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Andrew
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« on: October 02, 2009, 07:45:57 AM » |
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It's day 1 in Kona. As we came in on the shuttle yesterday, we saw our Australian friends Kristian and Charlotte motor-pacing down the Queen K. Kona is not a big place, as 2 hours later as Andrew and I hiked into town to get groceries, we saw them again. We were invited to swim at 7am from the pier. Kristian casually mentioned we'd be joining "Crowie", Jo, Luke, Belinda, and Linsey....yup the World Champion and clan...obviously I wouldn't be swimming with them, but Andrew got a little thrill from starting with the best in the world. There actually turned out to be about 40 pros...it turns out they meet weekly on Fridays for a group swim then head to Lava Java for coffee afterwards.
I swam on my own and had mixed feelings about it. I was delighted to be in the ocean. It's warm and clear. At the beginning there are a few pretty fish and some mounds of coral. Very quickly it gets deep and there is nothing much to see. There are only 4 buoys over 1.9 km, and not evenly spaced. There was some pretty decent swell, and lots of chop. I found it a little disconcerting to be on my own in that huge ocean, only spotting a buoy every 5 minutes or so. Every time I looked up, the buoy was on the wrong side of the swell. I tried to keep my nerves calm, and remember that sharks don't frequent this beach. I just went to the 3rd buoy and got back to wait for Andrew and the hot shots. You'll see my geeky fan shot with me and the pro women, Jo Lawn, Charlotte Paul, Belinda Granger, and Linsey Corbin.
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Andrew
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« Reply #1 on: October 02, 2009, 08:11:33 AM » |
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As is typical, Ginny understated the thrill of standing on Digme Beach (yes, that is really what it is called) with 50 of the top Ironman athletes in the world. There was Crowie and the ladies in Gin's photo, but also Norman, Michellie, and a few other Champions from the past few years. As we were walking down, I mentioned I was nervous about swimming "with" the pros. Ginny didn't understand it at the time, but it really was quite a thrill. I noticed there were only three of us wearing regular swim suits, as everyone else was sporting the latest and fastest skin suits that their sponsors had delivered earlier in the week. It was quite comical watching all the pros squeeze into suits that were too tight, with giddy little laughs, like kids on Christmas morning. Everyone was very casual, and just enjoyed hanging out.
As we strolled into the water, I was waiting for someone to decide how the group was going to start, and then someone, probably Crowie, just drifted into the water, and 50 of the best athletes in the world, and me, followed along behind.
Truth be told, I was dropped from the lead pack after about 30 seconds, as I had predicted, but swam comfortably with a great group including Charlotte, Kristian and a few of the other pro women. We made it out to the turnaround in 31 minutes, and back in 30. 1:01 on my first day in Kona, in my ratty old swim suit, surrounded by the fittest, and fastest athletes in the world. What a morning!
Ginny's photos don't do it justice, but the video she took is too large to post, so we will save it for our presentation, or for anyone who wants to sit through our Kona slide show on our return.
Belinda was going crazy when we got back to shore as a large dolphin was putting on a show right in front of her. But I missed the whole thing. She must have been swimming in the pack ahead of me...
Weather is warm, and humid, but not crazy. Each day, we feel a bit more ready, and are really appreciative of all the supportive e-mails we are getting. Thanks everyone!!!
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Andrew
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« Reply #2 on: October 03, 2009, 03:34:19 PM » |
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Day 2
Today was a recovery day for all. Andrew slept 11hours and was feeling much better today. Maddy is a snotty mess but happy as a clam. We rented a car and drove the bike course to Hawi to attend the Fall County Fair. Madeline enjoyed the jumpy castle, the face painting, the local fruit stand, the musicians and the plethora of hippies.
On the way home we head down a small road off the Queen K and found a gorgeous sandy beach. We goofed around in the waves, and Maddy even cruised the surf on her floaty noodle...baby surfing.
After getting some last minute things at the bike shop, we got dropped off at Kailua pier and swam home. Well, we actually got dropped off a few blocks away and were the geeks walking around town in swim suits, bare feet, and a cap and goggles in hand. Our condo is about 300m past the swim turn-around, so I finally got to the end of the swim route. We got zapped by a few tiny jelly fish, and my nerves were a little jumpy being so far off shore, and in such deep water...outside my "comfort-zone"!
We made Pad Thai and veggies for dinner. Yum. Not a bad day in paradise.
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Andrew
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« Reply #3 on: October 04, 2009, 03:00:42 PM » |
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Day 3
Lovin' the taper. Andrew is doing a sports med conference while we are here. (you can snicker...I am. It figures we can't just have a "normal" holiday). So I walked him to the conference, then got a latte on the way home. Audrey, Maddy, and I spent the morning snorkling 5 miles down the road.
After Andrew's conference, we jogged to the outdoor pool and did some hard 200s alternating paddles and swim. We're both swimming great. We jogged home feeling quick and strong. Andrew jumped in the pool with Maddy, and I made us a yummy Thai red curry...yum.
Andrew is building his bike tonight, as he had to wait to change over the cogset to a set of borrowed race wheels (thanks Chris!).
Another day in paradise.
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Andrew
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« Reply #4 on: October 04, 2009, 04:09:03 PM » |
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I can not stress the importance of arriving at big events a few days in advance, and making sure all the equipment is working perfectly. Little things seem to take forever. Like remounting new tubular tires, and trying to figure out which extensor valves are the source of the leak. Then realizing you forgot to bring your cork brake pads, and the small allen key required to swap the old ones our for the $50 new pair you just bought. And just as you are ready to head to bed, you realize you mounted your bottle cage upside down, and have to take the whole contraption apart for your ride tomorrow. Little things seem to take so long.
Another invite from Kristian and Charlotte for an early morning swim. This time they promise not to do it at race pace, and have even offered to lend me a brand new Blue Seventy race suit! We made the international news with the swim the other day. Kristian said a full page photo was displayed somewhere, with the two of us visible in the crowd. And Crowie's quote was they swam it in under 56 minutes...no wonder it seemed a bit fast for my first swim in Kona...
The stiffness from that craziness still lingers, but things are coming together, just like my bike. Slowly, and always taking more time than I thought it would. Glad we have a few more days before the race.
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Andrew
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« Reply #6 on: October 05, 2009, 05:23:34 PM » |
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Day 4
I think we've perfected the fish tacos...although homemade mango salsa could be the crowing glory...
Last night I had best times on 200s in the outdoor pool. This morning I swam in the ocean on the race course again, and had dead arms. I took the opportunity to look at the vast array of fish instead. There were beautiful little effervescent blue tiny bubbles floating around. I discovered they were tiny jelly fish as my cheek went numb after swimming through some....
We've finally decided not to wear aero-helmets despite the raging winds. Our Australian friends have been here for 5 weeks, and strongly discourage it given the heat and humidity.
Maddy is growing gills as she's been in the water about 5 hours a day. She's brown as a berry.
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Andrew
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« Reply #7 on: October 06, 2009, 01:23:14 PM » |
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First ride since arriving in Kona...the Queen K. sure has wind, but today, the wind was mostly from the side, so was not as much of an issue as people have suggested. I really don't know how I will handle 5 hours in the heat and humidity, but the road sure is smooth and nice to ride. The wheels that were lent to me by Chris Willett from Fresh Air were perfect for this wind, with a good deep dish, but not so deep that I got tossed around too much.
Resting now and maybe a bit of rehab on some nagging injuries.
Eating fish tacos every day, and loving the fresh fruit form the market.
The Medical Conference has been a bit disappointing, until today, when we heard the latest studies on nutrition and rehab, which was quite enlightening. There was some fascinating research on combining fructose with glucose or maltodextrin, and I will present some of this information at the EES in late winter. We will likely augment our E-load products with a little extra salt in the form of E-caps, and a bit of fructose/BCAA containing gels. But pretty much will stick with our E-load powder and E-fly maltodextrin mix for the majority of our calories.
Thanks again to everyone who has been sending us notes of encouragement, it means a lot, and keeps us both in a very positive frame of mind.
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GinnySellars
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« Reply #8 on: October 09, 2009, 06:22:46 AM » |
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One more sleep!
I swore that this time we wouldn't do any last minute running around. We'd get all we needed from Fresh Air before we left. Well, Andrew was looking at my back tire yesterday and thought the tread was worn very thin and there was a tiny cut. We took it by our superstar friend Murray at Cannondale, and told me to get a tubular and he'd glue it and install it for me. What a guy. Although I spent hours getting the tire from a shop and then hanging around at the expo, it was filled with action. Murray is THE MAN at Cannondale so he was doing photo shots with Miranda Carfrae and Chrissie Wellington with the Fiziik crew. We kept having to move my Cervelo out of the Cannondale tent for pics.
We went down early in the morning to watch what Maddy calls the "panty race" aka "underpants run". It was pretty fun until we jumped in the water and I broke a toe on the left. We swam out the Coffee Boat where they serve coffee and GU2O to the swimmers. Good fun. We came back and built sand castles, and I broke a second toe washing the sand off of Madeline. Rats! It's actually doing pretty well. It throbs when I'm just sitting around, but it pain-free in a bike shoe and pretty darn good in a runner.
I enjoyed a Papaya Nest at Lava on the Rocks for my birthday breakfast. YUM!
We have packed our bags, and plan to sit on our butts and swim with Maddy all day. One more sleep!
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