Now that the Ironman article on me has been archived, people are having a harder time finding it. So, in case you missed my spam announcing the article and/or are interested in the lead up to the Ironman week -- here's a convenient link to an article that got posted on the Ironman.com's web site:
Noel Adorno's Ironman Journey
Enjoy!
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Photos
Want to see what I looked like on the course? Here are some of the official photos. Thumbnail photos are at top -- you'll need to scroll down to see the slightly larger photos.
I actually have printed copies of these photos -- along with arial views of the swim. So if you catch me in person and want to see the printed photos, just ask.
- Noel
I actually have printed copies of these photos -- along with arial views of the swim. So if you catch me in person and want to see the printed photos, just ask.
- Noel
Monday, October 13, 2008
Nutrition
Other endurance athletes love to ask (and talk) about nutrition. What’s your nutrition plan? How did your nutrition go? Other non-endurance athletes are more curious as to what Ironman athletes eat to get them through 13+ hours of exercise. So, here it goes – Noel’s nutrition for the day.
Breakfast at 4am: Cereal (granola, Rice Chex) with milk. There might have been a banana. Can’t remember.
Swim start: 10 minutes before swim start I had a Hammer gel.
Bike part I: The first two hours I drank Perpetuem (a Hammer carbohydrate product you mix with water), then switched to Gatorade. Along the way I had two ½ bananas and a bag of Shot blocks. For electrolytes I had 2 Endurolyte (salt/electrolyte) tablets. Or at least I’m pretty sure I did!
Bike part II: I had put another frozen bottle of Perpetuem in my bag which I got at the Hawi turnaround. So again I drank Perpetuem for first two hours, then switched to Gatorade. I had two ½ bars of sorts (one Power bar and the other some sort of nut bar). I had another bag of Shot blocks. A few more Endurolyte tablets and 2 ibuprofen. The ibuprofen didn’t help my foot problems.
Run: Two Hammer gels and copious amount of cola, water, and Gatorade – all over ice. I think I had 4 Endurolyte tablets.
Breakfast at 4am: Cereal (granola, Rice Chex) with milk. There might have been a banana. Can’t remember.
Swim start: 10 minutes before swim start I had a Hammer gel.
Bike part I: The first two hours I drank Perpetuem (a Hammer carbohydrate product you mix with water), then switched to Gatorade. Along the way I had two ½ bananas and a bag of Shot blocks. For electrolytes I had 2 Endurolyte (salt/electrolyte) tablets. Or at least I’m pretty sure I did!
Bike part II: I had put another frozen bottle of Perpetuem in my bag which I got at the Hawi turnaround. So again I drank Perpetuem for first two hours, then switched to Gatorade. I had two ½ bars of sorts (one Power bar and the other some sort of nut bar). I had another bag of Shot blocks. A few more Endurolyte tablets and 2 ibuprofen. The ibuprofen didn’t help my foot problems.
Run: Two Hammer gels and copious amount of cola, water, and Gatorade – all over ice. I think I had 4 Endurolyte tablets.
Race Report
Well, here it goes….it was a 16 hour day so brace yourself for a long read. You may find yourself expecting caddy fees after going all “18 holes” with me on this :)
The Swim: All 200 pros started at 6:45am. That left 1600 athletes for the mass start at 7am. What a crush of people! I’m amazed that I got through it without getting whacked. No shortage of body contact, though. No time to look at fishes – I had to constantly focus on my positioning.
T1: You want to know the real reason for my 11 minute transition times? After a nice fresh water shower, I had a personal volunteer who helped me get drinking water, provide towels, help pull on my jog bra, and apply suntan lotion. Tell me again what the upside to getting on the bike was?
You may have noticed the “pull on the jog bra” part. That’s right. Someone was there to help do that! Because I was wet, getting a jog bra on was hard work. I really needed the help!
I know what you are thinking; all the help should have made me faster in the transition zone. But, keep in mind that I was here for the experience – and living large in the transition zone was part of the experience. Why rush it?
Bike part I: From my point of view, the bike ride had two distinct parts...the good part and the bad part!
The bike out to Hawi (the bike turnaround point at mile 59) was great. I was enjoying the scenery, happy with my pace and feeling good. Life was a breeze. The only bad part: this part of the ride was the genesis of my only injury on the day. At one aid station I was handed a Gatorade bottle with a defective lid – so that when I tried to squirt it out into my aerobar water bottle, the Gatorade spewed out the sides all over my bike and body. I stopped to get some water to wash it off. An overly helpful aid station volunteer tried to help me and squirted water all over me. My shoes and socks got wet. I’m pretty sure that was the beginning of my blister (believe it or not, I actually had band-aids with me!). Wind conditions weren’t great from mile 40 to the turnaround. I had a headwind/cross wind for 19 miles, but my overall pace was still pretty good.
Bike part II: Near the turnaround point was when I started having feet problems. My feet – mostly my toes – and mostly on the left foot -- felt like they were on fire. I found that stopping to take my shoes off helped alleviate the problem for 10 or so miles. After 10 miles, I would live with the pain for another 5 to 10 miles before stopping again to take my shoes off. This went on for the entire ride back into town. I even stopped 3 miles before the end of the bike portion! One aid station (the Hilton team) got me a block of ice to put my feet on. At some point I put a band-aid on my growing blister. Still, take away my feet, I was feeling strong. I got a small tailwind for 19 or so miles but that rapidly turned into a headwind for the ride into town. I knew I was running behind plan on the bike ride and I was starting to worry about the run. I knew I didn’t want to be finishing at midnight!
T2: Another 11 minute transition. Another personal spa session. Let’s just say I was happy to jettison my bike shoes.
Run: I started out strong. Then it started getting dark and I started to worry about getting tired, not from all the exercise, but because it would soon be past my bed time. In the heat of the moment, I decided to try drinking Cola to give me a caffeine boost – even though I’ve never tried it in training sessions. I’m telling you, cola over ice never tasted so good.
Around dusk the volunteers handed out glow sticks so the athletes could be seen in the dark. And it did get dark. They might have lost a participant or two. Around mile 18 they had a message board for friends/family to post personalized messages of encouragement (limited to 25 characters). Well, Ted and Hope thought it would be funny to post “Shoes untied?” or something like that. Well what I saw was “S E United”. Yeah, right – what the heck was that all about? And, contrary to the intent of the post, I stopped to really ponder the message. It was hard to get going again. Confused though I was I did go again! Right on through to the finish!
The Swim: All 200 pros started at 6:45am. That left 1600 athletes for the mass start at 7am. What a crush of people! I’m amazed that I got through it without getting whacked. No shortage of body contact, though. No time to look at fishes – I had to constantly focus on my positioning.
T1: You want to know the real reason for my 11 minute transition times? After a nice fresh water shower, I had a personal volunteer who helped me get drinking water, provide towels, help pull on my jog bra, and apply suntan lotion. Tell me again what the upside to getting on the bike was?
You may have noticed the “pull on the jog bra” part. That’s right. Someone was there to help do that! Because I was wet, getting a jog bra on was hard work. I really needed the help!
I know what you are thinking; all the help should have made me faster in the transition zone. But, keep in mind that I was here for the experience – and living large in the transition zone was part of the experience. Why rush it?
Bike part I: From my point of view, the bike ride had two distinct parts...the good part and the bad part!
The bike out to Hawi (the bike turnaround point at mile 59) was great. I was enjoying the scenery, happy with my pace and feeling good. Life was a breeze. The only bad part: this part of the ride was the genesis of my only injury on the day. At one aid station I was handed a Gatorade bottle with a defective lid – so that when I tried to squirt it out into my aerobar water bottle, the Gatorade spewed out the sides all over my bike and body. I stopped to get some water to wash it off. An overly helpful aid station volunteer tried to help me and squirted water all over me. My shoes and socks got wet. I’m pretty sure that was the beginning of my blister (believe it or not, I actually had band-aids with me!). Wind conditions weren’t great from mile 40 to the turnaround. I had a headwind/cross wind for 19 miles, but my overall pace was still pretty good.
Bike part II: Near the turnaround point was when I started having feet problems. My feet – mostly my toes – and mostly on the left foot -- felt like they were on fire. I found that stopping to take my shoes off helped alleviate the problem for 10 or so miles. After 10 miles, I would live with the pain for another 5 to 10 miles before stopping again to take my shoes off. This went on for the entire ride back into town. I even stopped 3 miles before the end of the bike portion! One aid station (the Hilton team) got me a block of ice to put my feet on. At some point I put a band-aid on my growing blister. Still, take away my feet, I was feeling strong. I got a small tailwind for 19 or so miles but that rapidly turned into a headwind for the ride into town. I knew I was running behind plan on the bike ride and I was starting to worry about the run. I knew I didn’t want to be finishing at midnight!
T2: Another 11 minute transition. Another personal spa session. Let’s just say I was happy to jettison my bike shoes.
Run: I started out strong. Then it started getting dark and I started to worry about getting tired, not from all the exercise, but because it would soon be past my bed time. In the heat of the moment, I decided to try drinking Cola to give me a caffeine boost – even though I’ve never tried it in training sessions. I’m telling you, cola over ice never tasted so good.
Around dusk the volunteers handed out glow sticks so the athletes could be seen in the dark. And it did get dark. They might have lost a participant or two. Around mile 18 they had a message board for friends/family to post personalized messages of encouragement (limited to 25 characters). Well, Ted and Hope thought it would be funny to post “Shoes untied?” or something like that. Well what I saw was “S E United”. Yeah, right – what the heck was that all about? And, contrary to the intent of the post, I stopped to really ponder the message. It was hard to get going again. Confused though I was I did go again! Right on through to the finish!
Postlet: Still drafting race report
Still drafting race day report. Think about it. My alarm went off at 3:50am. I didn’t get home until 10pm. Try summarizing the highlights for an 18 hour day in a blog without your readers feeling like they're having to survive an Ironman just reading it. So, I think you'll appreciate it if I tighten up the report a bit more before posting. But not tonight. I'm the last one awake around here.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Postlet: Thanks!
Whew! I did it. It was a great experience. I've been drafting a race report. But, don't have time to post right now. I'm getting some serious pressure from my support crew (1) to do laundry and (2) to head out for a day of snorkling. So, I'll keep this post short.
I want to thank everyone for the overwhelming support you’ve given me over the many months of training. You’ve been a big help in keeping me motivated. Certainly there were times during the run that I felt like walking it in – but then I thought about everyone who’s been monitoring my progress and I'd get going again.
I want to thank everyone for the overwhelming support you’ve given me over the many months of training. You’ve been a big help in keeping me motivated. Certainly there were times during the run that I felt like walking it in – but then I thought about everyone who’s been monitoring my progress and I'd get going again.
The day after...
One last post from me before I turn this back over to Noel.
Noel finished! She clocked in at 13:30, an excellent time. That's right about the range Noel expected to finish in but the time distribution amongst events was not where she thought it would b. The bike ride ended up being notably slower than expectations but Noel came up with a 4:05 marathon...fully a half hour faster than predicted.
Noel was functional and coherent afterwards. We were able to pass on the medical tent at the end.
Unlike some of the marathons I've been to, the majority of the finishers seemed to be in decent shape. There wasn't much sign of people who pushed themselves way over the limit and just managed to make it over the end before imploding.
-Ted
Noel finished! She clocked in at 13:30, an excellent time. That's right about the range Noel expected to finish in but the time distribution amongst events was not where she thought it would b. The bike ride ended up being notably slower than expectations but Noel came up with a 4:05 marathon...fully a half hour faster than predicted.
Noel was functional and coherent afterwards. We were able to pass on the medical tent at the end.
Unlike some of the marathons I've been to, the majority of the finishers seemed to be in decent shape. There wasn't much sign of people who pushed themselves way over the limit and just managed to make it over the end before imploding.
-Ted
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Mid race update
Well...sorta mid-race. As it turns out, I wasn't able to blog using Noel's iPhone. The editting widget needs javascript to work :(
Anyway, on to the important stuff.
Noel had a great swim (1:22) and a strong early part of the bike. Unfortunately, as I understand it, the winds turned brutal out around the middle third of the bike course and it impacted Noel's bike.
Von, Hope and I have seen Noel a couple of times on the bike and run portion. We just caught her around mile 7 of the run. She's looking tired but resolute about finishing.
Anyway, on to the important stuff.
Noel had a great swim (1:22) and a strong early part of the bike. Unfortunately, as I understand it, the winds turned brutal out around the middle third of the bike course and it impacted Noel's bike.
Von, Hope and I have seen Noel a couple of times on the bike and run portion. We just caught her around mile 7 of the run. She's looking tired but resolute about finishing.
A couple of odds and ends before we go watch
Three things I think:
1. Reading the literature about race nutrition, one of the savants suggests that solid food is a "luxury" and that athletes should subsist on goo or gels for the entire event. Speaking for myself, that's a non-starter. You should make your own judgement. Go buy a gel. Keep it in your back pocket for a couple of hours to make sure the temp is just right. Then eat it (eat isn't quite the right word but you know what I mean. Or you will once you see the stuff!). Can you imagine subsisting on that for 12-13 hours?
2. There is a U.S. Navy frigate anchored just off shore for the event. By the standards of the Navy, that's a small ship. It looks pretty big to me. Completely dwarfs all of the other ships in any dimension you care to mention.
3. As Noel mentioned, we saw a good chunk of the bike check-in process yesterday. There is an awful lot of very exotic cycling hardware at this event. None of it looks all that comfortable though.
Anyway, gotta go. We're heading off to our spot to watch the swim. I'll try to post some during the day from Noel's iPhone. Wish us watchers luck. Spotting Noel is going to be hard.
-Ted
1. Reading the literature about race nutrition, one of the savants suggests that solid food is a "luxury" and that athletes should subsist on goo or gels for the entire event. Speaking for myself, that's a non-starter. You should make your own judgement. Go buy a gel. Keep it in your back pocket for a couple of hours to make sure the temp is just right. Then eat it (eat isn't quite the right word but you know what I mean. Or you will once you see the stuff!). Can you imagine subsisting on that for 12-13 hours?
2. There is a U.S. Navy frigate anchored just off shore for the event. By the standards of the Navy, that's a small ship. It looks pretty big to me. Completely dwarfs all of the other ships in any dimension you care to mention.
3. As Noel mentioned, we saw a good chunk of the bike check-in process yesterday. There is an awful lot of very exotic cycling hardware at this event. None of it looks all that comfortable though.
Anyway, gotta go. We're heading off to our spot to watch the swim. I'll try to post some during the day from Noel's iPhone. Wish us watchers luck. Spotting Noel is going to be hard.
-Ted
It's 4:00 AM and I've...
....never been this grateful for jet lag!
Noel's last pre-event meal needs to be 3 hours before the start according to the experts. We're all standing around listening to Noel count carbs in the selection of breakfast cereals.
The schedule for this morning is that she will have to be at the race start between 4:45 and 6:45 for body marking. Given the state of Noel's nerves, my money says she's down there at 4:45 :)
4:35 AM: Noel and Von just left to wait for the shuttle. Anybody take my bet?
Hope, Von and I have our first observation location picked out. It's an area out along the water front where the swimmers go by. The odds of actually picking Noel out in the water are between slim and none but it's a nice location. I'm sure that only 2 or 3 thousand other people have it picked out too!
4:55 AM: Moment of panic. Von reports no shuttle and nobody visible waiting for the shuttle. We're off to get the car while Noel continues to edge slowly down the road towards town.
5:05 AM: Von and I are back. Noel apparently caught the shuttle or someone gave her a ride. Von and I didn't find her. We did, however see a couple of shuttle buses and plenty of people waiting. Crisis averted.
- Ted
Noel's last pre-event meal needs to be 3 hours before the start according to the experts. We're all standing around listening to Noel count carbs in the selection of breakfast cereals.
The schedule for this morning is that she will have to be at the race start between 4:45 and 6:45 for body marking. Given the state of Noel's nerves, my money says she's down there at 4:45 :)
4:35 AM: Noel and Von just left to wait for the shuttle. Anybody take my bet?
Hope, Von and I have our first observation location picked out. It's an area out along the water front where the swimmers go by. The odds of actually picking Noel out in the water are between slim and none but it's a nice location. I'm sure that only 2 or 3 thousand other people have it picked out too!
4:55 AM: Moment of panic. Von reports no shuttle and nobody visible waiting for the shuttle. We're off to get the car while Noel continues to edge slowly down the road towards town.
5:05 AM: Von and I are back. Noel apparently caught the shuttle or someone gave her a ride. Von and I didn't find her. We did, however see a couple of shuttle buses and plenty of people waiting. Crisis averted.
- Ted
Friday, October 10, 2008
The night before....
OK folks. This is it. Last blog before the big event. I had black beans and rice for dinner. I'm ready to go. There are special shuttles that run between 4am and 6am that will take me and my remaining colored bags to the start.
I can't promise, but Ted, Hope, or my Mom might post a blog or two tomorrow. So, if they write in first person, you know that it a ghost writer.
Remember to track me via the link posted earlier.
I can't promise, but Ted, Hope, or my Mom might post a blog or two tomorrow. So, if they write in first person, you know that it a ghost writer.
Remember to track me via the link posted earlier.
Bike checkin
Remember those 5 bags in my race packet? Well, today was the day to fill them. My support crew left me alone to agonize on which items to go in the red bag vs the blue bag vs the yellow bag. There’s added pressure when you consider these bags go to different places. I can’t imagine what might happen if you put, say, your bike shoes in your run bag. Unlike other triathlons where you lay out your run & bike gear next to your bike, here in Kona cheerful volunteers hand you various colored bags at different stages of the event.
After the bags were packed it was time to check in my bike along with two of the five bags (the remaining yellow, green, and grey bags are dealt with tomorrow). What an amazing experience. I felt like triathlon royalty. Upon entering the transition area, I was assigned a personal volunteer who walked me to my bike station and helped get my bike situated. Then she helped me to double check the items in my various bags. Then she pointed out landmarks so I can easily find my bike tomorrow. Then, we took a tour of the transition area where she showed me how I would enter and exit for both the swim/bike and bike/run transition. Along the way we hung up my bags (see photos below), saw the shower area and the women’s changing rooms where we get fresh towels – yes, she said fresh towels! This is really going to be a great experience!
Bike racks with carpet throught transition!
Shower area
Red bag area (was that the bike bag or the run bag??)
My personal volunteer in front of blue bag area
Welcome Banquet
Last night was the official Welcome Banquet. As you can imagine, feeding 1800 athletes plus volunteers, family, friends, and other VIP guests – the food wasn’t the highlight of the evening. They did have a rock concert stage set up with two jumbo screens. The evening started out with Hawaiian greetings, dancing, and fire juggling. The Hawaiian commentator very dramatically introduced the theme of the event – Lei Ahi – the circle of fire – to represent the fire within (each athlete, etc.).
After all the Hawaiian stuff, the Mike Reilly (AKA the voice of the Ironman – b/c he pronounces each finisher with “
Over the course of the evening there were various stats thrown out:
- 1800 athletes total
- 13 physically challenged athletes
- 800 Kona ironman virgins
- Youngest athletes are 18, oldest male is 79, oldest female is 72
- 358 athletes are over the age of 50. 23 over 70!
- 51 countries are represented. 793 Americans. 200 Germans, 138 Austrians. A bunch of Australians, Canadians, Japanese, and French.
- California has the most athletes with 154. Texas didn’t even break the top 5 states. Other top states include Colorado and Washington.
After all the Hawaiian stuff, the Mike Reilly (AKA the voice of the Ironman – b/c he pronounces each finisher with “
Over the course of the evening there were various stats thrown out:
- 1800 athletes total
- 13 physically challenged athletes
- 800 Kona ironman virgins
- Youngest athletes are 18, oldest male is 79, oldest female is 72
- 358 athletes are over the age of 50. 23 over 70!
- 51 countries are represented. 793 Americans. 200 Germans, 138 Austrians. A bunch of Australians, Canadians, Japanese, and French.
- California has the most athletes with 154. Texas didn’t even break the top 5 states. Other top states include Colorado and Washington.
The Condo
My support crew has noted that my blog lacks photos. So, I’ll try to do better. Here’s a photo from our condo lanai (i.e., balcony). Nice, huh!
The Course
Ever wondered about the surface of the moon? Well, I’m pretty sure it looks like a lava field – see photos below. This will be the primary scenery come race day. The wind is indeed brutal. The worst will likely be on the bike near the halfway/turnaround point - a 5 mile climb against the wind. Luckily, there will be plenty of aid stations – one every 5 to 7 miles on the bike and one per mile on the run! Also, at each aid station there will be Gatorade, water, ice, gels, power bars, bananas, oranges & sun screen.
Support Crew
My Mom arrived with me in Kona last Sunday. My friend Hope showed up Wednesday night. Ted, my husband, showed up last night. Three people should be sufficient to carrying me home…
Tracking Noel
To track me in real time tomorrow, just click on link below.
Noel's Ironman Tracking
If you want to do this yourself from the main ironman.com web site, you can enter my bib #: 1011.
Enjoy,
Noel
Noel's Ironman Tracking
If you want to do this yourself from the main ironman.com web site, you can enter my bib #: 1011.
Enjoy,
Noel
Thursday, October 9, 2008
The Bike
Yesterday (Wednesday – 3 days out from race) I was scheduled for a short swim and bike ride. Since I didn’t bring a bike pump, I decided to swing by the expo to borrow one. As I was creeping into town (yes, the roadways are still congested with cars, bikes, and pedestrians), I noticed a Jack & Adams sign! For those of you who aren’t plugged into the Austin triathlon scene, Jack & Adams is a local bicycle shop that also sponsors several athletes and races. I had known that Jack was going to be here, but never dreamed that he’d be hanging out his own banner. So, obviously I had to stop in. Jack noticed that my aerobars were a tad loose, so he offered to give my bike a “safety check”. I’m very grateful – as he found a few other things that probably weren’t road worthy.
While Jack was working on my bike, Brad - the other Austin lottery winner - showed up. First other person I’d met that had won the lottery. I had to ask him why he had signed up for the lottery. Apparently a bunch his friends do some sort of adventure every year. They got the wild hair to do the Kona Ironman – so all entered the lottery. Only Brad won a slot.
I decided to ride part of the bike route – out Queen Ka’ahumanu Highway (AKA Queen K). I thought the road surface was the best I could hope for. When I commented as such to one of the volunteers she bust out laughing. Said that was the first time she’d heard that. Then indicated that most of the locals often complain about the roads – or lack of roads.
While Jack was working on my bike, Brad - the other Austin lottery winner - showed up. First other person I’d met that had won the lottery. I had to ask him why he had signed up for the lottery. Apparently a bunch his friends do some sort of adventure every year. They got the wild hair to do the Kona Ironman – so all entered the lottery. Only Brad won a slot.
I decided to ride part of the bike route – out Queen Ka’ahumanu Highway (AKA Queen K). I thought the road surface was the best I could hope for. When I commented as such to one of the volunteers she bust out laughing. Said that was the first time she’d heard that. Then indicated that most of the locals often complain about the roads – or lack of roads.
In the afternoon, Mom and I decided to attend a nutrition seminar by Steve Born -- an ultra-cyclist (e.g., three-time Race Across America finisher). Below are a few of my take-aways based on his theory and recommendations:
- No eating between 3 hours and 8 minutes 31.5 seconds before an event/workout. So, either you eat breakfast at least three hours earlier or you skip breakfast and down a gel packet just before the swim start.
- You can complete a whole ironman with just liquid fuel. Solid food is a luxury.
- Don’t let your concoction get too warm. It could go bad.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Catching up with yesterday’s news
Yesterday was the Parade of Nations. Yeah, just like the Olympics, except on a smaller scale and the athletes walk down Ali’i Drive. Not that small, though. There were athletes from all over the world – besides the power house countries like Germany, Australia, and Canada there were also participants from places like Vietnam, Turkey, South Africa, Slovenia, and Philippines. Great spectator turnout with at least three announcers along the route.
The Ford Ironman Village expo opened after the parade. Bicycle overload. Most designed on Mars. Best were the booths with past Ironman winners signing autographs and answering questions – such as question to 6 time winner Mark Allen – “Have you thought about competing for age group awards?” Although he last won in 1993, Mark’s answer implied that he’d like to compete with the big boys in the Pro division.
The Ford Ironman Village expo opened after the parade. Bicycle overload. Most designed on Mars. Best were the booths with past Ironman winners signing autographs and answering questions – such as question to 6 time winner Mark Allen – “Have you thought about competing for age group awards?” Although he last won in 1993, Mark’s answer implied that he’d like to compete with the big boys in the Pro division.
Packet Pickup - or how to distract yourself from financial meltdown
As with the rest of this event, packet pickup is “more” than other events. The volunteers are more cheerful, the packet pickup process is more official. Just to get in the door my driver’s license and USA Triathlon (USAT) membership card were scrutinized. The ID and card were checked again before getting a hand stamp. Then each athlete sat down with a volunteer to complete & sign various documents (emergency contact info, waivers, and promise to abide by rules). After that I was handed off to another volunteer to pick up my race packet – which included a list of enclosed items. See if you can identify all these items in the photo.
List:
List:
1. Bike checkout ticket
2. Bike frame number
3. Bike frame ties (3)
4. Bike gear bag
5. Bike/helmet ID sticker
6. Race bib numbers (2)
- Bike number
- Run number
7. Reflector tapes
- Place on front and back of running shoes
- Place on front and back of running shorts
8. Registration instructions
9. Run gear bag
10. Safety pins (8)
11. Special food bags (2)
- Hawi (bike turnaround)
- NELH (run turnaround)
12. Sunscreen notice
13. Swim cap (numbered)
14. Timing chip & strap
Despite the preciseness of the list, there are discrepancies. First of all, the reflector tapes were missing (maybe they think I am an elite athlete who is expected to finish before sunset). Also, not all the pieces of paper are listed – for example the passes for family/friends to get into the finishers area. My biggest concern is the bag count. You’ll notice the list identifies 4 bags, but I actually have 5 specialty bags. The “pre-swim” bag isn’t listed. Hopefully sometime between now and Saturday I’ll figure out what it’s used for.
Now all triathletes are familiar with bike frame numbers – they usually come in two forms – card stock numbers with twisty ties or large stickers that go around your bike tube. Well, this frame number is hard plastic and it comes with cable ties.
Wait! – we weren’t finished with the pickup process. After getting my official packet, I got my official athlete band put on my wrist. Then it was off to pick up my swag bag (granola, a stuffed duck, power bar, something that looks like clear nail polish – and no t-shirt). Final step in the process is to ensure the chip is associated with your name and number. Whew! Stock market? Economy? Who’s got time?
Monday, October 6, 2008
Blogging on the go - take 2
If this gets posted we have help documentation to thank.
- a successful post from email on phone.
The Swim
Woke up early – jet lag early – at 4am. Thought it would be novel to get in a training swim at 7am – the event start time. It turns out that about 200 other people had the same novel idea. Furthermore, the Ironman officials were prepared with Gatorade and personal items bag check. I found watching all the fish while swimming to be very relaxing. Also, although the official athlete’s guide indicates that motion sickness is the #1 reason people drop out of the swim, I crossed that stress item off my list. I felt at home in the water. I grew up in the Hawaiian waters, how can it make me sick?
The whole time I was swimming my mouth felt like I just gargled salt water. This made me chuckle as I recalled a comment Ted made to me the other day. I had been lamenting on the large quantities of recommended electrolyte tablets (5 or 6 tablets per hour on the run – at 40mg of sodium/tablet!). Ted’s suggested that I could avoid the pill popping by taking a few extra gulps of water during the swim.
Put my bike together today. Took pictures of the packing job with hopes of being able to pack it myself on the return trip. It took a while to put it together. I had only 3 or 4 parts left over.
Celebrity sightings! Spotted Desiree Ficker – our Austin pro who placed 2nd in Kona in 2006. She was out taking pictures of the swimmers. We wished her all the best. Also spotted was Norman Stadler – the German pro who NBC Sports caught puking his brains out on the bike portion of the 2007 Kona event. It was hard to miss him – his team drives around in a van with his picture taking up most of the rear window.
Mom and I picked up some fruit at the local farmer’s market. You know, just some guavas, dragon fruit and dwarf bananas. Just the week to try something new…
The whole time I was swimming my mouth felt like I just gargled salt water. This made me chuckle as I recalled a comment Ted made to me the other day. I had been lamenting on the large quantities of recommended electrolyte tablets (5 or 6 tablets per hour on the run – at 40mg of sodium/tablet!). Ted’s suggested that I could avoid the pill popping by taking a few extra gulps of water during the swim.
Put my bike together today. Took pictures of the packing job with hopes of being able to pack it myself on the return trip. It took a while to put it together. I had only 3 or 4 parts left over.
Celebrity sightings! Spotted Desiree Ficker – our Austin pro who placed 2nd in Kona in 2006. She was out taking pictures of the swimmers. We wished her all the best. Also spotted was Norman Stadler – the German pro who NBC Sports caught puking his brains out on the bike portion of the 2007 Kona event. It was hard to miss him – his team drives around in a van with his picture taking up most of the rear window.
Mom and I picked up some fruit at the local farmer’s market. You know, just some guavas, dragon fruit and dwarf bananas. Just the week to try something new…
T1 - Transition to Kona
Let's just say the plan to post via my iPhone hasn't panned out yet. As advertised, I indeed can post via my cell phone. Only the posts go to another blog. Haven't yet figured out how to get those posts to this blog.
At least it looks like I have internet connectivity at the condo. So here's an account of my travel to Austin.
Packing was mostly uneventful. I had prearranged for Nelo's Pro Cycles to pack my bike after my last Austin bike ride on Saturday morning. When I arrived Nelo himself was just returning from Europe and was proudly showing me how quickly he was unpacking his bike using a soft case. He indicated the soft cases were much preferred by the pros. I pointed out that I was borrowing my hard case -- and that beat out $300 soft case any day.
We first encountered other Ironman triathletes in PHX during our stopover. Oh yeah, they were recognizable. If they weren't covered in IM logos, they were wearing shorts with compression socks. Yes -- black, blue, or white knee high socks with shorts does indeed look goofy, but I'm sure those athletes weren't taking risks with blood circulation.
Our seat-mate was Scott - a chiropractor from Denver. He was on his way Kona in three capacities -- (1) in exchange for room and board, he was a chiropractor for a few Danish pro athletes, (2) he was going to be helping in the massage tent prior to the event, and (3) he was going to help the disabled athletes with their transitions (help the amputees out of water, help get situation on bike, etc.). Apparently he's been doing this for a few years.
My first thought after disembarking from the plane at 2pm was "Boy, this place is hot and humid. This isn't going to be a cake walk, even for someone who trained in the Texas heat. Panic. Panic." It didn't help matters when we got to our condo and it was hot, despite the AC unit!
We are 6 days out from race day and already this place is crawling with athletes. Ali'i drive is not a wide road, but traffic I'm sure is moving slower than normal because runners and cyclists are prevalent on each side of the road.
Scott - the chiropractor - tipped us off to the fish tacos at Island Lava Java. Well, the tacos did indeed taste great, especially after not eating much on the flight here (we couldn't bring ourselves to pay for the al a carte airplane food). But, I'd have to say that I'd still prefer tacos at Taco Deli.
At least it looks like I have internet connectivity at the condo. So here's an account of my travel to Austin.
Packing was mostly uneventful. I had prearranged for Nelo's Pro Cycles to pack my bike after my last Austin bike ride on Saturday morning. When I arrived Nelo himself was just returning from Europe and was proudly showing me how quickly he was unpacking his bike using a soft case. He indicated the soft cases were much preferred by the pros. I pointed out that I was borrowing my hard case -- and that beat out $300 soft case any day.
We first encountered other Ironman triathletes in PHX during our stopover. Oh yeah, they were recognizable. If they weren't covered in IM logos, they were wearing shorts with compression socks. Yes -- black, blue, or white knee high socks with shorts does indeed look goofy, but I'm sure those athletes weren't taking risks with blood circulation.
Our seat-mate was Scott - a chiropractor from Denver. He was on his way Kona in three capacities -- (1) in exchange for room and board, he was a chiropractor for a few Danish pro athletes, (2) he was going to be helping in the massage tent prior to the event, and (3) he was going to help the disabled athletes with their transitions (help the amputees out of water, help get situation on bike, etc.). Apparently he's been doing this for a few years.
My first thought after disembarking from the plane at 2pm was "Boy, this place is hot and humid. This isn't going to be a cake walk, even for someone who trained in the Texas heat. Panic. Panic." It didn't help matters when we got to our condo and it was hot, despite the AC unit!
We are 6 days out from race day and already this place is crawling with athletes. Ali'i drive is not a wide road, but traffic I'm sure is moving slower than normal because runners and cyclists are prevalent on each side of the road.
Scott - the chiropractor - tipped us off to the fish tacos at Island Lava Java. Well, the tacos did indeed taste great, especially after not eating much on the flight here (we couldn't bring ourselves to pay for the al a carte airplane food). But, I'd have to say that I'd still prefer tacos at Taco Deli.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Prep for Kona travel -- or lack there of...
OK, OK, I know I should have started blogging when I first learned that I was one of the lottery winners for the 2008 Ford Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii. But, I had other things on my mind, such as "How the *bleep* am I going to train and finish this darn event?". Well, variations of that thought consumed much of the next 6 months.
And here I am with my training behind me - about to depart for Hawaii - and people are asking if I'm blogging this event. Hmm. So, instead of stressing about packing or even packing, I thought I'd kick off a blog with the goal to record my Kona adventures.
So here we are, my first blog! Yeah!
Just be warned -- I plan to post via my iPhone. Which is to say, my posts will likely be brief as I can only stand to use the keyboard for a minute or two at a time. Furthermore, unless I can recruit Ted or my buddy Hope to post during the event, there will likely be a long gap while I actually attempt to complete the ironman event on October 11th.
And here I am with my training behind me - about to depart for Hawaii - and people are asking if I'm blogging this event. Hmm. So, instead of stressing about packing or even packing, I thought I'd kick off a blog with the goal to record my Kona adventures.
So here we are, my first blog! Yeah!
Just be warned -- I plan to post via my iPhone. Which is to say, my posts will likely be brief as I can only stand to use the keyboard for a minute or two at a time. Furthermore, unless I can recruit Ted or my buddy Hope to post during the event, there will likely be a long gap while I actually attempt to complete the ironman event on October 11th.
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