“NEVER STOP TRYING.
A quest for the top of the podium. If you know me, I am not the most talented athlete, but I will train hard & not give up. I believe in my coach & the training program. Even if I disagree with the volume of running the past few months, I managed to stay mostly injury free. This is part of the challenge I enjoy, going through the process of a training build where I learn more about myself & what I am capable of. To maintain health & excitement in a challenging block of training is not easy, but somehow it worked. During an 11-week build I had 3 of those weeks with over 51mi of running & an average of 22hrs a week of training.
The Build Up:
For 5 weeks we needed to be in Boise, which I was nervous about during fire season in August. The environment was fantastic for Jono (my hubby) & me to be home with late summer heat often into the 100s & some altitude. Along with easier training logistics, less driving, friends to join me for long workouts & family nearby, it made for an enjoyable block. A good reminder that a ‘happy athlete’ is a fast athlete.
My final prep was in California thanks to the Golan Family who generously hosted us in their peaceful casita in the Bay Area. My final race was Ironman 70.3 Santa Cruz in September alongside a few athletes. This was a successful weekend for us all & I executed a half-marathon PR that day. Although confidence was high, it was easy to get complacent & I was reminded that I still had a few weeks of key sessions & more heat training to accomplish.
We arrived on the Big Island 12 days before race day, allowing us plenty of time to acclimate, fit in some long rides & runs a& nd a practice swim on the race course a few days out. Workouts were all completed without issues, meals & nutrition were on-point & I was feeling relaxed. As race week began, we moved from the busy town of Kona up into the cooler hills of Kaloko, a little bit of a drive, but very relaxing. I also brought over to Hawaii my Ooler Sleep pad just to make sure I could stay cool at night & recover from hard sessions. Two days out, I somehow felt a rib in my thoracic vertebrae slip out of place. It was painful breathing while swimming & I could definitely feel it when running. Fortunately, Jono managed to help with mobility & the pain was gone by race day.
Prior to race day, I read an inspiring book (Wooden on Leadership: How to Create A Winning Organization) & watched an inspiring series (Ted Lasso) that made me laugh. It helped alleviate the pressure which can be challenging to handle due to the race course conditions & the level of athletes. The constant reminder I had to myself was to respect the conditions & to fuel. About 1 week out from the race there was an update in our Athlete Guide that 10 aid stations would be removed (6 from the bike course & 4 from the run course). My immediate response was: ‘THAT IS A LOT! I made some changes to my run hydration plan in order to adjust.’ My bike plan pretty much stayed the same though with 2 frozen bottles of Breakthrough Nutrition in Special Needs & making sure to grab 2 bottles at every bike aid station.
Race Breakdown:
BOOM! The horn goes off (only the pros get the cannon).
I lined up in the front row & immediately found myself in the lead for approximately 05min. After a bit, swimmers from my left came over & I counted 4 people…so I figured I was in around 5th place. I had no one to draft off of & nobody in my Age Group (AG) passed me so I figured it was going to be a solo day. I relaxed & settled into finding my rhythm, stroke pull & relaxed kick for maximum efficiency & minimal fatigue. I eventually started passing other waves & exited the water with many women. Upon entering T1 (the transition area to get bike gear) my sunglasses arm broke off. I was not about to go all day without glasses! Luckily a volunteer fixed them while I ate a banana & within a few minutes I was ready to run out to my bike.
Off I went passing a number of women, but very consciously shifting with ease, staying light on the pedals & working hard to not go guns a-blazing in the first few miles (like I’ve done in the past). I focused on rehydrating & keeping my cadence high. I arrived at Queen K where the highway has never-ending rolling terrain which you can see for miles ahead of you. Then, as the day heated up, the lava fields start to feel like you are riding through a furnace. However, the wind was not yet too strong & occasional cloud covers brought respites from the heat. I reflected upon my numerous Boise summer rides in over 100F…which felt far more challenging. I thought to myself, today was just another long training session with a breeze & plenty of rabbits out front to chase. After a couple hours I climbed up to Hawi, finally putting down a bit more power after a conservative approach. At one point I reached up to my face to apply some sunscreen & felt what I thought was sand. ‘How in the world do I have sand on my cheeks???’ ‘Oh my, it’s salt caked to my skin!’ After grabbing my special needs electrolyte bottles, I continued to eat more & make sure I was doing everything in my control to stay on top of nutrition & fluids. I even took a few breaks by coasting down a few hills & taking advantage of the tailwind.
Attitude Is Everything:
As I rode back towards Kona, I was overtaken. I was eating & either I didn’t come out of the draft zone quick enough or the athlete slowed too quickly. As a result, I was only 3 bike lengths back, instead of the required 6 bike lengths. Because I was focused on my goal of riding smoothly & as steadily as possible, I didn’t surge to pass…and I was issued a Blue Card. Being issued a Blue Card by an official means that you are required to sit in the next penalty tent for 05 min. Most athletes are angry, upset & they stand waiting with their bike in the penalty tent. My strategy was different. Because I knew I would be forced to take a ’05min rest break’, I rode a bit harder over the next 20mi as a way to gain some time. As an older athlete, the opportunity to stop & stretch is truly a blessing. During my penalty I consumed all my food, took my cycling shoes off, stretched out my legs, back, hips & laid down to lower my heart rate. Those 05 minutes flew by & with a mile to go I was ready to run & rehydrate after my ‘rest break’! While I believe many things can go wrong in a race, what matters is how you respond to them & how you make that outcome turn to your favor.
In The Lead:
As I lost the lead of the race during my Blue Card ‘rest’ & exited a very busy T2 to start the marathon in 2nd place. Towards the end of Ali’i I was overtaken & dropped to 3rd. After glancing at my pace, I knew it was critical to stay hydrated, not get excited & manage my body for the many miles to go. As we turned to run up the steep Palani, I saw the 2nd place gal start to walk before the aid station – a glimpse of hope that I could bring back 2nd! At the top of the hill, I watched her take off again & head off into the distance to where I could barely recognize the kit. I thought: ‘Ok, settle in, relax, form focus & stay on your nutrition. You have a LONG way to go on a hot & boring highway. Just be patient & at least hang onto your spot.’
The miles ticked away & I continued to hold onto my ice bottle for cooling. I would not let the ice bottle go until around Mile 7 which is where a downhill & a nice ocean breeze come. As I came into the Energy Lab (about the marathon halfway mark), I came upon AG friend/competitor, Amy Farrell, & gave her an encouraging pat on the back (despite her minimal running & no knee cartilage, she looked as strong as ever). She shouted some kind words as well. The next aid station came up before Special Needs & I definitely needed a different snack & another water bottle with my NBS hydration mix. While I picked this up, arranged & ate my nutrition, I watched the 1st place gal continue to run further away without grabbing any aid. Running out of the Energy Lab at Mile 17 without a tailwind is tough, but I continued to plug away even with a slower pace. I looked up & noticed I was starting to catch her as she walked, but then she would run & speed away. Patience, I thought. Things could still go very wrong with my body. Once again, she started to walk & I passed her on an uphill holding my best form & not looking back.
Coming out of the Energy lab I felt it, just after 21 miles, both groins were very tight & seemed like they would cramp. ‘Maybe it’s just soreness’, I thought. Then, out of nowhere, as I approached Hina Lani, 5 km from town I saw Kathy Harris, Erin Green & Jono, my biggest supporter! He said, ‘You have 1:30, on 2nd but you need to continue to go’. That, along with the positive mantras in my head, was all the encouragement I needed. As I picked up the pace, my adductors screamed at me. I stopped to walk unsure if it was soreness or cramping. I restarted running & focused on consistency, more electrolytes & slowly focused on what I needed to do – keep the best form I could & rally my body to the finish line. Sprinting down Ali’i Drive is like no other race experience. The crowds are overwhelming, loud & they encourage you on every step. I was in disbelief, yet I believed I could.
I finished strong & took in the moment & experience. For a non-runner, I had the fastest run time (still not sure how this happened)!
An incredible thank you to Ironman for pulling off a 2-day event in Kona.
To the volunteers who worked endlessly to keep us fed, safe & looked after, thank YOU.
To my support team of: Revolutions In Fitness, Bill Hirai, Kyle Sela, Brandon Trean, Idahome Movement Academy – Home of Audacious CrossFit, Ted Huang, Stacy Sims
My training partners: Erin Green, Kristin Armstrong Savola, Sarah Barber, Jenny Tobin, Mike McCarthy, Alon Golan & Jono Coulter (logging the most miles).
My sponsor partners: Vie ƐƖ Kustom Apparel, ROTOR Bike Components, Blue Competition Cycles, Vittoria Cycling, Tri Town Bicycles, BikeFlights.com, Breakthrough Nutrition Terun, Snowflake Properties, LLC.
To my coach: Craig Upton & swim coach, Pete Kain
My Kona Cheering Squad: Erin Green (chef), Jono Coulter (mechanic, chef, masseur, sports director) & Kathy Harris!
To all my athletes: I hope to inspire you more every day.
Most importantly, a million thank YOU’s to my husband who does about 10 zillion things for me each day. We were also able to celebrate our anniversary on the big island this year!
To wrap up the experience, I would like to emphasize how important your ‘team’, your family & surrounding yourself with positive, happy people (not just for training, but for your whole life) is for your success. With a busier year, starting a new business & building a house, it was not easy to manage my time. I could not have done it without all the support.
I am not the most talented athlete, but I try. The details were dialed in & on race day it all came together to take the victory!
Previous Kona Ironman World Championships Age Group results:
1999: 35th
2012: 33rd
2014: 15th
2015: 2nd
2016: 5th
2017: 3rd
2018: 4th
2021: St. George* 2nd
2022: Numero UNO”