Showing posts with label Kona. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kona. Show all posts
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Friday, October 22, 2010
Commitments made. And alcohol !!
Over the last 2 weeks we have committed our lives to events next year. Both very exciting.
Family wise, we have set our wedding date, 9th June 2011. This is going to take a lot of organising, I would like to say on both of us but I can imagine that Kelly will make sure I am toeing the line, so her organising will involve organising me, yes, carnage !!
We are both looking forward to it and with our bridesmaid in waiting Teya growing day by day we will all get to play a large part in the special day.
I have also paid up for the inaugural IM Wales in September 2011. The race is a qualifier for Kona 2012 so lots to do and maybe a bit of luck again and you never know. In last weeks blog I put my thoughts on the way I thought the entry might go, still nothing concrete in terms of competition to really go on as there is only about 400 entries in total, a few names I recognise but early days.
So in order for the year to run smootly I have to make sure priorities are right, the wedding and the preparations come first, managing the various elements to come together for one day will be challenging but we can work together for that for the most part.
The race is important but I can fit training around everything else and its 3 months later in the year so no conflict.
The training is still going well (apart from last week - read below) and to some extent, around 4 months earlier than normal when I would kick start my structured training of any substantial volume or quality.
Mmmm BEER !!
However, over the last fortnight, training has taken on the footie familiar saying of a game of 2 halves. 2 weeks ago at the start of this period I had a few beers on Sunday and decided that Monday would be rest day. So Monday I had another couple of beers on my rest day and this just kicked off the inevitable downward spiral, setting the tone for the rest of the next 6 days.
I didn't want to get up Tuesday to swim as I felt rubbish, so I would train later that day, as I was travelling to Northampton on my weekly round trip I couldn't do 2 sessions, so I bumped one to the next day, and so it went, sessions moving, rejigging the structure, by the time the end of the week came, alcohol, which had been the catalyst to a bad start was then taken over by a hectic week at work and by the end of Friday I had loaded the weekend to 3 sessions on both days !!
As most experienced triathletes know, this is counterproductive, if you miss a session, let it go, so even though I had the best of intentions to keep up my hours I saw sense, I extended my long ride on Sunday and quit being stupid for the rest of the weekend and overloading myself. I also decided to test the following 7 days with an alcohol free week to see the difference.
NO BEER !! Booo
This last week I noticed something else. Obviously no alcohol, but I was waking up feeling like I had had 5 pints. Its just become very obvious how little water I am drinking during the day. I am fueling for the sessions I am doing each day but with the fuzzy head in the morning it can't be anything else other than dehydration. I need to start drinking more in the day as I am probably losing quality out of my sessions by being under hydrated most of the time.
Volume in the last 2 weeks has been standard, 5hrs swimming, 13 hours cycling, 5 hours running. Not bad for the time of year. Its not everything I should be doing, the swimming is needing the extra time in the pool and the running has just started to ramp up a little so its coming together. I am not worried, as I said, its very early in the year and a long way to go, I want to come out of winter firing on all 3 sports and I am heading there.
A few bits of exciting news.
Winterswim is back, for anyone that doesn't know what that is, get over to Toms Williams site to find out.
But, I am still slow in the pool !
Changing your stroke takes some commitment, mine is being tested at the moment, I have my 400m time for #winterswim sorted for Week 1 before the end of the month but I need to put in another effort, I did the 400m effort after a main 2600m set as I didn't want to interupt the session but I will be making a real go at another 400m before the end of the month.
Its a great way to keep the motivation for swimming going over the winter, hence winterswim, I think Tom has his work cut out this year as its popularity has snowballed but the uncommitted (like I was last year) will fall by the wayside to maybe ease the pain a little.
Secondly, Lawrence is moving into the electronic age and we are using Training Peaks from this week. I already use Garmin Connect and can upload all of my training to it and provide him feedback but I have heard a lot of good things about the TP options so I hope its a step in the right direction. I love gadgets and if I had a power meter I would already have started to use this as a training tool but its never too late as they say.
On to next week and the run in to Xmas, yes, Xmas is in the shops already, its not even Hallowe'en and Kelly has a bedroom full of toys for Teya, in fact I think she has finished her Xmas shopping already !
Anyway, more consistent training, less alcohol, more water, new gadgets and an improved winterswim, can't wait.
Rosey.
Family wise, we have set our wedding date, 9th June 2011. This is going to take a lot of organising, I would like to say on both of us but I can imagine that Kelly will make sure I am toeing the line, so her organising will involve organising me, yes, carnage !!
We are both looking forward to it and with our bridesmaid in waiting Teya growing day by day we will all get to play a large part in the special day.
I have also paid up for the inaugural IM Wales in September 2011. The race is a qualifier for Kona 2012 so lots to do and maybe a bit of luck again and you never know. In last weeks blog I put my thoughts on the way I thought the entry might go, still nothing concrete in terms of competition to really go on as there is only about 400 entries in total, a few names I recognise but early days.
So in order for the year to run smootly I have to make sure priorities are right, the wedding and the preparations come first, managing the various elements to come together for one day will be challenging but we can work together for that for the most part.
The race is important but I can fit training around everything else and its 3 months later in the year so no conflict.
The training is still going well (apart from last week - read below) and to some extent, around 4 months earlier than normal when I would kick start my structured training of any substantial volume or quality.
Mmmm BEER !!
However, over the last fortnight, training has taken on the footie familiar saying of a game of 2 halves. 2 weeks ago at the start of this period I had a few beers on Sunday and decided that Monday would be rest day. So Monday I had another couple of beers on my rest day and this just kicked off the inevitable downward spiral, setting the tone for the rest of the next 6 days.
I didn't want to get up Tuesday to swim as I felt rubbish, so I would train later that day, as I was travelling to Northampton on my weekly round trip I couldn't do 2 sessions, so I bumped one to the next day, and so it went, sessions moving, rejigging the structure, by the time the end of the week came, alcohol, which had been the catalyst to a bad start was then taken over by a hectic week at work and by the end of Friday I had loaded the weekend to 3 sessions on both days !!
As most experienced triathletes know, this is counterproductive, if you miss a session, let it go, so even though I had the best of intentions to keep up my hours I saw sense, I extended my long ride on Sunday and quit being stupid for the rest of the weekend and overloading myself. I also decided to test the following 7 days with an alcohol free week to see the difference.
NO BEER !! Booo
This last week I noticed something else. Obviously no alcohol, but I was waking up feeling like I had had 5 pints. Its just become very obvious how little water I am drinking during the day. I am fueling for the sessions I am doing each day but with the fuzzy head in the morning it can't be anything else other than dehydration. I need to start drinking more in the day as I am probably losing quality out of my sessions by being under hydrated most of the time.
Volume in the last 2 weeks has been standard, 5hrs swimming, 13 hours cycling, 5 hours running. Not bad for the time of year. Its not everything I should be doing, the swimming is needing the extra time in the pool and the running has just started to ramp up a little so its coming together. I am not worried, as I said, its very early in the year and a long way to go, I want to come out of winter firing on all 3 sports and I am heading there.
A few bits of exciting news.
Winterswim is back, for anyone that doesn't know what that is, get over to Toms Williams site to find out.
But, I am still slow in the pool !
Changing your stroke takes some commitment, mine is being tested at the moment, I have my 400m time for #winterswim sorted for Week 1 before the end of the month but I need to put in another effort, I did the 400m effort after a main 2600m set as I didn't want to interupt the session but I will be making a real go at another 400m before the end of the month.
Its a great way to keep the motivation for swimming going over the winter, hence winterswim, I think Tom has his work cut out this year as its popularity has snowballed but the uncommitted (like I was last year) will fall by the wayside to maybe ease the pain a little.
Secondly, Lawrence is moving into the electronic age and we are using Training Peaks from this week. I already use Garmin Connect and can upload all of my training to it and provide him feedback but I have heard a lot of good things about the TP options so I hope its a step in the right direction. I love gadgets and if I had a power meter I would already have started to use this as a training tool but its never too late as they say.
On to next week and the run in to Xmas, yes, Xmas is in the shops already, its not even Hallowe'en and Kelly has a bedroom full of toys for Teya, in fact I think she has finished her Xmas shopping already !
Anyway, more consistent training, less alcohol, more water, new gadgets and an improved winterswim, can't wait.
Rosey.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Kona delivers again - Looking forward to 2011.
This week brought the end to the current Ironman season, culminating in the race of champions, all of the qualified professional and AG athletes in the greatest racing spectacle in our multi discipline sport.
The 'IRONMAN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS' in Kailua Kona, Hawaii
Congratulations to Chris McCormack and Mirinda Carfrae for their wins.
For anyone that follows triathlon I don't need to elaborate, its triathlon, its the pinnacle, enough said. And what a race this year produced.
For those that want to remind themselves, this is the link to the entire 18 hours of coverage, I have no idea how long the link will be valid but it works as of today. Highlights include -
3h55m into the video is the point where the last swimmer is informed she can't carry on as she has missed the swim cutoff - gutting.
9h11m is the finish for Chris MACCA McCormack, great to see him triumphant again after winning in 2007 and then his mechanical in 2008.
9h57m is the point where the lovely Mirinda Carfrae takes her first world title, awesome result
In light of Chrissie Wellingtons (current world champ) withdrawal on the morning of the race Mirinda will always be questioned by the press regarding the question, 'would she or wouldn't she have won if Chrissie had raced ?' who knows, thats not the point, she won an awesome race, on the given day, put in a great run again and deserves every accolade a true champion should, well done the Aussies, made for a great night of viewing.
Can't believe its over for another year but the race was epic and watching it and knowing every inch of the course just makes the desire to return burn more.
Well done to some of the Brits that I follow too, links to their reports may interest others to see what athletes go through in this, one of the toughest races in the IM calendar. Steven Lord, Jo Carritt, Russ Cox, Iain Hindes.
Nick's 2011
Now to my own masterplan on how to get to this amazing dance floor in the next 2 years.
Its a dilemma that has until this week prevented me from entering any race for 2011. I am working on the assumption that I will do enough to be on the cusp of qualifying at the race I pick, I am not a 'top' age grouper, that title is taken by the group of athletes that have the enviable position of calling themselves 'full time' age groupers. Yes, its an oxymoron but its a common sight in IM racing. I know a couple of guys that have this privileged existence, they might not think like that, as its a job to them, but to people like me its a great job and one I would love to have.
To the choices then, we now have 2 IM races to choose from !! Not something you may have heard 2 or 3 years ago in the UK but true. The 2 in question for me are.
IMUK - 31st July 2011 - 50 slots for Kona 2011 (up from 30 slots in previous years)
IM Wales - 11th September 2011 - 50 slots for Kona 2012
With the wedding coming up in June, we are saving all of our money for this, I want to race IM with the intention of qualifying, the best way to try to qualify for Kona without costing a fortune is race one year (2011) and qualify the following year (2012)
This type of qualification was until 3 weeks ago only possible if you travelled to North America or Mexico. Then came the news of IM Wales on 11th September 2011.
All my prayers answered on my own doorstep. Or are they ??
Alongside this announcement, the astounding (read - controversially timed) news that IMUK upped their allocation from 30 slots to 50. I qualified in 2009 when there was 30 slots overall and we had 3 slots in the M35-39, with this news there could potentially be 7 in my new AG. This would however, qualify me for the same year, racing the 'worlds' 11 weeks later. More cost.
Scenario 1
IM Wales fits our plans for 2011, if I qualify we have 12 months to save and we get to visit a truely remarkable group of islands again with a better understanding of what to get out of it as a holiday as well as the race of a lifetime once more.
Problem is, the race is going to attract athletes who wouldn't have set foot in Wales had the race been staged pre Sept.
It will attract many top AG'ers from Europe that would have gone to the US for a late race to qualify, no need now, stay in Europe, cheaper, no jet lag.
It will attract more of the professional AG'ers that will want to qualify early for 2012.
Finally, I believe it will be used as a back up race for a large number of top Euro athletes who may miss out on qualifying in say, Austria, Germany, Switzerland.
On the plus side, the date will eliminate anyone who has qualified already and wants to race well in Kona 2011 as the 2 races are too close to each other to recover.
Also, most people who want to race IM in 2011 will have already entered a race by now in Europe or the US as they fill up so fast the decision had to be made early, mostly 12 months in advance.
Scenario 2
It has got to be the best year for a qualifying chance at IMUK. The race is right on my doorstep, no travel costs, roll out of bed on race morning and be there in 30 mins, its a tough course, no drafting, no let up, just how I like it and I think the best chance to qualify is in 2011.
With the new race in Wales taking a lot of the top age group athletes looking for a late qualifier, IMUK may well be overlooked, IMUK has over the last few years been tagged with a slightly negative vibe by certain groups in the UK and has already forced many into the arms of the Outlaw and the new Challenge Henley race. Personally, I loved the experience of IMUK and this year they made in roads into the moans levelled at them in 2009 and won over plenty more support. I think in 2011 the race will be even better.
With the extra slots the attraction for someone who can afford to go to Kona 11 weeks later is a massive draw. The catch 22 is, even if you can't afford it, you would be mad to turn it down. Ask anyone that's tried to qualify and just missed out, what they wouldn't do to get there, its about picking the right race primarily, then getting there fit, making the decision to say 'yes' is for after the race, it won't dawn on you til the awards/rolldown about the decision that needs to be made. By then you have already talked yourself into it and taken out another credit card !
The downside for this scenario is the calendar of races that need to be entered and paid for to follow this path.
31st July 2011 - IMUK (£350) - qualify - pay out £350 for Kona
8th Oct 2011 - Kona
Thats a lot of money in 2011. £750 in race entry before the £3k for Kona. And if you need the fall back option of IMW, thats another £350.
They have worked this so that if you want to book a slot for this year at IMUK, its pretty impossible to do IMW successfully to qualify for 2012. If you do IMW you miss the opportunity to go to Kona again via IMUK.
Bugger.
The decision
The two major factors for my decision are the wedding, the cost of this pretty much prevents a family trip to Kona in 2011. Secondly, how I think I will do against increased competition in Wales.
I also have a few good friends that I know will be racing at each race, that has also swayed my decision a little, smackdown to follow, you know who you are !
The answer, you have to beat the best to qualify, no matter where you are, decisions are made for you to a certain degree by current circumstances and finances and you go with the flow, I have thought about all the options and I only really have one unless someone leaves me a LOT of money in the next 6 months.
Ironman Wales it is. I just hope some people will have the same thought process as me and go to IMUK as an option to race well and ignore IMW. We shall see.
The Garmin DIY disaster.
Be warned, having a training device that can be maintained by you is a bonus, gone are the days of having to send your Polar away for 2 weeks to be serviced, now you can change your own batteries in the HR belt of a Suunto or a Garmin of which I use both.
There is a danger though and this image is the result.
Please pay attention, when replacing the battery use a coin to get the retaining plastic cap off the belt, I used a screwdriver, flat head but not wide enough, as it slipped a few times it created 2 little spikes each side of the groove, didn't seem too much of a big deal at the time, 10 miles later after my run, the picture is the result !!
Training this week
Going well, 12 hours this week spread evenly over the bike and run. My swimming is still coming on but only 2 swims this week means I won't have improved, just maintained a feel for the water, if I am serious about this improvement I need to be looking at 4 swims a week, something I will be discussing with Lawrence.
Sunday brought a wonderful ride in the sunshine, you won't hear that for long, its getting colder by the day.
After 2 hours I got a puncture, no big deal, pull over, take off tyre, most of the time after feeling around the inside of the tyre you never work out what caused it, this time was different, I almost impaled myself, it was so big I had to take a picture, much to the amusment of the cyclist who passed asking if I was OK.
The hedge trimming has started, looks like I will be packing 3 tubes for each ride for the next few weeks.
Anyway, sorry about the ramble and the lateness of the blog, I promise not to be so tardy again.
Oh yes, Fegan ! you are going down dude !
The 'IRONMAN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS' in Kailua Kona, Hawaii
Congratulations to Chris McCormack and Mirinda Carfrae for their wins.
For anyone that follows triathlon I don't need to elaborate, its triathlon, its the pinnacle, enough said. And what a race this year produced.
For those that want to remind themselves, this is the link to the entire 18 hours of coverage, I have no idea how long the link will be valid but it works as of today. Highlights include -
3h55m into the video is the point where the last swimmer is informed she can't carry on as she has missed the swim cutoff - gutting.
9h11m is the finish for Chris MACCA McCormack, great to see him triumphant again after winning in 2007 and then his mechanical in 2008.
9h57m is the point where the lovely Mirinda Carfrae takes her first world title, awesome result
In light of Chrissie Wellingtons (current world champ) withdrawal on the morning of the race Mirinda will always be questioned by the press regarding the question, 'would she or wouldn't she have won if Chrissie had raced ?' who knows, thats not the point, she won an awesome race, on the given day, put in a great run again and deserves every accolade a true champion should, well done the Aussies, made for a great night of viewing.
Can't believe its over for another year but the race was epic and watching it and knowing every inch of the course just makes the desire to return burn more.
Well done to some of the Brits that I follow too, links to their reports may interest others to see what athletes go through in this, one of the toughest races in the IM calendar. Steven Lord, Jo Carritt, Russ Cox, Iain Hindes.
Nick's 2011
Now to my own masterplan on how to get to this amazing dance floor in the next 2 years.
Its a dilemma that has until this week prevented me from entering any race for 2011. I am working on the assumption that I will do enough to be on the cusp of qualifying at the race I pick, I am not a 'top' age grouper, that title is taken by the group of athletes that have the enviable position of calling themselves 'full time' age groupers. Yes, its an oxymoron but its a common sight in IM racing. I know a couple of guys that have this privileged existence, they might not think like that, as its a job to them, but to people like me its a great job and one I would love to have.
To the choices then, we now have 2 IM races to choose from !! Not something you may have heard 2 or 3 years ago in the UK but true. The 2 in question for me are.
IMUK - 31st July 2011 - 50 slots for Kona 2011 (up from 30 slots in previous years)
IM Wales - 11th September 2011 - 50 slots for Kona 2012
With the wedding coming up in June, we are saving all of our money for this, I want to race IM with the intention of qualifying, the best way to try to qualify for Kona without costing a fortune is race one year (2011) and qualify the following year (2012)
This type of qualification was until 3 weeks ago only possible if you travelled to North America or Mexico. Then came the news of IM Wales on 11th September 2011.
All my prayers answered on my own doorstep. Or are they ??
Alongside this announcement, the astounding (read - controversially timed) news that IMUK upped their allocation from 30 slots to 50. I qualified in 2009 when there was 30 slots overall and we had 3 slots in the M35-39, with this news there could potentially be 7 in my new AG. This would however, qualify me for the same year, racing the 'worlds' 11 weeks later. More cost.
Scenario 1
IM Wales fits our plans for 2011, if I qualify we have 12 months to save and we get to visit a truely remarkable group of islands again with a better understanding of what to get out of it as a holiday as well as the race of a lifetime once more.
Problem is, the race is going to attract athletes who wouldn't have set foot in Wales had the race been staged pre Sept.
It will attract many top AG'ers from Europe that would have gone to the US for a late race to qualify, no need now, stay in Europe, cheaper, no jet lag.
It will attract more of the professional AG'ers that will want to qualify early for 2012.
Finally, I believe it will be used as a back up race for a large number of top Euro athletes who may miss out on qualifying in say, Austria, Germany, Switzerland.
On the plus side, the date will eliminate anyone who has qualified already and wants to race well in Kona 2011 as the 2 races are too close to each other to recover.
Also, most people who want to race IM in 2011 will have already entered a race by now in Europe or the US as they fill up so fast the decision had to be made early, mostly 12 months in advance.
Scenario 2
It has got to be the best year for a qualifying chance at IMUK. The race is right on my doorstep, no travel costs, roll out of bed on race morning and be there in 30 mins, its a tough course, no drafting, no let up, just how I like it and I think the best chance to qualify is in 2011.
With the new race in Wales taking a lot of the top age group athletes looking for a late qualifier, IMUK may well be overlooked, IMUK has over the last few years been tagged with a slightly negative vibe by certain groups in the UK and has already forced many into the arms of the Outlaw and the new Challenge Henley race. Personally, I loved the experience of IMUK and this year they made in roads into the moans levelled at them in 2009 and won over plenty more support. I think in 2011 the race will be even better.
With the extra slots the attraction for someone who can afford to go to Kona 11 weeks later is a massive draw. The catch 22 is, even if you can't afford it, you would be mad to turn it down. Ask anyone that's tried to qualify and just missed out, what they wouldn't do to get there, its about picking the right race primarily, then getting there fit, making the decision to say 'yes' is for after the race, it won't dawn on you til the awards/rolldown about the decision that needs to be made. By then you have already talked yourself into it and taken out another credit card !
The downside for this scenario is the calendar of races that need to be entered and paid for to follow this path.
31st July 2011 - IMUK (£350) - qualify - pay out £350 for Kona
8th Oct 2011 - Kona
Thats a lot of money in 2011. £750 in race entry before the £3k for Kona. And if you need the fall back option of IMW, thats another £350.
They have worked this so that if you want to book a slot for this year at IMUK, its pretty impossible to do IMW successfully to qualify for 2012. If you do IMW you miss the opportunity to go to Kona again via IMUK.
Bugger.
The decision
The two major factors for my decision are the wedding, the cost of this pretty much prevents a family trip to Kona in 2011. Secondly, how I think I will do against increased competition in Wales.
I also have a few good friends that I know will be racing at each race, that has also swayed my decision a little, smackdown to follow, you know who you are !
The answer, you have to beat the best to qualify, no matter where you are, decisions are made for you to a certain degree by current circumstances and finances and you go with the flow, I have thought about all the options and I only really have one unless someone leaves me a LOT of money in the next 6 months.
Ironman Wales it is. I just hope some people will have the same thought process as me and go to IMUK as an option to race well and ignore IMW. We shall see.
The Garmin DIY disaster.
Be warned, having a training device that can be maintained by you is a bonus, gone are the days of having to send your Polar away for 2 weeks to be serviced, now you can change your own batteries in the HR belt of a Suunto or a Garmin of which I use both. There is a danger though and this image is the result.
Please pay attention, when replacing the battery use a coin to get the retaining plastic cap off the belt, I used a screwdriver, flat head but not wide enough, as it slipped a few times it created 2 little spikes each side of the groove, didn't seem too much of a big deal at the time, 10 miles later after my run, the picture is the result !!
Training this week
Going well, 12 hours this week spread evenly over the bike and run. My swimming is still coming on but only 2 swims this week means I won't have improved, just maintained a feel for the water, if I am serious about this improvement I need to be looking at 4 swims a week, something I will be discussing with Lawrence.
Sunday brought a wonderful ride in the sunshine, you won't hear that for long, its getting colder by the day. After 2 hours I got a puncture, no big deal, pull over, take off tyre, most of the time after feeling around the inside of the tyre you never work out what caused it, this time was different, I almost impaled myself, it was so big I had to take a picture, much to the amusment of the cyclist who passed asking if I was OK.
The hedge trimming has started, looks like I will be packing 3 tubes for each ride for the next few weeks.
Anyway, sorry about the ramble and the lateness of the blog, I promise not to be so tardy again.
Oh yes, Fegan ! you are going down dude !
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Aftermath to Kona 2009.
Well, its now 3 weeks after the race and what are my thoughts ?
Gutted !!! But still a happy man.
So, why am I gutted ? Its over, Kona is now a distant but utterly amazing memory.
If you have ever got married or planned a day for so long you may know the feeling, you put your entire effort into something for months, nay years, then in 10-17 hours its over. I know I always have this down feeling after every IM holiday but this one is different, a lot of effort went into this one, 3 years of IM efforts, family sacrifice, early mornings, disappointments, addition to the family - that was most certainly a highlight, I definately got my return out of it, I think you can tell that, but I still feel like I am hanging onto something, maybe its because I have decided not to do IM next year, 18 months until summer of 2011 sounds a long time.
I will concentrate my efforts again but from a greater height and distance, well actually the same 3 years it took last time, from now til 2012 hopefully, until then nothing in triathlon terms will replace the feeling I had the first 2 seconds of that race, and certainly nothing in a race will compare to the last mile. Life, however moves on and there will for me hopefully, be another Kona, it will just have to wait til 2012.
So, to the memories.
Race day, what a day !!! Seeing all of the athletes all day on the course, for me, bobbing around waiting for the cannon to go off was just breathtaking and awe inspiring yet scary and exciting. The Queen K, the media caravan following the pro's all day, the desolate lava fields versus the mass of spectators on Ali'i Drive, all brilliant.
You are not supposed to have regrets about racing, or at least make them positive, I have spun this into a positive but I still only have one regret around the whole race, and this happened in the last minute, you can see in the finisher video I have put up that Mark is right in front of me, he is the one that looks like he is trying to throw up and struggling to get to the line, you can also see his slow response to turn round when he hears my name, disbelief that we were that close all the way round myself. If you read my race report you know what I was feeling at the time. We discussed it afterwards, all I had to do was call out his name in the last 50 yards and we could have crossed the line together, it would have been a great end to his race and mine, travelling all that way to finish together after all the racing hours done over the years and on that day, not to be, but we are still talking about the finish line so its left an imprint, magic.
Support, to have people supporting you half way round the world is an amazing feeling, quite surreal hearing your name shouted as you come out of transition 8000 miles from home, friends appearing when you least expect them, Andy and Jeff on the Queen K, Sian out as far as the Energy Lab (how the hell she got there I still don't know - if she walked, good effort !!) All my family and friends at various points in town on the bike and run course. And lastly the online support, RW pirates, family that couldn't go and various forums following the GB athletes, thanks. As an aside to the race, the support I had from Kelly all year and my mum and Roger while we were there means I could do what I did, it wouldn't have happened without them so thanks to them as well.
New friends, we made many, it was great having other Brits around to chat to, Glyn and Vicki who we met at IMUK and then spent time with in Kona, Liam Dolan who we met thru Mark, Bevan and John from IMTalk, infectious enthusiasm, although I didn't really need any myself, the parade of nations brought a few of us together but it was more international than that, many people are there for the same reason so conversations just grow out of brief eye contact, the odd wry smile here when you pass past another athlete, trying not to be too obvious when you are stood behind Timo Bracht in the Walmart queue on Sunday after he has just had a top ten finish in the World Champs lol !!
The holiday, well at the end of the day we were in Hawaii, it would be rude not to have a look around ;-), a beautiful place even if the race wasn't on, we are after all there to enjoy ourselves as a family.
As Kelly doesn't race she puts up with a lot before and its only right to correct that afterwards, she is the best sherpa ever but still has requirements out of our travels.
The island is amazing and I am glad we got to see a lot of it the week after the race. Speaking to the local islanders its very quickly obvious they are so welcoming of tourists in more than a cash cow way - well thats how it seems, I am sure Kona relies on the revenue of those 2 weeks for most of its year but I loved the friendly people and we weren't just in Kona, the whole island is lovely. Travelling around the island in one day was a great adventure with my family and the lads, 220 miles in one day, fuelled by intrigue and caffeine lol !
The helicopter ride and helping Kelly fulfil one of her lifes ambitions to fly in one, seeing her nervous for the first 5 mins and then relaxing into a great 45 minute voyage.
The wedding, Paul and Jans wedding day on the Friday before we came home, we were lucky enough to still be on the island and to be invited to spend their superb day with them, the ceremony was lovely, the priest (i think) was so into the whole thing he really made it. I have put a picture of the happy couple, we loved being part of the day and wished we were staying afterwards for a few more days as we were just getting used to relaxing lol !
Seeing Teya grow over 2 weeks, she was amazing over the holiday, still the princess we took away, only complaining when we get feed time wrong but smiling forever, everywhere we went and winning over hearts of strangers and friends alike.
Finally, as always, my love and thanks to Kelly, for putting up with the endless training, the ruined weekends, the travelling and supporting me, the endless triathlon sh*te that I talk (secretly she loves to talk tri sh*te as well), my triathlon mates - of which they are all her mates now and for just being ace xx
Sitting here now its all good, I am setting out onto a challenge for November which I will post about later but for now IM will take a few weeks out.
Til next time.
Gutted !!! But still a happy man.
So, why am I gutted ? Its over, Kona is now a distant but utterly amazing memory.
If you have ever got married or planned a day for so long you may know the feeling, you put your entire effort into something for months, nay years, then in 10-17 hours its over. I know I always have this down feeling after every IM holiday but this one is different, a lot of effort went into this one, 3 years of IM efforts, family sacrifice, early mornings, disappointments, addition to the family - that was most certainly a highlight, I definately got my return out of it, I think you can tell that, but I still feel like I am hanging onto something, maybe its because I have decided not to do IM next year, 18 months until summer of 2011 sounds a long time.
I will concentrate my efforts again but from a greater height and distance, well actually the same 3 years it took last time, from now til 2012 hopefully, until then nothing in triathlon terms will replace the feeling I had the first 2 seconds of that race, and certainly nothing in a race will compare to the last mile. Life, however moves on and there will for me hopefully, be another Kona, it will just have to wait til 2012.
So, to the memories.
Race day, what a day !!! Seeing all of the athletes all day on the course, for me, bobbing around waiting for the cannon to go off was just breathtaking and awe inspiring yet scary and exciting. The Queen K, the media caravan following the pro's all day, the desolate lava fields versus the mass of spectators on Ali'i Drive, all brilliant.
You are not supposed to have regrets about racing, or at least make them positive, I have spun this into a positive but I still only have one regret around the whole race, and this happened in the last minute, you can see in the finisher video I have put up that Mark is right in front of me, he is the one that looks like he is trying to throw up and struggling to get to the line, you can also see his slow response to turn round when he hears my name, disbelief that we were that close all the way round myself. If you read my race report you know what I was feeling at the time. We discussed it afterwards, all I had to do was call out his name in the last 50 yards and we could have crossed the line together, it would have been a great end to his race and mine, travelling all that way to finish together after all the racing hours done over the years and on that day, not to be, but we are still talking about the finish line so its left an imprint, magic.
Support, to have people supporting you half way round the world is an amazing feeling, quite surreal hearing your name shouted as you come out of transition 8000 miles from home, friends appearing when you least expect them, Andy and Jeff on the Queen K, Sian out as far as the Energy Lab (how the hell she got there I still don't know - if she walked, good effort !!) All my family and friends at various points in town on the bike and run course. And lastly the online support, RW pirates, family that couldn't go and various forums following the GB athletes, thanks. As an aside to the race, the support I had from Kelly all year and my mum and Roger while we were there means I could do what I did, it wouldn't have happened without them so thanks to them as well.
New friends, we made many, it was great having other Brits around to chat to, Glyn and Vicki who we met at IMUK and then spent time with in Kona, Liam Dolan who we met thru Mark, Bevan and John from IMTalk, infectious enthusiasm, although I didn't really need any myself, the parade of nations brought a few of us together but it was more international than that, many people are there for the same reason so conversations just grow out of brief eye contact, the odd wry smile here when you pass past another athlete, trying not to be too obvious when you are stood behind Timo Bracht in the Walmart queue on Sunday after he has just had a top ten finish in the World Champs lol !! 
The holiday, well at the end of the day we were in Hawaii, it would be rude not to have a look around ;-), a beautiful place even if the race wasn't on, we are after all there to enjoy ourselves as a family. As Kelly doesn't race she puts up with a lot before and its only right to correct that afterwards, she is the best sherpa ever but still has requirements out of our travels.
The island is amazing and I am glad we got to see a lot of it the week after the race. Speaking to the local islanders its very quickly obvious they are so welcoming of tourists in more than a cash cow way - well thats how it seems, I am sure Kona relies on the revenue of those 2 weeks for most of its year but I loved the friendly people and we weren't just in Kona, the whole island is lovely. Travelling around the island in one day was a great adventure with my family and the lads, 220 miles in one day, fuelled by intrigue and caffeine lol ! The helicopter ride and helping Kelly fulfil one of her lifes ambitions to fly in one, seeing her nervous for the first 5 mins and then relaxing into a great 45 minute voyage.
The wedding, Paul and Jans wedding day on the Friday before we came home, we were lucky enough to still be on the island and to be invited to spend their superb day with them, the ceremony was lovely, the priest (i think) was so into the whole thing he really made it. I have put a picture of the happy couple, we loved being part of the day and wished we were staying afterwards for a few more days as we were just getting used to relaxing lol !
Seeing Teya grow over 2 weeks, she was amazing over the holiday, still the princess we took away, only complaining when we get feed time wrong but smiling forever, everywhere we went and winning over hearts of strangers and friends alike.
Finally, as always, my love and thanks to Kelly, for putting up with the endless training, the ruined weekends, the travelling and supporting me, the endless triathlon sh*te that I talk (secretly she loves to talk tri sh*te as well), my triathlon mates - of which they are all her mates now and for just being ace xxSitting here now its all good, I am setting out onto a challenge for November which I will post about later but for now IM will take a few weeks out.
Til next time.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Ironman World Championships 2009 - Race Report
I have been moved to here
http://ironrosey.com/?p=115
Saturday, October 10, 2009
The day before tomorrow - 1 day to go !!
Friday 9th October
Its the day before and its just dawned on me that tomorrow is the race I have dreamt about for 3 years. Some people don't know that I started in 1999 (Lewis has pointed that out in the comments on yesterdays blog) doing a sprint, I had given up smoking that year, its taken a while but triathlon has changed that life 360 degs. It has never been a real dream to get to Kona until 2006/2007 when I started seriously but its still been a passion to follow for many years, tomorrow it hopefully will all come together - (so Kelly can get her bathroom at last !!)
So this morning, I didn't have the real sleep I needed the day before the day before but for me its about staying fit as well. We went down to the swim, 8.30 this morning, a bit more of a lie in but I was tired. Faris Al Sultan was getting out, said hi lol. He looks good too but hoping to do top 10 this year apparently.
On the way to Lava Java I stopped off and bought a couple of pairs of Newtons, one for me and one for Fegan. More IM porn yay !
Today is racking day too, after building the bike and setting all of the bags up with essentials it was time to go to transition. Check out the bike decals and what I will be wearing in the race, have decided to revert back to my old bike shoes however as the new ones are custom fit and I have no idea how much my feet are going to swell so I can't take the chance. The pirate purchase has already been worn out here so that will have to do for now, sorry guys.
Racking was about as painless as it gets, no queue, no waiting, personal helper to walk you round the whole transition explaining everything, man you have to run a long, long way to get to the bike and out, I'll be knackered !!!
My helper took this piccy too
Then out and off to relax in Lava Java and write this for you lovely people lol !
By the way, this is how the finish straight looks the night before, not many people and a wonderful view.
Race stuff ...
I suppose now is the time for thoughts about tomorrow, I am never shy to say what times I am looking for and I will by the end of this ramble have given some idea of what I hope for but heres the rub, its an unpredictable place. The forecast for wind tomorrow is now 10mph+ but calmer early on and then by the time we get to Hawi it could be a little hairy.
Also the run heat has been oppressive, its only 90 degrees but it feels like 110. I did Germany in 40 degs and Nice was 40 degs but this feels hotter, I know that sounds bonkers but I suppose it must be the humidity too as I have never really run in it before. The heat off the tarmac will be tough as I find out every time I stop at lights on the bike.
Swim
So, to the swim. Its supposed to be the toughest there is, with most people in the 55 to 65 min range that’s going to be true but I will be staying out left at the beginning and then move across by the 1000m mark, I breathe to the left so the clockwise circuit would normally be an issue but the water is so clear that when I have my head straight I will be able to see for 20 metres in front of me if its clear, it won’t be but visibility will be good. For those uninitiated, there is no wetsuits here either, this normally helps me as my body position isn’t that good in the water, I have a skinsuit (thanks Gavin) for this one so it will be a help, these are made of the same sort of material but as thin as a tri suit but faster in the water than bare skin.
Goal time is Gold = 60 mins, Silver = 65, Bronze = 70.
Bike
The bike, lol, such a fast course apparently that without the wind and heat it would probably be one of the fastest on the IM circuit, unfortunately Madame Pele may have other ideas on race day. The roads are like glass but with the lava rock shards blowing across the roads the chance of punctures is slightly greater. I will be aiming to get out onto the course in a good group of pace line riders which won’t necessarily help (this is a non drafting race after all) but will be good for pacing, I have my own pace to go but we have been warned by the officials how far the zones are for drafting and this is the cats eyes markers in the road, like our UK motorway chevrons, leave a full gap and you will be safe. The course is an out and back with a little loop in town first to warm the legs. I really want to see the pros coming the other way on the Queen K with the full camera entourage, that’s the dream I have seen and I want to see it in full flow.
Goal time is Gold = 5:15, Silver = 5:30, Bronze = Sub 6 hours
Run
Now the run, this one is hard, I am sitting here in the apartment with the aircon off and still struggling to breathe properly, laboured and short, it has been for 2 days, maybe I will be clear tomorrow but for now I can only use this to guage how my breathing will be on the run. Its gonna be a hot one, whatever way you look at it, its very hot all day, about 90 degs and the humidity is about 60% but if it rains the temp drops and the humidity goes up, you can’t win, the lads have been running today, Jase made me laugh, they did 6 miles and he reckons he couldn’t get his HR below 160 the whole way. Its also the lumpiest flat first half of a course I have seen for a while, rolling lumps all down Ali’i drive, same for everyone so just deal with it. I have a good record for running in the heat so I am hoping for a reasonable go at this one.
Goal time is Gold = 3.45, Silver = 4:00, Bronze = 4:30
Conclusions and Wrap Up.
So, as you can see I don’t mind putting myself out there, at the end of the day we all have aims, the main one this time is to enjoy and finish but I am too competitive to do anything other than enjoy and compete lol !!
So best would be 10 hours + transitions and worst (this is my hopeful worst) might be 11:40. I know there is a lot of variation in there but this is not a course you can just say, I want a sub 10 or I want to do 10:xx. I will be fighting for every minute out there, tomorrow will tell.
I know want to say thanks to everyone that has either text me, twittered me or left messages on the blog, and the runners world guys on the forum as well, superb support and I will be thinking of all of it in the good moments and the bad, I hope there won’t be many bad as the idea is to enjoy but to be honest knowing you have virtual and on course support is a huge addition to the mental power it takes to get round these events.
The next time I blog I will hope to have heard for the 11th time Mike Reilly saying ‘Nick Rose, you ARE an Ironman’ bring it on, I love this game, can you tell ?? If anyone wants to say hi, please text my personal number as Twitter is too expensive to leave roaming on all day. If kelly gets wifi then she will tweet, otherwise, check out this 'PSOF Race Day' and you will have all the links you need.
Night night xx
p.s. I would like to thanks 'Rocky's Pizza and Family Dining' in Keauhou for the use of their wifi while I am sat in the car outside posting this tonight ;-)
Its the day before and its just dawned on me that tomorrow is the race I have dreamt about for 3 years. Some people don't know that I started in 1999 (Lewis has pointed that out in the comments on yesterdays blog) doing a sprint, I had given up smoking that year, its taken a while but triathlon has changed that life 360 degs. It has never been a real dream to get to Kona until 2006/2007 when I started seriously but its still been a passion to follow for many years, tomorrow it hopefully will all come together - (so Kelly can get her bathroom at last !!)
So this morning, I didn't have the real sleep I needed the day before the day before but for me its about staying fit as well. We went down to the swim, 8.30 this morning, a bit more of a lie in but I was tired. Faris Al Sultan was getting out, said hi lol. He looks good too but hoping to do top 10 this year apparently.
On the way to Lava Java I stopped off and bought a couple of pairs of Newtons, one for me and one for Fegan. More IM porn yay !
Today is racking day too, after building the bike and setting all of the bags up with essentials it was time to go to transition. Check out the bike decals and what I will be wearing in the race, have decided to revert back to my old bike shoes however as the new ones are custom fit and I have no idea how much my feet are going to swell so I can't take the chance. The pirate purchase has already been worn out here so that will have to do for now, sorry guys.
Racking was about as painless as it gets, no queue, no waiting, personal helper to walk you round the whole transition explaining everything, man you have to run a long, long way to get to the bike and out, I'll be knackered !!!
My helper took this piccy too
Then out and off to relax in Lava Java and write this for you lovely people lol !
By the way, this is how the finish straight looks the night before, not many people and a wonderful view.
Race stuff ...
I suppose now is the time for thoughts about tomorrow, I am never shy to say what times I am looking for and I will by the end of this ramble have given some idea of what I hope for but heres the rub, its an unpredictable place. The forecast for wind tomorrow is now 10mph+ but calmer early on and then by the time we get to Hawi it could be a little hairy.
Also the run heat has been oppressive, its only 90 degrees but it feels like 110. I did Germany in 40 degs and Nice was 40 degs but this feels hotter, I know that sounds bonkers but I suppose it must be the humidity too as I have never really run in it before. The heat off the tarmac will be tough as I find out every time I stop at lights on the bike.
Swim
So, to the swim. Its supposed to be the toughest there is, with most people in the 55 to 65 min range that’s going to be true but I will be staying out left at the beginning and then move across by the 1000m mark, I breathe to the left so the clockwise circuit would normally be an issue but the water is so clear that when I have my head straight I will be able to see for 20 metres in front of me if its clear, it won’t be but visibility will be good. For those uninitiated, there is no wetsuits here either, this normally helps me as my body position isn’t that good in the water, I have a skinsuit (thanks Gavin) for this one so it will be a help, these are made of the same sort of material but as thin as a tri suit but faster in the water than bare skin. Goal time is Gold = 60 mins, Silver = 65, Bronze = 70.
Bike
The bike, lol, such a fast course apparently that without the wind and heat it would probably be one of the fastest on the IM circuit, unfortunately Madame Pele may have other ideas on race day. The roads are like glass but with the lava rock shards blowing across the roads the chance of punctures is slightly greater. I will be aiming to get out onto the course in a good group of pace line riders which won’t necessarily help (this is a non drafting race after all) but will be good for pacing, I have my own pace to go but we have been warned by the officials how far the zones are for drafting and this is the cats eyes markers in the road, like our UK motorway chevrons, leave a full gap and you will be safe. The course is an out and back with a little loop in town first to warm the legs. I really want to see the pros coming the other way on the Queen K with the full camera entourage, that’s the dream I have seen and I want to see it in full flow. Goal time is Gold = 5:15, Silver = 5:30, Bronze = Sub 6 hours
Run
Now the run, this one is hard, I am sitting here in the apartment with the aircon off and still struggling to breathe properly, laboured and short, it has been for 2 days, maybe I will be clear tomorrow but for now I can only use this to guage how my breathing will be on the run. Its gonna be a hot one, whatever way you look at it, its very hot all day, about 90 degs and the humidity is about 60% but if it rains the temp drops and the humidity goes up, you can’t win, the lads have been running today, Jase made me laugh, they did 6 miles and he reckons he couldn’t get his HR below 160 the whole way. Its also the lumpiest flat first half of a course I have seen for a while, rolling lumps all down Ali’i drive, same for everyone so just deal with it. I have a good record for running in the heat so I am hoping for a reasonable go at this one.Goal time is Gold = 3.45, Silver = 4:00, Bronze = 4:30
Conclusions and Wrap Up.
So, as you can see I don’t mind putting myself out there, at the end of the day we all have aims, the main one this time is to enjoy and finish but I am too competitive to do anything other than enjoy and compete lol !!
So best would be 10 hours + transitions and worst (this is my hopeful worst) might be 11:40. I know there is a lot of variation in there but this is not a course you can just say, I want a sub 10 or I want to do 10:xx. I will be fighting for every minute out there, tomorrow will tell.
I know want to say thanks to everyone that has either text me, twittered me or left messages on the blog, and the runners world guys on the forum as well, superb support and I will be thinking of all of it in the good moments and the bad, I hope there won’t be many bad as the idea is to enjoy but to be honest knowing you have virtual and on course support is a huge addition to the mental power it takes to get round these events.
The next time I blog I will hope to have heard for the 11th time Mike Reilly saying ‘Nick Rose, you ARE an Ironman’ bring it on, I love this game, can you tell ?? If anyone wants to say hi, please text my personal number as Twitter is too expensive to leave roaming on all day. If kelly gets wifi then she will tweet, otherwise, check out this 'PSOF Race Day' and you will have all the links you need.
Night night xx
p.s. I would like to thanks 'Rocky's Pizza and Family Dining' in Keauhou for the use of their wifi while I am sat in the car outside posting this tonight ;-)
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
Its getting busy - 5 days to go
Monday 5th October
Bit late for the swim at 7 so ended up my own for the 30 mins, out to have a chat with Kit Stokes who says 'hi' to the pirates from Switzerland, something about party and beer but he can’t remember much lol !
Met with Chester Trier's Jeff, Jill and Andy Wilkinson and had breakfast overlooking the bay, very nice, I could get used to this Kona Coffee, expensive to import for us but check out 'Coffees of Hawaii' having a free shipping month I think, worth it.
Next job was to sort out the car seat for Teya, work this out, $12 a day to hire for 14 days, plus taxes, works out at about $195. So we went to Walmart and purchased one, we could have got one for $60 but decided to go for one for $135 that doubles as the next one up when she is a toddler and then up to age 4, saves us paying at home for a £200 new car seat and we are still cheaper than renting one.
She is a very happy chappy now ;-)
Then a bit of relaxing with the munchkin in the pool, check out the new swimming kit !
After that I went for my first run of the week, 6 miles at about 6.30pm, it is still very warm and the sun goes down at about 6pm, the issue there is it takes about 10 mins to go from light to dark, I hope I am finished before 6 as its going to be VERY dark and lonely with just a glow stick for company lol !!
Running down Ali’i drive with bikes on the hard shoulder with no lights on and cars blinding you is not fun but I needed to get out, 6 miles in 45 mins and it felt OK, HR was about 145 and pace was about 7.40, the best bit about training down the end of the drive I am at is the 2 feed stations they have set up. One Gatorade and one GU stand, out on the road, always ice cold energy drink and free, just left there for the whole week for the athletes in training, orsum effort by the organisors, during the day the GU one is manned with people giving out free gels and bars as well.
This place still isn’t letting the side down.
More tomorrow. …..
Bit late for the swim at 7 so ended up my own for the 30 mins, out to have a chat with Kit Stokes who says 'hi' to the pirates from Switzerland, something about party and beer but he can’t remember much lol !
Met with Chester Trier's Jeff, Jill and Andy Wilkinson and had breakfast overlooking the bay, very nice, I could get used to this Kona Coffee, expensive to import for us but check out 'Coffees of Hawaii' having a free shipping month I think, worth it.
Next job was to sort out the car seat for Teya, work this out, $12 a day to hire for 14 days, plus taxes, works out at about $195. So we went to Walmart and purchased one, we could have got one for $60 but decided to go for one for $135 that doubles as the next one up when she is a toddler and then up to age 4, saves us paying at home for a £200 new car seat and we are still cheaper than renting one.She is a very happy chappy now ;-)
Then a bit of relaxing with the munchkin in the pool, check out the new swimming kit !
After that I went for my first run of the week, 6 miles at about 6.30pm, it is still very warm and the sun goes down at about 6pm, the issue there is it takes about 10 mins to go from light to dark, I hope I am finished before 6 as its going to be VERY dark and lonely with just a glow stick for company lol !!
Running down Ali’i drive with bikes on the hard shoulder with no lights on and cars blinding you is not fun but I needed to get out, 6 miles in 45 mins and it felt OK, HR was about 145 and pace was about 7.40, the best bit about training down the end of the drive I am at is the 2 feed stations they have set up. One Gatorade and one GU stand, out on the road, always ice cold energy drink and free, just left there for the whole week for the athletes in training, orsum effort by the organisors, during the day the GU one is manned with people giving out free gels and bars as well.
This place still isn’t letting the side down.
More tomorrow. …..
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
Soaking up the atmosphere ... 6 days to go
Sunday 4th October
Its early, left the others in bed, Teya got to sleep at 5am, Kelly on night duty, it will take a few days to change her pattern but she is still a gem so far, as long as she is fed every 4 hours when needed we are managing to get the night turned into day.
So the famous Ali’i Drive, Ali’i means Royal by the way. I left the apartment at 6.40am, people were running all up Ali’i drive, we are 6 miles from the Kona Pier.
You know when you have a picture of something in your head, I had expectations of this place being the Mecca that it is, everything is like I imagined, and better, it is amazing, people running, cycling, all shapes and sizes, all ages, I think I have got to race weight for this, well my GOD, its like watching a fashion show for the 'Do I look good naked' programme, lovely views, houses and condos lining the whole drive, years of IM history is here and you can smell and taste what it feels like just driving it. It was a moment for me that I will savour, 6 miles of IM heaven, sad some might think but for me it means I have arrived, and I think I was meant to come here, at least once.
The Kona pier is buzzing, Gatorade have the stand up, I met Mark, Liam – 2 Irish friends and Simon Ward a well known UK coach for our swim, Simon gave us the lowdown on the course and we set off. While swimming I decided for the first time ever to bilateral breath in an open water swim the whole way, all I wanted to do was keep looking down at the ocean bottom, fish everywhere, lava rocks, sea creatures, LOVE IT.
Another moment was had right there, I had met Mark 7 years ago at IM Switzerland, we arranged to meet to drive round the course, now here I was 7 years later with a now very good friend swimming in IM Mecca halfway round the world in our most important week, orsum lol !! Unfortunately the swell was so big that we got lost in the water cos the orange buoys kept disappearing so we ended up swimming the whole course when we were only going out for 40 mins, we got back to the pier over an 70 mins later lol !!
Coffee in Lava java and back to apartment to build bike.
Queen K highway is the main road for the bike course so we set off for a ride, out an hour and back an hour, we ended up doing 3 hours in total, about 57 miles, a couple of things to note, the wind we had on the way out won’t be up at the time we will be riding in the morning but we live in hope, on the way back its harder, wind against so must conserve energy. And when we stopped at the traffic lights on the way home you notice the heat hit you hard, its mainly coming from the tarmac so more of an issue for the run but riding into a hair dryer on full for 5+ hours means I will need to be drinking loads and pacing well.
I slept well this afternoon. I was woken up by the others coming home and thought it was the middle of the night, it was only 6pm, maybe the ride was a bit long. Dinner and bed.
Til tomorrow ......
Its early, left the others in bed, Teya got to sleep at 5am, Kelly on night duty, it will take a few days to change her pattern but she is still a gem so far, as long as she is fed every 4 hours when needed we are managing to get the night turned into day.
So the famous Ali’i Drive, Ali’i means Royal by the way. I left the apartment at 6.40am, people were running all up Ali’i drive, we are 6 miles from the Kona Pier.
You know when you have a picture of something in your head, I had expectations of this place being the Mecca that it is, everything is like I imagined, and better, it is amazing, people running, cycling, all shapes and sizes, all ages, I think I have got to race weight for this, well my GOD, its like watching a fashion show for the 'Do I look good naked' programme, lovely views, houses and condos lining the whole drive, years of IM history is here and you can smell and taste what it feels like just driving it. It was a moment for me that I will savour, 6 miles of IM heaven, sad some might think but for me it means I have arrived, and I think I was meant to come here, at least once.
The Kona pier is buzzing, Gatorade have the stand up, I met Mark, Liam – 2 Irish friends and Simon Ward a well known UK coach for our swim, Simon gave us the lowdown on the course and we set off. While swimming I decided for the first time ever to bilateral breath in an open water swim the whole way, all I wanted to do was keep looking down at the ocean bottom, fish everywhere, lava rocks, sea creatures, LOVE IT. Another moment was had right there, I had met Mark 7 years ago at IM Switzerland, we arranged to meet to drive round the course, now here I was 7 years later with a now very good friend swimming in IM Mecca halfway round the world in our most important week, orsum lol !! Unfortunately the swell was so big that we got lost in the water cos the orange buoys kept disappearing so we ended up swimming the whole course when we were only going out for 40 mins, we got back to the pier over an 70 mins later lol !!
Coffee in Lava java and back to apartment to build bike.
Queen K highway is the main road for the bike course so we set off for a ride, out an hour and back an hour, we ended up doing 3 hours in total, about 57 miles, a couple of things to note, the wind we had on the way out won’t be up at the time we will be riding in the morning but we live in hope, on the way back its harder, wind against so must conserve energy. And when we stopped at the traffic lights on the way home you notice the heat hit you hard, its mainly coming from the tarmac so more of an issue for the run but riding into a hair dryer on full for 5+ hours means I will need to be drinking loads and pacing well.
I slept well this afternoon. I was woken up by the others coming home and thought it was the middle of the night, it was only 6pm, maybe the ride was a bit long. Dinner and bed.
Til tomorrow ......
We have arrived ...... 7 days to go
Saturday 3rd october.
Travelling day, the aim is to get to the airport 4 hours early to get a sky cot for Teya, mission accomplished, just as well as they only have 1 per plane !!
I have to say American Airlines were superb, booked us all the way through, sorting out seats next to each other, got us sky cot, each persons baggage was just waved on, bike on no issues, marvellous considering I am not allowed (by Kelly) anywhere near a check in desk after the ‘incident’ in 2003 and numerous altercations since then to do with bikes and excess charges lol.
Teya has been amazing for the whole journey, she had a 10 min session crying at 7pm UK time when it was time to go to bed, mainly as the cabin was very bright. She fell asleep on both take offs and was asleep for both landings, we are truly a lucky couple so far.
Although having to do the parent thing even though there were 4 of us meant I never got to see one film all the way through even though I started four, booooo. And for the record, my mum and Roger have been a great help on the flight and the whole travel thing.
After landing at 8pm local time 24 hours after leaving, thoughts of having a 9 hour bike leg and running in the cool of the night went out the window with our arrival, its still 80 deg at 8pm. So we collect our luggage and head off to the hire car place, due to us having lots of baggage, midway through us getting on the bus, the driver decides he will only take 2 of us to the car hire place, no problem, got on, queued up, argued a bit about extra fees, got car, head back.
Then the first drama of the whole day, I noticed one of the bags was missing, big 120litre Oakley roller, lots of confusion, claims starting, Kelly in tears as its her bag, last chance saloon is to go to the car hire place, it turns out the driver had grabbed one of our bags and loaded it on the coach and then just unloaded it at the rental office unbeknown to us. They had been trying to ring me for 15 mins when they realised they had it, drama sorted but that could have ruined the trip before it started.
So off to apartments, we are in the Country Club Villas, we are so lucky, its huge, everything we need and this is the view. Obviously the next day as we have arrived in the dark !!
Once we unpacked it was necessary to go out shopping for food fo rthe morning, everyone still awake, so off to Walmart, stocked up just before midnight, then the last action of the day, breakfast at Denny’s, a 24 hour diner, everyone was starving and the breakfast at 1 am went down well lol !!
Back to apartment by 2am for a few hours kip.
Night night……
Travelling day, the aim is to get to the airport 4 hours early to get a sky cot for Teya, mission accomplished, just as well as they only have 1 per plane !!
I have to say American Airlines were superb, booked us all the way through, sorting out seats next to each other, got us sky cot, each persons baggage was just waved on, bike on no issues, marvellous considering I am not allowed (by Kelly) anywhere near a check in desk after the ‘incident’ in 2003 and numerous altercations since then to do with bikes and excess charges lol.
Teya has been amazing for the whole journey, she had a 10 min session crying at 7pm UK time when it was time to go to bed, mainly as the cabin was very bright. She fell asleep on both take offs and was asleep for both landings, we are truly a lucky couple so far. Although having to do the parent thing even though there were 4 of us meant I never got to see one film all the way through even though I started four, booooo. And for the record, my mum and Roger have been a great help on the flight and the whole travel thing.
After landing at 8pm local time 24 hours after leaving, thoughts of having a 9 hour bike leg and running in the cool of the night went out the window with our arrival, its still 80 deg at 8pm. So we collect our luggage and head off to the hire car place, due to us having lots of baggage, midway through us getting on the bus, the driver decides he will only take 2 of us to the car hire place, no problem, got on, queued up, argued a bit about extra fees, got car, head back.
Then the first drama of the whole day, I noticed one of the bags was missing, big 120litre Oakley roller, lots of confusion, claims starting, Kelly in tears as its her bag, last chance saloon is to go to the car hire place, it turns out the driver had grabbed one of our bags and loaded it on the coach and then just unloaded it at the rental office unbeknown to us. They had been trying to ring me for 15 mins when they realised they had it, drama sorted but that could have ruined the trip before it started.
So off to apartments, we are in the Country Club Villas, we are so lucky, its huge, everything we need and this is the view. Obviously the next day as we have arrived in the dark !!
Once we unpacked it was necessary to go out shopping for food fo rthe morning, everyone still awake, so off to Walmart, stocked up just before midnight, then the last action of the day, breakfast at Denny’s, a 24 hour diner, everyone was starving and the breakfast at 1 am went down well lol !!
Back to apartment by 2am for a few hours kip.
Night night……
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
My race number is ......
1245
I am not a number lol, well actually I am, '1245'. I have been allocated my number for Hawaii, bit of a relief really, if you knew the process for registering for the race you would understand, by qualifying and paying for your entry you aren't actually 'in' until you complete an online entry on a date specified by them using a specific code etc etc and if its not done right you could forfeit your place. So a relief.
My week of training
I had another week off to train, bit of a confidence week again really, get some bike mileage in and not have to worry about work etc. The same thing happened as last time though, I did my training, still checked my emails 10 times a day, worked most days to clear little things I didn't want to see when I got back and I didn't get the rest I really needed. Not to worry.
I actually managed 15.5 hours training from Monday to Sunday with 2 days off. I had a rest day on the Friday as I was due to do a 50 mile TT in Yorkshire on the Saturday. I actually didn't know up until the Friday night at 9.30pm that I had a place as I was on the reserve list.
So I used the Friday as a take it easy day, we went to the cinema for the first night out in 5 months together without Teya, before the cinema, had a couple of pints and Mexican meal, very nice. During the film I got a text from the organisors of the TT saying I had a place at 14.08 the next day. Regretting the 2 pints I texted back to say thanks, see you there.
I woke up the next morning with a horrendous sore throat, running nose and headache, not a good sign, spoke to Lawrence and we decided to leave the TT and have a day off. Good decision I think, I still got a 4 hour ride in Sunday but at a leisurely pace and managed to take in 2 triathlons in Cheshire as a spectator.
How do I feel
To be honest, right this minute, like shit, but thats the cold talking, I still struggle later at night and early in the morning, all 3 of us have it and until we break the cycle its going to linger, so plenty of Vit C, plenty of water and eating sensibly, oh and keeping off the alcohol obviously.
I think so far I have had a few thought provoking moments with the training I am doing in the lead up to the race, I follow a lot of the pro's on Twitter and a couple of the AG'ers that are going as well. For anyone that knows me, really knows me, I don't do more than say 10-12 hours a week training, I may get set more by Lawrence but work or family get in the way and I survive on the good sets.
Everyone is doing loads in the build up, don't misunderstand, I don't look at Macca and think, god I must do what he is doing, but its an eye opener, and I am sure on the day when I see him go back past me on the Queen K highway at his speed I will understand why, so I have had to reel in the mental images of massive sessions over good sets and recovery.
Back to me, to be doing more than my normal 10-12 hours in between the 2 IM's I have this year is a bit alien to me, I know its an important race but I have to take a step back and say, why should I do anything different to what I normally do. Taking time off to relax before the most important race of your life is good but not to kill yourself getting in hours of training, the 2 weeks off have been beneficial.
Thoughts on the pro's
I can almost see how it would be to be a top pro with a full time job of training and recovery, but man, it must be tough most days when you know you have to go out and smack yourself to stay competitive, I can now also see the benefit of the teams that are springing up all over the pro ranks now, Team BB, ActivInstinct, etc, because to do this day in and day out on your own must be mind blowing.
Would love to see Gravesy and Chrissie paint Kona with the Union Flag (actually any Brit to be honest) but its a hard race to comprehend winning, I know Chrissie is expected to win but that must be as hard as Philip going over there as a young contender wanting to do his best with the expectation of the exceptional cyclist he is. We shall see. I have followed some of his training online and looks like he is really putting the work in, best of luck to all of our pro's.
What now ...
Well, I am back at work for the next 7 days and we are flying out on 3rd October, my mum and Roger are flying on from Spain on the Friday to join us in London and we then leave together Saturday. Its a long flight to be taking a 6 month old but we think a great experience and one which I am so glad we are doing together now. My aim is to acclimatise for a week, we have AC but I will be sleeping in the living room to make sure I get the benefit of none and Kelly and Teya have the AC to themselves, top tip apparently lol. The lads, now there are 3, will be out on Wednesday, and then Paul and Jan will be coming out on Thursday.
I hope to update my blog regularly when we are out there on a daily basis, as honestly as I can, try to give some feel for it. We will have a lot of friends who can update on the progress but now you have my mumber it will be easy.
Interesting blogs
Another couple of guys that might interest you in blog land are linked below, the first 2 are both competing at Hawaii and actually have a much more scientific basis around training, Steves blog is very interesting as he is a very good triathlete who trains some bonkers hours but has some incredible results from it, Russell I have started following recently has a very structured approach to training and results feedback and when he isn't training he is analysing a lot of info.
And last blog, a friend and Kona finisher, Rich Melik did a blog along with partner Jenny in 2006 that has helped me visualise a lot of what to expect and it worth a read. Cheers Rich
PSOF Website
JD has been working tirelessly on this for a few weeks now and has links to my blog and also a followers thread in the RW forum so a link to that is here as well for those that want to follow virtually on the day. Its here.
Right, thats it for now, back to work, well actually to sleep and then back to it tomorrow, thanks for the good wishes so far, if you want more immediate updates follow me on Twitter.
I am not a number lol, well actually I am, '1245'. I have been allocated my number for Hawaii, bit of a relief really, if you knew the process for registering for the race you would understand, by qualifying and paying for your entry you aren't actually 'in' until you complete an online entry on a date specified by them using a specific code etc etc and if its not done right you could forfeit your place. So a relief.
My week of training
I had another week off to train, bit of a confidence week again really, get some bike mileage in and not have to worry about work etc. The same thing happened as last time though, I did my training, still checked my emails 10 times a day, worked most days to clear little things I didn't want to see when I got back and I didn't get the rest I really needed. Not to worry.
I actually managed 15.5 hours training from Monday to Sunday with 2 days off. I had a rest day on the Friday as I was due to do a 50 mile TT in Yorkshire on the Saturday. I actually didn't know up until the Friday night at 9.30pm that I had a place as I was on the reserve list.
So I used the Friday as a take it easy day, we went to the cinema for the first night out in 5 months together without Teya, before the cinema, had a couple of pints and Mexican meal, very nice. During the film I got a text from the organisors of the TT saying I had a place at 14.08 the next day. Regretting the 2 pints I texted back to say thanks, see you there.
I woke up the next morning with a horrendous sore throat, running nose and headache, not a good sign, spoke to Lawrence and we decided to leave the TT and have a day off. Good decision I think, I still got a 4 hour ride in Sunday but at a leisurely pace and managed to take in 2 triathlons in Cheshire as a spectator.
How do I feel
To be honest, right this minute, like shit, but thats the cold talking, I still struggle later at night and early in the morning, all 3 of us have it and until we break the cycle its going to linger, so plenty of Vit C, plenty of water and eating sensibly, oh and keeping off the alcohol obviously.
I think so far I have had a few thought provoking moments with the training I am doing in the lead up to the race, I follow a lot of the pro's on Twitter and a couple of the AG'ers that are going as well. For anyone that knows me, really knows me, I don't do more than say 10-12 hours a week training, I may get set more by Lawrence but work or family get in the way and I survive on the good sets.
Everyone is doing loads in the build up, don't misunderstand, I don't look at Macca and think, god I must do what he is doing, but its an eye opener, and I am sure on the day when I see him go back past me on the Queen K highway at his speed I will understand why, so I have had to reel in the mental images of massive sessions over good sets and recovery.
Back to me, to be doing more than my normal 10-12 hours in between the 2 IM's I have this year is a bit alien to me, I know its an important race but I have to take a step back and say, why should I do anything different to what I normally do. Taking time off to relax before the most important race of your life is good but not to kill yourself getting in hours of training, the 2 weeks off have been beneficial.
Thoughts on the pro's
I can almost see how it would be to be a top pro with a full time job of training and recovery, but man, it must be tough most days when you know you have to go out and smack yourself to stay competitive, I can now also see the benefit of the teams that are springing up all over the pro ranks now, Team BB, ActivInstinct, etc, because to do this day in and day out on your own must be mind blowing.
Would love to see Gravesy and Chrissie paint Kona with the Union Flag (actually any Brit to be honest) but its a hard race to comprehend winning, I know Chrissie is expected to win but that must be as hard as Philip going over there as a young contender wanting to do his best with the expectation of the exceptional cyclist he is. We shall see. I have followed some of his training online and looks like he is really putting the work in, best of luck to all of our pro's.
What now ...
Well, I am back at work for the next 7 days and we are flying out on 3rd October, my mum and Roger are flying on from Spain on the Friday to join us in London and we then leave together Saturday. Its a long flight to be taking a 6 month old but we think a great experience and one which I am so glad we are doing together now. My aim is to acclimatise for a week, we have AC but I will be sleeping in the living room to make sure I get the benefit of none and Kelly and Teya have the AC to themselves, top tip apparently lol. The lads, now there are 3, will be out on Wednesday, and then Paul and Jan will be coming out on Thursday.
I hope to update my blog regularly when we are out there on a daily basis, as honestly as I can, try to give some feel for it. We will have a lot of friends who can update on the progress but now you have my mumber it will be easy.
Interesting blogs
Another couple of guys that might interest you in blog land are linked below, the first 2 are both competing at Hawaii and actually have a much more scientific basis around training, Steves blog is very interesting as he is a very good triathlete who trains some bonkers hours but has some incredible results from it, Russell I have started following recently has a very structured approach to training and results feedback and when he isn't training he is analysing a lot of info.
And last blog, a friend and Kona finisher, Rich Melik did a blog along with partner Jenny in 2006 that has helped me visualise a lot of what to expect and it worth a read. Cheers Rich
PSOF Website
JD has been working tirelessly on this for a few weeks now and has links to my blog and also a followers thread in the RW forum so a link to that is here as well for those that want to follow virtually on the day. Its here.
Right, thats it for now, back to work, well actually to sleep and then back to it tomorrow, thanks for the good wishes so far, if you want more immediate updates follow me on Twitter.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Less than 4 weeks to go .....
Just looked at the countdown ticker which says 23 days to go, its getting very real, very quickly.
Training Update.
So, last weeks training catchup, I was working again so during the week managed around 9 hours with focus around the last 2 hour run on Friday. I decided as I was going to be missing the rest of the weekend due to travel and work I would hit it reasonably hard, 1 hour out, 1 hour back, negative split and see how it looked. Well I don't think it was that impressive, covered the 8.3 miles out and negative split on the way back by 30 secs but HR out was 156, HR back was 165. No real drama but just shows I have plenty to work on in the next year, Kona is too close to be worried about HR's now.
This week I am working Monday and Tuesday and then off for the next 7 days, 22-25 hours planned this week to Sunday for last push including a 50 mile TT in Yorkshire, I am still on the reserve list so might get in yet, if I don't I will have to do my own up and down the A49 lol !!
Fame, but still no fortune ...
I have had a piece published in the Chester Chronicle from the 3rd September, one of the guys from Chester Triathlon (Dave Taylor) is always helping to get us publicity in the local press. Still haven't got the paper copy to keep but the online link is here and apart from my crap statement about things being really 'good' its not a bad piece, I really must get my agent to quote better lines lol.
Race wheel bling.
I have been toying with what wheels to use for the race, a good friend of mine has offered to lend me his 808's but that would only be for the rear and I would use my 404 for the front. In the end I have decided to go with a 404 set up front and rear and get my own wheels blinged up with the pirate colours, they are 2004 Zipps and the stickers are looking a bit worn so emailed Tai at TaiGraphx to see what he could do, and this is the result.
They are now ordered and awaiting delivery., :-)
And finally ...
I have added my company iPSL to my short list of sponsors, this weekend iPSL put on a complete family day in Northampton with 'Its a Knockout' (to keep the adults entertained lol), kids entertainment, dodgems, food and drinks and as part of the day held a raffle. Phil at D&M Cycles put up 2 mountain bikes and alongside the many other prizes organised by iPSL, the company have offered me a portion of the raffle profit, I have no idea what this will eventually equate to but I appreciate any help in softening the blow to my credit cards for the Kona trip, so many thanks to the organising committee at iPSL and the many people who made the day a success. Myself, Kelly and Teya all travelled down on the day and by the look of the number of people involved and the many staff at the day it was a huge success.
Training Update.
So, last weeks training catchup, I was working again so during the week managed around 9 hours with focus around the last 2 hour run on Friday. I decided as I was going to be missing the rest of the weekend due to travel and work I would hit it reasonably hard, 1 hour out, 1 hour back, negative split and see how it looked. Well I don't think it was that impressive, covered the 8.3 miles out and negative split on the way back by 30 secs but HR out was 156, HR back was 165. No real drama but just shows I have plenty to work on in the next year, Kona is too close to be worried about HR's now.
This week I am working Monday and Tuesday and then off for the next 7 days, 22-25 hours planned this week to Sunday for last push including a 50 mile TT in Yorkshire, I am still on the reserve list so might get in yet, if I don't I will have to do my own up and down the A49 lol !!
Fame, but still no fortune ...
I have had a piece published in the Chester Chronicle from the 3rd September, one of the guys from Chester Triathlon (Dave Taylor) is always helping to get us publicity in the local press. Still haven't got the paper copy to keep but the online link is here and apart from my crap statement about things being really 'good' its not a bad piece, I really must get my agent to quote better lines lol.
Race wheel bling.
I have been toying with what wheels to use for the race, a good friend of mine has offered to lend me his 808's but that would only be for the rear and I would use my 404 for the front. In the end I have decided to go with a 404 set up front and rear and get my own wheels blinged up with the pirate colours, they are 2004 Zipps and the stickers are looking a bit worn so emailed Tai at TaiGraphx to see what he could do, and this is the result. They are now ordered and awaiting delivery., :-)
And finally ...
I have added my company iPSL to my short list of sponsors, this weekend iPSL put on a complete family day in Northampton with 'Its a Knockout' (to keep the adults entertained lol), kids entertainment, dodgems, food and drinks and as part of the day held a raffle. Phil at D&M Cycles put up 2 mountain bikes and alongside the many other prizes organised by iPSL, the company have offered me a portion of the raffle profit, I have no idea what this will eventually equate to but I appreciate any help in softening the blow to my credit cards for the Kona trip, so many thanks to the organising committee at iPSL and the many people who made the day a success. Myself, Kelly and Teya all travelled down on the day and by the look of the number of people involved and the many staff at the day it was a huge success.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)