Kona 2014: Day Four

Taper training for the day: 33 miles on the bike, 1,500yds open water swimming.

The day started with breakfast as usual followed by a ride out from the Sheraton onto the Queen K highway.  This is where the majority of the race happens on the bike.  Look for a picture from the Day three blog.  Very stark landscape.

I met everyone down at the pier - where the swim starts and where the transitions are for the race for a nice mile"isn" open water swim.

I have taken a picture here with my bike and Beth every year I have raced.  This time is was Aiden.

I went straight form the swim over to the King Kemeha Hotel for Athlete registration.  Fast and efficient process.  This race is good for a quick check in.

Boom.  Smile and all.  I do this pose every year.

A few pics from inside the registration area.  All of the blue shirts are volunteers.

I went straight from registration (without buying a thing) back to the hotel and had an hour massage. 

During the massage, he had fun.

First year I raced it was orange.  Last year it was green.  This year it's blue.

Faris Al Sutans bike.  The dude won this race in a speedo.  Hero.

My birth year.  Bud light sponsored.  

They gave us quality back packs this year as apposed to shit that breaks before you try to zip it up.

Aiden and I then had a hour submarine tour with Atlantis subs.  AWESOME experience here and a good time with him.  The sub goes down 100 feet and you jet around and see all kinds of awesome stuff including two shipwrecks.

Down the hatch

I love this picture.  The photographer gave me the pic for free because I was a DENVER BRONCO FAN!

ABC stores were my favorite growing up so I made him say cheese.

Then my fellow coach of IPA Endurance randomly showed up.  Bill, you are the shit.

We watched the parade of nations at fish hoper,  watched a good sunset, then called it a night.

Kona 2014: Day Three

Daily Taper Training:  6.5 miles of running and 32 miles of riding

Day 3: Slide/Fun/MNF/Fun/Swimming/Running and Riding

The day started out with a six mile treadmill run.  I had a few little pick ups, but for the most part it was nice and relaxed.

After the quick run I had a nice paper reading session/breakfast with Mom, Dad, and Aiden.  Enjoyed the best breakfast ever again.

Right after breakfast I took Aiden for a little walk down by the ocean.  

We took a selfie to send to Beth

Mom and Dad took Aiden for a drive down south.  This gave me time for a 45 minute nap and a ride out on the Queen K.  The bike was good and winds were "calm."

I am aiming to keep around a 210w average power for this race and I think I will be good to go with that.  Much of the bike course (first 40 miles/last 30 miles looks a lot like this.  Surface of the moon.

On the drive that everyone else took, they were able to go to a black sand beach and go over to Captain Cook.  I think that's were the poor guy was killed?

After the ride, I sat down and wrote my blog for the first two days here.  The kid was back and it was swim time.

See?  Swim with me daddy.

Facetime to Beth/Mommy

He probably hit up the slide about 20 or so times that day?

The Monday Night Football game was sort of interesting for a while so I sat around and watched it at the bar and grabbed a glass of wine. 

Mom and Dad sat and watched the little dude go down that slide then go back up it.

Dad and I had a beer/wine on the Lanai

And watched a pretty good sunset

Headed down to grab another great meal at the restaurant at the hotel.

Boom.  Day three down - Registration for the big one starts tomorrow.

Kona 2014: Day Two

Day Two: Path Race Day

Taper training for the day: 8.5 miles of running, 21 miles of riding

My day started by waking up at four feeling like it was eight.  Awesome.  I had an hour and a half to myself to unpack the bike and get things in working order.  All was good and the bike was feeling rock solid. 

I upgraded to the new P3 after Ironman Texas this year and have had two successful races on it this season including a PR of a 4:42 112 mile split at Ironman Boulder this past August.  It's a great bike to be on right now.  For this race I will be using a P3 with 808 firecrest wheels and a quark power meter.

After Aiden and my dad woke up, we took a walk down to the pool to make sure that the slide was still there.

Yep Aiden... Still there.

Every year we have been here, we have participated in the Path 5k/10k race.  I opted to do the 10k again this year.  I started the race with a goal of a 36+ minute 10k and was on very good track through two miles.  I was running low 5:30's but cramped after about 2.3.  Took it easy and cruised the rest - No need to do any damage here.  There is a big race coming on Saturday anyways.

Dad did the 5k and Aiden did the Kids run.  Dad was 5th in his AG and I am proud of that :)

Aidens smile after the kids run was pretty amazing too.  I am really proud of him.

This is that smile right after his run

We waited around for a little bit before heading back to the Sheraton.

Back to the Sheraton for the BEST BREAKFAST IN THE WORLD!  SERIOUSLY, NO JOKE. ALL CAPS NEEDED HERE.

Finished breakfast then walked over to the pool to watch some Bronco football.  I was able to watch the whole thing with a nice crew of about 10 Broncos fans.  No, there was no booze in this one.  I was going to go for a ride later.

Aiden played in the pool for hours.  He went down the slide 20 plus times.

I got in a nice 21 mile ride before we went to get dinner at Sam Choys.  We had a great dinner and then I put the dude to bed around 8:15.  I fell asleep around 8:45.

Monday will give us another low key day before registration and before s* gets real.

Kona 2014: Day One

It's early Octotber and that means it's time to get over to Hawaii again.  This will be my third time in Kona to race in the Ironman World Championships and I will be doing what I did last year - A daily journal of my experiences and fun spent while prepping for and enjoying the biggest freak show in endurance sport.

I am going to this race with zero expectations and with a goal to keep my sub 10hr IM finish streak intact and enjoy an awesome family trip to the big island.

This will be my fourth Ironman distance race this year.  I went in with some big goals and have had a blast along the way.  But, I am tired.  Really tired.  Mind/body/soul tired.  I want to get through this one and really just enjoy it.  It is such an honor and blessing to be and to race among the best in the world at this distance.

Don't get me wrong.  Racing these crazy things is what I love.  Even though I am tired, I am really really excited.

Day One:  Travel Day

I woke up nice and early Saturday morning to go over and get a 6+ mile treadmill run in before the long flight.  I did a fartlek run with some really fast stuff.  Like some work at sub 5 minute mile pace. Stupid.

I got home and loaded up the car with a bag and my kid.  My parents were on a different flight, thus it was just Aiden and Daddy for the long trek of the day.  Beth will be joining us on Wednesday.

I really needed this day to re-connect with my boy.  He has spent so much one on one time with Mommy.  Things were good and I was happy that he was doing his job of being awesome.

We got to the "oar port" (as Aiden says) and almost missed the flight.  I like cutting things close.

Anyways, we made it.  Got on and ready for the 6.5 hour flight to Honolulu.

It was a long flight and I wasn't driving.  Vodka and Diet Coke it is.

I can't say enough about how proud I am of Aiden on that flight.  We watched movies on the iPad, colored, talked.  It was cool.

Sorry - this open mouth selfie is all we know how to do.

I promised the kid an airplane if he was awesome.  He got an airplane in Honolulu.

Grabbed a beer and watched an hour of the SF Giants playoff game while waiting for our flight to the Big Island.

We made it.  Dude was tired and so was I.

Aiden fell asleep for about 2 minutes in the car - a catnap that got him through dinner.  Another selfie was taken in order to keep him up.

This is a view from where our room is at the Sheraton this year.

Had dinner at the hotel.  Awesome restaurant and bar.  Had a few beers, good fish, and was ready for bed.

I wish he went to bed this easy every night.