Happy Birthday!

Birthday Girls!

Yesterday was Hannah's birthday and Ella's is Monday so we traditionally do one joint birthday party. After 5 years of big pool parties, I decided it was time to have a small party. We planned to do the "you're turning 6, you can have 6 friends." It was good in theory, in reality though we had 28 kids. We had a Peter Pan theme, complete with Tinkerbell Bouncy House and Captain Hook Pinata. The Pirates played water balloon catch (thanks to Auntie Kristin that filled all those balloons!!) and ate cake decorated with pixie dust. Today we are recovering!

If a tree falls on a runway

I have a philosophy of racing question, if you win a race but there isn't an official time do you still have bragging rights? There are certain unwritten rules of racing that newbies are not always aware of but learn with experience. For example it is not generally acceptable to wear a race shirt for a race you didn't do or finish. You also don't wear the race shirt while you're doing the race, its for afterwards when you're all hot and sweaty. Another rule is for spectators, if you're watching a friend race and they are gaining ground on the person in front of them you don't yell out, "Hey Bob, you can catch that guy! Go faster!" That kills the element of surprise for the intended victim and they will then sprint away. My question is if you win a race but there isn't an official time, do you still have bragging rights? Let me explain.

I was supposed to help out with Freedom Fest this weekend but circumstances didn't allow for that to happen. I had assumed that most of the July 4th races were on Saturday so I didn't pre-register for any of them, thinking I'd be at the Ranch. Saturday evening I discovered the Marine Corps Runway 5km was actually Sunday morning and their website didn't explicitly say no race day registration. I've done a lot of races on the Marine Base and they always seem happy to take money race day so I lined up my race gear and set my alarm.

When I arrived at the race that morning I was informed yes I could register but there were no shirts, which is fine. Truth be told MCBH usually has really ugly, big Marine looking shirts. Best women's race shirts on the island "Na Wahine" hands down! But then they explained they were also out of race numbers. Huh? I asked the registration lady if anyone would actually care if I didn't pay and she said, "Nope! But you're not covered for liability." I had already signed my name on the paper and the money goes towards a Marine unit anyways so its a good cause. Also if the money will help keep the Base doing their awesome races I'm happy to contribute.

My race plan was to go as hard and fast for as long as I could and if I blew up on the runway so be it. We all took off and I managed to pass a few people in the beginning but then people started to pass me. Quite a few people passed me but I was pleased to note that only one girl in a pink t-shirt went flying by. Up ahead I could see another lady with a strong steady pace so my goal was to run my race but to try and catch up. The lady in pink was long gone but the race is on the runway so you never really lose sight of the racers.

I slowly caught up and passed the lady in black and could see the lady in pink wasn't that far ahead. I had no idea how many women were in the front pack but I decided to push it and try and catch the pink lady. The finish line was through a line up of 18 planes here for the Rim Pac Exercise and I managed to catch and pass the pink lady half way through the planes. I ran across the mat, got a drink of water and checked my time 22:55. My fastest time ever! Wahoo.

So out of curiosity I stuck around to hear the official times to see where I would have placed. I listened to my age group and would have won it. I decided to see what overall was and they announced first place was 22:53. So I would have gotten second place but when the winner came to collect her prize and it was the pink lady! Huh. Then I realized I hadn't stopped my watch right away so my actual time was a little faster.

So here's my question, I registered, I paid my fee, I ran fast, do I get bragging rights?

The Price of a Blog

So while I was training for Honu I wasn't blogging much. There are only so many hours I can leave my home undefended before it is in a state past repair. I forgot this on Saturday as I wrote my epic 3 part blog. Turns out the cost of writing my blog is my home and sanity. It started innocently enough with Hannah asking for glue. For those of you who know Hannah sitting is not an activity she does willingly so arts and crafts are not her thing at all. So I jumped at this opportunity, a voice in the back of my head said, "This could get messy." To which I answered, "Childhood is supposed to be messy, creativity is messy, chill." So I get Hannah the glue, grab my coffee and head to my computer to compose.

It was too quite but I ignored it. No one was fighting but I ignored it. Eventually I needed something downstairs, probably more coffee, on my way down I ran into Hannah on her way up with an upside down bottle of glitter. "Excuse me?!?" Hannah,"I wanted it to be like Peter Pan. This is fairy dust." I follow the "fairy dust" trail from the stairs, through the kitchen and into the front room where the "fairy dust" stockpiles are spread all over the floor waiting to be distributed to every nook and cranny of my home.

All that glitters is not gold because in our house everything glitters. Carpet, walls, toys, children, pets. For those of you with glitter experience you know we will be sparkly for months, for those of you without glitter heed this warning, do not bring it into your home and for those of you with really mean streaks its a great gift for small relatives that live far, far away. Jason has already requested no more glitter, "I can't go to work with glitter on my uniform" and he's not due to put a uniform back on for another month but he knows its lasting power.

Still standing

I hit T2 and I’m so happy, rack my bike, stash my bike jersey, find a volunteer to apply sunscreen to my back and head to the potty. (Hey, when you’ve been pregnant as many times as I have your bladder has suffered enough abuse and refuses to be ignored!) As I head out on the run I look at my fellow runners and listen to their groans and pants. After the solitude of the bike I realize I’m not too excited to be hanging out with these people for the next two hours. I want to run my own race and not be tempted to run someone else’s like the guy in front of me. He is determined not to be passed by a girl so he takes off and 50 yards along he’s walking. Later dude.

I am so happy to be off the bike and to know I’m going to finish I’m floating! I’m also passing a lot of people, mostly walkers but a few runners. The aid stations are loaded like an all you can eat buffet, for people who consider ice, sponges and gels consumables. And despite the fact I’m not lacking for fluid or calories I can’t help myself. One guy even has my much desired Raspberry Cream Power Gel, so I grab it and decide to save it for mile 6. Wow, mile 3 already? Sweet. I see Alicia up ahead and decide I’m going to try and catch up, gradually. One aid station is playing 2 Legit 2 Quit and I find myself doing a little happy dance. I make it through the clover leaf run, three short out and backs and know I’m heading for the “Road to Hell” and it earned its name but on the positive side I start seeing people I know, Amy and Erick aka Wonder Woman and Superman are there cheering everyone on. I see Michelle A, Marcy and Gwen on the run. While I was on the bike I was convinced everyone was already done and enjoying post race massages. It was comforting to know there were others out there still suffering with me.

And then it’s mile 10. I have a brief moment of doubt when I realize I have never done more then 10 miles in my training. I recently changed my running form and had to start at 0 and build my mileage up from the beginning. It was tough but well worth it. So I did a quick mental check, feet felt fine, legs, gut, IT band was a little tight but not painful in the least, bladder. Dang. The power of suggestion. Just the fact that there was a port a potty on the course was enough for me to have to stop. And yes, this is my 4^th trip but I’m almost there. So I head for home, no more stopping, no more grazing, just running. And I’m passing people. People walking, jogging and running. And then it’s the last mile and I’m sprinting! (When I looked at my official race photos later, I literally have both feet off the ground in each picture.) I see the water, the bridge and finally the end. Its been 6 hours and 45 minutes. 4 minutes faster than the Tupper Lake Half Ironman I did in 2003. I’m done! Jason and the girls meet me with a big hug and kiss and then Hannah immediately has a tantrum. I just look at him and we agree they should just go back to the condo. I grab my finishers t-shirt (a medium since all the smalls were collected an hour ago- seriously why do they always run out of smalls at races?) my food, said a quick hello to everyone and walked back to the condo to bask in the sheer joy of being done!

I don’t know if I’ll do Honu again, especially if I re-read this blog before registering but it was an amazing day and I am grateful for all the triathletes who trained with me (Camp Bennett), guided me, lent me gear (thank you Marcy!!), answered my questions and calmed my nerves! I’m especially grateful for my husband who supports me (emotionally, mentally, financially and physically) and encourages me. He also does a wonderful job of holds down the fort so I can train. Thank you for continuing to make all my dreams come true.

The Epic Bike Ride

Triathletes are always looking for ways to shave time off their races. When I get to that level of racing I’m guessing the first place I’ll look is at my 5 minute transition times. I like to have a snack, dry my hair a little, put on some socks etc. The catch is I know I’m going to be on the bike longer than most so I’d better be comfy. Thankfully the day before Marcy had made a comment about the bike course. I had looked at the map and hadn’t realized that before we head North we head South for a 10 mile loop. It would really have messed with my head if I hadn’t discovered this until volunteers started waving me in the opposite direction I had planned to go. It was a good way to start the bike, lots of people passing me (par for the course) but also the chance for a quick turn around and see that there were still a lot of people behind me too!

The bike is the most feared segment of the race for me. A lot of people had expressed their concern or dislike of the run course but all I could think was, “How bad can it be, you don’t have to do it on your bike!” My whole focus for this race was to survive the 56 miles, I wasn’t even thinking of the half marathon at the end. So we headed up to Haiwi and it’s a long way. Luckily there was lots to keep me occupied, bikers, a noisy rumble strip, lava rocks and thorns to watch out for. My game plan called for me to have a gel every half hour and as much water as I could get into me. I had discovered the Quick Stop on the Marine Corps Base sold the gels I liked for 99 cents so I loaded up. At the half hour mark I have my gel, one slug of it and I realize, “Oh, it’s the raspberry cream not the razz flavor I like. Shoot, this is going to be a really long day.” I had a water bottle on the front of my bike, a speed fill on the frame and a pink camel bak, which earned me some “Go pink backpack girl, go!” from spectators. I wanted to finish this race without crawling or getting dehydrated, primarily because my daughters don’t understand recovery and could care less if I made poor nutrition decisions on the race yesterday, Sponge Bob is on and breakfast needs to be served, NOW! So of course all this fluid going in means it has to come out and as previously mentioned I’m going to be on the bike easily an hour longer than my “competitors” so I need to make good decisions about whether sitting in my own urine makes sense to save me 2 minutes, yah it doesn’t. So I stop at the aid station, went potty, refilled my speedbottle and found a second wind.

The only problem was mentally I was ready for the turn around which didn’t come for another 20 miles of up hill climbing. I also finally caught sight of the fast bikers heading back down the hill. I did some quick math and realized it would probably be at least 45 minutes until I was where they were now, ugh. Also at this point the gusts of wind are appearing out of nowhere and blowing me around. I’ve got my body contoured so that I’m driving into the wind sideways in hopes of minimizing my lateral travel. In the end it was more of a mental attack than a physical one but it did shake me up a little bit. Finally after much wondering what I was doing and would the turn around ever come, it did! So I got off to pee!

The week before the race I noticed one of my cables had slipped out of the groove so I took it to a bike shop to get an assessment if it was an actual problem or not to worry about it. The mechanic quickly popped it into place and sent me on my way. However when I rode afterwards it no longer shifted, hmm, that can’t be good. So I tried a different bike shop. They tweaked it and told me there wasn’t a problem and thoughtfully explained to me how to shift the gears on my bike of 10 years. Grrr. This is not going well. After the second “tune up” the gears at least shifted but boy did they complain about it! So my game plan for the bike, shift as little as possible. I know, I know but what can you do? So I’m heading down this volcano, with Joy’s advice ringing in my ears, “No brakes!” frantically praying to God or the deities of the Big Island as I’m unclear on jurisdiction and am not in a position to tick anyone off when I attempt to shift for a rolling hill and my chain falls off. Dang it. I’m not 100% sure I know how to put it back on but I have traditionally learned most of my bike mechanic skills in the middle of a race so I take a stab at it and successfully manage to get it back on, whew!

So I take off again, and this time manage to pass someone, of course she’s walking her bike but she still has a race number so that’s all that matters. I call out and ask if she’s okay and she says, “Salt, I need salt.” Hmm, I don’t have any, I tell her but then realize I do have some bloks so I pull over to go back and hand them to her when another biker arrives on the scene who does have salt tablets so I take off. I’m sure at this point many triathletes (if they’re even still reading) are shaking their heads. I think we’re actually not supposed to assist each other but its now the 3 hour mark, we are still far from T2 and it’s a different kind of race. Its not about slots, the drafting judges are long gone and they’re actually hoping we will draft if it means they can finally close the bike course. At this point none of us are really racing each other, we’re racing the clock and the course and our heads.

I do a mental check and I’m doing okay. I’m more than halfway there, I put my chain back on, I’m heading downhill and I’m not walking my bike on the side of the road begging for salt. I’m good to go. I just keep biking and start singing Queen’s song, “I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike”. We’re heading back, we’re on our way to the Fairmont and I’m so excited I’m actually passing people! I see Mike and smile for the camera. When I see the actual turn off to the Fairmont I start to giggle! Yahoo, its almost over. Hmm, except the 13 mile run. Bike time 3: 52, under 4, not the 3:30 I was dreaming of but I'm still moving!

Honu Race Report (finally)

Its been almost a month since Honu so I figured it was my last chance to actually do a race report. I was waiting to post pictures but Blogger is having none of that so I'll edit them in when it decides to co-operate. I’ve had the chance to read some other race reports and mine will be longer than those since my race lasted an hour and a half longer. Yes, going fast is great but the true test of endurance is to just stay on the course as long as you can and still keep going.

The Swim

Mass start 1500 people, sounds awesome doesn’t it? My original plan was to hang back, let the fast, slot-focused people go and then just do my thing but then I realized how many people that left, about 1400. Normally the swim doesn’t phase me but after reading a local athlete’s blog about a training group coaching swimmers on how to shove others under the water and swim over them, I nervously realized there may be some athletes looking to purposely move me out of the way and not just accidentally swim over me. Finally I decided I’d rather take my chances with the strong swimmers and hope a gap opens when they all take off then to just get slammed around by the panicking weak swimmers.

I headed off to the deep water where the lifeguards were trying to keep people behind the start line without too much luck and waited for the cannon. BOOM! Away we went, the beginning of a very long day! A typical start, everyone on top of each other and I did have one locked in moment where I started to doubt my game plan but I very quickly realized it wasn’t going to be any better anywhere else and so far I hadn’t really been kicked, punched or slapped, I was doing well! I made it to the first buoy and was a little too far inside so I had to swim under the buoy (making sure I was going around the outside of the rope) which was a move I was a little concerned about feeling there may not be a window for me to surface once I cleared the buoy.

It was a tougher swim than I had anticipated but I’m not sure if it was due to the chop or the sheer number of swimmers. As we swam the buoy line a lifeguard, on a board keep yelling, “Move Left!” So I kept moving in left much to the annoyance of the guy to my left. I am a notorious zigzagger when I swim. I once won a lake swim at West Point only to have a guy on shore comment to me, “You know you’d be much faster if you swam in a straight line. I think you did twice the distance of everyone else.” So this poor guy had to contend with me crowding into him constantly but we got around all the buoys, at which point I realized perhaps the lifeguard wasn’t yelling at me personally and that my line was actually fine. Oh, well.

The day before the swim the family and I headed to the beach, along with every other athlete on the Kohala Coast to check out the swim course. I started chatting with this lady who managed to convince me that it was a triangular course and that the buoys were going to be brought in closer to shore. I realize now it was just wishful thinking on her part and even though I had read the official swim map and was fully briefed on the fact it was a rectangular course as soon as I rounded the last buoy on the top line I angled in for the finish. At this point two things occurred, the swimmer behind me started slapping the crap out of my feet and the crowd thinned out. The crowd thinning out often happens on the last stretch of swim races as those with juice left throw it into overdrive and those hitting the wall just start looking at the coral, so I wasn’t too concerned about it until I realized it wasn’t just thinning out it was barren. Damn it! I looked over my left shoulder and there is the swimming highway to the last buoy. So I turn completely around and head down to the last buoy. I’m not sure if my toe tapper was aware we were going the wrong way and just trying to redirect his mule or if I was just slowing down and he was catching up but after the 45 degree turn he disappeared, preferring to draft a swimmer actually doing the race course.

Finally land ho! I exited and was a little disappointed with my swim time of 37 minutes but I also knew I haven’t been putting the time into the pool and that there was so much left of today it would be better for me to play it safe on the swim in order to finish the bike.