Post Race....okay, 2 weeks post race!

Okay, today marks 2 weeks since I've raced. Jenn and I spent a nice, but very expensive week, in Maui. Other than some water sports (in Maui) and a couple of short runs, I haven't done much physically...except eat and drink. I did do some surfing in Kihei.

After Maui, I came home and Jenn left for China for work. She's got another week there before she comes home. She'll have been away from home for about a month when she finally gets back late next week....crazy. I couldn't do her job. It's been a little tough for me this week, getting back into things...including work. Jet lag has played a role. But, so has staying up late to watch my Phillies in the World Series. Hopefully I'll be good after this weekend.

Now that 2 weeks have passed, I'm starting to think about my future racing plans. When I mention this to people, I get this response...."I thought you were done after Hawaii". Well, I never said that. What I said is that I'm done with Ironman for a while...which I am. But, I'm a competitor and love it. I want to be racing when I'm 80. This next year, I'm thinking of focusing on some shorter distances, however, I did sign up for Timberman 70.3 in August, which is a half ironman. I'm thinking that race will be my longest race of the season and only half ironman. However, my dad (mid 60s) just qualified for the Boston Marathon, so I'm strongly considering running a qualifying race in January so I can do it too. Funny thing is, now that I'm in the 35-39 age group, I only need to run a 3:15 marathon to qualify for Boston. My run split in Hawaii was 3:17. I only missed qualifying by a couple of minutes....crazy. However, if I am going to run a marathon in January, I'll probably try to get myself in decent shape. I'd like to be able to run under 2:50, which I should be able to do. Currently, however, I'm afraid to step onto a scale. Seriously. 2 weeks ago, I was in fantastic shape....weighing 154 lbs. After 2 weeks of doing nothing but eating, I'm sure I'm over 160 (just not too sure how much over!).

As I look back at my race in Hawaii, I'm now realizing how cool it really was. While I was there, it was cool, but it was also another race. Now that it's over, I realize how special the race and the island really are. Not everyone will agree with me on this. Not everyone likes the race after they compete. But, I loved it. I actually miss Kona. It went by soooo fast (including the race). And, I've already decided that I'm going back...someday (I have to qualify again first). I'm also going to do another ironman in the next couple of years. Hawaii was my first solid day at the ironman distance, after 5 attempts...so now I actually see what I can do at the distance. But, I'm keeping my promise...no ironman races this year!

I've decided to keep posting to the blog periodically, for those still following and want to keep following.

Post Note: I've decided to scrap the marathon plan.

Race Day

Sorry for the delay with the report. I was going to post it a couple of days ago, but didn't finish it. Yesterday, we were scheduled to fly to Maui at 10am. However, United failed to send our reservation (and about 50 others) to it's airline partner, Island Air of Hawaii. So, we didn't have a flight. After 8 or so hours at the Kona airport and completely getting the run around, we chartered a Cesna w/another couple (no I'm not that rich!), that flew us to Maui last night. It was actually a very cool trip. And, our pilot was a retired General.

Anyway, here's the belated race report:

It's over! It was an extremely tough day. The heat from the lava fields kicked up the winds, which have been relatively calm all week. I finished in 10:03:54. Prior to the race, I had thought that I could come in somewhere between 9:30-10:00 witha good race, on a good day (w/good conditions). And, although I was really trying to crack the 10 hour mark at the end of the race, it just wasn't to be, and I'm happy with my result....especially on my first attempt at this course. My day, however, wasn't without its hiccups.

My day started as usual for a race like this. The alarm went off at 3:30am. I immediately started to take in my pre-race calories (not always easy this early in the morning). I showered, got dressed, and my dad drove me and Jenn as far down towards the start as he could (there were some road closures). We dropped off the bike and run special needs bags and headed to "body marking". To my surprise, some officials from NBC were waiting to follow me through body marking. I wasn't really expecting this. However, this would be the last time I saw the cameras all day (except through transition). Since you have to pre-pack your transition bags and your bike is already in transition, there isn't much to do but pump up the tires and then sit around and wait. I saw some other friends in transtion...Tim and Cait Snow...and my teammate, Regina O'Toole. I sat w/Regina for a bit and she was definitely nervous. For some reason, I wasn't. Finally, it was time to start getting ready for the swim start. This meant changing into my Xterra Velocity Skin suit and dropping off my "pre race" bag to the officials. I realized as I was dropping off my bag that I forgot my Bodyglide (a lubricant). I borrowed someone's in line, but I just didn't get enough on me....and I knew that I was going to get chaffed pretty badly in the swim (and I did).

I finally made it to the swim start. It's a floating start....meaning you have to tread water for a while. After the pros went off at 6:45, I headed out to the end of the pier (and treaded water for 10 minutes). I saw my buddy, the sea turtle, on the way out (this surely had to be a sign of good luck..right?). I was directly under the starting cannon (literally...a cannon). I thought I was in good position, but when it fired, I just had a tough time getting through the field. I was on the far inside and kept getting pushed further in. I felt great all week during my swims, but during the race, I just could get up to my top speed due to the fact that I was boxed in. It was very frustrating (although this seems to be my MO this year). I got out of the water and ran up the ramp. I looked at my watch, but it hadn't started. So, I just proceeded through transition. I figured, what the heck...what's done is done...I can't let it affect my race. I could see my friend Jesse in front of me running to the bikes.

As I got on my bike I was amazed at the crowds. Kona makes you feel like a celebrity while your racing. The crowds were 5-6 deep. I quickly caught up to Jesse to say hello. He gave me the bad news about the swim time (1:05). Oh well. He also made a comment that he thought the winds wouldn't be a factor....THANKS FOR JINXING US JESSE!!!!! Once we finished the out and back, we headed out on the Queen K for the 50 mile ride to Hawi. My plan was to take the bike out easy....which I did. However, during the first 10 miles on the Queen K, we were flying...riding 25, 26, 27 mph. However, that would be the end of the "wind at our backs". I realized quickly too that I had screwed up my nutrition timing. I should have taken nutrition every 30 minutes...but I started to take it every 15. I quicky realized my mistake and got back on track. However, my stomach was pretty full within the first hour. First, I had doubled my nutrition intake and I had gone through close to 3 bottles of fluids (I was trying to get ahead). I finally caught my friend Jen around 30 miles. I was surprised when she told me that my other teammate, Matt, was just in front of her. Matt beat me in the swim, which I wasn't expecting. However, I knew he was in front of me because I saw him on the short out and back at the beginning of the race, and figured that I may not see (catch) him until the run...if at all. So, I rode up and said hello to Matt. We then proceeded to play cat and mouse for the next 60 or so miles. I'd pass him, then 10 minutes later, he'd pass me. We hit the first bad winds around mile 35. We were riding around 15mph....it was tough. Matt commented on the winds as I passed him. I told him that Hawi was going to be worse....and it was. When we started riding up towards Hawi, we had a ridiculous cross wind blowing toward the ocean. Although we were only riding between 12-14 mph up and into the wind, I was holding on to my bike for dear life. Mat was riding behind me and commented after the race how I was leaning into the wind. The winds were so bad up there that we could see the white caps on the ocean, which was close to 2 miles away. The ride down from Hawi was no treat either. Yes, you go faster (up to 40 mph), but I was so scared that one of the 50mph gusts would get me that I couldn't really open it up. After Hawi, the winds must have switched, because we basically had a headwind the entire way back. Mat was joking afterwards how we were going downhill, doing 17 mph (pedaling). Fortunately for me, I had playing it conservatively during the ride. So, I passed a lot of guys during the last 20 miles of the bike...and felt very good. One thing to note....I went through approximately 8-9 bottles of fluids on the bike....and didn't use the bathroom until I was running through the transition area!!! (also, post note....the lava fields completely cooked my back and arms. I have what are probably 3rd degree burns on me).

After my pit stop, I put on my racing shoes and headed out onto the course. I felt really good....so I was really trying to hold back. I went through the first mile in around 6:10....and was like "whoooaaa....slow down"! I realized that I would need to hold back a little more! I got into a good rythm...but my stomach started giving me some issues around 7-8 miles in. Stomach issues have been my downfall at other ironman races...so I was very concerned. I dialed back my run pace a bit in hopes to settle the stomach. I went through waves of feeling the stomach for the next 10-12 miles. It was the worst when I hit the Natural Energy Lab (which is approximately 1.5 miles down and 1.5 miles back up). I thought I was going to need to stop to use the bathroom for sure....but then the stomach would settle a bit. Finally around mile 23, as I was running though an aide station, I said "screw it....only 3 miles to go"....and stopped. Once I got back on the course, I felt fantastic. I was thinking, "why didn't I do this sooner?" I dropped my pace to under 6:30 miles for the last 3 and was just blowing by people. I finished fairly strong and felt fine afterwards. That's my one regret....because I felt good finishing (too good)...I feel like I didn't leave it all on the course. That, and I would have like to crack the 10 hour mark. But, as I said, all in all, it was a solid day...so no complaints. It is, after all, the world championships....and by far, the most difficult course (w/the conditions) that I've done.

Now, I get to relax on Maui....which is where I'm finishing up this race report. I told Jenn that I just wanted to chill out after the race (easier said than done for me). I'm already thinking about going for a run!

Day Five....Calm Before the Storm

Pre-race day is upon us. Now the nervousness can begin! Last night we attended the pre-race banquet with the rest of the Boston congtingent. It was a good time, although the food left a little to be desired.

On the way back to the car, we walked along Alii Drive...and you could just feel things change. It just had a different feeling.

Today, I got up and did my pre-race warmup which consisted of a quick 10 minute bike/10 minute run...then down to the swim venue for a 10 minute swim. Today was the first time that I put on my XTerra skin suit since I got to Kona.

After I exited the swim, I ran into an Ironman legend....Scott Tinley (my cat's namesake!). He was very friendly. I think I was most excited to meet him out of everyone so far.

I made a quick trip to the ART (active release therapy) Tent to get loosened up...something I've done the past couple of days...we headed to breakfast. Breakfast is my biggest meal of the day leading into a race...sometimes people don't believe how much I eat...here's proof:

When we got back to the condo, I finished putting my race bags together. As I was doing that, a big Navy shipped pulled into Kona. Navy is a sponsor of the race, so this was kind of expected...but pretty cool to see.

I also took a quick pic of my ride....which is ready to roll along the lava fields. My buddy the Geiko Gecko showed up to check my bike out too!

This is my last post until after the race. It's time for me to start focusing. Right now, I'm not quite sure how I feel physically. But, at this point, it is what it is. Mentally, it funny....I'm not that nervous....at least compared to how nervous I usually get. Maybe it's due to the fact that I'm not chasing an ironman slot. Whatever. No disrespect to Madame Pele (fire goddess), who already gave me a flat tire, but I'm ready to give it hell out there. We'll see what happens!

Here are the links to some pictures that I've taken:

http://www1.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=248872837/a=102381967_102381967/t_=102381967

http://www1.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=248878627/a=102381967_102381967/t_=102381967

http://www1.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=248878982/a=102381967_102381967/t_=102381967

http://www1.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=248878985/a=102381967_102381967/t_=102381967

Day Four....Almost Famous!

I woke up pretty early again...4:30ish. But, I was in bed before 9pm, so it's kind of expected. After some coffee and food, I headed out to the swim venue for a quick 20 minute swim. The swim venue has gotten more crowded by the day. Today seemed really crowded due to the fact that the bleachers for the race had been set up and there were groups of "cruise ship people" hanging around (most of these people should spend a little less time at the buffet). I met up with Matt Pokress and we headed out for a quick swim to the floating coffee bar with his wife Shay. Here's an okay picture of the floating bar...

During the swim, I saw my buddy....the big sea turtle...again!

After the swim, I changed and headed over to the start of the "Underpants" run. This is an unofficial, ironman event that started a few years back....and has become sort of a rites of passage at the ironman world championships. It was a lot of fun. Alot of recognizable faces in the crowd, including Michellie Jones and the Lovatos. Unfortunately, I was rushing and didn't have my camera...although Jenn got a couple...

Following the "run", I quickly changed and headed out to the Outrigger Hotel, where I was interviewed for NBC. They must have recognized the talent:) Kidding. Seriously though, my freind produces the coverage for NBC, so he got me on the list. He told me that they have a different theme each year (not completely up to him). This year their focusing on first timers and the unexpected challenges. It was a pretty neat experience. I was a little nervous, but once the camera was rolling, so was I. However, I'm even more nervous for what's next. NBC apparently follows me for parts of the race! So, I'll probably have a camera car/cycle next to me at times....crazy!!!! Now, I hope I don't wind up on the cutting room floor! Although, if I do, my buddy has to answer to me (and probably a few others from my home town!!).

Tonight is the opening Banquet. It should be fun. We have a large Boston/BTT contingent. Pics to be posted tomorrow.

Day Three....Oh Boy!

Okay, day 3 started out just fine. I rose fairly early (4ish), dropped my parents off for their volcano tour and headed to the swim start to meet up with my BTT teammates for a swim.

We swam for about 30-35 minutes. During the swim, we ran into a very large sea turtle (I literally almost ran into him on the way back in). Also, Coffees of Hawaii set up a floating coffee bar about 500 yards out in the water during race week (very cool), so Jen, Mat and myself decided to have coffee in the middle of our swim. As we were sipping our beverage, a school of spinner dolphins came by and literally swam underneath us. I grew up around dolphins on the Jersey shore, but I've never been around them in water sooo clear. We just watched them swim around. I was wishing I had a waterproof camera! Afterwards, we went to a restaurant called "Tante's" for some Frills (eg. food).

The second part of my day consisted of a fairly long drive out to Hawi (the turnaround point on the bike). I did this for a couple of reasons: (1) I wanted to go out there to ride for an hour and get a feel for the hills and wind...which is typically where it's strongest, and (2) to see the bike course. It took us about 1:30 to drive to Hawi. We snapped some pics along the way...

For those that haven't been to Kona, although the bike course looks flat...it isn't....trust me. And seeing the lava fields on tv just doesn't do it justice. It's incredible...and intimidating. My plan was to ride 10 miles out of Hawi (mostly down) and then back up. Once in Hawi, I unloaded the bike and headed out...

My coach was hoping that it would be windy for this training ride so I could get a feel for it....well this was her lucky day! I don't know what it typically feels like when the winds blow in Hawi...but it felt very windy. In fact, I had to hold on for dear life a couple of times as the wind hit the surface area of my carbon fiber wheels. It was especially tough when an eighteen wheeler would go past. I finally hit 10 miles and turned around. I must have hit a piece of lava rock, because my tire immediately went flat. Upon further inspection, it had a huge tear in it. Great!!!! Now I had to unwrap my tightly and neatly wrapped spare. Since I have tubular tires, they need to be glued on. So, when a spare goes on, it's not really "on"....it just sits there and you hope (and pray) it doesn't roll off. After I got my spare on (pretty quickly I might add), I observed a bubble on the side casing. Basically, it looked as if my spare was going to pop. I contemplated for a few moments, then decided to ride easy and see if I could make it the 10 miles (uphill) back to Hawi. Fortunately the tire held and I made it back safely....where Jenn and I had a great lunch at a restaurant called Bamboo. After we got back to Kona, I dropped my bike off at the bike shop....where they'll glue some expensive, new tires ($100 a pop) onto my ride.

Tomorrow is the underwear run.....pics to be posted!

Day Two

Day 2 started with an early swim. I got up at 5am and got in the water around 6am, so I could get my swim in before our helicopter tour. At 6, there's not too many athletes swimming. I was definitely a little uneasy swimming out there by myself. But, by the time I was exiting the water, it was pretty crowded.

Our helicopter tour was an experience...literally. It was one of the best and worst experiences I've had. The views and sights were unbelievable. But, around halfway through the 90 minute trip, I was green. Thank God I did this early in the week.

As with Day 1, I sighted many athletes today. I saw Craig Alexander and Simon Lessing at the swim. While I was doing a training run, Desire Ficker ran by me in the opposite direction and I passed Kate Major (although she kept right on my heels). I also saw Natasha Badman out on my run. Later, while Jenn and I were heading to dinner, Macca passed us w/a stroller....so did Paula NF and Heather Fuhr. After dinner, we ran into Jen, Dave and Laura....while we stopped at the Specialized table where Macca, Terrenzo Bozzone, TJ Tolakson and Peter Reid were signing posters. We got a good group picture with them. I was going to post that today, until, of course, I got to meet Mark Allen. While walking through the athlete village I spotted him and took a couple of photos while he was talking with someone. He must have spotted me being all "paparazi like" and waved at me. At that point I figured the jig was up...so I walked over and said hello....and Jenn snapped this shot.

Tomorrow's schedule calls for a morning swim w/Matt and Jen. Then I'm heading out to Hawi to ride the turnaround. More to come....

Day One

Well, despite the fact that I had been up for what seemed like 24 hours, I still only got 7-8 hours ofsleep. I was up around 5am. Jenn and I headed down to Lava Java around 6 for coffee and bagels before heading down to the swim start for a quick swim workout. Alii Drive was teeming at 6am with athletes running and biking up and down...including the "Man", Dave Scott. He was too quick for me to snap a pic! We hung around the swim start while the bagel digested and just did some people watching. We saw some of the pros warming up including Desire Ficker and the Normanator. Norman approached me for some tips on the bike, but I told him I couldn't disclose my training secrets:) All for now....

Hello from the Big Island!

Well, it's been a whirlwind of a couple of days. It's 10:20 Boston time, 4:20 Kona time....I didn't sleep on the plan and I only got 3 hours of sleep last night. So, yes, I'm a little blury.

Yesterday was crazy as we got ready to go. I spent a little too much time at Fast Splits. As the bike was being packed, we realized that the front tubular on my Zipp 404 was flat and had to be changed. Pat Wheeler and Co. did a great job of working on the fly.

Not too much to report from Kona yet as I really haven't had a chance to settle in (that and I'm dead tired). There seems to be a lot of fit people cruising up and down the Queen K though! More to report when I'm not soooo tired!

So, this is how a rabbit feels

Overall, I'm a healthy eater. Everything in moderation. However, I decided that I would try to get a little leaner for Hawaii. So, towards the end of August I started to buckle down with my diet: I started eating more salads w/protein at dinner; cutting out bread with dinner; more protein and less carbs throughout the day...however, never depriving myself of needed calories. And, occasionally I would still "treat" myself to some indulgences. But, as race day approaches I've become a little more strict w/my diet....especially during the taper period. It seems to be working. When my season started...way back in March (California 70.3), I was weighing around 160-162 (based on my scale). At Timberman in mid August, I was around my "normal" race weight of 157. This morning, I was weighing a svelt 152.8...which is as light as I've been in about 7 years. Here's what dinner looked like tonight:

Spinach salad
alphalfa sprouts
brocolini
advocado
grape tomatoes
red peppers
shreaded carrots
sliced beef tenderloin (last portion of red meat before the race)
olive oil
sea salt

It's pretty damn good...and pretty filling. However, I can't wait to dive into a burger and a beer (make that plural)!

Random Thursday Thought

As we get ready to leave on Sunday, I thought I'd share my personal nightmare. No it's not showing up on race day and forgetting my shoes or goggles (although that would suck). It's packing for the trip. I'm an "over packer". When I drive to races, it's not too bad....I'm allowed to overpack. However, I can't overpack when flying. Also, trying to get all of my race gear together drives me nuts. You have to make sure you have your nutrition, bottles, clothes, tools, shoes, and the list goes on. Since we leave on Sunday, here's what Saturday afternoon will probably look like:

Pat: trying to pack all his stuff (most of which has been laid out for a week).

Pat: beginning to get frustrated because he's having trouble getting everything into his suitcases.

Pat: beginning to get verbally frustrated.

Billie (our dog): going into the other room, tail down because she thinks Pat's mad at her.

Jenn: beginning to realize she's going to have to intervene.

Pat: beginning to lose it.

Jenn: finally dropping what she's doing and assisting.

Jenn: completely unpacking Pat's bags and repacking.

Pat: thanks wife, then heads off to get frustrated at something else!

Yes, my wife usually packs my bags. Now, in my defense, Jenn travels a lot, so she has a lot of experience! Anyway, just a random thought on a Thursday morning:)