My First Kona Part III

THE END.

I couldn't believe that I was eating my breakfast in such a tired state. Just a few hours ago everything was great! I was wide awake and ready to go. Now I just wanted to go back to bed. There wasn’t even any real excitement about what was about to take place.

Luckily I felt a bit more peppy after I got some food in me. My mom, Jess, and Cicely all loaded up in the Jeep and headed to the start. It looked like it was going to be a nice day with light winds. Although, you really never know in Kona.




We had parked at Uncle Billy’s Hotel because my friend’s John and Maggie were staying there without a car so we took their spot. That was KEY. It was nice to not have to take the shuttle and also not drive around forever looking for a place to park.




I got out and decided I would head to T1 and meet them after I was all set up. It seemed like a good idea to do a light jog over there to get a bit warmed up. How in the world did I start having hamstring cramps from that LOL! I mean REALLY! The day hadn’t even started and I felt “twitchy”! That has been my big thing when it comes to races. I have a tendency to get hamstring cramps on the run. I’m not really sure why they happen when they do. Maybe nutrition or maybe they have just had enough? Who knows?




I figured the cramps I was having now was coming from nerves so I stopped running and walked. I got over to the area where they body mark you and got in line. The line had an interesting feel to say the least. Some people were clearly on edge while others where up beat and excited. I was neither. I just stood there by myself waiting and wondering why everyone needed to talk so much that early. There was a volunteer that kept shouting “Pros PLEASE come to the front. Are THERE ANY PROS in line?” She repeated it over and over and over. I wanted to say “Look lady! Pro’s know what to do. That is why they are called pro’s. It‘s not necessary to act like it is 6:42am.” I think she was more excited than any of us LOL. “PROS! I NEED ALL PROS! PROS! PROS!” Dear god would a pro please show up and put this hen to rest! Sheesh.




Anyway, I made it to my two sweet little old ladies that were going to be my body markers. They were a KICK! “Hi sugar. What’s your number?” That made me laugh because it sounded like they were hitting on me. Who knows? There were defiantly a few cougars roaming that island this week! They took there time and put those numbers on me like they were painting the Sistine Chapel. I wish I had remembered their names as they were a highlight of my morning. Probably Margaret or Dolores. Maybe Helen?




I caught up with Marky V and we went over to the bikes. Transition was controlled chaos. People were running around futzing with everything under the sun (that wasn’t really out yet). It made me start to think if there was something I should be doing??? The bike was there, everything was in my bags, bottles were on the bike and I had on what I was swimming in. What the hell was everyone doing? I had to get out of there fast. Denny walked over and we all gave our tires a last check and then I was like “PEACE OUT!” I couldn’t handle being around that many crazy people! So I set off to find a nice “safe haven” of a bathroom. There is ALWAYS a toilet at a race that has NO line. You just have to look hard. But when you find it you have to follow the “Safe Haven Code of Ethics” which is that you can only tell ONE person about it. I’m sure I am breaking a “Safe Haven” rule right now. First rule of “Safe Havens”- You do NOT talk about Safe Havens.




While I was in my SHORT line for the safe haven I noticed some cameras started filming right next to me and they seemed to be filming the porta potty. I wanted to ask them if they were purposely trying to blow the cover of this safe haven! But I kept quiet.




So when the door of the porta that they had been filming opens open’s, Mr. Bachelor Andy Baldwin came out. They were blowing the cover of the safe haven for that tool! Cicely and I have this thing going because I call the bachelor a “tool” and she just keeps saying “why you gotta call him a tool? Leave him alone!” I wanted to look into the camera and say “And the Bachelor poops too!” But again I kept quiet. Rare.


It was a good dump. Always a nice way to start a race. I call it the “Crystal Ball” dump. It’s usually in sync with how the rest of the day will go LOL. I know. TMI, but I am a poop humor guy…




So I met up with my crew outside the Transition area. They were all standing there just looking at me like I was going to explode or something.
“What?”
“Nothing. Are you excited?”
“Sure”
“What’s next?”
“I guess we wait.”
“For what?”
“For me to go in the water.”
“ok”




Then it hit me. I knew I forgot something!! I didn’t have a pre swim Gel! That sent the crew into a tizzy like a pile of ants that got spit on.




“OH MY GOD WE NEED A GEL!!!!!” “GELLLLL! WE NEED A GEL!” It was like that episode of “I Love Lucy” when she finally was going to have Little Ricky. I just stood there while the crew went crazy! (that was gay)




How ironic was it when nobody around had one. Especially since we were standing under a giant two story blow up thing that looked like a Power Gel. That was what I really wanted because I know that my stomach likes them and mentally it is what I use. No luck though. Maybe if I poke a hole in this two story gel I could suck some out LOL!




Anyway, Jessica, I think, found a gel but it wasn’t a Power Gel. It was some nasty flavor of one of the other kinds out there. I wasn’t going to take it until I exhausted all my resources in the Power Gel hunt. At least now I had something to trade up.




The people that I found that actually had a Power Gel looked at me like “You’re not getting my Power Gel! You better step back from the Gel Blondie!” But then I realized I could just go back to my bike and take a chug form my gel bottle and then I could grab a Power Gel on the course if I came up short.




The pro race was off already so transition was now closed. It was time to turn on the charm and get to my bike. Luckily I got some woman volunteer that was over excited to help out. “What’s the issue? Mhhmmm. Okay. Okay. Lets remain calm. We need to get you to your bike! Lets go. Hustle! Hustle!”




She escorted me to my bike and I took a quick chug from the bottle and felt much better. But now the line to get into the water was really long. I think she saw my distress so she grabbed me and off we went. She took me through the transition area and then around by the hoses and opened a gate that let me jump right into the water. That was pretty sweet because it seemed that it was taking everyone FOREVER to get in.




It was official now. I was in the water for my first Kona! I started my swim out to the start line and figured I should take Denny’s advice and go over to the far left. There was a “Ford” buoy in the water and I figured I might run into him over there. Truthfully I didn’t want to see anyone I knew before the race because I really wanted this to be my swim and do it alone (so to speak).




When I got to the front we had to tread water for about 7 min. It seemed like 20 min and this dude kept grabbing me and kicking me. I thought we were all doing that and then I realized no, I am not touching anyone. So I turned around and kindly asked him to try and stop. “JESUS CHRIST! STOP GRABBING ME!!!!” Well that came out wrong. Luckily the gun went off shortly after that. I was ready to be in the washer that is the Ironman swim.




To my surprise it was the calmest swim I had ever been in! For the first 10 min it was ass if it was myself and about 4 other people swimming. I had to look up because that might be a sign that we are way off course but we weren’t. It started to bunch up a little bit here and there as people tried to upgrade the feet they were on. Some chick pushed me off the feet I was on so I just moved over to another pair. I tried to get right on the hips rather than on the feet and as I did that I saw that I was now drafting off the bachelor. I knew it was him because I saw him in the safe haven area and knew what he had on. Plus he has a funny looking chest that is very recognizable. Anyway, I started laughing in my head about drafting off the bachelor. I could just hear Cicely “Who’s the tool now!” I was laughing internally all the way to the body glove boat at the turn around.




My laughter was interrupted when we made the turn because all of a sudden EVERYONE lost their manors. I don’t know what happened but that washing machine I was expecting at the start was happening now. I was getting grabbed, kicked, pulled ,pushed under, you name it! I had to pull my head up at one point and give this guy a look! You know the look. The “If you do that one more time I’m gonna kick your ass” look.




When we turned again to head back to the pier it seemed to be less crazy. I say less because it was still crazy and would be all the way back in. Where all these people came from I don’t know???? It was so pleasant on the way out…..sigh.




I just kept swimming on feet. I was kinda bored at one point because we were going as fast as I could go in the mess of people that I was in. I tired a few times to get around and try and move up but it was way too crowded so I just stayed where I was. At least it felt really easy.




When I saw the pier as I took my breaths I got excited. Not just because it was about to be over but because I felt so good! I was a little worried that my legs would cramp as I exited but there was no sign of that. I grabbed a quick rinse and headed into the tent. I checked my watch and saw that I swam exactly one hour. I thought I would be a bit quicker than that but whatever.
As I sat down in the change tent the volunteer took all my stuff out and was helping me get ready. Then I got a tap on the shoulder. I look over and Denny is sitting right next to me LOL…“Hey Buddy“ Again I get more proof to my theory that I can get out of the water at the same time as many of the people that swim way faster than me in the pool. Not sure how I do that?…But I do.




Denny ran out of the tent before I did but it motivated me to hurry my ass up and get on the bike. I know that I can ride with Deny if I want so it would be cool to have him in sight. I put the helmet on and headed for my bike trying not to slip in my bike shoes. I wear mine rather than have them attached to the bike. I would say only about 1% of the people that put their shoes on the bike are good enough at getting in them where they actually save time. I usually pass about 5 people that are swerving trying to get their feet in. At Honu it was crazy because we started the ride on a hill and nobody could do it. I counted 15 people that time LOL.




So the bike begins and it was as exciting as all the hype about it. People were everywhere and there were lots of cyclists around me. I found myself passing quite a few on that first section. I was a tad bit nervous making the turn on the “hot corner” because of all the people. It only takes one loopy rider to take us out. Of course there was no issue and we rode on by. I heard the crew yell out a few times. It is really hard to miss Jessica’s voice. And now low and behold we have a new tri groupie in Miss Maggie! She was now officially Jessica’s side kick. The two of them know how to get their cheer on!




I used the first out and back section to get a look and see where everyone was. I wanted to see how far away the top women were because they might be a nice target to try and go after. Denny was in sight and I rolled up next to Mark Pietrofessa and a few other people I knew. The pace I was going seemed really easy but it was kinda hard to tell because everything was so bunched up. I had no computer on the bike and no heart rate monitor. I was going 100% on feel. I had an Ergomo Pro Power Meter but it went down and they couldn’t get me one to use before the race. I will use it next year in training but only to help me push harder in a workout. I know how to ride steady on feel.




Once we got out on the queen K we were one giant pelliton. I was trying my best to stay legal or at least off to the side in a stagger to be as fair as possible. Every time I put the 7 meter gap in some schmuck would pop in and push me back further. It was pissing me off a bit.




I rolled up to Denny. He was sitting up and looked like he was on a coffee shop ride. I asked him what was going on and he said he had been vomiting since the swim. Not a good sign but also nothing to get too alarmed about. He was doing the right thing by taking it easy and letting things settle. It is such a long day that a little barf in the beginning might just be salt water.




Denny and I talked about the drafting problem that was at hand. A few other guys were being vocal too trying to find a way to break it up. I just pulled back and rode at the very end for a while to see what they were going to do. I knew that if I just hammered it for a while to try and gap them that I could be throwing my whole race away. Not to mention these guys would just sit on my wheel and draft. Very few people were trying to be fair.




Denny did what I had thought about and went off the front. I watched him pull the entire pack with him. Looking back on it I should have just gone with them. The drafting was so ridiculous that it seemed as if getting a 4 min penalty would still be a better way to go. I wanted to ride fair though and I think ultimately it put me a bit further back in the end….I later heard that there were only 2 qualified draft marshals on the course and that the rest were just volunteers. That is not a confirmed statement but it would make sense because many times there was a ref near the pack and they just looked at everyone. I guess that is just the way it goes.




So my ride went very well. I was alone a good majority of the time. I passed a ton of riders on the climb up to Hawi. I saw Albert Boyce and had a quick chat. He seemed like he was really rocking it. It was also odd to see Normans Kuota sitting on the side of the road. I couldn’t believe he was out of it now. In fact, when I saw the top guys on the way back there seemed to be many of the top players missing. I knew Macca was gonna win the race when he went by.




I had made the right decision to put the Aero bottle on the bike. I was sucking down Gatorade bottles like never before. I was also getting in a good amount of water and by the end of the ride I had taken all 12 of my gels that I had in my water bottle. I mixed them with a bit of water so it would be easy to drink. I also had 20 of Jonathin Toker’s Salt stick salt pills. I would say that I nailed the nutrition that day on the bike. I had zero solid food.




Once back on the Queen K. I thought I would just try and hold my pace the whole way in. I was moving just fine and if I maintained it, I would have a great ride. I was never passed from that point and only over took people. I came up to Lisa Bently just before Blue Hawaiian and I had to laugh because I passed her and then about 30 seconds later she passed me back. I never slowed down and was moving considerably faster than her. Not to mention that I had to catch up to her from the separate start. So I waited a min as she slowed back down and then went around and made another pass but this time I turned it up a little because I didn’t want’ her to keep doing that. After 5 min I looked back and she was gone as well as the few other guys that were with her.




It was just me and the occasional clump that I would pass. I don’t think I passed one person riding by themselves. At one point I came up to two guys and I just looked at them and said “Maybe next time you would like to do it on a tandem bike” and then speed off.




I had just passed the four seasons and was now on my way to the airport. In the distance I could see a female pro that was in all black. She looked like Hillary but I couldn’t tell for sure. When I got up closer it was in fact her. I pulled up next to her and had a quick chat. It was so cool to be having that moment because it was only a little over two years ago that she had dragged me into the Ironman distance and started coaching me. And now here we were rolling down the Queen K! Very cool.




We talked for all of 20 seconds and then I kept plugging away. I came up to JZ as well and was concerned about how her day was going. She gets out of the water at the front and she can ride well so I was surprised to see her back where she was. She had a positive attitude going so I guess it was all good. I made the comment that she had some guy sucking her wheel and she laughed. I asked him how he felt sucking a chicks wheel that is riding a pink bike? Then I speed off.




I was so EXCITED when I saw town. I felt so amazing right now and thought “I am going to have a good race!” I wasn’t sure what my bike time was going to be but I knew it wasn’t going to suck so now all I have to do is back it up with a good run.




I took my feet out of the shoes for the last ½ mile or so to cool them off. I never do that but I wanted to make sure I didn’t have “hot foot” going into the run. I really wanted to hit a sub 3:05 run not just for myself but also to win the bet with Macca and get some free food LOL. He said if I go sub 3:05 food is on him for the rest of the trip! I was in shape to do it. I can run way faster than that pace normally so it was really a matter of just executing it.




When I rolled into T2 they took my bike and I made the longer run around to the transition tent. My stuff was waiting in the hands of a volunteer and he squated down and began taking the bag out. He saw that I had running shorts in it and started to ask me if I wanted a towel but as he looked up I was already standing there naked haha. I grabbed the shorts from him and put them on as fast as I could, sat down to put my shoes on and the next thing I know I was peeing in the chair. I tried to stop it but I couldn’t LOL! I looked at the dude and was like “I’m sorry but I am peeing all over the place” He laughed and got a towel for under the chair. It sure felt good though and I think was a sign that I am nice and hydrated. When it finally stopped, (It went on forever!) I headed out.




They had giant exterminator cans filled with sunscreen and was spraying it on everyone. That was pretty smart of them. I got screened up in both transitions and avoided getting any burns from the race. I literally had no tan lines when it was said and done. I think not getting torched by the sun is a big part of that race.




When I began the run I felt so good from the first step. There was no awkwardness phase for me. That made me feel even more pressure to hit that run. I passes by Jessica and gave here a quick hello. Within 2 min of the run I was passed by some dude and this is possibly where the downfall of my run came. I am not used to being passed on a run. I think it has happened twice since I started triathlon and both those times were when I felt like crap. Now I felt great and I was getting passed. Then I got passed some more. At some point I decided to pick it up and run with someone. Mistake! I should have run a pace that felt ridiculously slow for that first 10 miles.




I came through 5K at 19:25. That was WAY too fast! Did I slow down and adjust my pace? NO! Why? I felt good and was acting CRAZY! I really did feel great. So I just kept rolling. I think the “logic” that went through my head at the time was “well I feel good and I know I will slow down at some point but maybe I will slow down to 7 min miles?” That would be an awesome run of around 2:54 or so. The other problem that backed up my logic at the time was that I truly feel I could run that.




Lets just say it was dumb logic that was heat induced haha. HOWEVER, I do think there is one other thing that happened in the first 10 miles that might have changed things. I had grabbed a gel and saw that it had caffeine in it. I didn’t want caffeine at the time and rarely use it in the first place so I ditched it and just had Gatorade. This happened twice in that segment so I missed out on about 200 calories. When my run went “Sour” it felt similar to a bonk which makes me think that the missed calories might have had something to do with that. You hear all the time of people not getting their special needs bag on the bike because it wasn’t ready and then having a crappy race because they don‘t go back for it. What I did on the run was similar.





Had that not happened and I ran a non crazy pace I think I would have been okay.
The reason I think I would have been okay comes from what happened from the exit of the energy lab to the finish. Basically I bounced back and was running fast again. But lets talk about that bonk section first.




Once I hit Palani I noticed that getting up it was a bit rough. I figured it was just because it was a hill. So I went up it a bit slower and then as I crested and turned onto the queen K I found the feeling wasn’t going to go away. Jessica had told me that Denny was about 8 min up and that Marky V was closer and not having a fun time. It is always nice to know where your training buddies are. It seemed like Denny was having a great race but I would be seeing Marky V very soon. Although, my run was going into shut down mode so there was a chance I might be seeing Hillary again. I really didn’t want that to happen.




I was able to keep a decent pace through the construction section on the Queen K but then I hit an aid station and just stopped. I grabbed Gatorade and sponges. My head was really hot and I felt like my legs were done. I didn’t get that discouraged for some reason and it didn’t really cross my mind at the time that it could end up being a VERY long day. I just kept shuffling along thinking that the Energy Lab would pop up at any moment. It didn’t and the strips of road just seemed like 100’s of miles. I only walked when I was at an aid station but the running I was doing felt oh so similar to my run at Honu this year. Not a pleasant feeling.




Somehow I made it to the entrance to the Energy Lab. It seemed like the down hill helped because I was able to pick my pace up a bit. Then my mind started to clear a bit and I think that all the calories I had taken in on my bad patch were kicking in. I could see Marky V in the distance and then I saw Denny pass me in the other direction. He looked really good. Even in my despair I thought “hmmm? I am starting to feel good again. Maybe I can still run him down.”
I passed Marky V right near special needs. We chatted for a second and I tried to get him to run with me. He was having serious issues with his lower back. I felt bad for him because it is one thing to be tired but another to have actual pain. It sucks. So I had to leave him and try and get things rolling again if I was going to try and catch Denny.




When I turned out of the Lab it was as if I was back in my first 10 miles of the run. I was moving again and probably doing 7 min miles. Not as fast but it felt like it. I began to pass people back and thought “If I can just keep this up I will have a really good day even with the bad section”. My PT Bob Cranny told me “Remember, it doesn’t always get worse”. He was right. Things went from great to good to bad to horrible to good and now we were great again.




Part of the challenge now was to continue to get the proper calories in. I decided that I would gel up at the aid stations in an effort to not bonk again. This did help me from going into a calorie issue but it created a small stomach one. I got a side stitch just as I was heading back into the construction area. I can run through them but they are not comfortable to say the least. I just kept the breathing nice and shallow and tried to relax the area. It ultimately slowed me down but I think the water I took in helped it work it self out.




As I ran back up towards Palani it felt hard again. But I was able to run through the “hard’ feeling” and knew I was getting close. As I crested and turned down Palani I heard someone yell “Go Heather”….Oh HELL NO! I am not about to get run down by a girl at the end of my first Hawaii LOL. It was Heather Golnick and I know that she can run fast. I watchered her run down JZ this year at IM AZ. She was going to make me work for it.




I saw Amy (one of the race directors at Vineman) and gave a quick groan at her. I really had to get my legs moving because Golnick was not taking prisnors. I couldn’t believe I was going to have to work this freaking hard at the end of my Ironman. I really wanted to casually run to the finish. But NO! We were now running close to 6 min mile pace and at that point in the race it felt like 5 min miles.




Heather was clearly going for 4th as the there was a chick in sight. I mumbled something to her and then she surged and passed me. That got another “HELL NO!” from me. I had no shame and I sprinted right past her and kept it up. So for my first Hawaii I will always get to remember out kicking Heather Golnick (who I was 15 min ahead of to begin with LOL)




Apparantly as I made my way to the finish line my mother found her “Boston Marathon Legs” and took of running. Cicely and Jessica laughed because one min she was standing there and the next she was already in the tent area. She used to run fast in her day. Her day would still be here if running didn’t completely cripple her feet (an issue I am trying to ward off!).




I got up that stupid ramp they have at the finish line and just stood there bent over for a min. The ramp isn’t stupid unless you are in the race. Otherwise it is a great idea! But at that moment it was stupid. The fact that I had to think about how I was going to get back down it is the reason it is stupid.




I took my time after the race an layed out on the lawn for a while. I was tired. I was happy and excited but at the same time I felt dissapointment. I went 9:26 which is my fastest IM to date, yet it left a sour taste in my mouth. Granted you really can’t be upset when you PR but my run was such a downer. 3:16. I know for some that is a great run, but for me it just plain sucks. HOWEVER, I feel I learned so much from this race that I can nail a 3 hour run next time I give it a go.




So enough with the Debbie Downer talk. WOO! HOO! Hawaii #1 is done. I think writing this report was harder than the race. With that said I won’t promise to write about the after race partying that took place or how Denny broke my shoulder on the last day! Meeker, you are a lucky man that we have cortisone shots!




Congrats to everyone that raced. Our Boulder Crew did awesome with Denny having a stellar day and Marky V getting a PR too. Billy had another consistant race. I think that was 3 IM’s for him this year??? Of course Macca won! Teresa pulled off a second in her age only to a former pro! GO COUGAR! Albert Boyce, Mark Petriofesa (sp?) Mitch Gold and Big E all did great (Epic vets) but I think the race of the day goes to Scott Davis who went 9:40. We think that he was getting extra hypoxic training on his rides because he talks so much!!! Linnea pulled off her FIRST IM ever. That’s got to be hard in Hawaii. And Lori was turning heads out there on the bike and run!



THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH TO EVERYONE THAT CAME TO KONA TO HANG AND SUPPORT! The entire experience would have been nothing without you!



I really also want to thank Jane Scott for being there for all of us throughout the year. None of our swiming would have been where it was without you. And also to Gordo for helping bring us all together for one of the best summers ever!




Well there it is…..KONA. Everything and nothing what I expected.

It's 19 outside....That sucks.

Here is a pic from after the race. My mom was so excited to meet Chris and startd acting like a Cougar around him LOL..It's funny how you can't tell in this pic that the three of us are completely WASTED! The pic was also taken several hours before I was brutally attacked by Dennis Meeker!!!!

I'm finally back in Boulder and I am trying to get my barrings with this new weather thing. I keep forgetting to put a jacket on because it feels so warm and toasty inside, yet on the outside I end up freezing my tits off! Only one month of this so I should be okay haha.

The first thing I did when I got here was get my butt over to Flatiron Gym and get a nice swim in with Jane. It was good to see some of the crew and be back in a group workout. I am supposed to go swim today too as I build into my "massive" swim month but it is sooooo cold out!!!! I feel bad for Lindsay my roommate because I am notorious for ripping up the bathroom and you can't open the freaking window. Good thing I brought back some of that Trader Joe's Citrus Spray. COLORADO NEEDS TRADER JOE'S!!!!! I am soooo shipping myself food from TJ's to New Zealand.

Speaking of food, here is my new diet:

-NO Wheat

-NO Dairy

-NO Soy

-NO Sugar (refined)

What's left to eat? Yeah well I am still going through that stage myself. Cicely did the new plan with me when I was in LA and really helped out with finding stuff to eat. Our new favorite thing is Spaghetti Squash! Man that is tasty stuff. And really easy to cook too. Anyway, it really isn't as hard as it seems. Last night I went out with "The Good Guys" and was able to find a nice meal at an Italian restaurant (of all places). Nice Spinach salad with Ahi ( I know, that is such a bitch plate of food). Then I had some fries a bit later at Mountain Sun Brewery.

Part of this is also "food combining". There is a whole list of rules regarding what you can eat with what. For example, no meat with starchy foods. Fruits are only supposed to be eaten by themselves etc.....Why in god's name would I do this????

Well, someone like me who is notorious for killing bathrooms is also notorious for a gas problem that could most likely solve the crisis in Iraq. Send me over there with a loaf of bread and a gallon of milk and you have a new definition of terrorism.

Basically I was so bloated on Thanksgiving that I knew this had to end. Being able to fart on command is not a valued virtue unless you are 11. Luckily Jessica's sisters Karyn and Cynthia were over and they are huge exercise and nutrition guru's in LA. Cynthia has had many of the same issues with her stomach as I do and did years of research on it and finally figured out what worked and what didn't. She told me to cut out all of the above things and then follow her food combining plan. So I said I would give it a try and see what happens.

It has only been a week but I am now proud to say that I am gas free. (tear, tear) The whole thing still kinda sucks because I am a BIG emotional eater and so many of my fun foods are gone. I made the pact with myself that I will keep this up until IM NZ to give it a full chance to work. Maybe by then I won't have some of the cravings I do. I got up this AM and wanted a bagel sooooo bad!!! But no dice on that.....I'll keep you posted on how it goes and some of the creative things I am doing in the cooking department.

In the training department things got derailed once again. Of course it has to do with my foot. I just got back from a PT appointment with Bob Cranny and he wants me to take another week of running off. We discussed what the real issue is and how to handle it over time. Basically my left foot is crap and I have to come to the realization that it isn't going to change. The structure of my foot is ruined most likely from a few twisted ankles that happened in NZ two years ago. The ligaments got stretched out and now the foot is floopy with a fallen arch and won't ever return to the way it was.

It sounds depressing but Bob put a really good perspective on it. First, it can be managed and I should be able to reach all my goals that involve running. I need to learn what I can do and what I cannot. I took a month off after Kona and then started running. I did a few "stupid" runs and set myself back. It wasn't just plantar fasciitis this time. The tissue in between the metatarsals got sore and I thought I had a stress fracture. Basically because the foot is structurally weak I am going to be prone to other areas around the foot to become "injured".

How do you put a good spin on this situation? Bob said that because this issue is permanent, I have to look at it as my "gage". My foot will now be the thing that tells me when I am doing too much and when I need to rest. It will also force me to build into training rather than go smack it from the start like so many people do. I did build up to some really good running this last season so it will be possible to do again. I just need to be cautious with it. But now I need to get the foot back to zero. So rest it is. I want to improve my swimming and biking anyway.....(that was my effort to pretend I don't mind not running LOL)

Time to go finish unpacking and then go swim my 6K!

Tomorrow the Kona report is going up and I will write my five things. Getting me to tag 5 other people is going to be tough.

Cheers,

bdc

UPDATE (sorta)

Hey Party People,

I have been in Los Angeles for the last few weeks and been off line etc...I am getting on a Jet Plane today to go freeze my ass off in Boulder!!! As soon as I get back I plan to update this thing properly and keep it updated as I get my crickety butt back into shape.

Here's the TO DO list....AS if anyone wants to read that LOL.

* Put the Kona report up (Remember that race they had waaaaaaay back? If I wait any longer the report will be about Kona 08!)

* Reespond to Amanda's "Tag" SOOO not a fan of that but I will do it becasue everyone else seems to be doing it and Amanda looks hot in her Splish bathing suit. ( I thought BDC was gay?)

* Launch my good news! (No Eddie you didn't miss it...I have just been a blog tease with it)

* Give a briefing on my recent health scare (This will gross people out for sure but I am SOOO talking about it!)

* Respond to peoples coments that they leave on here. Don't laugh but I had a hard time for some reason on my own blog LOL...But I got it worked out now and love to hear from people!

* And finally talk about my new diet that anyone who knows me is going to be like "yeah right!"But hey...it's been 6 days on it and I must say that I have had 90% less gas. People going to Epic Camp NZ this year should be dancing in the streets with praise!

Hope everyone had a great Turkey Day!

Cheers,
bdc

Dumbledore is Gay. Bill O'Riley is just dumb!

It is very rare that I will watch Fox News (I use the word “news” loosely) but every now and then I will chime in for one of their “fair and balanced” shows. Since I am not working out right now I figured that I could get my heart rate and adrenaline up a bit if I tuned into some Bill O’Riely. I think next time I do this I will wear my heart rate monitor for shits and giggles!


Bill was talking (yelling) about the whole “Dumbledore is gay “ thing. Many of you know that J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter collection, outed one of her lead characters Dumbledore. I am not a huge fan of the books/movies and have only read/seen the first two so I am not a Harry Potter expert. However, I do know that she never had Dumbledore do anything in the novels or movies that would “out” him. There was no scene in a magic wizard tent involving spit. It was simply some back story about a character that is never really revealed.


So of course Bill and all his glory has to do an entire segment on how J.K. Rowling is ruining a series of books for political reasons. And of course he thinks that it will now make it uncomfortable for parents to talk about the books with their children because they will ask questions about it. He even brings in “experts” to go over what “impact” this will have on the youth that enjoy the series. Am I living in an alternate universe? I hope to god I am. Somebody PLEASE just leave me a comment and say that I am because I can’t handle the amount of idiots roaming free on this planet….


Saying that a character you created is gay is not political. It is artistic freedom. It becomes political when you have ignorant morons like Bill O’Riley putting negative spin on it. He says that he “doesn’t understand why the books can’t just be this really cool wizard fantasy that everyone can enjoy“. Is being gay really that big and scary of an issue? I wouldn’t be surprised if some of these uber right wing conservative Christian schools had counselors set up to deal with this. I’m sure there is going to be a motion to ban the books or something lame like that.


Bill is of course is allowed to have his views. It is sad how many people buy into the shit he is shoveling but what REALLY gets me is that in my mind he has insulted the youth of our society more than anything. We need to give young children more credit and stop trying to protect them from the “adult” world. I truly believe that kids have a better ability to process, in a rational nonjudgmental way, most things handed to them. Racism, sexism, homophobia, religious extremism and the like are all LEARNED behaviors. Nobody is “born” like that. Okay, maybe every so often you get a really bad seed, but for the most part I feel people are born as loving individuals and taught how to hate.


When you have someone like Bill going on TV and creating all this drama about Dumbledore all you end up doing is teaching hate and ignorance. YES, you are TEACHING hate in an indirect way. When you put the negative connotation towards being gay it will eventually link and evolve into someone’s hate. Most often that hate is in the form of a young kid that is gay and will end up hating him or herself. Statistically speaking that leads to a suicide attempt which if “successful” then , in my mind leads to the indirect murder of some poor kid. It may sound like a stretch….but everything has a root.


My buddy Gordo had blooged about how he likes to do positive things that may seem small but if done by everyone would equal a giant change. He mentioned that he likes to pick up 5 pieces of trash a day. That is a very simple thing to do. I am finding that with this whole “gay issue” we need to take similar action. It is time that people who are well informed and non-ignorant start having less tolerance to certain forms of language, actions and opinions.


As a society we can take Gordo’s idea about trash and start picking up the pieces of hate. What exactly does a piece of “hate” look like? Well, they can sometimes be tricky to spot. Obviously there are going to be times when it is very clear that someone has a problem with gay people. “I hate fags”. Clear enough. Dealing with someone that is on an extreme side of the fence like that may not always be the easiest or smartest thing to do. I can tell you that if I am somewhere and I hear someone say “I hate niggers” I am probably going to keep to myself. Only because I think “safety first” is always a good rule. However, if you find yourself in a situation that is non threatening I think it is time to start speaking out. Speaking out doesn’t have to be confrontational. It can be done later on the side or simply as a heads up when it happens.


I think that part of what we need to do is start working on changing the language. One of the most common phrases used is “That is so gay.” It seems pretty harmless and I personally don’t get offended when I hear it BUT it still needs to change. Most people that use the phrase don’t mean any harm to anyone and are really great people. It is just one of those phrases that took off. But it is still a negative connotation towards being gay whether the intent is there or not. Lets face it, we all know that when someone says “that is so gay” they are never referring to anything that could also be described as “that is so awesome or wonderful or rad (I think we should bring back the word rad) etc”.


The issues begin when a young person that is gay is in the process of discovering their sexuality and repeatedly hears things like “that is so gay”. Most of the time you won’t know if someone gay is around when stuff like that is said. When enough negative things build up in the mind of a young gay person it can brew and turn into self hate, rage, suicidal thoughts or simply just be a factor in someone’s decision to hide it and live a sub par life. Yes, I think that people that know they are gay and decide to hide it end up living sub par lives. I gave it serious thought when I was younger and looking back I couldn’t IMAGINE having to live like that. Unfortunately there are many that do. Just go on line to any gay “hook up“ site.


But the closet cases are the least of my worries. However, the closet cases with mouths are a big problem! I think that you find many of the Anti-Gay people out there to actually be gay. It is so obvious and lame but a whole separate topic that I will address later. I am more concerned about the youth out there who are going to struggle or become dangerous to themselves and/or others if we as a society continue to tolerate certain uses of language.


How bad do you think it can be? I have debated many times about issues relating to the Virginia Tech shootings, Columbine shootings and other such horrifying acts that are taking place in our society. After something like this happens you always hear people on the radio, news or wherever so shocked that something like this could happen. “I can’t believe someone would do something like that! They must have been crazy!” Well, actually I think WE are the ones that are crazy. I am shocked that stuff like Columbine and Virginal Tech don’t happen more frequently. Peoples’ emotions are real and when they get messed with over and over it is no wonder that we get people snapping from time to time.


Let me propose a scenario. Some might find it to be over dramatic, but I will still use it to make my point. Suppose there is a kid in the 5th grade who goes to school and on most days he is teased for being gay. He hides the teasing because he is in fact gay and is afraid to bring it up. Many kids don’t talk to someone about teasing no matter what the reason is. Anyway, internal pain starts to develop and it becomes very overwhelming and fantasies about how to stop the pain begin to develop. It just so happens that his father owns a gun for hunting, One day the kid goes to school and kills the kids that tease him. Did that 5th grader start out as crazy? Is it a stretch to think this could happen?


If you think that only someone who was predisposed to being “crazy” could do something like this, I think you are sadly mistaken. It is more probable that the kid would kill himself but with all the violence we expose young children to, without really understanding the reality and consequence of it, I think it is very possible that a school shooting could result.


I could go on a whole tangent about school teasing and bullying but I want to stick to my point which is that negative input on a daily basis causes mental damage to individuals that could result to something as severe as murder or suicide. This society still allows large amounts of negative input regarding gay issues. Most of it is simply “trash” that can be picked up and disposed of on a daily basis by people like you!


Of course you can’t really stop people like Big Bad Ugly Bill from saying what they want. But you can address simple issues like this to people that cross your path. That is, picking up a piece of hate. It's time.

My First KONA Part II

Denny and I getting a pre race ride in on the Queen K

Of course when I got to Kona my mental rant about Marion went away and the excitement of it all filled my veins. Denny, Billy and Cicely were all staying with me. I hadn’t seen Cicely in a while and it was going to be so awesome to have her their. She is one person the brings the best out of me and knows how to calm me down if I get stressed and bitchy. Me bitchy? NEVER! Of course if Cicely can’t slap me out of it Denny can always come to the rescue and take me out for a ride or something. I trained so much with Denny this summer and he had some of the best advice that week leading up to the race. He claims to be a basket case before races too, but he was smooth as silk and his result proved it!

So picking up Cicely at the airport that first night caused a bit of tension. I hadn’t seen her in so long that I could tell we were both a little insecure if everything would be in tact. She had cut her hair all off and it was obvious she was nervous about what I thought. I knew she was going to be thrown in with all my Boulder friends and might feel like odd man out.




When I got her it was so strange to see her only because with the new do did look so different. Who am I to talk though as I had blond hair myself! Anyway, we get back to the place and there are two single beds, a futon and a queen in my room. I think I had it all set in my head that I was going to take the queen and get my own room the whole time because I need “my space” to focus etc. Well, when it came time to go to bed, Cicely asks in her extremely direct way “where do I sleep?” I could tell she sensed that I was going to say the futon. You see, Cicely and I go way back and we have shared beds on SO many occasions. Many times we crack each other up to the point of tears right before bed when we share. I stopped for a second and thought “why should this be any different? My best bud is here for two weeks and we should hang like old times.” So I said for her to stay with me in the room. I would have been Bitchzilla if I had spent two weeks in there by myself!




Denny and Billy were in the two singles in the main area. You would have thought that the four of us were at summer camp. The amount of farting and pranks that were going on was at an all time high. Billy was getting pretty irritated with the farting. He stepped out for a min and we didn’t really know where he went but he came back and he had this look on his face. It’s that look that a dog has when he has been digging through the kitchen trash. Something was up and sure enough about 5 min later we find that Billy left a few floaters for us in the toilet LOL! He though he was sooooo slick with that. Cicely was like “Don’t’ be leaving no floaters when I need to pee!”




Then at some point after the laughter died down we all decided to go to bed. I would step out about every 3 min to get something from the kitchen and leave Denny and Billy an air biscuit. They kept laughing about something but I knew it wasn’t about the crisp winter green smell of my farts. So I am in bed and all of a sudden I feel something under my pillow. It was my book and I look at Cicely and say “ What the hell did you put my book under my pillow for?” She gave me that “your crazy” look. And then I move around some more and come to find that Deny and Billy had put pretty much everything I owned in my pillow. How they got the shoe in there without it looking stuffed I don’t know. Anyway, it was clear we were all regressing to the 7th grade.




The next morning Denny and I got up to go get a swim in. We decided to swim the entire course as we still had some time before the race. It’s funny how many occasions I have been to Kona and never done the entire swim. It seems that every time I am there I can’t find anyone that wants to do the whole thing. I sure as hell don’t want to be out there by myself without a wetsuit on. I get a little freaky when I get too far from shore.




So the pier was crazy as usual. Everyone was showing off the bodies like a bunch of peacocks in heat! It is amazing how fit everyone looks. Very intimidating to say the least. So we just got in and started the swim. It went by rather quickly. Before we knew it we were at the turn around buoy looking back at the shore. Billy had come with us and was a little bit behind. As we were looking at the shore we were also waiting for Billy. When he finally reached us he looks at us and says “Where is the buoy?” Denny and I were confused as we were floating right next to it. We turned around to point to it like a bunch of smart asses but as it turns out there was a current and we had drifted pretty far away from it without even knowing. So Billy being the Marine that he is (and squirlly) had to go “touch” the buoy. I get it, OCD. All us triathletes have it…..Yes you do. No, I swear. Yeah you, the one reading this….you have it. LOL.




The best highlight about that swim was that on the way back we met up with a few dolphins. Normally I don’t like the sea creatures to get near me. And at first all I saw were fins. JAWS! But then once I saw they just wanted to check us out I was okay with it…but I still had one eye looking for the sneak attack. You know those dolphins KNOW they are so cute and shit. They could be plotting to distract us with their “under the sea charm” and then WHAM! Lunch. It could happen. So I’m ready.




After the swim we went out on the bike and then got a small run in. The rest of the week pretty much went something like that in regards to training. We just did a little of everything every day. We did drive to Hapuna beach and then road up to Hawi and back. I felt strong that day on the way up but on the way down it was so windy that I didn’t get any calories in and bounced a few bottles. I freaking BONKED! Not the best thing to be feeling the week of Ironman. I got to that gas station at the bottom and had another one of my “eat everything in site” moments. I ran for 7 min and 21 seconds after the ride. That wasn’t a very encouraging run either.




Luckily everything went well after that. I was feeling calm about everything and actually looking forward to the race. I still had nerves but not to the extent that it made the pre race process un enjoyable. If anything, I was concerned that my mother was about to join the frat house. She was staying with us and would be subjected to all the shenanigans. She can handle it though. As you will see later in the write up she gets a few Mai Tai’s in her and then proceeds to go out with us.




Once I got my mom I realized she was going to fit in just fine. Before you knew it she was on the beach with Cicely in “chill mode”. You have to understand that chill mode for my mom is relaxing for 5 min, vacuuming 10 times in the day, cleaning something, and then maybe another 5 min of down time. The women never learned how to chill but Cicely was doing a pretty good job of showing here the ropes.




There were only 3 more people in my group that needed to get there. Jessica, John and Maggie. Honestly I couldn’t believe that they were coming. Jessica is always all over the world researching for her PhD and big trips like this are SOOO not in the budget of a student, John is a big LA guy with movie shit going on all the time so getting away is never easy and Maggie is this awesome chick that I only know through John. It meant so much that they were going to be there for my first Hawaii. In fact, I met John at my very first triathlon and he and I came out to Kona to race Lava man a year after that. It was so crazy to think that I was now here in Kona getting ready to not only “do” Hawaii, but actually race it.




The night before the race everyone was here and we decided that nobody wanted to cook so we went to eat at the Italian place on Alii Dr. There was not a lot of room for us so Maggie crashed a table and we ended up eating with two Canadians doing the race. It hit me that it was not the night before the night before the night before anymore and that it was simply “the night before”. The resturant was so loud and busy that all I wanted to do was get home. I was getting edgy again and the environment wasn’t helping. Luckily for me the group could see that and we got the check rather promptly and retreated back to the sugar shack where we were staying.




All that was left to do was get a good nights sleep and have some faith in the work I did up to this point. I was down at about 7pm. I woke up at 1:30 WIDE awake but felt like I should still sleep untill 3am. I did that and when I woke up again I was EXTREMELY groggy! Oh shit! This can’t be good. All I wanted to do was go back to sleep……but wait, I have an IRONMAN to do today …..