What is there to say? No words can really express how incredible it was to compete in the Ironman World Championships. Nevertheless, I'll try to put a few together.
It was a long and strenuous journey from New York to Hawaii, but as soon as our plane touched down on the big island, life was good. The first thing I saw looking out the window was the legendary lava fields of Kona, a desolate, otherworldly kind of place. That's when it really hit me- I would be racing in the biggest, most renowned triathlon on the planet this Saturday. It might sound cheesy, but I was already a winner!
Training for this race had gone incredibly well. My two biggest training weeks had been put behind me, my times for a 42 mile bike ride and an 8 mile run had never been better, and the long rides and runs had been awesome. The week after my big training block, though, my head, throat, and chest began to feel a little congested. With the race about 10 days away and no time to take chances, I decided to see my doctor, who diagnosed an upper respiratory infection and prescribed an antibiotic. Adjusting accordingly, my taper training plan effectively morphed into a "get healthy by race day please" plan, topping out at about an hour a day of low intensity exercise just to keep the muscles firing and familiar.
Needless to say, my performance expectations dropped like a rock. But remember, I was already a winner, so who cares? My goal for the race was just to beat my time in Lake Placid from July, 10:18. Most people say you can't go as fast in Kona as you did in your qualifier race, just doesn't happen, but with the slightly gentler topography in Hawaii compared to the Adirondacks and a couple months of additional training mileage, I had confidence that it was doable.
On race day I woke up after a restless night of "sleep," and felt less congested than the mornings earlier that week. Quick breakfast, iced coffee, and off to the race start. After setting my bike up with race fuel and putting air in the tires, I slipped into my swim skin and caked on the sunscreen. A quick "love you, see you in 9 to 12 hours" to my parents and Annie, and down to the beach for the swim start.
Swim
There are few experiences more rattling than beginning a swim race with 2000 other people who are about the same caliber of athlete that you are. The ten minutes beforehand were absolutely painful, just knowing what kind of carnage was ahead. The last minute before the start were a lifetime. Then the cannon sounded. I began the swim "near" the front, but so did about 500 athletes. Arms and legs were everywhere, the washing machine was on. For whatever reason, I felt incredibly calm in the ensuing chaos. After the first 500 meters or so, my stroke lengthened and I began picking the panicked sprint starters off one by one. After a 57 minute swim in Lake Placid, my goal was to keep it under an hour here (no wetsuit for extra buoyancy, ocean swells instead of calm Mirror Lake). Back at the beach, the time was 1:02:22, a touch slower than hoped for, but plenty of gas in the tank and lots of mile left to pull back time. I cannot remember the last time there were so many athletes near me in first transition! Sixty two minutes would put me near the front of most triathlon fields, but in Kona it is downright average. After donning my helmet and bike shoes, it was onto the road with 458 athletes ahead of me, 25 of whom were in my age group.
Bike
Although it wasn't quite as bad as the swim, the bike course also began incredibly crowded. Words of wisdom from race veterans were that you have two options starting this bike course- push the pace to get away from the bulk of athletes, or sit in and lose time early on. This was a no brainer, using the mantra "ride smart, race conservative." Off they went, while I just put my head down and at my power data and kept the watts low, drinking and eating as much as I could stomach while the going was easier. Using discipline to keep myself tucked into the aerobars and the power low, I still managed to pass a good number of athletes. Finally, about 40 miles in, the tight groups began to spread out and it became obvious who took this thing out too hard. Now it was time to do work. Power went up and I began to pick them off just as in the swim. The long climb to the fishing village, Hawi, began around 50 miles in, and if there is anything I'm good at from training in the mountains, its climbing. The going was never "slow" up to Hawi, since we had some tailwind and the incline wasn't particularly steep, so most of the trip up was tucked away in the aerobars, only coming out of the saddle when the cadence began to drop off. At the turnaround, things finally got fast again as we descended back to near sea level. On the return trip, the winds picked up just a little bit, and the headwind made the final 20 miles of the bike course pretty slow going. I was glad to have enough left in the legs to keep the power up through this stretch, even though it faded just a few watts off target. Unfortunately, my stomach was feeling real full and bloated. The heat may have been making it difficult for me to digest the calories. My Garmin read a high of 96 on the bike course, modest by Kona standards, but not New York weather by any means. For the last hour I switched to all liquids to try and get that under control. My goal was to make up just enough time on the bike to cancel out my mediocre swim, so at least 5:15. When it became clear that it would be under 5 hours, I was more than relieved. With one mile left in the bike course, I choked down a gel knowing I would sit in the change tent a few minutes in transition and things would digest better. The bike split came in at 4:56:00, much faster than anticipated, and my position had climbed to 305th overall, 12th in my age group.
Run
Transition was smooth, slow, and meticulous. The couple minutes here were a small cost for sunscreen and vaseline in the hours to come. Patience would be key for the marathon to come. Once I hit the road, it was hard not to fly through the opening miles, since it was Ali'i Drive and the crowds were enormous. Keeping an eye on my run pace and heart rate, I just tried to let these first miles happen without trying to work too hard. The plan was basically to run the first 20 miles as relaxed as humanly possible, then through it all into the final 6.2 miles with what was left. Leg turnover was pretty quick, but my stride shortened very early on in the run, and the pace fell from about 7:30 per mile to 8:00 per mile. Not a problem, I just kept the turnover high and the heart rate steady. The coolest part of the run course was running up Palani hill and turning onto the Queen K highway, where I was lucky enough to see the leading professional male athlete, Frederick Van Lierde, putting in his last couple of miles to take the title. But no time to get too distracted by helicopters and media vehicles, I had 15 miles of running to go! The Queen K is famous for the heat, especially in the natural energy lab, which is home to solar power panels specifically because it is one of the hottest places on the island. The low winds made for a hot day with particularly high humidity, but we were blessed with some serious cloud cover as well. It wasn't comfortable, don't get me wrong, but I was prepared for the worst, only to be hit with the bad. Through the energy lab and back out onto the Queen K, my pace hovered between 8:00 and 8:20 per mile. Not fast, but as long as there was a running stride, no sweat. Mile 20 came around, and this pace was about as quick as I could get from myself. Then I was caught by somebody who appeared to be in my age group. If there is anytime to put your head down and race, its the closing miles of the race. My pace leaned on the quicker side, but was still pretty slow and steady. We ended up running from about mile 21 to mile 25 side by side, back and forth, neither of us shaking each other. At the final aid station, he made a grab for a drink, and I surged with all my might to put space between us. I had planned to enjoy the final mile along Ali'i drive, savoring every moment. Instead, I was running for my life. I saw my family, but couldn't get much of a smile out with the monkey on my back and the body being so maxed out. Not until I actually crossed the world's greatest finish line was there any opportunity to celebrate, and did I celebrate! Fist pumps, arms in the air, everything! I had finished the Ironman World Championship! The run split came in at 3:34:35, far and away my best marathon finish. Total time was 9:40:51, 15th out of 48 in my age group. Not bad!
After nearly crying like a little girl (ok, I cried my eyes out), it was time for post-race essentials with Annie and my parents, who were stoked that they didn't have to spectate for more than 10 hours this time. We went to the restaurant across the street, and wouldn't you know it, we got the best seats in the house, second floor at the end of the patio overlooking the finish line. Perfect! A few glasses of Kona Brew Longboard Ale, some pork and pineapple tacos, and the biggest race in triathlon behind me, it was time to stumble on back to the condo for some much needed sleep.
After the race, Annie and I hopped on a plane to Maui (after all, we had already come this far) for a little R&R and some Mai Tais. Racing in Kona was a dream come true, and to race so well was just the icing on the cake. Annie has been patient with me waiting for my return from 6+ hour training rides all summer long, and it would have been much more difficult to make it through this journey without her. Thank you, my pineapple princess (inside joke, sorry everybody else). I wouldn't be half as strong if it weren't for both of my parents. You guys raised me to believe in myself, and self confidence is probably the most important part to endurance racing. Thank you for all your love and support for my ambitions through triathlon.
Plot Twist
So as you may or may not know, last November I registered for Ironman Florida, figuring if I didn't punch my ticket to Kona this Summer, it would be my last chance to compete before aging up. I didn't want to look beyond Kona once I qualified at Lake Placid, so there has been little to no discussion about Ironman Florida. It has been a couple of weeks, and it was a tough decision, but I'm going to race again this Saturday. I thought that after my first trip to Kona I would "check the box" and be done. Boy was I wrong... as long as I have some decent fitness coming off of the race in Hawaii, the fire is still burning, and I want to compete there again. The legs are back up to speed, energy levels are returning to normal, and the desire is still there. I'm not sure the fitness is at the same peak it was leading up to Kona, but I'll use every ounce of what's left this weekend. Beat me if you can, but you'll have to enter a world of hurt to do it. More news to come after the race. Thanks for reading! Operation K-13, mission accomplished.
