Kona Race Report

IM Kona 2007 Race Report

Before this year the last time I competed an Ironman was IM Kona 2003. I took 04, 05, and 06 to focus on sprints and Olympic distances winning Age Group Worlds in Honolulu 2005. I qualified for Kona in 2006 but turned down the slot.

For 2007 I decided to race IMAZ, more for the experience, to see if I like training for that distance again. I had a great time in IMAZ, especially the marathon.

When people would ask what my goal time was for Kona I told them to run a 3:30 marathon. Kona can have extreme wind conditions so I did not want to predict an overall time based on the bike course.

October 13^th, 7am Canon Goes off

Kona Pier Swim

My Training: Two days a week 2500-3500 meters

My Goal: To be fastest female amateur.

My Strategy: GO as FAST as I can

My Mindset during the event: “Catch the orange caps”… “pass them”… “draft off the guys” “stay with them” …. “how cool would it be to swim fastest amateur”

Result/Outcome: I took the swim out FAST, turn around at 26:54, the last 1000 I could barely pull my arms though the water, I was kicking A LOT. I had the fastest swim in my age group, I think second fastest amateur, my swim time tied with Chrissie Wellington, the overall female winner.

T1

“I need sunscreen!, Decent swim time, 58:09”

Bike along the Queen K Highway

My training: Since I was racing the Boulder series this year and I was super busy with FCC aquatics and Team Trifecta this summer, I did not focus on IM training till August. I was able to manage 2X25 mile rides each week, plus a longer ride on weekend, averaged 100-150 miles per week, far from my 2000-2003 IM bike training of 200-250 miles per week I tended to bike on the easy side, and just road the miles, not as much intensity.

My Goal: On a calm day at sea level I thought I could manage a 5:30-5:40 IM bike split, on a windy day I was hoping for 6 hours, just lacked the bike training I needed to feel confident

My Strategy: Stay within my power tap zone, be conservative the first 70 miles, stay with your GSSI nutrition plan.

My Mindset during the event: Mental strategy/toughness makes you a successful IM athlete. My mind is very active, I coach my way though the entire day and the things that went though my mind were not all positive on the bike. At mile 40 when everyone was passing me “I hate racing IM” …. “you made it to Hawaii, this is supposed to be fun”…. “I suck on the bike”… “ Why struggle if you are not having fun”…then after 60 mile turnaround at Hawi I told myself “forget about the competition”… “enjoy the blue ocean scene” “ease up and don’t try so hard”… “just finish in 6 hours and be happy with that” …”I should have biked more miles”

Result/Outcome: I think I was pretty successful staying in my power zones but really fell short the last 30 miles, my heart rate dropped and I was just riding to finish. I never suffered from the heat and wind but struggled on the rolling hill course. The Kona course is my ideal rolling hill strength but it was just not my bike day. The 7 mile climb to Hawi killed my bike average, the cross winds headed towards Hawi, I just sat up and spun, the crosswind climb wiped me out.

T2

“I really need sunscreen!” “OMG, that bike was rough, 6:01, YUCK” “Finally the run!”

Run along Queen K Highway

My training: Weekly mileage 55-65 per week

My goal: Run 3:30 off the bike

My strategy: Run the first mile bout 8:15, then take down to 8:00, finish at 7:50 if I have anything left the last 10k, don’t forget to eat.

My Mindset: Transitioning into the run “OMG, I am so slow I feel like I am running 9:00/miles”, after the first mile “Keep up this 8:00 pace”.

Result/Outcome: The first 5 miles felt easy, I was under 8:00 pace, bout 7:50 per mile. I continued on with 8:00 per mile until mile 15 when I lost a minute in the porta pot. I was still running 8:00/mile until mile 18, than I hit the wall, my quads/legs felt like lead, “maybe I started a bit too fast”. I continued running 8:00/mile between each aid station then I would stop and walk for bout 1 minute though the aid stations. I passed Joanna Zeiger at bout mile 22, she was walking. I wanted to walk the last 3 miles but only walked the aid stations. Wish I had known Desiree was a fraction, just seconds ahead of me. With ¾ mile to go, turning down Alii Drive, I thought my legs were going to give out.

Finish along Alii Drive

Goal: Arms up, smiling

Result/Outcome: I tried to hold my arms up but could barely run upright, let alone run with my arms above my head, my core collapsed. I did not know where the camera was so I looked up at the ironmanlive screen to see what I looked like, I smiled when I saw my 3:35 marathon splitJ and finished the race.

I forgot how torturous the rollers were on the Kona bike course, and yes, a few long rollers on the run course.

So that is my race perspective.

Thanks for watching. Now for some time off, stay turned for Ironman on TV December 1^st. looking forward to training more on the bike to see what happens next year.

Friday Pre Race

Not much going to today.

Thirty minute morning ride, 15 minute swim, 10 minute run, eat and drink though tout the day, put my legs up, relax, early dinner and bedtime!

Tomorrows the BIG DAY!

Thursday October 11th

Day off training today, anxious to race. I spent my morning at the Powerbar breakfast, lots of professionals, Mellissa Granger and Belinda, I am spacing her last name, cameras everywhere.

The goal of my trip has been accomplished, I finally got my hair breaded. In 2003, the last time I raced Kona, I had short hair and tried to corn row it, did not look good. That is the day I started growing my hair, so the next time I made it to Kona for the Ironman I could have long corn rowed locks, 4 years later it happened!

Lots of time when you taper so I have been taking advantage of afternoon naps listening to the waves crash against the lava. I discovered a beach next to the Kona Isle condos where I am staying, lots of body surfing happening Sunday morning.

Carbo loading party tonight!

High tide, South Winds-Wednesday

Back to the land of IM!

I once again was awake up at 5am, ate my race day breakfast, bagel almond butter and coffee. Chilled out and rode to the Pier to swim at 7am. There was a bit of wave today. After my 40 minute swim I rode bout 25 miles down the Q-K highway, IM heart rate, Michellie Jones flew by me as I was riding 21mph uphill! All those windy rides to Buckeye road paid off as there was stong headwind riding back to Kona.

On the ride home I stopped at the expo, swam in the Endless Pool, please someone loan me the money to purchase one!!, got a massage, purchased some swag, then road to condo.

It is now NOON, time for a NAP!

Tuesday Fun!

After a rough night sleep, i was wide awake at 5am Hawaii time.

My body was very sore form the long flight yesterday and I was too excited to sleep. Upon waking I took my time, drank some coffee then jogged two miles down to the Pier for a wonderful clear and calm Kona swim at 6:30 am, beat the IM athlete rush.

I ran back to my condo, 2 miles from the pier, close enough to be part of the action, far enough to get away from the crowds and noise. Later in the afternoon I was able to meet up with a friend of mine who moved to the big island last month. Wonderful experience to get away from the IM and hang out at her home.

Flight to Kona-Monday

The road to Kona is finally here. I felt Monday on a 7 hour flight to Honolulu then another flight to Kona. I sat 3 spaces from the Legend, Dave Scott! I was runner up in the "guess the time to the halfway point to Kona", I was one minute off, I won a box of chocolate mac nuts. Very exciting way to start the week!

Jon R: Interbike in Vegas

Well if you’ve been to Vegas once you don’t really need to go back. Or at least this is my mind set. I’ve had the pleasure of going to Vegas for wok to many times over the last couple years. However the one time I do like to be in Vegas is in late September for Interbike. I was attending again this year to help launch a program I’ve been working on for Clif Bar. While in town I was asked to help out Polar Electro at their booth one day too. They had me set up on a bike conducting a demo ride (1.5 hours) on a windtrainer with the CS600, while Joe Friel spoke about importance of Heart Rate training and Powermeter training is to athletes.

I felt like I was in a fishbowl for sure. Riding a bike in my Polar kit while Joe had me ride to a designed program he wrote up, which was also programmed into the CS600, keeping me with-in the limits set. The program wasn’t taxing as it was designed to showcase the capabilities of the CS600, not the rider. Good thing! There was a pretty good crowd of a hundred people or so throughout the talk/seminar that Joe conducted. Afterwards many of the people stuck around to ask questions of how the CS600 was to train with (I had been using it since May) and to ask specific training questions of Joe, who was nice enough to entertain as many of those questions as he could.

Interbike as a whole was good. It is always great to see friends from the industry as well as the new cool toys that are going to come out in 08. At the same time is, it is a welcome site to see your departure day arrive too. After 8 days in Vegas and 80% of that being spend indoors of the Sand Convention Center, a flight back to the great state of Colorado is welcomed.

The only training which was conducted at Interbike besides the 1.5 hour ride at the booth, consisted of 12oz curls, and brushing up on ones quick math skills while playing blackjack.

I hope everyone is having a great end to their seasons and I wish Wendy all the best in her attempt to tame Kona and the lava fields.

Jon R.
"Life is like riding a bicycle, to keep your balance you must keep moving" -- Albert Einstein

Aloha!

It has been an enjoyable process preparing for the World Championships in Kona. I want to enjoy every aspect of the event and will be departing Monday October 8th. Even thought I have raced on the Big Island twice, I typical stay away from the "SCENE" . This time I will be a Tri Geek for 6 days, attend the parades, expo it up, spend lots of money on things I probably dont need! Post IM coma will include plenty of margaritas!

Aloha!

-Wendy