me, 3 marathons in 5 weeks, starting with the Providence Marathon (Rhode Island) on Sunday. My longest run was 16 miles last Thursday but all I want to do is finish these marathons, which should be doable provided I don't roll any more ankles.
Look forward to catching up with everyone this week!!!
And he (she?) showed up with a message.
So I brought him along with me back to Kona. SB got lucky and had his own seat on one of the flights.
He hung out on our lanai when I went out for my first run in 2 weeks after having sprained my ankle at the Gator Half Iron.
He hopped and sat in Dave's patio chair and watched surfers and boogie boarders play while patiently awaiting my return.
After my 5-mile run, I was drenched but very happy that I had no ankle pain at all -- Woohoo!!! But I was NOT used to running in heat having been spoiled by an unusually cool winter in FL. Need to start out earlier, not mid-morning when it was already approaching 80!
As promised, I took SB out for a bike ride. To make sure he had a good view, I put him into one of my rear bottle cages.
I'd been mostly cycling while I couldn't run to stay in shape the past few weeks (unfortunately, the ankle flexion involved when swimming bothered my ankle so Coach didn't have me swim much once I could put weight on my foot). Below, we are at the bike ride turnaround. I had to hold onto SB tight when I took him out as that rascal wanted to keep going!
As usual, we had a headwind going back but lovely ocean scenery and other cyclists to try to catch made the ride back fun.
Next up for me, 3 marathons in 5 weeks, starting with the Providence Marathon (Rhode Island) on Sunday. My longest run was 16 miles last Thursday but all I want to do is finish these marathons, which should be doable provided I don't roll any more ankles.
Look forward to catching up with everyone this week!!!
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
Rewarding Yourself
This is something I'm not very good at, really. Rather than give myself a break or some treat for achieving something, I'm more likely to simply raise the bar higher and jump right into my next challenge.
It's nothing new for me. I never attended or celebrated my college graduations either, opting instead to go straight into grad school and then a full-time job after that. Most of my "rewards" in endurance sports, come to think of it, have been signing up for new races, getting new equipment to replace or augment old ones, seeking out better ways to train, etc. -- all stuff that could lead me to do more, more, MORE!
And while that may sound good, it can also be like supplying heroin to a drug addict. So I've been practicing rewarding myself differently while here in Kona, just to mix things up. Here's some proof of my recent debauchery:
I bought a new kit from Bike Works (top only shown here). I really didn't need one and it's not going to make me go any faster but it was just so darn cute. Total splurge!
Before the race award ceremony, we chilled and just gazed upon some tranquil tide pools. After several minutes, we realized that some of the rocks in the water were actually sea turtles! Nice not to always be in a hurry. (Click for a closer look at one)
And this one sunbathing seemed to be sending me a message. Hmm ... (Clickable)
Just for grins, we tried out a nearby surfer's snack shop despite having a fridge full of much healthier options back in the condo. Gorgeous view and great company.
My first whole hot dog in something like 30 years and Dave's second-ever Loco Moco plate dish (white rice topped with a hamburger patty, fried egg and brown gravy). No fear! No regrets!
Saw some 4th of July fireworks, another first in years. Usually we don't do much besides ride our bikes on holidays but this only involved stepping out onto the lanai. It's a start!
How do you reward yourself?
Big congrats to everyone who raced last weekend, in particular, Cliff and Leana, who both completed half iron tris, and RunningGeezer262 who ran as a first-time guide for a blind runner in a 5K event and the guy also happens to be training for an Ironman. Click here for RG262's great read!
This past week's workouts:
Swimming (3) 7450 yds
Cycling (3) 125.66 mi
Running (2) 13.36 mi
It's nothing new for me. I never attended or celebrated my college graduations either, opting instead to go straight into grad school and then a full-time job after that. Most of my "rewards" in endurance sports, come to think of it, have been signing up for new races, getting new equipment to replace or augment old ones, seeking out better ways to train, etc. -- all stuff that could lead me to do more, more, MORE!
And while that may sound good, it can also be like supplying heroin to a drug addict. So I've been practicing rewarding myself differently while here in Kona, just to mix things up. Here's some proof of my recent debauchery:
I bought a new kit from Bike Works (top only shown here). I really didn't need one and it's not going to make me go any faster but it was just so darn cute. Total splurge!
Before the race award ceremony, we chilled and just gazed upon some tranquil tide pools. After several minutes, we realized that some of the rocks in the water were actually sea turtles! Nice not to always be in a hurry. (Click for a closer look at one)
And this one sunbathing seemed to be sending me a message. Hmm ... (Clickable)
Just for grins, we tried out a nearby surfer's snack shop despite having a fridge full of much healthier options back in the condo. Gorgeous view and great company.
My first whole hot dog in something like 30 years and Dave's second-ever Loco Moco plate dish (white rice topped with a hamburger patty, fried egg and brown gravy). No fear! No regrets!
Saw some 4th of July fireworks, another first in years. Usually we don't do much besides ride our bikes on holidays but this only involved stepping out onto the lanai. It's a start!
How do you reward yourself?
Big congrats to everyone who raced last weekend, in particular, Cliff and Leana, who both completed half iron tris, and RunningGeezer262 who ran as a first-time guide for a blind runner in a 5K event and the guy also happens to be training for an Ironman. Click here for RG262's great read!
This past week's workouts:
Swimming (3) 7450 yds
Cycling (3) 125.66 mi
Running (2) 13.36 mi
Monday, June 29, 2009
Kona Half Marathon
One word: Magical.
This is where it all began for me 7 years ago. I toed the start line of my first-ever race and made a startling discovery: I was no longer one of the slowest girls in PE!
I'm going to let my pics do most of the talking about my 2009 Kona Half Marathon experience but here's the nitty gritty for those who are fond of numbers:
What a coincidence! The day before the race at packet pickup, I saw Robyn and Art, fellow Floridians and 50 State Marathoners. Robyn used to work with me at Track Shack but recently moved. Miss you, Robyn!
Also met Olympian running legend Frank Shorter there and I told him it was all his fault. He handed me my first race medal back in 2002 and I haven't been able to stop racing since.
I got to the start line just 5 minutes before the race was to begin. No big deal, no nervousness, just another training run ... HA! By mile 4, I was well under my intended 8 min/mile pace for the first half. Good thing Dave was out on our lanai early to see me go by (and one of these days he going to take a pole saw and cut those ugly power lines).
He was actually expecting to see me with a white visor, though, not a red one. I told him RED. Whatever, there were only about 500 half marathoners and the field had spread out considerably by then.
Nearing the turnaround, I gave a big cheer for Bree Wee, my favorite tri pro and friend who was headed the other way already with a huge smile on her face. She was in second place overall and the lead female. So happy to see her having fun!
But who wouldn't have fun in paradise and with wonderful volunteers like this?
Before I knew it, I'd gabbed my way to the turnaround with Rob (just behind me), who was also a triathlete and from the S.F. Bay Area, where I'm originally from. If I could talk fairly easily, that means I wasn't going too fast, right? 6.45 miles in 49:54 (7:44 pace).
So unless I totally bonk, I'm going to make my sub-1:45 time goal easily. Why not shoot for a negative split anyway? This is the best part of the course, IMO, mile 7, heading back along Alii Drive and Kailua Bay. Just to the right is where the Kona Ironman swim starts.
But now it's well over 80 degrees and getting hot. Aid stations were only a mile apart but I prefer carrying my own fluids as I drink better from a bottle, plus the extra weight usually helps keep me from running the first half of a race too fast. Usually.
At mile 9, I chatted briefly with this guy from Colorado who told me he has no probs running in heat or at altitude but the humidity here was killing him. Dude, don't ever come to Florida in the summer.
Mile 13, nearly done. Caught 3 women in the second half. Enough to place? Who knows ...
Just make sure not to trip over the speed bump and do a face plant in front of everyone.
Hawaiian shave ice, a very welcome treat after a hot race!
Early on pacer Rob finished a couple minutes behind me. He'd not run for 3 weeks before the race because of the flu yet did well.
Yes, a new coffee mug award! The small black one in my hand, not the big one, silly.
Hanging out with greatness after the race (R to L after moi): Olympian Frank Shorter, pro triathlete Bree Wee (with son on her lap), race sponsor and founder, 70-year-old running phenom Jon Kunitake.
Total race time: 1:40:26 (7:40 pace). Last 6.65 miles run in 50:32 (7:36 pace) -- Woohoo!
Top 5 differences between 2002 and 2009:
5. Results
2002: 1:43:59, 2nd F40-49. 2009: 1:40:26, 1st F40-49.
4. Hydration & nutrition
2002: 6 oz water. 2009: 22-24 oz Nuun plus 2 gels.
3. Pacing
2002: No watch, no idea what pacing meant, really. 2009: Sports watch, a pretty good feel for what I'm capable of and a Coach to answer to.
2. The big question on my mind the last few miles
2002: Will I die of a heart attack? 2009: How many women are ahead of me?
1. Post-race recovery
2002: Food and a nap; quads hammered for days. 2009: Food, ice bath, nap and a 35 mi bike ride in the afternoon. Did I just run a half marathon?
Top 5 things that were the same:
5. Same beautiful course.
4. Frank Shorter was here.
3. Heat & humidity, but less than Florida.
2. I LOVE running and racing in Kona and still want to retire here.
1. Dave's still taking pictures of me. Thanks Dave!
Being the spouse of a runner is hard work.
This is where it all began for me 7 years ago. I toed the start line of my first-ever race and made a startling discovery: I was no longer one of the slowest girls in PE!
I'm going to let my pics do most of the talking about my 2009 Kona Half Marathon experience but here's the nitty gritty for those who are fond of numbers:
1:40:26 (7:40 avg pace)
1/57 F40-49, 5th Overall Female.
1/57 F40-49, 5th Overall Female.
What a coincidence! The day before the race at packet pickup, I saw Robyn and Art, fellow Floridians and 50 State Marathoners. Robyn used to work with me at Track Shack but recently moved. Miss you, Robyn!
Also met Olympian running legend Frank Shorter there and I told him it was all his fault. He handed me my first race medal back in 2002 and I haven't been able to stop racing since.
I got to the start line just 5 minutes before the race was to begin. No big deal, no nervousness, just another training run ... HA! By mile 4, I was well under my intended 8 min/mile pace for the first half. Good thing Dave was out on our lanai early to see me go by (and one of these days he going to take a pole saw and cut those ugly power lines).
He was actually expecting to see me with a white visor, though, not a red one. I told him RED. Whatever, there were only about 500 half marathoners and the field had spread out considerably by then.
Nearing the turnaround, I gave a big cheer for Bree Wee, my favorite tri pro and friend who was headed the other way already with a huge smile on her face. She was in second place overall and the lead female. So happy to see her having fun!
But who wouldn't have fun in paradise and with wonderful volunteers like this?
Before I knew it, I'd gabbed my way to the turnaround with Rob (just behind me), who was also a triathlete and from the S.F. Bay Area, where I'm originally from. If I could talk fairly easily, that means I wasn't going too fast, right? 6.45 miles in 49:54 (7:44 pace).
So unless I totally bonk, I'm going to make my sub-1:45 time goal easily. Why not shoot for a negative split anyway? This is the best part of the course, IMO, mile 7, heading back along Alii Drive and Kailua Bay. Just to the right is where the Kona Ironman swim starts.
But now it's well over 80 degrees and getting hot. Aid stations were only a mile apart but I prefer carrying my own fluids as I drink better from a bottle, plus the extra weight usually helps keep me from running the first half of a race too fast. Usually.
At mile 9, I chatted briefly with this guy from Colorado who told me he has no probs running in heat or at altitude but the humidity here was killing him. Dude, don't ever come to Florida in the summer.
Mile 13, nearly done. Caught 3 women in the second half. Enough to place? Who knows ...
Just make sure not to trip over the speed bump and do a face plant in front of everyone.
Hawaiian shave ice, a very welcome treat after a hot race!
Early on pacer Rob finished a couple minutes behind me. He'd not run for 3 weeks before the race because of the flu yet did well.
Yes, a new coffee mug award! The small black one in my hand, not the big one, silly.
Hanging out with greatness after the race (R to L after moi): Olympian Frank Shorter, pro triathlete Bree Wee (with son on her lap), race sponsor and founder, 70-year-old running phenom Jon Kunitake.
Total race time: 1:40:26 (7:40 pace). Last 6.65 miles run in 50:32 (7:36 pace) -- Woohoo!
Top 5 differences between 2002 and 2009:
5. Results
2002: 1:43:59, 2nd F40-49. 2009: 1:40:26, 1st F40-49.
4. Hydration & nutrition
2002: 6 oz water. 2009: 22-24 oz Nuun plus 2 gels.
3. Pacing
2002: No watch, no idea what pacing meant, really. 2009: Sports watch, a pretty good feel for what I'm capable of and a Coach to answer to.
2. The big question on my mind the last few miles
2002: Will I die of a heart attack? 2009: How many women are ahead of me?
1. Post-race recovery
2002: Food and a nap; quads hammered for days. 2009: Food, ice bath, nap and a 35 mi bike ride in the afternoon. Did I just run a half marathon?
Top 5 things that were the same:
5. Same beautiful course.
4. Frank Shorter was here.
3. Heat & humidity, but less than Florida.
2. I LOVE running and racing in Kona and still want to retire here.
1. Dave's still taking pictures of me. Thanks Dave!
Being the spouse of a runner is hard work.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Wish You Were Here
It is freaking GORGEOUS here in Kona!!!Surf's up and a breezy 80-85 degrees. Not as cool as San Diego last week but nice compared to the wet sauna back in Orlando and I know many of you are dealing with some horrible hot weather too :-(
But, ideal beach weather is not ideal for running PRs so my current half mary PR (1:37:07) is safe. On Sunday, I will only be shooting to run a sub-1:45 at the Kona Half Marathon, which is about as fast as I ran it in 2002, actually. But back then, that was an all-out race effort for me and I hurt for days afterwards. This time, being a C priority race, my goals are to have fun and to finish with minimal post-race soreness. (Coach had planned all of June to be a fairly easy month for me following the RnR Half Iron. My iron training resumes in full force July, which is next week - Gulp!)
Here's a few photos from our trip so far. Wish you could all be here too!
Off to do a 3-4 mile easy run. Totally screwed up: 4.1 miles @ 7:45 pace. Oops!
Taking photos of two people riding bikes is harder than you might think.
As usual, a headwind coming back into town but some nice ocean views.
Dave down in aero cursing the wind.
What happens when you curse.
A turtle (made of coral pieces) on the lava rocks along the Queen K highway.
Taking a business call. Grrr ...
One day that Blackberry is going surfing ;-)
Aloha for now and hope you all have a great weekend!
Monday, April 13, 2009
Easter Egg Swim Meet
We have a VERY casual swim meet at the Kona pool on Saturday and if you have a USMS card, you can swim. Warm up at 3, meet starts at about 3:30. Come and say hi even if you don't swim.
That was part of an email I got from Karlyn Pipes-Nielsen, one of my swim instructors here in Kona.
Me compete in a masters swim meet? HA, I've never even been to a swim meet, nor do have a USMS card. But I could certainly come by to watch!
And watch I did. Stop watch, that is. Coach Eric, Karlyn's husband and swim coach, handed me a green one and put me to work.
What fun!! A very low key meet, indeed. About 8 folks there competing, including Karlyn, pro triathlete Bree Wee and some local swimmers and triathletes. You could pick which events you wanted to do, start from the blocks, pool deck or in the water, and flip turns were not mandatory (but two-handed touches were required for butterfly and breast, as usual). Sometimes people were racing the same distance but doing different strokes. One guy even raced by himself a couple times.
The highlight for me was watching Karlyn and Bree go head to head on the 500 yd freestlyle.
Bree (left in photo above) is often one of the first women out of the water in tris but on this day hoped to be lapped no more than once by powerhouse Pipes-Nielsen (right in photo above). Now if it were me going up against either of them, I think a fair race would be if I swim 250 while they swim 500. Both are FAST!!
Here they are ready to go. Bree looks to be saying a little prayer, haha.
And below is 14 seconds of their race coming up on 350 yards. Karlyn is getting close to catching Bree and would eventually do so, but only once. Great job, Bree!
There were three of us timing Karlyn. My watch time was in the middle so 5:04:13 was used as the official time, a new 45-50 year old women's masters record for her -- Congrats Karlyn!!!
Tomorrow I get a swim lesson from Coach Eric (Karlyn is on travel). Who knows, next year they just might have to find another timer ;-)
That was part of an email I got from Karlyn Pipes-Nielsen, one of my swim instructors here in Kona.
Me compete in a masters swim meet? HA, I've never even been to a swim meet, nor do have a USMS card. But I could certainly come by to watch!
And watch I did. Stop watch, that is. Coach Eric, Karlyn's husband and swim coach, handed me a green one and put me to work.
What fun!! A very low key meet, indeed. About 8 folks there competing, including Karlyn, pro triathlete Bree Wee and some local swimmers and triathletes. You could pick which events you wanted to do, start from the blocks, pool deck or in the water, and flip turns were not mandatory (but two-handed touches were required for butterfly and breast, as usual). Sometimes people were racing the same distance but doing different strokes. One guy even raced by himself a couple times.
The highlight for me was watching Karlyn and Bree go head to head on the 500 yd freestlyle.
Here they are ready to go. Bree looks to be saying a little prayer, haha.
And below is 14 seconds of their race coming up on 350 yards. Karlyn is getting close to catching Bree and would eventually do so, but only once. Great job, Bree!
There were three of us timing Karlyn. My watch time was in the middle so 5:04:13 was used as the official time, a new 45-50 year old women's masters record for her -- Congrats Karlyn!!!
Tomorrow I get a swim lesson from Coach Eric (Karlyn is on travel). Who knows, next year they just might have to find another timer ;-)
Thursday, April 02, 2009
Yummy!
Maybe it's that I'm eating better?Or the pseudo recovery week I had last week?
Or that I'm now in Base Building Week 4 and have finally adjusted?
Or because I'm back in Kona?
Whatever it is, I am feeling good!
Tuesday's 10-mile run was hands down the best training run I've had this year to date. Perfect low 70 degree weather with a light breeze (I prefer to train in warm weather as it makes racing in cooler weather even easier and I can still manage if it's hotter than expected). I had a good sweat going within the first mile and fell into the ZONE. Beautiful beaches, pretty flowers, smell of the ocean, lots of other runners and walkers about ... I was in paradise!
Never mind that it was a few degrees warmer than last week's 8-mile steady pace run, 2 miles further and a rolling course vs. a flat one, I finished with an average pace that was 23 seconds faster (9:02 vs. 9:25) and with an average HR that was 14 beats lower. Unfreakingbelievable!!
Maybe I can still run a 4-hourish marathon running only 10-20 miles a week and with no long runs over 10-11 miles? The Fargo Marathon is now just over a month away and still looks to be on although all the flooding in the area might cause the course to change. One thing for sure, though, if a dike breaks, I have a better chance of sprinting to safety now than I did before (I have a half iron tri 3 weeks later that is actually a more important race :-).
But I have been biking a lot and yesterday's 40 mile ride with 20 easy followed by 20 hard was another total surprise. I admit that I was actually dreading it because I knew it'd hurt a lot, not only because I'd be time-trialing hard by myself (Dave is not with me on this trip) and hadn't ridden any hills the past
But Mother Nature played an April Fool's Day joke on me!
She started off doing her usual thing pushing me along on the way out. It took every ounce of will power I had to keep riding easy. Man, I wanted to fly! Average pace for the first 20.22 miles: 15.67mph
But approaching the turnaround point, I could feel the wind shifting (that's Kona for ya!). Yep, now it was pretty much a straight crosswind. I got going on the second half of the ride and could not believe the speeds my little travel bike was traveling: 17-19 mph up hills, 20-22+ otherwise.
Of course, there was a lot of huffing, puffing and grunting, as well as mental games being played. Can I catch those two cyclists I saw at the turnaround who are ahead of me? Don't let that guy in back of me catch me. Don't let ANYONE catch me. The faster I go, the sooner this will be over. I'm Chrissie Wellington gunning for a new Kona IM bike course record. There's a car in back of me trying to run me over ...
The toughest part was having to stop at a red light with just one mile to go. UGH! No, I take that back. Having to start up again after stopping and go up a hill too was the toughest part. Double UGHHHH!!
Still, my avg pace for the second 20 miles ended up being 20.22 mph. That's the fastest I've ever ridden that course solo -- WOOHOO!!!
So what new things have I been eating?
Well, for one, scrambled eggs and ham over a large tossed salad. Funny thing is I really don't like the taste of eggs (have to mask it with lots of marinara sauce, salsa or ketchup) but my muscles have been saying yummy so into the mouth it goes to feed them!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Winds of Change
This is the last week of playing and training on my own for a while. I'm happy to report that I survived last week's "cold" weather spell and my shoulder and elbow are now barely bothering me. I worked a 5.2K race last Saturday with 5 layers on, a new clothing record for me, I think. And just for showing up to swim when it was like 30-40 degs outside, the YMCA manager gave me a new t-shirt:
It's actually from a contest they had last year during the Olympics but it's the thought that counts, right? Little did she know that the 66-67 deg pool was considerably warmer than inside than my house (which got down to 52 degs!) so I was working out to warm up some. Also to train myself mentally for similar race day temps to be expected in North Carolina later this year.
Next week I begin a 10-month blogging-for-coaching gig with Team Hendryx and my journey to complete two iron distance tris two weeks apart, the Great Floridian (10/24) and Beach to Battleship (11/7). Though they are both 140.6 miles long (for anyone unfamiliar with iron distance tris: 2.4 mi swim, 112 mi bike, 26.2 mi run), they are two completely different races. GF is usually pretty hot and humid with a freshwater lake swim, a relatively hilly bike course but a flat run while B2B will probably be fairly cold with a saltwater intercoastal waterway swim and a flat bike/run course.
As you might guess, this coaching thing is a HUGE opportunity for me. I mean, who would have thought that a middle-aged, former non-athlete and non-swimmer, now a front-of-the-back-of-the-pack swimmer, a decent cyclist and a crazy marathon runner, would be triathlon sponsorship material?
OK, perhaps some of you, but let's face facts. I'm not be going to be winning any races (unless they're really small and all the fast woman don't show up, which has happened twice but let's not let that go to my head, shall we?). I won't be setting any speed records. And it's doubtful I will be appearing on any covers or back covers of magazines, except perhaps Triathlete Magazine for People Named Shirley. Some local headlines are a possibility, though ........ if a gator nibbles on me during the swim, I get hit by a car while riding a bike, or collapse and die during the run. But no ordinary or even outstanding race performance is likely to make a blip on the local media radar, unfortunately. Heck, even the largest endurance event in town, the Disney Marathon, barely gets any attention.
But I do have a big dream and a blog as my bullhorn :-)
I've been somewhat reluctant to spell it out beyond what's in my blog header because it's so long term and is still a few years away (Ha, and you thought it took a long time to get my fresh squeezed lemonade?), but it's a dream that perhaps many others may have too, at least in part, so I'll share it with you now to set the stage for the significance of the training starting next week and perhaps inspire some of you to do things to get the ball rolling on your long term dreams, if you haven't already.
My dream is to retire at age 50, move and live full-time in Kona (vs. part-time), and do the Kona Ironman someday. Note the order. Namely, I've wanted to do the first two things for much longer than the last one (15 vs. 3 yrs so far) and that is my priority.
Now, I know some of you know that qualifying for the Kona IM as a Big Island resident may be easier than qualifying otherwise (depending who shows up at the local Hawaii 70.3 qualifier), but it's really not so easy considering the high cost of living in Hawaii and the stinky economy right now. In fact, due to the 3-year Big Island residency requirement, it's become apparent to me that buying one of the Kona slots that are auctioned on Ebay each year to raise funds for the local community would probably be a much less costly route. A couple years ago, I read about a guy who bought his girlfriend a slot for $60K, a nice tax deductible contribution as well, no doubt.
But, to me, buying a Kona slot would be pointless (plus, I'm extremely frugal and would never spend that kind of money on a race!). Similarly, winning a lottery slot or even qualifying the usual way would not satisfy me (although the latter would certainly be something to be very proud of, for sure!). Bottom line, I don't want to do the race and then go home elsewhere. I want to do it because I fell in love with the area during my first visit back in the early 90's, then running and swimming there, and also biking too more recently, since then and that's where I want to enjoy doing these hobbies, among others, for the rest of my life. The fact that the Kona IM happens to be the IM World Championship just gives me more incentive to get/stay in better shape as I get older. I would want to do the local race, or at least train on the course and be a part of the event, even if it were not.
So what does this all have to do with the coaching deal?
Well, besides helping me save more money for retirement, it should put me in a much better position to be able to compete for one of those Big Island resident slots when the time comes. Last year, a 7-hour finish at Hawaii 70.3 would have been good enough for a female 50-54-year-old Big Island resident to qualify. Five to six years from now, who knows? My guess is that the qualifying times will go down and the tough course is not going to get any easier.
Things I expect I'll need to work on this year:
Becoming a faster/stronger swimmer (shooting for a 1:30 or better iron swim)
No more marathon running on a whim (only one other standalone marathon this year *sniff*)
Better nutrition (not a big fan of meat and dairy products -- moo!)
Learning to love hills, heat & humidity (don't hate them but we're far from being friends)
Tolerating the cold better while swimming & biking (no more whining, just get out there!)
Getting out of that long and slow comfort zone (gulp)
Using some training gadgets (not a fan of them either)
Following a formal training schedule and reporting back to a coach (yikes!)
Learning what it takes to compete vs. just finish races (we're not in Kansas any more, Toto)
And so it begins ... What do you hope to be doing 10-20 years from now?
It's actually from a contest they had last year during the Olympics but it's the thought that counts, right? Little did she know that the 66-67 deg pool was considerably warmer than inside than my house (which got down to 52 degs!) so I was working out to warm up some. Also to train myself mentally for similar race day temps to be expected in North Carolina later this year.
Next week I begin a 10-month blogging-for-coaching gig with Team Hendryx and my journey to complete two iron distance tris two weeks apart, the Great Floridian (10/24) and Beach to Battleship (11/7). Though they are both 140.6 miles long (for anyone unfamiliar with iron distance tris: 2.4 mi swim, 112 mi bike, 26.2 mi run), they are two completely different races. GF is usually pretty hot and humid with a freshwater lake swim, a relatively hilly bike course but a flat run while B2B will probably be fairly cold with a saltwater intercoastal waterway swim and a flat bike/run course. As you might guess, this coaching thing is a HUGE opportunity for me. I mean, who would have thought that a middle-aged, former non-athlete and non-swimmer, now a front-of-the-back-of-the-pack swimmer, a decent cyclist and a crazy marathon runner, would be triathlon sponsorship material?
OK, perhaps some of you, but let's face facts. I'm not be going to be winning any races (unless they're really small and all the fast woman don't show up, which has happened twice but let's not let that go to my head, shall we?). I won't be setting any speed records. And it's doubtful I will be appearing on any covers or back covers of magazines, except perhaps Triathlete Magazine for People Named Shirley. Some local headlines are a possibility, though ........ if a gator nibbles on me during the swim, I get hit by a car while riding a bike, or collapse and die during the run. But no ordinary or even outstanding race performance is likely to make a blip on the local media radar, unfortunately. Heck, even the largest endurance event in town, the Disney Marathon, barely gets any attention.
But I do have a big dream and a blog as my bullhorn :-)
I've been somewhat reluctant to spell it out beyond what's in my blog header because it's so long term and is still a few years away (Ha, and you thought it took a long time to get my fresh squeezed lemonade?), but it's a dream that perhaps many others may have too, at least in part, so I'll share it with you now to set the stage for the significance of the training starting next week and perhaps inspire some of you to do things to get the ball rolling on your long term dreams, if you haven't already.
My dream is to retire at age 50, move and live full-time in Kona (vs. part-time), and do the Kona Ironman someday. Note the order. Namely, I've wanted to do the first two things for much longer than the last one (15 vs. 3 yrs so far) and that is my priority. Now, I know some of you know that qualifying for the Kona IM as a Big Island resident may be easier than qualifying otherwise (depending who shows up at the local Hawaii 70.3 qualifier), but it's really not so easy considering the high cost of living in Hawaii and the stinky economy right now. In fact, due to the 3-year Big Island residency requirement, it's become apparent to me that buying one of the Kona slots that are auctioned on Ebay each year to raise funds for the local community would probably be a much less costly route. A couple years ago, I read about a guy who bought his girlfriend a slot for $60K, a nice tax deductible contribution as well, no doubt.
But, to me, buying a Kona slot would be pointless (plus, I'm extremely frugal and would never spend that kind of money on a race!). Similarly, winning a lottery slot or even qualifying the usual way would not satisfy me (although the latter would certainly be something to be very proud of, for sure!). Bottom line, I don't want to do the race and then go home elsewhere. I want to do it because I fell in love with the area during my first visit back in the early 90's, then running and swimming there, and also biking too more recently, since then and that's where I want to enjoy doing these hobbies, among others, for the rest of my life. The fact that the Kona IM happens to be the IM World Championship just gives me more incentive to get/stay in better shape as I get older. I would want to do the local race, or at least train on the course and be a part of the event, even if it were not.
So what does this all have to do with the coaching deal?
Well, besides helping me save more money for retirement, it should put me in a much better position to be able to compete for one of those Big Island resident slots when the time comes. Last year, a 7-hour finish at Hawaii 70.3 would have been good enough for a female 50-54-year-old Big Island resident to qualify. Five to six years from now, who knows? My guess is that the qualifying times will go down and the tough course is not going to get any easier.
Things I expect I'll need to work on this year:
And so it begins ... What do you hope to be doing 10-20 years from now?
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