I got back yesterday from am awesome trip to Hawaii. Here is a report but I am sure there are lots of things I missed talking about! I will try to post pictures later.
I had a wonderful trip to Hawaii for IM Hawaii. Getting there early was a great opportunity to see the course and train a bit. The atmosphere in Kona was incredible! There were so many fit athletes from all over the world. People were out training all hours of the day with their fancy equipment. I got 3 swimming sessions in at the pier. It was crowded with swimmers every day. The water was clear and you could see fish swimming below. It took me a while to adjust the salt water. It was quite choppy one day. I got a good idea for what I was in for.
I biked three times on different parts of the Queen K highway. Some parts were quite scenic with the ocean in view while other parts were endless black lava fields. The course wouldn?t be too bad with the rolling hills if it weren?t for the other elements. The first time I drove the course to the turn around at Hawi. I got out and rode out and back from Hawi. What a rude awakening that was! The wind was brutal! I had never ridden in anything like that before. I thought I was going to be blown over into the traffic. It was a frightening experience. Another day I biked from a different spot one hour out and then it took me 1 hour fifteen minutes to get back because of the wind. It was very hot. By my third time I had adjusted a bit to riding in the wind but still felt intimidated by it.
I ran several times up and down Alii Drive from my condo. There really was no other place for me to run. Alii Drive was always busy with cars (lots of them pulling in and out of hotels) and people running, walking and biking. Our condo was 2 miles from the race venue in down town Kona. Kona was filled with lots of shops and places to eat and athletes strutting around everywhere! You could feel the energy in the air! I watched the parade of athletes and visited the IM Expo. I somehow missed the underpants run! Darn! I heard all about it though!
The race organization was top notch! Registration was efficient and fast. I spent lots of money buying official IM Hawaii gear at the store. The pre race dinner was good and there was even great entertainment from locals similar to a Luau. They closely examined your bike at bike check in on Friday. There was a crowd of people taking notes of the different bikes etc used. Gear bags were hung up on the pier in an orderly fashion and I rehearsed the exit from the swim to the showers and gear section. I met a woman from California who was doing her 17th IM Kona. She was in the 70-74 age group. What an inspiration!
On race morning you could feel the electricity in the air. Mike Reilly was on the microphone and the crowd around the pier was huge! Again everything was very organized. I was so flattered when I walked to the body marking area. A lady asked me if I was a pro or age grouper. They use big stamped numbers on your arms. Pictures were being taken everywhere. I took a Dan?s camera and got some pictures of the pros setting up their bikes. The press was there filming the pros. I waited for the start with an older woman from Australia. There were 90 women age 50 or older in the race and every one I met was very inspiring. Many say they think it will be their last Kona but keep coming back each year! I guess there were only about 400 women out of 1800 in the race. I waited until most of the people got in the water before I did.
I started at the back of the pack but near the inside. I don?t think I swam much extra distance that way. It was a bit congested at first but I soon settled into a comfortable pace for me. I looked down and saw a scuba diver waving to me! I couldn?t see as many fish because the water was pretty stirred up. There were volunteers on surf boards and kayaks everywhere. They were cheering us on! I found people to draft off from time to time. I swam right near the buoys. It was a bit choppy on the way back to the pier. You could hear Mike Rielly on the microphone while swimming. When we were close I got excited and took in a big gulp of water! Yuck! It made me gag! I was happy to finish just under my goal time! I went up the steps and over to the showers and changing area. The volunteers helped me and gave me water to drink to get rid of that salty sea water taste in my mouth. I was pumped up and ready to bike! I waved to Dan as he took my picture on the bike.
My plan for the bike was to hold back for the first half and drink just water for the first 45 minutes to let my stomache and heart rate settle. I felt great and was having fun especially looping around town before heading out on the Queen K. Then just about 45 minutes into the ride I started getting the stomache pains that happened to me last IM. I think it was gas in my stomache. I slowed down and was burping after drinking water. If I picked up my pace the pain was worse. I decided to slow down and try to burp it out. I was hoping it would stop soon. I had to start taking in calories so I just drank my sports drink and decided not to eat anything solid just gels and Cliff Bloxs. Just when I thought the pain was gone it came back. It was getting hot but that I could handle. The wind was picking up and that made the hills up to Hawi challenging. I got off my bike at Hawi and got my special needs bag. I thought walking around and stretching might help. If I could just get rid of the stomache issue I thought I could still salvage a good bike split. It kept coming and going and the wind was getting worse. I got off my bike one more time later. The stomache issue went away with about 30 miles to go. At that point there was a stiff headwind on the way back to town. At that point I just didn?t care. I was just going for a finish anyway. Worse things could have happened. I was lucky to be there! I was happy to make it back to the transition safe but still disappointed with my time. I know I can bike faster than that!
I made a trip to the porta potties and changing tent and off on the run I went. I was glad to be running! I saw Dan right away and he took my picture again. The first part was up and down Alii Drive and the crowd was great! There were parties everywhere. People had the program and would look up your number and get your name and cheer you on! Then it was up Palani Drive to the Queen K. I walked most of the Palani drive hill. It started getting dark and there were no lights on the highway. At certain points it was so dark that I couldn?t see very well and I decided to walk. I almost collided with a guy on a hand cycle that came up behind me. I was happy to reach the Energy Lab but then learned we had to run all the way to the back of the place. It was really dark in there! I could have used a flashlight. Most of the people were walking. I would talk with somebody a while and then run on and talk to somebody else. There weren?t a whole lot of people out there though. We were the BOP. When I got to the 20 mile point I decided to just run as much as I could to the finish. Thankfully I wasn?t in any pain just a bit tired. I ended up passing many people on the run course. You could hear all the crowds at the finish area all they way out on the Queen K! I was glad to be back in the lights of the town. It was very fun to pick up my pace and run down Alii Drive to the finish line! I finished in 14:14:54. The finish area was a big party! I met up with Dan. I got some food and drink. The finisher?s medal was huge and the shirt was very nice! Everything was very organized and all the volunteers were great! Some people come just to volunteer every year. They were all very friendly and knowledgeable.
I picked up all my gear and we went back to the condo. I took a shower and we headed back down to watch the later finishers come in. It was just rocking down at that finish area. Everyone was standing on the bleachers cheering. There were deep crowds lining the street. Mike Reilly was on the microphone and music was blaring. Some of the pro athletes were there. There were people throwing tee shirts, hats, Timex watches etc? into the crowd. I saw the woman I had met the day before come in and finish her 17th IM Hawaii. The most inspiring finish of the day had to be seeing Scott Rigsby come in. He is the first double amputee to finish an Ironman! What an accomplishment! The local dancers called Island Breeze were out there dancing with fire and greeting the last few finishers. They closed the finish line down at exactly midnight.
Despite my problems on the bike my race went pretty well. I wasn?t there to race but just to finish. I kept reminding myself how lucky I was to be there and to finish! It was an awesome experience that I won?t forget and will be talking about for a lifetime! I am sure there is much more that I forgot to say about the race. There is also the wonderful time we had the week after the race. That is another book in itself! More later!
Thanks for all the well wishes from so many people and thanks to all that tracked me.
Jane
http://This message has been edited by Sanders (edited Oct-22-2007).
I had a wonderful trip to Hawaii for IM Hawaii. Getting there early was a great opportunity to see the course and train a bit. The atmosphere in Kona was incredible! There were so many fit athletes from all over the world. People were out training all hours of the day with their fancy equipment. I got 3 swimming sessions in at the pier. It was crowded with swimmers every day. The water was clear and you could see fish swimming below. It took me a while to adjust the salt water. It was quite choppy one day. I got a good idea for what I was in for.
I biked three times on different parts of the Queen K highway. Some parts were quite scenic with the ocean in view while other parts were endless black lava fields. The course wouldn?t be too bad with the rolling hills if it weren?t for the other elements. The first time I drove the course to the turn around at Hawi. I got out and rode out and back from Hawi. What a rude awakening that was! The wind was brutal! I had never ridden in anything like that before. I thought I was going to be blown over into the traffic. It was a frightening experience. Another day I biked from a different spot one hour out and then it took me 1 hour fifteen minutes to get back because of the wind. It was very hot. By my third time I had adjusted a bit to riding in the wind but still felt intimidated by it.
I ran several times up and down Alii Drive from my condo. There really was no other place for me to run. Alii Drive was always busy with cars (lots of them pulling in and out of hotels) and people running, walking and biking. Our condo was 2 miles from the race venue in down town Kona. Kona was filled with lots of shops and places to eat and athletes strutting around everywhere! You could feel the energy in the air! I watched the parade of athletes and visited the IM Expo. I somehow missed the underpants run! Darn! I heard all about it though!
The race organization was top notch! Registration was efficient and fast. I spent lots of money buying official IM Hawaii gear at the store. The pre race dinner was good and there was even great entertainment from locals similar to a Luau. They closely examined your bike at bike check in on Friday. There was a crowd of people taking notes of the different bikes etc used. Gear bags were hung up on the pier in an orderly fashion and I rehearsed the exit from the swim to the showers and gear section. I met a woman from California who was doing her 17th IM Kona. She was in the 70-74 age group. What an inspiration!
On race morning you could feel the electricity in the air. Mike Reilly was on the microphone and the crowd around the pier was huge! Again everything was very organized. I was so flattered when I walked to the body marking area. A lady asked me if I was a pro or age grouper. They use big stamped numbers on your arms. Pictures were being taken everywhere. I took a Dan?s camera and got some pictures of the pros setting up their bikes. The press was there filming the pros. I waited for the start with an older woman from Australia. There were 90 women age 50 or older in the race and every one I met was very inspiring. Many say they think it will be their last Kona but keep coming back each year! I guess there were only about 400 women out of 1800 in the race. I waited until most of the people got in the water before I did.
I started at the back of the pack but near the inside. I don?t think I swam much extra distance that way. It was a bit congested at first but I soon settled into a comfortable pace for me. I looked down and saw a scuba diver waving to me! I couldn?t see as many fish because the water was pretty stirred up. There were volunteers on surf boards and kayaks everywhere. They were cheering us on! I found people to draft off from time to time. I swam right near the buoys. It was a bit choppy on the way back to the pier. You could hear Mike Rielly on the microphone while swimming. When we were close I got excited and took in a big gulp of water! Yuck! It made me gag! I was happy to finish just under my goal time! I went up the steps and over to the showers and changing area. The volunteers helped me and gave me water to drink to get rid of that salty sea water taste in my mouth. I was pumped up and ready to bike! I waved to Dan as he took my picture on the bike.
My plan for the bike was to hold back for the first half and drink just water for the first 45 minutes to let my stomache and heart rate settle. I felt great and was having fun especially looping around town before heading out on the Queen K. Then just about 45 minutes into the ride I started getting the stomache pains that happened to me last IM. I think it was gas in my stomache. I slowed down and was burping after drinking water. If I picked up my pace the pain was worse. I decided to slow down and try to burp it out. I was hoping it would stop soon. I had to start taking in calories so I just drank my sports drink and decided not to eat anything solid just gels and Cliff Bloxs. Just when I thought the pain was gone it came back. It was getting hot but that I could handle. The wind was picking up and that made the hills up to Hawi challenging. I got off my bike at Hawi and got my special needs bag. I thought walking around and stretching might help. If I could just get rid of the stomache issue I thought I could still salvage a good bike split. It kept coming and going and the wind was getting worse. I got off my bike one more time later. The stomache issue went away with about 30 miles to go. At that point there was a stiff headwind on the way back to town. At that point I just didn?t care. I was just going for a finish anyway. Worse things could have happened. I was lucky to be there! I was happy to make it back to the transition safe but still disappointed with my time. I know I can bike faster than that!
I made a trip to the porta potties and changing tent and off on the run I went. I was glad to be running! I saw Dan right away and he took my picture again. The first part was up and down Alii Drive and the crowd was great! There were parties everywhere. People had the program and would look up your number and get your name and cheer you on! Then it was up Palani Drive to the Queen K. I walked most of the Palani drive hill. It started getting dark and there were no lights on the highway. At certain points it was so dark that I couldn?t see very well and I decided to walk. I almost collided with a guy on a hand cycle that came up behind me. I was happy to reach the Energy Lab but then learned we had to run all the way to the back of the place. It was really dark in there! I could have used a flashlight. Most of the people were walking. I would talk with somebody a while and then run on and talk to somebody else. There weren?t a whole lot of people out there though. We were the BOP. When I got to the 20 mile point I decided to just run as much as I could to the finish. Thankfully I wasn?t in any pain just a bit tired. I ended up passing many people on the run course. You could hear all the crowds at the finish area all they way out on the Queen K! I was glad to be back in the lights of the town. It was very fun to pick up my pace and run down Alii Drive to the finish line! I finished in 14:14:54. The finish area was a big party! I met up with Dan. I got some food and drink. The finisher?s medal was huge and the shirt was very nice! Everything was very organized and all the volunteers were great! Some people come just to volunteer every year. They were all very friendly and knowledgeable.
I picked up all my gear and we went back to the condo. I took a shower and we headed back down to watch the later finishers come in. It was just rocking down at that finish area. Everyone was standing on the bleachers cheering. There were deep crowds lining the street. Mike Reilly was on the microphone and music was blaring. Some of the pro athletes were there. There were people throwing tee shirts, hats, Timex watches etc? into the crowd. I saw the woman I had met the day before come in and finish her 17th IM Hawaii. The most inspiring finish of the day had to be seeing Scott Rigsby come in. He is the first double amputee to finish an Ironman! What an accomplishment! The local dancers called Island Breeze were out there dancing with fire and greeting the last few finishers. They closed the finish line down at exactly midnight.
Despite my problems on the bike my race went pretty well. I wasn?t there to race but just to finish. I kept reminding myself how lucky I was to be there and to finish! It was an awesome experience that I won?t forget and will be talking about for a lifetime! I am sure there is much more that I forgot to say about the race. There is also the wonderful time we had the week after the race. That is another book in itself! More later!
Thanks for all the well wishes from so many people and thanks to all that tracked me.
Jane
http://This message has been edited by Sanders (edited Oct-22-2007).
Your finish line video is fantastic. YOU are the inspiration.
