KONA NUMBER 9!

Kona number 9 was a great one for me! I felt very prepared coming into the race after having raced a very strong LOTOJA (206-mi bike race) 4 weeks earlier. My running was a bit in question, but seemed to have come together just in time over my last 2 weeks pre-race. I had every confidence that my coaches, Luis and Mark, had prepared me well, and just had an overall good feeling about this year, more from a spiritual standpoint than physical. This was also my first Kona as a married woman, and both my husband and daughter were there on race day to cheer me on, which was a real treat!

I was not even an ounce nervous this year…slept like a baby the night before the race and felt calm and comfortable most of the day. Even the swim start didn’t get me too panicked this year…I just felt protected somehow from the potential beatings of six-foot something German men in the water! I did manage to get a swift kick in the calf about 10 minutes pre-swim start, which sent my calf into a nice spasm for a good 5 minutes. Fortunately, it cooperated the rest of the day and the next time I noticed it was after crossing the finish line : ).

I lined up in my usual spot…right on the inside line against the pier, grasping onto the slimy tires to rest a bit before the gun went off. The start was hairy as always, but I somehow managed to avoid any goggle incidents and kicks in the face, which is always my major concern in Ironman. Once we got rolling, the swim went along fairly flawlessly. I even started picking it up a bit toward the end, rather than just sitting comfortably on a pair of feet that didn’t challenge my swimming fitness. Out of the water in 1:06 and change…check! Now, the fun begins!

I had a quick transition with fantastic volunteers in the change tent, but couldn’t seem to find any sunscreen. Good thing I packed my own in my Bento Box!! As always, I started out the first 8 miles of the bike in town very conservatively, watching everyone fly by me at high speed. I sat up on the Kuakini climb and applied my sunscreen and started my fueling process. I was feeling great and knew the race would begin once I hit the Queen K…and so it did. The legs felt fantastic the entire bike ride. The winds leading up to Kawaihae were more gentle than in recent years, but we did end up having some pretty strong crosswinds on the road to Hawi (yeah…love when that happens!). They were of course much scarier on the return route while riding at speeds over 30 mph, but were nothing compared to the treat I experienced the Sunday prior on my training ride up there! I always know I’m good if the legs say they are happy at mile 80 of the bike, and they did! The return trip was uneventful and had a bit less headwind than usual in the last segment, which was a pleasant surprise! The result…5:15 and fastest bike split in my age group finishing on a set of fresh legs!

After a quick stop in the porta potty to empty a full bladder (I never have been able to master the peeing on the bike thing), I got started on the run. We were blessed with a bit of cloud cover for the Alii Dr. section…a huge bonus for me! I can’t remember ever feeling so good on the first 8 miles of the marathon in Kona! I was clicking off 8:00-8:15 minute miles including walks at the aid stations and at a nice comfortable effort level and HR of 142-145 bpm. I got to see tons of my MAO teammates and other Ironman buddies, as well as Dean and Mikayla on the out and back on Alii Dr. Between them and the crowd, the whole experience was absolutely amazing and uplifting. I also found out I was first off the bike with a decent lead to the 2nd place woman! Well, everyone seems to have a low period at some point along the day, and mine started when I hit the Queen K. I learned than 2nd place was a mere 1min 15 seconds behind me, so I think my mentality changed for the worse. Rather than just running my own race, I started trying to race the competition…MISTAKE! It seemed no matter how hard I ran, my heart rate was rock bottom low…hanging between 132 and 135, and my pace had slowed to 9-9:30/mile. I remembered Mark Allen telling me that a low HR is a sign of a lack of calories, so I started taking about 1/3 of a gel along with my full cup of Perform at every aid station, despite the fact that I knew that would probably wreak havoc with my stomach. The calories didn’t seem to help much…maybe I had just dug too deep a hole? My stomach complained some, but a single quick stop in the porta potty fortunately solved that problem. After an eternal climb to the Energy Lab, I finally felt some relief. The downhill and cool breeze in the Energy Lab was very welcoming. However, I also got a glimpse of the lineup of girls in my age group flying behind me…vying for my podium spot! Once again, my mind was in the wrong place, just trying to will my body to run faster to hold all of them off. The heart rate remained rock bottom low and I was passed by 2 girls in my age group on the Queen K who happened to be among the 4 fastest amateur women overall in marathon times (3:17 and 3:18). As I was coming up to the last climb on the Queen K up to Palani Road, I came upon a girl who was severely impaired and high stepping with her eyes rolling around. I stopped to stick a salt tab under her tongue (she bit me as I did that) and made her sit down as others joined in to come to her rescue. As I left and headed forward, I was joined by a very friendly Australian gal from my age group. We ran up the last climb together until she gapped me toward the top. I was completely depleted by that point! Then, only moments later as I was making the final descent toward Alii Drive and the finish line, another gal in my age group came barreling by me at what must have been a 5:30 min/mile pace! At this point I knew I was in 5th place (at best!) and I ran as hard as I could all the way to the line (just figuring there might be another one right behind her). The crowd was so incredibly amazing along Alii Dr! They were screaming their hearts out, but due to my extreme efforts at that point, I had trouble cracking that smile until I had the finish line in site. I saw the clock as I ran toward the line and was really pleasantly surprised with what it said…10:17:22! You can bet I crossed the line with a HUGE smile!

My 9th Kona was a very memorable one and extra special with my family there to cheer me on. Mahalo to all of my teammates and friends who cheered me on along the way!