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Arriving in Kona always is a great feeling. I love the feeling of the warm humid air as soon as you step off the plane. I was sad to leave the family but excited to race again and see what the body could do with the training that I have done thus far; plus it was a great way to get away and get some sleep. I really had no idea what to expect from this race. I went in with an open mind and was prepared for anything, even not finishing if the body was not able to handle the stress. Again, I set several goals for myself.

Goal number ONE: do not panic on swim start. Goal number TWO: collect data with power tap on ride to see where fitness is. Goal number THREE: try and run 7:30 pace or faster. Goal number FOUR: listen to the body and if I feel like I am injuring myself in any way I must pull out as not to hurt myself for the rest of the season.
Getting up on race morning was easy! Although it was 4:00AM, I was still on Cali time and I had gone to bed at
8:45PM (LOVED IT!!). I opened my slider and stood on the balcony and saw that it was pretty breezy. I expected the bike to have some good “old” school winds that I have experienced on this island in years past. The morning was relaxing as I mentally prepared myself for the race. One side of my brain was telling me I was in great shape and to prepare to rock and roll. The other side told me that I was crazy to try and do this half Ironman with such little training and so soon after baby number 2.

The swim start was a mass start which I have not done in many years so I was a bit nervous to be pounded by all the age group men. I used to put my head down and go hard, but now, I swim head up for a bit and am pretty conservative trying to find a hole to get in. I basically went on auto pilot and the next thing I know, I was being pulled along effortlessly. I usually can hang onto the first group but I knew my fitness was not at that level, so I hung in with the second pack. It was a rough swim with lots of wind chop, but I swam smart and ended up being first pro woman out of the water. Goal number one: accomplished.

My transition from swim to bike was another comical event but I made it out on the bike first and rode 3-4 miles before I was passed by another pro woman. In years past I would really get down on myself but it seems my “time off” has relaxed me a bit more. My goal to ride hard and get my data was in full force and I was able to keep the first place woman within site for quite some time. I was passed again around mile 20 and again I was riding strong so I stayed positive. I kept both women within sight so it was just a matter of riding my own race. The winds were strong, great training for Ironman, so I just took the gusts as they came and did what I could to keep rubber side down. Around mile 45 I was stung by a bee….nice…but then I got a flat at mile 50! Six miles to go and I get a flat! I do believe I was on pace for a PB for 56 miles too! The tire went to the ground and I rode the rim for a bit until I realized I had a spare to change it. YES! I got off my bike, changed the flat, pumped it up put all my stuff back as not to litter the highway, and as I swung my leg over to get rolling again, the tire was flat…AGAIN! I had no more CO2 cartridges, so I was down to riding the bike in on the flat tire. Oh well, I had a good 50 mile ride and I was determined to finish no matter how long it took me to go 6 miles! Goal number 2: as accomplished as it could get.

Getting off the bike, my legs were a bit stiff and I was cramping in areas in my core that I was not expecting. I knew I was out of contention for a top 3 performance but it did not stop me from trying to have a great run. I started the run holding 6:40 pace for the first 6 miles and then slowed to right around 7 min pace until about mile 10. I started getting pretty tired at that point but I worked through it and kept focused on running hard. All in all I had a good run..1:31 split for the 13.2 miles. Goal number 3: accomplished I ended up 5th pro overall and walked away feeling very positive. I went into the basement on some mental processing so I know what I need to work on there. My fitness is further along than what I would have expected and the great thing is I am only going to get better. With the time off I will just keep getting fit until October. I should be done breastfeeding by mid June (pumping at a race was a whole new experience!) which will help with some of the core weakness. My next race is July 19th and I tackle Vineman 70.3. I got the flat tires out of the way for the season so I am looking to be more fit and go and rock the house. Thanks again to the “Team”. It was another successful day at the office!

TRIBIKETRANSPORT: Such a bonus, traveling by myself it was great to have them to help with my bike. Dropping it off after the race to take back to Cali…you have no idea how much that helped me! THANK YOU SO MUCH IN SO MANY WAYS!

GURU CRONO! What a ride! LOVED IT! For the first time I have a great relationship with my bike.

ZOOT! Speedzuit was AWESOME! Race suit and shoes kicked butt!

KAENON: The lenses are so GREAT, especially for a place like Hawaii! I wore the KORE for the bike and then showed some fashion with the GEORGIA on the run! ROCK ON!

GU! Kept me going and used the Roctane on the run…how bout those 6:40 miles huh!?

Let it Go,
Gina