Ok, ok ......... another blogging hiatus. Apologies readers, I know how many of you await new posts to appear in your RSS feed with bated breath and the anticipation of young children on Xmas eve. ;-)
Have not had too much of interest to write about; I had two weeks of nothing post IMNZ then late March and April was quite wet, Easter was very wet and then I caught some manflu type lurgy which hung around for a couple of weeks so I was left with four weeks to get in some quality training before leaving for Hawaii. I'll keep this camp report brief and tell the story pictorially otherwise this could end up being a tale of epic proportions akin to War and Peace
I had heard so much about this camp from friends and decided it would be a late 40th birthday present to myself. It certainly didn't disappoint and was one of my most memorable holidays ...EVER!
Swam, worked for four hours and managed an hour's run then once ready Brett dropped me at the airport.
Arrived in Auckland with ~ 3 hrs to kill, boarded plane to Honolulu just before midnight and luckily had a row of two to myself. Got ~ 6 hours sleep thanks to my friend Mr Midazolam . Arrived in Honolulu around 10am; unfortunately at the same time as the entire population of Asia did so spent a while in the passport queue , then a panic to find my bag then locate my bike and then drive my trolley in the manner of a Sherman tank through the said hordes of tourists and recheck myself in at the inter island terminal. Hawaii, baby!! Yeeeaaahh!!!
After more hanging around I finally landed in Kona at 3pm.
Home for 5 nights was the Kona Bali Kai on Alii drive and I was rooming with Zoe, another Scottish expat who lives in Sydney and Dianne, a very fast + youthful looking( grandmother) from Vancouver.
Showered and met up with the others and we had dinner at the famous Lava Java. ( Island Lava Java salad with grilled Ono fish) I was very ready to crash out which I indeed did til 7.30 the next morning.
**- Views expressed are entirely my own!!!- ***
Awoke feeling much more refreshed after a long ride and started the day by building my bike. Zoe and I then walked the ~ 4km down to the pier as the others were there for a swim. The sea was calm, the sun was out and we were surrounded by a huge pod of dolphins. How fabulous!! We could hear them "chatting" to each other under the water and one show off kept leaping out of the water doing back flips. Brill.
Coffee at Lava Java followed then back to the hotel, take the bikes out for a spin to check everything working and go to the bike shop, buy a few necessary ( and unnecessary) items, have a 2nd coffee at Lava Java then back.
Dinner tonight was at the Kona Brewery ( yummy spinach, strawberry and shrimp salad )and more campers had arrived today.
After brekky and a quick look in the running store for an emergency purchase of a Garmin 910XT on sale (as my forerunner died a death the previous day and I was unable to resuscitate.......) , Zoe and I thought we should go for a ride so we headed back along Alii , up Palani and along the Queen K for a bit. I think we must have had a headwind on the way out as our average speed felt very slow! We turned around after 45 minutes and stopped in by the energy lab on the way home to snap a couple of pics :-
First puncture of the camp for Zoe as we headed home; despite a large wide shoulder on the Queen K, there is a massive amount of broken glass and bits.
Dinner and camp get together as everyone had arrived by now making 23 of us in total - 20 campers, 3 support crew.
Day1:_-
180km ride, 7km run off the bike, short recvry swim
Day 1 started off at 6.30am for our group to ride the full Ironman World Champs bike course. There was a light rain shower but by the time we had climbed up Palani onto the Queen K, the sun was out and the mercury was rising. I periodically dropped on and off the group and a couple of others dropped off with punctures. I spent ages finding a loo in Kawaihae ( by the jetty, people- there's not one at the gas station!!) and the others had all gone, Rick had kindly waited for me so we climbed out of Kawaihae together then I dropped off again so ground my way along the road to the halfway point at Hawi. The stretch between Kawiahae and Hawi in both directions is hot, hilly and exposed.
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| Rick and the Chicks at Kawaihae |
Think had a slight headwind here and you are also going a little uphill before you drop down. Aid station was most welcome so I snaffled a load of salted cashews and refilled the bottles then tootled off again; noting that this section of the ride was HOT and a bit of a slog. Didn't notice much in the way of crosswinds this day but can see why this section is notorious in IM folklore.
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| Bonk breakers = yummy |
Zoe caught up to me and then we caught Rick then luckily caught the other girls at the aid station so we all rode the last ~50km home together, luckily with a bit of a tailwind. We had to run off the bike to Turtle beach and back ( ~7km) so Zarnia and I trotted side by side; each wanting to stop and have a walk break but not wanting to let on to the other that we wanted to walk so we ended up running the whole way!
I noted that the climate down on Alii drive along the coast is more humid than the dry heat of the Queen K.
Once fed and watered we all headed to the pier for a pre dinner 15 minute loosen swim then dinner at Lava Java once again.
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| Campers with their new caps |
Day2:- 3km sea swim, 16km run , 40km hill ride
Today began with a ~3km swim down by the pier with a handicap start. It was pretty rough today and I felt that I was being shunted around and not making much progress while ingesting salt water periodically. A mild panic attack ensued after ~300m in, given some previous bad experiences in the water, but I did a bit of breast stroke and gave myself a talking to and ploughed on, aware of my slow progress thanks to my new Garmin 910 :). After my 1500m lap I chose to do a couple more shorter laps as I get fearful being way out in the ocean when I can't see people.....
A freshwater rinse, snacks and a drink then we were all deposited in the Energy Lab, another famous landmark in triathlon circles.
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| Campers pre run. We love Lululemon!! |
It was a pretty tough 11km stretch on the Queen K to Palani, humid ish and hot and it seemed to be going gradually uphill. Once down Palani and along the 5km home stretch to the Bali kai it wasn't so bad and I felt a bit better ( tho had stopped at the ATM to get some $$ out so the leggies did get a wee rest)
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Z+ I re-enacting the Ironwar.
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Once back at our lodgings and a tasty lunch devoured ( note: Epic camp=Epic food. We were fed like kings ) It was time to reconvene for today's mystery ride- a 40 km hill loop with tack- on options and the bonus of a hill climb **race***. We headed up to the Queen K yet again and trundled along steadily as a group , in the rain! WTF- I came here for sunshine!!!
Turned right and climbed up a bit then came to a stop where John informed us it was an effort tt climb to the top of the hill which kicks up to ~15%. I think it took me 27 mins or so; was not bad until the last section which would have been OK on my road bike with compact gearing but not my standard, shorter cranked TT bike. Slight heart attack when I stood up to pedal and the rear tire slipped . Once at the top, most opted to take the right turn and head down ( still raining!) towards a road which would take us to Keahou. Psssst- rode over a nail on my rear tire on descent, quick ( very dirty ) change and off we went. Caught up to the others at top of hill so down to Keahou, back along Alii then Psssst- front tire flat this time. Tried my 4 year old pit stop as a quick fix since we were only 500m from the hotel but no wormy. Then I was fumbling + couldn't get the tire off, then the heavens REALLY opened!!
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| I think there is a swear word coming out of my mouth here..... |
Thanks to Dianne + Susan who gave me some assistance + moral support here. John reappeared with a spare front wheel thankfully so we made it back.
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| My cool Kona roomies. What fab chicks. |
Dinner at Lava Java for the last time then home to get organised for the big day ahead on Tuesday.
Day 3:- 150km ride to Volcano, ~6km trail run, 50km ride to Hilo
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| Blissfully unaware of what lay ahead for the day....... |
Another early start this morning, bags etc dropped off and our large group was off by 6.30 am heading towards Volcano. This was going to be an Epic day and didn't disappoint!! Cant remember too much of the day ( ..... that memory blackout where, like childbirth, the body doesn't remember pain....) and its not one where many photos were taken. I dropped off the group after the first aid station , we were riding single file along a highway through some little towns and past some coffee plantations. I just tootled along watching the girls in the distance and feeling highly inadequate peppered with bouts of Tourettes at the driver of a Polynesian adventure tour bus who kept leapfrogging with..oh...6 inches to spare alongside and causing Alberto to wobble . I spotted a Zebra in a field with a donkey; no one else saw this apparently and I wondered if I had been suffering so badly that it was a mirage!!. But John later confirmed they had spotted it last year. Phew.
After ~ 90km the road started to descend gently almost back to the sea and it felt very hot again!
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| What goes down must then go up..... to 4000feet....! |
The road started to head slowly upwards and thus the 40-50km ascent to Volcano had begun. I was feeling pretty miserable I have to say, my right piriformis was nagging so badly that I had to stand up and pedal every few minutes, It felt like I had a really bad toothache deep in my bum. I think I ran a whole gamut of emotions on that lonely climb ( its
very barren ; sparse patches of vegetation peppered with lava rocks.Nothing else.) - angry when i ran out fluid, weepy at the pain in my butt and how inadequate a cyclist/triathlete I was, happy as I was in Hawaii and not at work. ( Though my day was nowhere near as bad as fellow camper, Eddie's was and I admire him for sticking it out to Volcano!!) I would have loved to plug my iPod in and crank out some HTFU music but instead I opted for getting off my bike and giving my butt a deep stretch along with chugging a bottle of coke . That seemed to do the trick. 7 hours 15 minutes and 2500m of ascent, 150 km later I arrived at Volcano, realising most of the group had cycled in dribs and drabs. Certainly a day of attrition :)
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| Yes, we are going to run down there!! |
We were delivered in run gear to the trail head, super support crew Dave manning the bikes etc back by the van and John informed us we were running the crater circuit. Zoe rolled her ankle as we were nearly at the base of the trail so Susan, Dianne, Zoe and I did a fastish walk across the crater. It was reasonably technical anyway and with legs like planks of wood, am sure one of us would have become a cropper.
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| Crater running.I think us girls were still in the trees at this point ! |
It was raining by this stage and a little chilly so after a tasty outdoor lunch ( real food- Yum!) and a change of cycle clothes it was time to head for Hilo - 50km away downhill. Oh, I did NOT want to sit on a bike seat EVER again but the promise of not having to work too hard coupled with some panadol, a liberal coating of vaseline I was off.......it was raining so hard I couldn't see and the rain felt like needles poking in my eyes! Brrrr.... cold too; who'd have thought in Hawaii??!! Once down to ~500m and with a dead power tap, I had warmed up so pedalled on soon to reach the outskirts of Hilo. One wrong turn later then I quickly realised and made it to the Seaside Hotel; that was one hell of a day! A hose down of bikes and a hot shower then off to dinner at Cafe Pesto which exceeded expectations. Glass of white wine washed down with pizza and salad was the perfect end to a big day. All I needed was a soft sheepskin cushion to sit on and it would get ten out of ten :)
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| Trail to the crater |
Maryanne our zany masseuse/support crew sorted out my gluteus issue after dinner with some deep massage and her big vibrator (!!) ; me ever optimistic that the pain was worth it ( ..it was!!)
Day 4:_ 7km run, 115km rolling ride, 30min pool "swim"
Woke at 6.25am wondering who had clobbered me with baseball bat in the legs and bottom overnight??!! Must have been the same guy that let my front tire down overnight along with the multiple bench presses ( awoke with sore chest muscles). Bastard.
Dianne had already made the coffee so we threw that down then met the rest of the crew at 6.45am where John informed us that we were doing a 2.5km warm up lap then it was a guess your time 5km. I was so stiff I could barely move and ran the slowest 5km I have ever run... ...ever.... . But who cares?!! This is camp and we are in Hawaii and its fun!!!
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| Paradise. But island time doesn't apply on Epic camp :- ) |
Breakfast was a Fawlty towers type affair as we were informed by the grumpy waitress that no more than four to a table and we were only allowed coffee and water in a cup. And it was either orange juice or coffee but not both. She obviously realised that triathletes are not big tippers :-)
Todays ride was a 115 kmloop round the South coast and it was very scenic. We left Hilo en masse and climbed back up the main highway then peeled off left after ~11km then eventually joined the loop road which was a narrow ( by US standards) road, winding and rolling close to the coast.There were a few drop offs due to punctures and we met the faster group who had taken a wrong turn and rejoined the correct road so we were a little strung out but I thoroughly enjoyed the rollers along the coast, spotting the sea and back lava rocks through palm trees and other vegetation.
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| Looks a wee bit like NZ here!! |
The road comes to an end as it turns to gravel which coincided with a heavy downpour so we sheltered under a canopy then turned back to head up a longish but not steep climb which took us to the end of the loop and the U-Haul truck aid station, quick refill then back onto the highway , past the roadworks and down the hill to Hilo. PSSSSST- flat rear tire AGAIN; managed to ride over another nail which was embedded in the sidewall of the tire. Dianne ( what a trooper!!) waited with me while I changed that one; again we had a torrential downpour in the interim but D kept me entertained by singing the Barry Manilow song...... "drinking pina coladas, getting caught in the rain...."...... and then we rode on to Hilo with a planned stop at Walgreens - I was after some kind of topical anaesthetic cream to numb the hotspot on my bottom that had been rubbing against the saddle and my chamois for 3 days, as well as stock up on a range of pharmaceuticals that are not so freely available in NZ. We also swung by Starbucks and grabbed a coffee then eventually arrived at the Seaside in mid afternoon.. ready for lunch!
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| Coach John on the coastal loop. |
Super-mechanic Mark also helped me change the batteries in my dead power tap, my speed cadence sensor also died today so I duly changed the battery and I put new rear tire on - a Specialized Armadillo- please, please, please NO more punctures!! That's FOUR already ; surely it's someone else's turn ?!!!
After more packing and sorting of gear and a thorough shower to get rid of the bike grease, we congregated in the foyer and were taken to the local pool. A 50m pool with no lane ropes and where swimming was 25 yards across. I'm not so sure the local aqua joggers ( of which there were numerous) were too happy a pack of 20 triathletes thrashing their way back and forth across the water for our 1000yd warm up. It almost ended in carnage with a few near head on collisions so our lane ( i.e. the girls) decided to join the aqua joggers for a bit which was
waaaaay more fun and quite therapeutic methinks! John noticed us eventually so we rejoined the throng and first up it was a 50m free race. I was second last. Then a 50m kick race ( no board). Second last again with a few bouts of respiratory distress thrown in for good measure!
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| Pool Mamils |
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Calm before the storm.
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After our (cold) showers it was back to cafe Pesto for food; commendations to them for their prompt service. Not a sensible idea to keep a load of hangry campers waiting! Once fed and watered, we were shuttled back to the Seaside and given instructions for the next day. The rain had been intermittently lashing down all afternoon and evening so we surmised that a very wet ride was likely in order. Just as well my bike shoes hadn't fully dried out.
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| Paleo goes out the window when pizza's involved...... |
Day 5:- 120km ride, 2.86km run off the bike, ~ 25 min sea swim
Had a great sleep apart from a couple of disturbances listening to the rain on the roof . Very comforting with the thought of a bike ride in the morning :). Made it to breakfast and appeased the waitress by not requesting extra water, coffee in a pot etc etc. I chose eggs today; hmmmm, average. Similar to an airline breakfast. I heard that some of the boys had decided to go to Ken's House of pancakes across the road and forego the Seaside Hotel breakfast. Definitely sounded like a superior option!!
We set off through the Hilo morning rush hour, through the old centre, following the coastline and the road gradually kicked upwards. It rained solidly for around 10 minutes around a half hour into the ride then the sun came out and we were blessed with a fantastic day for the rest of the ride. It was at this point my power tap and my cadence died for the second time and I couldn't get it going again. We all came together at the first aid station then set off again up a bit of a climb. Today was the first day I felt
good on my bike....no aches and pains and I was actually able to ride as opposed to suffer. I ended up floating like a stingray off the back of John, Phil and Scott's little group ( note that they were having an easy ride today hence I was able to hang on...) knowing that I would drop off at some stage, especially when the road pointed upwards.
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Hanging out on at the back |
It was great to be actually riding with people for a change and having a bit of a draft....... However, I hung in until the last 2km when Philinator put the hammer on down the hill to Waimea for lunch and I couldn't match their speed.
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| Enjoying the scenery |
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| Lunch at Waimea - anyone want to catch the school bus home??!! |
As usual, Maryanne had prepared a scrumptious buffet for us which was very appreciated, then it was time to leave Waimea and begin the descent down the Kohalas to join the Queen K. There wasn't much shoulder on this part of the road and a bit of traffic so I had a bit of a Granny- like descent. As we got further down, it felt like someone had turned the fan oven on as the air got hotter and drier. From there it was ~ 18km to the Mauna Lani so we rolled along in the heat to our five star destination, dumped the bikes in the bike room then did our brick run of 2.86km to the Fairmont Orchid to register for the 70.3 on Saturday. Once done we walked back and checked into our rooms. Oh my goodness, what an amazing place. I wish I could live there like a princess for ever and ever.....happily ever after :)
We congregated once again soon after to head to Hapuna beach for a wee swim as this is where the swim would take place on race day. It was a bit choppy with some waves, the shore break was...oh...... 30cm high but I could feel anxiety creeping in and flashbacks to my dumping in Maui so as everyone else launched themselves in to swim, I was standing in the shallows trying to hide the fact that I was being a
softcock baby.
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| Hmm where are the waves in this picture ?@!!!! |
Super support crew Mark asked what was wrong and I explained so we spent the next 20 minutes ( while the others were swimming) re-enacting scenes from Baywatch..( not
those kind of scenes!! Duh!!)... running in through the waves then swim-surfing back out , running onto the beach, repeat. That was amazingly good for my confidence and I will be eternally grateful :)
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| Balcony at the Mauna Lani. |
Then back to the Mauna Lani, quick shower and shampoo and we had enough time for a cocktail at the canoe bar before dinner, to celebrate riding round the Big Island. I chose a "Tiny Bubbles" which had a mix of vodka, champagne and other things in it. Dinner was tasty , they even brought out dessert. Which we all gobbled up with gay abandon. Then off to bed with the pleasant thought of a very easy day on Friday...!
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Hardcore kiwis/aussies/adopted kiwis enjoying a cold one.
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| Hopefully this cocktail will fix my panda eyes........ |
Day 6:- 30 min sea swim, 10km ride to rack bikes. Shopping.
Managed to get a quick load of laundry done then met some of the other campers for our optional sea swim. I had considered flagging that but had woken early and thought it would be good movement and recovery given we were racing the following day. We swam at a little beach ~ 400m round the coast from the hotel; the sea was perfectly flat, clear, turquoise with multitudes of brightly coloured fish gliding underneath. John instructed we do 3 laps round a small catamaran parked ~ 200m away. We then practised some race starts. Oh, if only all swimming locations were like this one.....true Utopia. Man, do I really have to leave here on Sunday :(( ??!!
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| Idyllic swim surrounds. Especially for Scottish people. |
After swim and a rinse, it was time to get stuck into the continental breakfast buffet. It would have been rude not to sample a little of everything that was on offer.......even the mini pastries.
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| race day mantra is to swim like Honu. |
Zarnia, Nadia, Zoe and I took the shuttle to the Fairmont to drop off our run bags and purchase more necessities from the expo- new bombproof front tire and more CO2 canisters -then we headed off to the little group of upmarket shops in the grounds( after coffee of course!) and checked out what was on offer. There may or may not have been a few purchases made. What goes on tour, stays on tour :) After lunch, the bikes were all sorted and ready for dropping off at T1 later. I managed to squeeze in a quick massage with Mark who loosened off my sticky left shoulder ( my piriformis had been really good since Maryanne had worked her magic a few days previous and also given me a good tip of squeezing each butt cheek while I am riding as it clenches then releases the muscle. It works!!! ).
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| What a great bunch of people to spend a week in Hawaii with. |
We then all congregated on the lawn for a group photo then it was time to ride the 10km to Hapuna Beach. I made a bad choice of wearing Lululemon running shorts to ride down to Hapuna; who knew 10km could be so uncomfortable?!!
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| Rush hour on the Queen K |
Once bikes were racked we piled back into the vans and back to the Mauna Lani for another tasty dinner; everyone looking a little less knackered although not so relaxed with a race looming the following day. I struggled to get my head into race mode and couldn't focus on mini decisions like how many gels for the bike etc etc. I hadn't thought about the race at all until we dropped our bikes off then I started shitting myself about the swim start and what I would do if there were 5 foot waves, breakers and so on. My normal race eve routine always includes a glass of wine for relaxation so I duly obliged myself and calmed my inner voice with some reassurance that at least we haven't had a tsunami warning tonight!!
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| Bonus of racing in a warm climate- no wettie, no down jackets, legging, beanies etc required |
Our morning instructions were to meet at 5am in the foyer which meant alarm was set for 4.15am. Yuk!!! Luckily I had discovered some nutella and almond butter amongst the food in the bike store so was all set for my traditional pre race brekky ( minus banana)
So I will end this here and write up the race report/day 7 in the next installment.
Mahalo :)
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| Hazards of the tropics. |
First puncture of the camp for Zoe as we headed home; despite a large wide shoulder on the Queen K, there is a massive amount of broken glass and bits.