Kona 10/4: T Minus 40 Hours

OK, starting to get that little bit on anxious feeling as this so very long awaited race is drawing close!

After a late night post Manta Ray dive, Bill, Judy, Anders and I got up early, downed some Java, and headed down to join the Underpants Run.  It was the usual madness down there and the three boys had a great time being part of the festivities!

We grabbed our private parts and took the Underpants Run Oath which is: “I (state your name) solemnly swear that I will resist the temptation to wear the evil garment known commonly as:“…togs, scungies, bun huggers, plum smugglers, banana hammocks, crack splitters, butt floss, Speedos, etc., etc., etc." outside of swimming or racing.

“I further promise to uphold the sanctity of the local’s home of which I am a guest by frequenting public places in proper attire, obeying traffic laws, and being courteous at all times. This I pledge as an Ironman veteran, 1st timer, or wannabe.”

After that and some calisthenics, we were soon on our way....

We jogged (and walked) the mile or so and then Anders and I jumped up on the wall by Dig Me Beach and did the pose that Tim Kerr and I did 10 years ago:

Lots of fun for sure and great to get away from the more serious parts of this endeavor.

Judy drove Bill to the airport, after a short but wonderful visit, and Anders went for a run out near the old airport runway.  He did some 3 minute repeats at 6:00/mile and then 5 or 10 minutes at IM pace and his HR was quite low--a very good sign.

I hopped on my bike and rode out to the airport (about 17 miles roundtrip) and my bike worked like a charm.  I'll post some pics later when I get all my gear for the race organized.

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As promised, here is my race plan (and yes I know I am very slow!) along with my prior 3 Kona races for comparison:

As you can see, I'm planning on swimming quite a bit slower than I have previously, even with the 1:25 I swam at the practice swim on Sunday.  My goal in the IM swim is to have as little drama as possible and if I happened to replicate that 85 minute swim that would be "Great" (from my perspective), but I'll be fine even if its slower.  I'd like to swim 90 or so, given all the work I've put into swimming this year.

I'm planning on changing out of my swim skin and into a bike kit for the ride so I'm not planning on a super fast T1--7 minutes is my target but no biggie if I'm slower.  I plan on drinking 20 oz of Gatorade in T1 as I'm really focused on trying to stay as hydrated as possible.

I biked near 6:20 in 2010/2012 but with the winds of 2014 I rode closer to 7:15.  If I'm going to push it a bit in this race, it will be on the bike.  6:45 would be great with the typical conditions here and if we get lucky I might be a couple of minutes faster.  If I go much over 7 hours then things may start to get a little dicey for me (as far as 17 hours goes).  I've been comfortably riding at 160 watts AP/165-170 watts NP on my 100+ mile rides this year but will probably err on slightly less than that on Thursday (hopefully, not too much less).  Normally this would be very easy for me to do but, with the heat and humidity, I'm really focused on staying as hydrated and fueled as I can.

My T2s have historically been slower here at Kona (unlike most triathlons I've done) and I'm planning on doing the same this year.  I'll down another 20 oz in T2 and switch over to running shorts and a tri top.  This year I have the extra complication of strapping on my big, cumbersome Offloader Brace, so I might be a bit slower than planned here.

Lastly, the Run, which will mostly be a walk.  I'm hopeful of being able to hit 16-18 minute miles for most of the race and if all goes well before then, I should be able to comfortably get in under the 17 hour cut-off.  It will not be easy for me even at that very slow pace and I've steeled myself for the 7+ hours of pain in my left knee.  I mostly plan to really be present and try not to dissociate too much and enjoy this, my last IM!

Onwards and Upwards!