After qualifying for this race last year, I had no expectation of qualifying again this year when the season began. I didn’t do a lot of off season training this year and I had not signed up for any ironman distance races. However, I got lucky and stumbled into a Kona spot at Providence 70.3 in July. While I was excited to qualify again, the timing didn’t leave me much time to prepare…with little to no base work under my belt. So, I did my best to keep my goals and expectations in check. Now that the race is over, I’ll reveal my pre-race expectations. I thought, on a good day….both conditions and racing, I could go between 9:45-10:00. On a bad day…well….anything can happen!
My prerace went pretty well. I woke up at 4am and starting getting my nutrition in. About 5am I headed down to the transition area with Chris Ramsey to get bodymarked. All was going according to plan…nutrition, bodymarking, checking gear, getting mentally ready. Just as I was dropping off my dry clothes bag, I ran into my buddy Billy, who produces the show for NBC. With budget cuts, he was swamped all week, so I didn’t have a chance to catch up with him until now. He quickly directed one of the cameras on me. So, who knows? Maybe I’ll get my mug on TV again!
The Swim (1:04:56). Unlike last year, when I darted out to the starting line just after the pros started, I took my time so I wouldn’t have to tread water for as long. I also tried to position myself in a good spot. Last year, I was next to the pier, which turned out to be a mistake. So, this year I positioned myself to the middle left…thinking I was out of the way of the masses…..at least I thought I was. The cannon went off….and I got hammered immediately. Kicking, clawing, hitting, you name it. After about 400 meters I saw some clear water. That lasted about 10 seconds! I got hit the whole way out. It seemed like every time we’d get near a buoy, the entire field would converge on it. Chris, who’s done Kona 4 times, told me that this was the most violent swim he’s ever done….so that’s saying something. One of the unique things about this race is that the majority of athletes will swim between 1:00-1:10 (the equivalent of 55min-1hour w/a wetsuit)….so it’s almost impossible to get clear during the swim. However, at the turn around point I went wide and got on the outside…and had a pretty good swim back. I think that if I was actually in swimming shape I could have gone about 2-3 minutes faster….because I had a pretty clean swim on the way back. On the way back, I thought I felt something on my leg…like a sting…but didn’t think too much of it (more on that later). Anyway, I came out of the water about 1 minute faster than last year. I was very happy with this since I spent way more time in the pool last year.
The Bike (5:42:44). I made it through the swim-bike transition without too much issue. Onto the bike, I had the same game plan as last year…take it easy! And I did. I did my best to get as much fluid in me as possible. Around 10 miles I looked down at my leg and realized that the “sting” I had felt must have been from a Portuguese Man-O-War….as I had a welt about two inches long that was bleeding. I’m guessing that it was a piece of a tentacle or something in the water. Fortunately, it looked worse than it felt. We had a small head wind on the way out to Hawi. I was really hoping that Madame Pele would be kind and give us a tailwind on the way back! During the 12 mile climb into Hawi the winds picked up a little…but nothing like last year. However, the heat was really rising. I hit the turnaround and started to crank downhill. Unlike last year, I was able to really hammer down….that is, until we hit the REAL headwind about 3 miles from the bottom of the road we just climbed. It was tough. And the heat was way more noticeable than last year. Not to mention, I was really re-thinking the aero helmet I was wearing. My head was cooking. We had the heat and head wind the entire ride back into Kona. It was awful. Even though I took the first half of the ride really easy, I started falling apart on the bike around 80 miles….I think this was in part due to my lack of base miles this year. I was also having trouble with fluids and nutrition at this point. It just felt like everything was just sitting in my stomach…and not digesting. But, I kept trying to take it in. I was really getting concerned about the marathon. I didn’t feel good at all…and my thoughts of running a strong marathon were fading. Finally, with about 4-5 miles to go, we had a tailwind…a little too late! I pushed the last few miles and started to feel better. So, I thought to myself….just go out there and see what you have on the run.
The Run (3:34:17). I took my time getting through the second transition. As I headed out on the run, it’s very tough not to get excited…there are people everywhere cheering. I actually felt pretty good as I headed out…my legs were there! This feeling lasted all of 1 mile…as I had waves of nausea hit me. My stomach wasn’t feeling so hot. I was able to hold things until about 3.5 miles….then I knew I was in trouble and I started to walk. I don’t think I’ve ever walked that early in a race….ever! I could feel the fluid, gels, etc. sloshing around my stomach and I was feeling very bloated (which is confirmed from the pictures). I thought to myself….holy shit…you’re not even at the turn around on Alii, you’re going to have to walk 22 miles to finish this thing! And, that’s what got me moving again. A few years ago I had to walk the last 10k of Ironman Florida…and it took forever (I may be a fast runner…but I’m a really slow walker). So, the thought of walking 22 miles was way too daunting to even consider. So, I made a deal with myself….run to the aid stations…and walk through them. Unfortunately, in the beginning, my “walks” lasted 25-50 meters past the aid stations….and sometimes in between them! At this point, I was thinking 11, 12, 13 hours to finish? Funny thing is, I was actually running fairly fast…when I was running. I’m sure some of the other racers were getting pissed at me….as I would blow by them, have them pass me in the aid station, then see me blow by them again….repeat….repeat! As I was going up Palani Drive towards the Queen K (around 10 miles), I dumped ice water on my head. One of the volunteers (a kid) thought I wanted water poured on me, so he dumped another cup on me, as did his father…except it wasn’t on my head, rather my legs and feet. Although I didn’t say anything to them, I thought to myself….what the fu@#!!!!!! They just drenched my shoes…with 16 miles to run. I was just imagining the blisters I was going to have! I stopped at the top of the hill and tightened my shoes just so my feet weren’t moving around as much. I think this saved me, as my feet didn’t really blister. As the race went on, I did begin to feel better. When I was in the energy lab, I actually started to think that I could crack 10:30….which would have been a huge accomplishment. I was actually able to run through the last two aid stations without stopping. By the time I hit the Palani Drive downhill (w/a little over a mile to go), my knees and feet were really aching. And, as I was entering the last mile, one athlete blew by me….and I thought…what the hell and gave everything I had for the last mile…even though my body told me not to do it! My achy knees felt better running a 6:20 mile than they did running an 8:00 mile! As usual, running down Alii Drive to finish is just awesome.
Finish (10:30:12). As I crossed the line, the volunteers grabbed me and directed me immediately to medical, even though I told them I felt okay (I didn’t….but I didn’t think I needed medical). Since medical was very full, they quickly checked me and sent me on my way (thank God!....admittance to medical can add an hour or two to postrace). I found Jenn and laid down in the grass….I was really hurting. After I got my wits about me, I gathered my things and made it back to the condo. I drank a little Gatorade, took a shower and pretty much passed out, without eating anything. Jenn told me later that I was really “out of it”. I woke up at 2am and finally ate something. In retrospect, I didn’t hydrate well enough. I was fairly dehydrated for 2 days after the race.
Postrace. I think I may be more proud of my finish this year than any other race I’ve done, including last year. I was dead in the water at mile 4 of the run and had to really push myself to keep going. I battled all day….in the swim, the hot and windy conditions, stomach problems, and, most importantly, negativity. I think anytime anyone does a race they’re going to claim “those were the toughest conditions”. But, from all of the veterans I’ve spoken with, Saturday was one of the hottest they can remember….and the winds on the way back to Kona were some of the toughest they’ve ever faced. So, what’s next? I know, I know. I told everyone that last year was going to be my last ironman. Not so, obviously. Since this year was somewhat unexpected, after consulting with the boss (my wife), I’m going to put in one more big year of training. I’m already signed up for Eagleman and Lake Placid. I will not be having the six month “offseason” like I had last year. After 2010, I can say for certain, I’ll be done with ironman for a while.
(This shot is a couple of miles from Waikaloa, which can be seen in the background along with the Queen K).
(Brian Hughes and Chris Ramsey at the Slowtwitch Party)
The whole swim is like an "almost" head on incident. But, I came out unscathed. Following the swim, we hit the ART (Active Release Therapy) Tent for some body work. I've been struggling with some nagging injuries lately. For me, it's not about "if" I'm injured, but how injured. I always have some sort of pain. Right now, it's my rear rib (pain from an old broken rib) and my left ankle heel. The later is more concerning. I must have turned my ankle on a trail run a few weeks ago and done some ligament damage. It wasn't too bad, until recently....it's been getting worse. I've been icing it. Hopefully it won't get any worse than it is....it can be pretty painful. 
