Ironman Hawaii

Okay, so I'm finally home from Hawaii and ready to write a race report. For all those of you who have been holding your breath waiting (mom), here it is. I apologize in advance for it's length. However, no one is forcing you to read it, so please feel free to stop at any time!
I arrived in Hawaii on the Sunday night prior to the Saturday race, giving me about 6 days to try and acclimate to the heat. Locals told us that it was "hotter than usual" this week, and I believed them. I didn't turn my A.C. on until the night my wife and kids arrived in an attempt to "fully acclimate." Some of you may have seen me on Saturdays at TT, over-dressed and trying to replicate the Hawaii heat in some way. Nice try. I took my first "trial run" on the Queen K at noon on Tuesday and thought two things: 1) Uh-hoh; and 2) Put the aero helmet away, that's like wearing an oven on your head.
I could spend 3 pages describing the incredible "vibe" in Kona, but I'll spare you. The swim at "dig me" beach every morning was amazing. Sea turtles, spectacular fish, 80+ degree water, and an espresso bar 700 yards off shore are a few of the highlights. Never before have I seen such a field of world class athletes who were all incredibly fit!
I also need to extend a HUGE thank you to Kona veterans John Wilson and Oakes Ames. There are not two better people around to show you the ropes for your first Hawaii. Not only did they tell me everything I needed to know for the race, they also cooked me dinner and drove me around the bike and run course! For those of you who don't know, Oakes is a local legend who won his AG in Hawaii last year by 13 minutes, and John is a stud in his own right.
Okay, on to race day. I headed down to the water at the Navy Seals were parachuting in and took a few minutes to soak in this incredible atmosphere. I felt surprisingly relaxed on race morning, prepared to try and enjoy everything this legendary course would throw at me. The swim was pretty physical for the first 1/4 mile or so (it always is!), but then things began to break up and I settled in. This was the most enjoyable swim I've ever had. I can't say I was blistering fast, but I was really quite relaxed and just concentrating on my breathing and not working too hard. I was pleased to see that I came out of the water in just over an hour (1:01:18) and was feeling pretty good. T1 was crummy as I couldn't find my bag and also neglected to get more sunscreen rubbed on. Once out on the bike, I tried to really stay in control and not go anaerobic up the first climb! This meant getting passed by everybody and there brother, but oh well. I was thrown my first curve ball of the race when not one, but TWO (both) of my EFS flasks went bouncing off my bike at about mile 2! That's 800 calories on lots of sodium. On to plan B. I actually did begin to laugh (after cursing) as I clearly did not secure these to my bike very well. I still had salt tablets with me and I also had plenty of food, so I figured I'd be okay. The ride out on the Queen K was mostly uneventful, and an exercise in restraint. Things began to get tough as we climbed up to Hawi; this is also the first that I really felt the winds and just how hot the sun was getting. I continued to hydrate like crazy, get salt, and then enjoyed the tail winds heading back down from Hawi. The race then "started" in earnest as we made a right back onto the Queen K and I learned what a headwind was. This was truly a grind from about mile 85-112, feeling like I was working very hard and going nowhere. All in all, I was pleased with my bike split, but ridiculously hot and having a hard time picturing running a marathon in this heat. (5:21:10, 20.92 mph).
Like in my other Ironmans (okay, both of them), I felt pretty good to start the run. I made a real effort to not go out too fast and tried to shoot for 7:30 minute/mile pace. Through 8 miles I was right on schedule, coming through at 1 hour on the nose. However, that is when things would begin to get, uh, interesting. I'm not exactly sure what happened, but I believe that I simply began to overheat. I began to just feel terrible, a little dizzy, and felt like I was running in mud. In my head, I began to contemplate a DNF, and how I would feel with my family out here and all the support I have received from everyone. Now, I know you're not supposed to think negative thoughts like that, but I really couldn't help it. I made a decision to walk through the next aide station and get as much fluid and ice as possible; but really afraid I would not start running again. I told myself to just run to the next aide station (every mile!), and then walk through it again to get the fluids (and rest) I needed. I decided this was going to have to be my strategy in order to finish this race-- it was time to let go of "maybe I'll set an Ironman marathon PR!" This was now about surviving this beast and finishing. Coming out of the Natural Energy Lab around mile 18-19 was also a real "low point" where I felt like I was barely moving and wondered if I could indeed finish. As I continued to "just move forward" I had some surprising moments where I actually started feeling a bit better and was able to pick up the pace (though my splits would say otherwise!). As I took the right down Palani Rd. (downhill!) and then finally a right on Alii drive, I have never been so pumped up. I knew I was gonna finish this thing. My apologies to those of you who saw my "Watch Me Finish" dance-- I'm claiming delerium!
The next week in Hawaii was just unbelievable with my family. As I reflected on this race, I was probably more proud of this race than any I have other done. A friend of mine and multiple Hawaii finisher (Steve Zambito) told me I would learn things about myself in this race that I did not previously know. First, I learned that I have no idea how to carry nutrition on a bicycle. But I also think I learned about the importance of forgetting expectations and continuing to just move forward.
This was the race and trip of a lifetime for me. I feel incredibly lucky to have the support of my family, friends, and Targetraining. And now... sorry to contradict Suzie's last post, but it's time for me to get FAT!!! Diet be damned!!!

Mitch

Comments

[rickTT]

Way cool. Great stuff Mitch! We are proud of you!