Well, I’d like to avoid the “blah blah blah”, but you may want some facts.

Like “where did you go between mile 11 and 12 on the run when you went from 8th to somewhere else?” and “Who were you carrying out of the restaurant after the race?”

It is what it is.  Kona provided new challenges.  My biggest take away:  Mental Toughness carried the day.

What I did and how it went:

+ Arrived the Wednesday before the race. This was helpful - not too far in advance so I’m worn out, but enough to check it all out.

+ Spoke with teammates as well as fellow Austinites.  Very energizing.

+ Bike setup.  Doug is my #1 buddy before the race.  He was very patient as we went through a few wheels.

+ Biked part of the course.  I like to get a preview of what I would see if I looked around.

+ Adjusted my body to the time with 4am as my “wake up time” and 7pm as “bedtime”.  That worked well so that on race day, 4am didn’t feel like the middle of the night.

+ Underpants run.  I admire that much confidence and chose to watch.  April looked beautiful.

+ Last minute bike seat adjustment.  It was a good idea, but I should have had Doug look it over (I didn’t tighted it right, so my saddle took a slow-motion nose dive as I rode.)  No excuses, though. 

+ Movie/book selections.  I read several good books and watched my (currently) favorite movie.  I’ll write it up soon- it’s called Peaceful Warrior.

+ Swam in the ocean before the race.  Usually a good idea to make friends with the water and know where you are going.  Just takes the anxiety edge off if you know the race-day process.  I noticed that I looked up way too much during the swim, causing some chafing on my head.  I don’t know why I was concerned, there was a mob of people around the whole time.  Funny.

+ Passion.  I am taking accountability of the semi-sucky bike time (I recall, as my daughter said to her friend, “Well, we’re going to Hawaii.  See, my mom can ride her bike pretty well and now she is racing there.  I’m going with her.”  So, I have some expectations on the bike since I usually vie for a top split among all women, and I was out of that range, but I’m letting go.  If I read myself my former post on lessons, it may help.  Frankly, I found myself getting out of the moment and thinking about “what’s next”.  I caught myself and returned to the process of cycling.  I did like the course - it had variety I didn’t expect.

+ Caffeine.  I could write a lot on this topic, but I’ll be succinct.  I was an addict.  I gave it up.  I found it again, but just for races.  Then it crept back in.  I gave it up 2 weeks prior to the race, so it was ready on race day.  I don’t like coffee.  I drink Monster.  Not that it is at all targeted to me, but it tastes good.  I like the blue one.

+ Timex.  I wore my bodylink for the race.  I was in the right zone until the final part of the bike (may be correlated to when barfing began - wouldn’t that be a neat feature… nevermind). 

+ Food.  I could write a lot on this topic, but, again, I’ll be succinct.  Hawaii has different rules on what you can bring in, and the King Kam didn’t provide me an in-room kitchen.  Without Whole Foods, I was a bit lost.  I went with plan B, but still did low-fiber the 5 days prior to the race.  No lower GI distress, so that was a good move. 

+ Nutrition.  Adjustments were necessary.  I planned 230 cals/hour given my kgs, but on the bike I started losing (sorry, barfing actually, but I don’t want to get too graphic) some of the calories periodically in small increments, so I tried to put in extra.  When I began running, I ate more and felt pretty good.  But then, at mile 10, I felt like I was bonking, so I quickly put in calories, only to have them come out fiercely between mile 11 and 12, where I spent considerable time.

+ Hanging out at the aid station.  The people were very nice.  I watched them for a bit.  I put positive thoughts out there by cheering for those top finishers coming through the “other side” of the station (I was on the Queen K).  I controlled what I could and decided that I would not be walking the rest of the way.  I began moving again.  At each station, I tried some calories, but none of them stayed in.  Rejected.  Fooey.  I was having trouble seeing in color, so I knew I was bonking.  I talked to the camera guy. 

+ Michael (my husband) reflected, “If you learn to eat, well…” and then we laughed.  More experiments coming.

+ Finish.  That was sweet.  Although it wasn’t a result I’d anticipated, it was what it was, and I was joyful to have the experience.  It also felt really good to see fabulous performances by some great people - Alex, April, Rachel, Tim all in the awards.

+ Beer.  My Austinite friends insisted I have a beer on this journey.  I did.  Michael Lovato even bought it for me.

+ Ceremony.  I would have liked to have seen the awards ceremony.  Alas, it didn’t work.  Autumn got strep the day before she and Michael travelled, and we had to get back to Waikaloa to get her medicine and some sleep.

+ Hawaii.  We stayed on the big island for the rest of the week, enjoying the dolphins, swimming, beach time, and horseback riding.  A great time with family.

+ Refueling.  Post-race the food was ok.  Autumn was “starving”, so we hopped into a nearby restaurant but she fell asleep eating and I carried her out.  I’m not sure how this was possible.  However, on my birthday– I turned 38 last Sunday — we went to Whole Foods for my favorite treats.  I had banana chips dipped in almond butter and some rice sticks (like sesame sticks).  Yes, my favorite “Junk” is salt+fat.

Result:  First IM Hawaii World Championship accomplished. 

I came out of the swim pretty far back, rode into 8th or so, and then had some ‘keeping calories in’ challenges.  I warded off the “dnf” spirits as well as the “just walk the rest of the way” spirits.  That probably took 30 to 45 minutes in a 2-mile section.  I got to cheer for Tamara, Rachel, April, Tim, Vicktor, and Alex on that stretch, so I appreciated the diversion.

Next stop:  No running or cycling until November 5.  I guess I’ll swim!  I could golf, hike, or play tennis, but we’ll see.

 Cheers to those racing 70.3 Champ or IM Florida.  :)

1.       “You are Juli.”  - Len Fiocca (dad).  I am Juli.  Before.  During.  After.  I am me.  This Journey to Kona reminds me that I journey with love and joy and happiness.  At the start line and at the finish line, I’m still me. 

2.       It could be confusing, but as I meditate on it during a long ride, it is simple.  Goal setting, visualizing, is the process to put the energy - the possibility - out there.  Out there, dangling in mid-air magically.  Life’s happiness, however, is not in the possibility.  The process, the doing, the joy of each moment, provides fulfillment and happiness.

3.       Peace.  I like this take:  “Peace.  It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work.  It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.”

4.       Mantras:  Flow (opposite of force); Freedom (opposite of resistance).

5.       Abundance.  The abundance of the energy and positive karma of Kona reflects the abundance surrounding us daily.  Taking from others is unnecessary.  Instead, give, and give openly.  This reminds me of the story about the man who was robbed and caught the person in action.  The “victim” gave the robber more things.

6.       It is what it is.  There is no good, no bad, no judgment.  You never know what is going to happen next.

7.       I love my life.  Here we are - Autumn, Michael, my mom, the Goddess of Compassion, and I 

Well, I still cannot believe another Hawaii Ironman has already came and went.  This year was my 9^th trip in a row to Hawaii and it was quite the memorable experience.  This year, we brought our two boys, Connor & Spencer, who turned 11 months while were there, plus my parents, sister and her two boys.  We arrived on Wednesday before the race and immediately got checked in and went down to the Timex booth to get a once over on my Trek TTX.  That night I went on a 30 min. run and got some food for us at the condo where our friend and massage therapist Jeff Jewell came over to play with the boys.  It was such a nice time!  On Thursday I went for an early swim and did a photo shoot with fellow team member Rachel Ross and took part in the Timex team panel at the expo.  It was great to see all of the teammates and chat about our seasons.  That night, my parents, sister and her boys came in and all went out to dinner.  On Friday, I played it low key and just made sure my body was ready to go.  I use that day as my true rest day by doing nothing at all.  That night I had my secret pasta dinner and got to sleep at 8 PM.
On race morning, I was feeling great.  My parents got their usual spot on the wall to watch the start.  After I checked in and got everything ready to go, I ran into Tom Schuler, the owner of the company that runs our team.  He wished me luck and then I gave hugs to my family and headed down to the start. And before I knew it the cannon went off and I was on my way!
Right away I was feeling good, other than the usual kicking, and jockeying for a good position.  After about 3 buoys, I got a good place and started to add in more speed.  I got to the turnaround boat and saw that there were about 10 or so age groupers ahead of me.  I really focused on my stroke on the way back and passed about 4 swimmers and finished the swim in 53:36, a new PR for me in Hawaii.  Thanks to Blue Seventy for an awesome pointzero3 suit!
I exited the water and raced around the pier to get my trusty TTX and was on my way. At this race I have a few favorite parts of the race that I look forward to.  One is right before the gun goes off in the water, another one is leaving the pier on my bike going up Palani road.  There’s a lot of magic at that point with all the people.  As I got onto the Queen K I got into a rhythm and was feeling pretty good.  The winds started to pick up and I had a few more people passing me than normal, but I just stuck to my plan and kept pushing.  Alex came behind me and yelled “TIMMY!” and scared the b-Jesus out of me, but I regrouped and told him to keep strong.  I was happy to see him as he is full of positive energy.  On the way back into Kona, I was looking forward to the run as it’s nice to get into soft running shoes after a long bike ride.  Ride time 5:19.39
Starting the run in Hawaii, it seems like I always seem to feel good, and this year was no different.  I started to immediately pass people back from the bike.  In my races I do not use a Power Tap, GPS, Heart Rate Monitor, check mile splits, etc.  I simply go on feel, and that’s what works best for me (although I use HR and GPS in many of my long training runs & rides).  I felt good at the St. Peter’s church turnaround where Nikki and I got engaged on my birthday in 2001.  I headed back into town and saw some good friends and wished them luck.  My favorite part of the run is leaving town because I am on my own which is how I train, by myself.  I just kept ticking though the miles and enjoyed every bit of it.  Before I knew it I saw Alex in the lead of the age groupers and I was stoked for him.  On my way back into town I pushed harder up the last hill and turned onto Alii seeing the family in the usual spot by the ABC store.  I finished in 9:21.49 and ran 3:03, very happy with my run. 

All in all it was a great trip and I had a lot of fun during the race and having my family there.  The surfing on Oahu’s North Shore was awesome the week following the race!  Thanks to my sponsors: Timex, PowerBar, and Tri-Swim.  I am already looking forward to racing Ironman Florida in a few weeks!
Mahalo—
Tim

Well it has been a VERY busy and whirlwind week! 

The Brief Version: 

I had an amazing race here in Kona finishing as the amateur champion and 29^th overall in a time of 9:00:09…I know 9 seconds…don’t ask!  Then on Tuesday I got married to the most amazing woman (Ashley), in the most beautiful and picture perfect ceremony on the beach in North Kona.

The Long Version:

Ash and I arrived in Kona on Oct 2 with plenty of time to take care of wedding stuff that week and race stuff on …well…race week.  Having spent the month of Sept in Durham, NC and 90 degree heat, definitely helped as it did not take long at all to acclimate to the conditions in Kona.  Even though this was not my first experience here in Kona, I was still blown away and a little bit intimidated by all the über athletes that can been seen at all hours of the day all over Kailua-Kona.  At any rate it was great watching the town come to Ironman-life as race week approached.  Of note, the day before the race, my now sister in-law who has a business relationship with Oakley, introduced me to Greg Welch, VERY COOL!! J

As usual I was not able to sleep much the night before the race but used the time to visualize the perfect race.  The clock hit 3:30am, breakfast time, and before I knew it I was walking to the pier.  WTC and the Kona volunteers are amazing and the whole pre-race process, including bike check-in the day before, went very smoothly.  Ashley was also able to secure some pier passes so she was able to walk out onto the pier to give me one last good luck kiss and take some fun pre-race picture, including a shot of my “lucky sea turtle.”

Swim:  59:29,  212 overall

I got into the water just before the pros started and did a quick warm up to ensure I got a good spot right at the front of the starting line next to the pier.  As more and more swimmers approached the starting line I felt a strong nudge, ready to return the nudge and ensure my spot in the increasingly crowded water I turned to find fellow Timex team mate Luis grinning at me!! J  As the anticipation mounted Mike Reilly called out 4 minutes and then within a minute or 2 the cannon went off, caught off-guard the thrashing began!!  I was able to escape relatively unharmed and get into a pretty good draft group and swam right along the buoy line.  After the turn I lost a little steam and fell off the pack I was hoping to stay with, but overall I was satisfied with my swim breaking the 1hr mark.

T1: 1:58, 

Aside from a few rude people cutting me off, nothing special just went through smooth and relaxed, it’s a long day!

Bike: 4:56:26,  57^th off the Bike

I was looking for vindication after what I viewed as a sub-par bike at Ironman Lake Placid earlier this year.  Although I biked only a minute faster than last year on this course the conditions were more difficult, although not as bad as they can be.  Especially the climb up to Hawi the head and crosswinds were taunting us making things interesting.  I tried a slightly different tact on the bike here using my power tap to race at Half Ironman power for the first 20 minutes until I got out of town, then settled into my steady IM power and kept it steady for the rest of the ride.  For those of you who are power savy, I averaged 237w with a VI of 1.03 for the ride.  I saw several Timex teammates and other friends out on the course which was a great pick me up in the middle of a lava fields.

T2: 1:51, fastest in the WORLD!!

I just went, again I thought about being smooth and relaxed but efficient (I have a great transition coach) J Also I passed 7 age-groupers in transition, free speed.

Run: 3:00:27, 4^th fastest amateur run of the day.

I was hoping to break 3 hours, but I need to save some goals for next year! J  Leaving T2 Ashley told me I was the 10^th amateur and was 13:30 back.  As I had done at Ironman Lake Placid I knew that I could make up a few spots as long as I was smart and ran strong.  Once I established a rhythm the first 10mi down Alii drive felt pretty good, and I was passing a few people, but it was hard to tell who was a pro and who was an amateur until I was right next to the person.  At about mile 10 just before I began running up Palani hill Ashley again saw me and said I was in 7^th about 3:30 back.  “Wow!” I thought to myself “lets keep it steady but relaxed.”  Running out to the Natural Energy Lab (NEL) on the Queen K there was a tail wind, which made the heat pretty noticeable, but I wanted to save a little for the trip back into town, so I allowed my pace to slow a little.  Running down into NEL I passed a few more amateurs and right in the middle of the NEL just after the 17mi check point I moved into first.  At this point there was a tail wind while climbing out of the NEL which felt good, and I kept telling myself a good mantra I once heard “champions are born or crushed in the NEL.”  OK that maybe overly dramatic, but it was working.  By the time I got back up to the Queen K highway at mi 19 I had a 30sec lead.  This is what I had been preparing for all day that last 10k of the race so I picked it up.  There was a head wind the whole way back to town and my legs were on fire, but I kept going!!  At mi 23 my watch read 8:39 and I really wanted to break 9 hours so I turned it up a little more, although kept going the same pace and I knew it was going to be close.  At the top of palani hill I gave it all I had, my then future father in–law was at the top and yelled at me “7 MINUTES!!”  As I turned right on to Alii drive for the final several hundred yards I was overcome with the power and magnitude of this race and what I was about to do…I began sprinting as fast as my legs would carry me.  The only problem is Samantha McGlone came into view ahead.  She had such an incredible race and is such an amazing athlete in her first ever Ironman that I did not want to be one of those obnoxious amateurs who blows past a person at the last minute and wrecks their finishing picture…so I slowed a little…it was not a difficult decision and my legs almost did it for me.  I knew that I had a large enough lead over the second amateur or any other pros that I would not jeopardize my finishing position.  Shortly after the race the 9 seconds did not bother me, but the next day they did!!  I just have some work to take care of next year!!

All in all it was the race of a lifetime and my last race as an amateur for awhile, the only problem is I am never satisfied, even if I did miss my time goal by 9 seconds!!!  I could not have raced so well with the constant support of my now wife Ashley, the Timex Multisport Team, my coach Kurt Perham, and a slue of friends family and volunteers.

As for the post-race festivities, Ashley and I got married on Tuesday at Sunset in a small intimate setting with just our families at Kikaua beach just north of the airport.  The bright blue water, black lava rock, white sand, bright green grass and the most beautiful woman I have ever met made for a fairytale wedding!  I know it sounds cliché but it was really an amazing experience!!  We’ll post pictures shortly for those of you interested.  This is a whole separate post and I’ll post it at my website http://www.alexmmtri.com/ in the near future.

Thanks for an amazing season I have been indulging a little as you can see I ate a cinamon bun from Lava Java the size of my head!!  Now I’m excited to spend a week in Kaua’i with Ash and I’ll keep you posted with all my off season adventures, only next time I’ll try not to be so long winded!!

Thanks

Alex MM

http://www.alexmmtri.com/

Someday when I am old and fat and slow you will wonder to yourself -Why the hell is Rachel Ross still on the Timex Multisport Team?- so I’ll clue you in now: it’s the pictures I took of our team management at Kona.

Ever had a fever that made you totally delirious? Apparently I tried to swap bikes with Joe Boeness at the bike drop off on Friday afternoon. I have no recollection of this, but Joe doesn’t lie. I slept/hallucinated the rest of Friday away, and woke up ready to go on race day, after my horse-pill sized ibuprofen to get the fever down. I had my pre-race cry (thank you ironmanlive for catching that on film and replaying it for all at the awards ceremony) and got my sorry butt into the water just in time for the cannon. I decided to line up in the front and let the people who actually know how to swim go over me until I found some feet. It was a little painful, but it bought me a six minutes swim PR, so it was worth all the panicked underwater screaming. Swim: 1:03:50.

I rolled over some duct tape in T1 so I got to listen to it flap for 112 miles against my brakes. It was kind of like that water-drop torture you hear about. It was melted on by the end and is now part of my race wheel. April and I passed each other back and forth for the first 30 miles or so, and yelled back at men making inappropriate comments about body parts they shouldn’t be that close to if riding legally. Shortly after Hawi, my eyeballs started to burn in my head again. I reached for the Tylenol to kill the fever and dropped it – and smartly decided to go on. By Waikoloa I was on fire. Not in a good way. I knew the fever was back and it was high. My thinking was cloudy and I was having funky daydreams. So I sat up and spun it in slowly, dreaming of the 800 mg ibuprofen in my T2 bag. It was hard to watch my goal bike split go by, but I managed to get in with time of 5:28:46.

I started the run and saw the family immediately. My training buddy Wil screamed “you have to run 3:23 or better to break 10 – you can do it!” He later told me “I didn’t think you could do it, you looked like crap.” Thanks, dude. I, on the other hand, had planned on running 7:30s the whole way and breaking 3:20, so I actually did think I could do it. I found a Big Island friend and ran down the first of two girls in my AG that were ahead, chatting all the way. Jeff dropped off, so I ran the second 5 mi back to town with Fernanda Keller, who was not feeling very chatty but was a pleasant companion none the less and steady with her 7:30s. I caught the other girl in my AG on the way back to town. Up Palani was more of a party than a run, I saw my kids, my parents, my Oahu friends, and Macca coming down the hill for the win. Sharpie screamed that she loved me, totally making some nearby perv’s day. The pace was pleasant and I made small talk along the road, even though I swore I’d shut up and run this year. Out at the energy lab I saw my superstar friend Bree Wee ahead in the first amateur position (fortunately for me the girl’s a baby and still in the 25-29 AG) and knew I was the next one behind her. I love the energy lab. It’s beautiful and truly the beginning of the end. Lots of people were puking - apparently they don’t love the energy lab. I tried to pick it up for the last 10K home, but it seems holding 7:30s had become my max. I rolled down Palani and onto Alii fairly confident that sub-10 was in the bag. There is nothing like turning onto Alii and seeing that arch. Though it really should be closer to the actual timing mat.. My marathon split was 3:18:45, for a finish time of 9:56:21. Second age grouper (Bree went 9:47 in her first IM!) and 21^st female.

Then I ate a lot of Taco Bell. I mean a LOT, while floating in the ocean behind the King Kam swatting my kids off of my legs. And then I ate a lot of pasta. And then I drank way too much beer. And that just about sums up the following three days. Shockingly, I’ve relapsed and the flu has taken over again, but now I don’t mind.. I wasn’t going to run today anyway.