Kona Race Report...My Ironman Finale!

Yeah, yeah, yeah….I know….it’s been over 2 weeks since the race!  But, I’ve been busy!  After the race, we spent a week in Maui, which was AWESOME!  We drove the entire Road To Hana, which was spectacular!  I do suggest staying overnight in Hana, which is what we did.  Not only does it minimize the stress of a long travel day, it also allows you to hit some spots early before the crowds get there.  We arrived home, jet lagged, on October 20th….and my wife immediately left for an overseas trip to China.  She definitely has it worse than me, but trying to juggle jet lag and being a solo parent is tough!  Of course, adding to that was getting sick on the day my wife departed.  No rest for the weary!

Anyway, on to the race report!  So, originally, I wrote my race report early on Sunday, after the race.  I always have trouble sleeping right after an Ironman (probably all of the caffeine intake!).  Anyway, I decided to set the report aside and take a bit more time to reflect on things. 

Going into this race, I sort of set any goals aside.  Apart from the fact that I really wanted to take everything in and enjoy it.  One of the things that I found myself repeating over and over was that my best year was my first time in 2008, when I didn’t put any expectations on myself.  Expectations at Kona can be the kiss of death!  Don’t get me wrong, I did want to go under 10 hours, which I’ve never done (I missed my opportunity in 2010 when the conditions were good and I was racing well….but it turns out that I had a sports hernia and my body sort of shut down around mile 10 of the run).  But, to go under 10 hours, I needed decent conditions and a decent race.  I had a feeling that we were in for tough conditions this year…and I was right.

RACE MORNING:  I got up around 3:30 or so and started to get nutrition in me.  I tried changing up my morning nutrition for this race.  I had a basic bagel with peanut butter, a couple of hard boiled eggs, applesauce and a banana.    I also sipped on a bottle of UCan mix about an hour before the start.  I gathered all of my things, including my bottles from the freezer (hoping that some would stay cooler), and headed down to body marking.  The World Championships are more efficient that any other race I’ve done.  They just move you through quickly.  Once out of body marking, I moved to the race-day scales.  At Kona, they weigh you on race morning (this turned out to be important!).  Most races weigh you when you register, which can be 2-3 days prior.  After that, I moved to the transition area to get my bike set up with bottles and nutrition, get some air in the tires and wipe down my bike as it had rained heavy the night before.  I then exited transition and started looking for the bathrooms and a place to hang out until the race started, as I still had over an hour before my AG wave went off.  I ran into a few friends…some peeps from Team BPC and my friend, Jana, who would go on to win the Women’s 35-39 Age Group.  It was nice to see some familiar faces.

SWIM:  This was the first year that they were doing away with the “mass” swim start and going to age group wave starts.  So, we had to line up in start corrals.  I made my way to the men’s 45-49 start corral and ran into a few more familiar faces….Pat McCrann and Jeff Capobianco, both in my AG.  Again, nice to see some friends.  We chatted a bit before they started moving us to “Dig Me” beach and into the water for the start.   This year they did away with the “mass” start for safety reasons, but to me…the swim was just as brutal as a “mass” start.  They sort of condensed the start line, so it still put all of the swimmers in a tight area.  The gun went off and I got kicked, scratched, punched…you name it.  Additionally, there were some pretty good swells that kept pushing the swimmers all over the place.  As much as I had used a ton of body glide in all areas, I started to really chaff along my neck and under my arms….and it started early.  However, at this point, there wasn’t anything I could really do about it except try to block it out.  The wave behind us started to pass me around 1.3 miles (they started 5 minutes after), but this was sort of expected.  I finally had to stop at one point to adjust my swimskin, as it was just digging into me and it was really painful.  As usual, my open water swimming just doesn’t measure up to where I am in the pool.  I just find myself not swimming hard enough.  In my past 4 races in Kona, my swim times have been between 1:04-1:05 (and change).  I figured that I was swimming around 1:07, and I was dead on.   I was so happy to see the swim exit.  As much as this is a cool swim venue….I hate the swim at this race.  It’s just so brutal and people are just ruthless at this race. And, more so than any other Ironman, this swim takes so much out of me.

T1:  I made sure to use the makeshift showers as you exit the swim to try to wash the salt off as I had really chaffed badly.  I then grabbed my bag and made it into the changing tent.  I took my time to make sure I had everything.  Rather than put my cycling shoes on, I ran with them to my bike (Kona has a long run around the pier to the bikes).  I got my shoes on and helmet on, and off I went!

Climb up Palani Drive

BIKE:  I knew immediately, my legs didn’t feel good.  But, it was early….so I just focused on things I could control.  I made sure to keep things easy the first 8-10 miles, as we have a pretty good climb through town, before coming back, then a very steep climb up Palani Drive, before heading out onto the Queen K Highway for the bulk of the ride.  But, once out on the Queen K, my legs didn’t any better.  And, my lower back was giving me some issues.  Again, I tried not to worry about it.  Just ride.  Enjoy it.  So, I tried.  Around Waikoloa (approx.. 40 miles), we hit some pretty nasty cross winds, normally reserved for Hawi.  I was holding on for dear life on a few occasions when the cross winds hit.  We made the turn off the Queen K for a short section before heading up to Hawi.  I could tell that we were going to have a significant head wind there on the way back.  It was there that the lead pros went by, with Jan Frodeno  (eventual winner) leading the way.  It’s always cool to see the pro positioning during the race.  I was happy to have the climb up to Hawi as my lower back was aching, and I wasn’t giving up as much of an aero-penalty for sitting up during the climb.  About midway up, my friend (or freight train), Jana, blew by me. But, she was blowing by EVERYONE!  I made the turn at Hawi, and headed back for the final 40 miles. 

For about 5 minutes, my legs and back cooperated and I started to feel okay.  Again, it didn’t last long.  My plan going in was to grab 2 waters at every aid station….one to fill the XLab Torpedo between my aerobars (I would also drop half of a Precision Hydration tablet in each time)…the second to pour over myself.  I executed this pretty well.  When we made the turn after the Hawi downhill, we went smack into a straight on headwind, which I expected.  Thankfully, this is only a short section.  However, when we made the turn onto the Queen K, the crosswinds we had experienced earlier had turned into a cross, headwind. At this point, my lower back was aching and I had to keep getting out of the saddle…HUGE aero-penalty in these conditions.  Additionally, my feet were killing me.  I was experiencing hot spots on my feet from my shoes, which didn’t happen at IMMT.  Around Waikaloa, I finally pulled my feet out and rode on top of my shoes for about 10 minutes.  That gave me some relief and once I put my feet back in, the pain went away.  Oh, and in case I forgot to mention it, we were riding in temps hovering around 97 degrees!  The rest of the ride was uneventful.  I was looking forward (in a way) to the run, as daunting as it sounded!  I think I just wanted to get off the bike!

T2:  I dismounted the bike and started my run around the pier.  Hmm….my legs actually felt pretty good.  As I ran, the chaffing under my arms was REALLY bad.  It also bothered me during the ride…but was WAY more noticeable as I ran.  To the point, I was thinking to myself, how am I going to run with this chaffing pain.  I needed some relief.  So, my plan was to look for a medical tent or someone applying Vaseline.  As I sat down in the changing tent, to my surprise, sitting there was a small container of Vaseline!  SCORE! I quickly got my shoes on, race belt hat and glasses.  Then I grabbed two fingers of Vaseline…..yikes!  It was so hot it was basically liquid!  But, it did the trick.  I applied it generously under both arms.  I then headed out of transition. 

RUN:  While I was on the bike, I kept telling myself that I just needed to run and enjoy it.  I wasn’t worried about running any crazy times.  However, as I headed out, my legs felt really good.  Like REALLY GOOD!  I was blowing by people AND keeping my heart rate down.  I saw Jenn and the kids on Ali’I Drive, near Lava Java, and gave them a wave.  Starting at the second aid station, I started walking each one, which was the plan.  I dumped ice into my kit and grabbed cold sponges at each one.  I was running (when I wasn’t walking the aid stations) around 6:55-7:00 pace.  The run along Ali’I Drive is only like 3 miles out.  On the way back I found Jenn and the kids again, and gave the kids a quick hug/kiss.  My legs still felt pretty good.  However, before the turn and climb up Palani, I started to experience the first signs that the pace wasn’t sustainable.  I decided to walk up Palani to keep the heart rate in check.  This race, more than any other, once you get the heart rate up, it’s hard to get it back down.  I started running again just before the turn onto the Queen K.  As I started running again, I couldn’t get up to the same pace.  I was still running okay…just not as fast.  I’m sure I was pissing people off…..because people would pass me at the aid stations, as I walked, then I would pass them in between.  My real issues started in the Natural Energy Lab, around 15 miles in.  This is where I started feeling sick.  It would come and go in waves.  And, nothing helped. On my way out of the Energy Lab, I started a few extended walks (not just at the aid stations).  Between miles 20-21, I started to feel a bit dizzy.  And, every time I took coke, water, gel, anything, I would feel sick.  I had to make “deals” with myself as the walks grew longer and longer.  I would say, “okay….walk to the mile marker, then run”.  Funny thing is that my legs didn’t feel that bad…it was more my gut.  Things got dicey around mile 23….I was sort of in a gray area….where I needed fluids/nutrition, but wasn’t taking anything because I felt sick.  I knew, however, that I just needed to make it to Mile 25.  That last mile is like a tractor beam…..and has so much crowd energy, you just need to get there and the finish line will sort of pull you home.  So, I hit mile 25 and gave it whatever I had left.  Again, my legs felt okay….it was the rest of me that didn’t. 

As I rounded onto Ali’I Drive and the finish line, a wave of emotion crossed over me.  I saw Jenn, Hannah and Ben about 200 meters from the finish.  Both Hannah and Ben were jumping up and down and both gave me a high five.  In retrospect, it was fitting….as this race has come full circle for me this fifth trip.  At the end of my first one in 2008, my dad was in the crowd near the finish and stuck his had out for a high five.  Now, 11 years later, my kids were doing it.  Let’s just say that it was pretty memorable! (sorry for the grainy video…but my wife texted the videos to me!)

POST RACE:  After crossing, I was ushered to the athlete “lounge” area.  I didn’t feel great.  Nothing appealed to me to eat or drink.  The only thing that semi appealed to me was an ice cream bar that they were serving, so I ate that.  I sat there for a while going through waves of nausea.  I was texting with Jenn who was going to meet me in the hotel lobby (this was approximately an hour after I finished).  I found a spot to sit in the lobby and Jenn and the kids found me.  As soon as she saw me she told me that I needed to go to medical.  I just wanted to beam myself back to the condo!  I didn’t want to LOOK for the med tent.  Jenn found where it was and forced me to go.  As I walked over, things got worse…like MUCH worse.  I had similar symptoms after IMMT, but it was worse this time.  I made it to the med tent, and the person there said I needed to walk around to the main entrance.  I basically told her NO, I’m not doing well.  So, she got me some help.  They put me in a wheelchair and rolled me over to the scale to get weighed.  I was able to stand up on the scale.  But, as soon as I sat down, I vomited all over.   All of the sudden, I had multiple people attending to me.  According to the scale, I lost 10 pounds during the race.  Apparently, that’s a LOT!  They stuck me with an IV and started taking vitals.  However, I wasn’t feeling any better with the first IV.  So, they stuck a second bag in me.  I texted Jenn and told her to take the kids home, which she reluctantly did.  They tried giving me Zofran for the nausea….but I threw that up too….and that was after I had already been in medical for at least 90 minutes.  Additionally, I still couldn’t stomach any water, coke…anything.  After some deliberating, they put a third bag in me (they’re only permitted to administer 2 without some sort of doctor’s override).  They talked about transferring me to a local hospital.  Finally, after being in medical for close to 3 hours, I was able to get some Sprite in me….then some chicken broth.  I was also able to let a Zofran pill dissolve in my mouth.  Jenn left the sleeping kids to shoot down to pick me up.  Once I was up and moving, I felt better.  All in all, I spent just over 3 hours in the medical tent….which may have been a record of some sort for the day!  Additionally, I think I may have set a race day record for pounds lost!   I’m a little concerned that I had similar symptoms at both IM races.  It’s something I will have to monitor.

Now that the race has been over for some time,  it’s given me a chance to reflect on things.  I ultimately accomplished what I set out to do.  The original plan was to try to win the age group at Ironman Lake Placid.  Of course, it’s well documented that didn’t happen!  But, I was able to come back three weeks later and finish on the podium at Ironman Mont Tremblant, and secure a spot to the World Championships.  I’ve said it before, and I can’t emphasize this enough….three years ago, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to run again, let alone complete an Ironman.  So, to finish on the podium at IMMT and be able to race in Hawaii….I’d call this a successful comeback!  I just think it’s important to remember how far I’ve come.   Additionally, I was able to raise close to $17,000.00 (so far) and awareness for Shriners Hospital for Children-Boston.  Lastly, and most important to me, Hannah and Ben were not only able to see me race, but they were able to see the hard work and sacrifices made, as well as overcome adversity along the way.  Now that it’s all said and done, I can say with confidence that Kona was my last Ironman.  In the past, when I’ve left Kona, I’ve always felt like I might be back.  I had a different feeling leaving this time.  It just felt final.  That said, I’m not done racing by any means.  I’m already signed up for Age Group Nationals in Milwaukee next summer.  My next goal is to make Team USA for Age Group Worlds in 2021…when I’ll turn 50!