IM World Championship - Kona 2022 Full IM #23

 

I was fortunate to be able to do a training block in Kona in August. It was in the high 80s and much hotter than the actual race day, although race day was hotter than usual for October. My oldest daughter was not happy that she couldn’t go to Kona for the race (college) so the training block, in part, was her consolation prize, and it was also just what my coach, Jason McFaul, had ordered. This training block was so helpful for my mental health on race day. Knowing that crosswinds would pick up at mile marker 14.5 on 270, memorizing the rolling terrain back from Waikoloa, and running in the energy lab was helpful even though the winds on race day ended up being relatively calm.   

I got to Kona again in October the Friday before the race. During ace week I participated in a few choice activities – the TriDot lunch with Michelie Jones and Mark Allen, the underwear run with Kathy Harris (a fellow Zooter and friend who came to spectate – we had fun), and a Zoot lunch followed by watching Bob Babbitt interview Kat Mathews who was wearing a back and neck brace following her bike crash a week prior. The rest of the time I tried to stay away from people and get some good rest.

On Tuesday I checked in with bib 488. For fun, I look up the meaning of my bib numbers prerace. This one was apropos: “No matter how difficult your journey may be, you will eventually reach the destination of your dreams.” My races have been difficult this year, requiring a lot of grit. I wasn’t sure if this meant I was reaching my destination at this race or if I was in for a lot more clutch work. I typically latch on to the most positive meaning, after all 488 is a Ferrari model, and then I will come back to reflect post-race.

Morning of, there were no issues. I woke up on time, Mike dropped me off at the pier, pumped up my tires, loaded my nutrition and then did a short run warm-up. The bike racks are pro style where you adjust the width for your tires and it slides in at the bottom, no hanging. We were instructed to leave our helmets on the bike. This made me nervous as I have had others knock my helmet off my bike when left there in transition. I remembered to adjust the width of my helmet for wet French braids and hoped it’d still be there in transition.

At Kona, unlike standard full races, there is not a time trial type start. Even the 70.3 champs and St George full last year had wave starts with a time trial start within each wave. Here, it’s a deep water start in age group waves, so the whole wave goes when the air horn sounds. Women 50-54 were second to last for the women (men started after us) starting at 6:55am. The chute to shuttle us to the swim start had us packed in like cattle. I really didn’t like being so close to everyone for such a long time (so close that I couldn’t stretch). It was a relief to make it to the Dig Me Beach steps and get in the water. After swimming up to the start, it felt like it took forever to go. Surf boarders are paddling back and forth trying to keep folks from inching up. As fate would have it, one stopped directly in front of me blocking my path just ahead of the start. Horn blows & I must figure out how to swim around the surfboard. I decided to go around instead of under. The swim was crowded the entire way. The best part about the Kona swim is having extra people to draft off (there is a higher number of fast swimmers). I was able to stay on feet for most of the swim; gapped up twice and then just settled in when I couldn’t pass. Being on someone’s feet is a huge advantage because of the reduced mental load of figuring out a path around the slower swimmers from the previous waves.

There was constant passing of the 45-49 age group with blue caps. I made it to the first turn buoy in 31 minutes - it was a choppy mess on the return. There was a noticeable up and down in the water. I concentrated on feet in front of me so I wouldn’t get sick. It took forever to get to the steps after hitting the pointy end of the pier. The water was a washing machine swimming in, but it had been like that in August and earlier in the week, so not unexpected. Time was slower than I wanted, but the same as 2009.

Swim 2.4mi: 1:09:43, 18/157 50-54AG, 319/1204 OA women

 I did a quick mouth rinse in the shower tent and then I was off to the women’s change tent. I am not sure why organizers gave the women the small tent since it was mainly women racing. It was an absolute zoo in there - I was lucky to get a chair but no volunteer. I saw Glee in the tent who had so graciously taken me on training swims back in August. She was in the final wave and had swum up past me like the rock star she is! It’s a giant transition – so, so many rows, but I had noted all the landmarks on the way to my bike the day before. My helmet had stayed put on my bike (hooray)! You now have to run up a bit on Palani, past the pro transition area that was moved off the pier, to mount your bike. I saw Mike at the bike mount line - yay! If I get in a flow I won’t see him, but I was actively looking since he told me he’d be there.

T1: 4:43, 20/157 50-54AG

The bike started fine. I felt decent. Kuakini is a rough road - my bar ends started to move out. I looked down and my right bar end was about an inch longer than the left! I had to constantly manage by trying to move the grip pad down, so it didn’t push my shifter out. It felt like my power meter was reading low, but I was not going to stop and calibrate it. It turns out it was likely accurate, and it was my body that needed calibrating (more on this later). After you turn around on Kuakini, it’s a much-loved downhill grade to Palani. The road is rough, though, make sure everything is nailed down on your bike. I seemed to have crap power on Palani, but I tried to take the energy of the crowd with me as I climbed up the Queen K. There was a younger woman doing the race on a fat tire bike to “bring back the joy of racing” who I passed early on the Queen K. She was all smiles! On Queen K the pavement was rough - much rougher than the breakdown lane that I rode in while training and this was entirely unexpected since it was mostly smooth during training. I had to keep pushing my right shifter back on to the aerobar end. It was so hot out there that the adhesive keeping my repair kit on under my front drink bottle melted and then the entire repair kit slid off & launched when I hit a downhill bump. Crap! I had to turn around and get it. I ride with 650c wheels, so there is a good chance that the bike techs roaming the course on motorcycles won’t have what I need. Another bump and the repair kit launches a second time another 5 miles down the road. I give up attaching it to my bike and shove it into the back pocket of my kit. Good thing I have this giant ass pocket! I figure I lost a good 4 to 5 minutes total as the woman riding the fat tire bike passed me before I got going after the second launch. I decided to turn my power screen off and stayed focused on the time and my heart rate. My heart rate was not getting out of zone 2, but it felt like zone 3. It was like there was an invisible force sitting on my chest and pushing me back all day long. I would come to find out later that was spot on. I listened to my watch alarms and used all the salt I brought and drank all the water. I was following my plan, but my legs and heart were not cooperating. I decided to try Coke on the bike. It has saved my butt many times during the marathon section, so why not since they are handing out full bottles? It did taste good, but man is it messy trying to drink out of a regular bottle while riding. Now I have sticky hands! I was ready for the crosswinds on 270 climbing up to Hawi, but they were tame and nothing like the ones that almost blew me over in August. After turning around in Hawi, however, the tail wind was also minimal, and I didn’t get to experience running out of gears on the downhill (which I had the pleasure of in 2009). The wind mostly takes, but there are also a few places it gives back if it happens to be windy! I had ridden the Queen K from Waikoloa to the Energy Lab many times in August and during the week leading up to the race. It’s a tough climb (especially if there are strong crosswinds) back to the airport if you aren’t ready for it. We got lucky this year with very little wind (for the island), but it was insanely hot. My “Be the lava” mantra helped until I started to wonder if repeating that was making myself hotter (LMAO). I didn’t overheat, but I did have to constantly manage my hot foot by pouring water on my feet. The water I was carrying became too warm on the last stretch, but warm water was still better than no water.
I wanted an aid station after the airport but there wasn’t one. I should have checked more closely to where all the aid stations were. Once the bike hits the run course (the light after the airport) there isn’t anywhere to put an aid station because of runners. You can see the marathon aid stations and longingly wish you could cross over to get cold water, but nope!
I did feel relatively stronger the last 20mi & I started passing people who had passed me earlier. Still, I had a disappointing time. I had wanted (and was in shape) to best my 2009 time of 6:11. My average power was way low for my rate of perceived exertion (RPE) at 125 (I was shooting for 150-160). I just didn’t have the legs today and didn’t know why.

Bike 112mi: 6:20:36, 78/157 50-54AG, 677/1204 OA women

We had to rack our own bikes. It was easy - I love the pro bike racks – no hanging! So much more stable and other bikes don’t smack yours. I opted to keep my helmet on the bike after (also new to me) so I wouldn’t have to run with it. I felt decent - not overheated like 2009 and no muscle cramps. Those trainer rides with the humidifier and heater running worked! I did all my changing inside the loo which was inside the change tent. Handed my bag off and went for a little run!!

T2: 4:26, 13/157 50-54AG

Out of transition, you run past the pro bike racks up Palani to Kuakini. You take a right on Kuakini, which is the only section you run twice on the course. There were a fair number of spectators there on Kuakini cheering for the pros, but the majority were down on Ali’I Drive where I was headed. Running down Hualalai, I was focused, and my race brain totally missed Mike and Max, but I saw the 1995 champ, Karyn Smyers, cheering at the bottom as I turned on to Ali’i. I said her name with a thank you and got louder cheers in return! Turns out her sister was racing. I was glad that I noticed that the aid station number had been cut before the race due to a lack of volunteers. I decided to run with a bottle like I do in training and miraculously the liquid in there wasn’t too warm (it was turned in frozen about 24 hours earlier). The first aid station was almost 2mi in (there was water in T2), so that’s a long way to go to get ice and water if you are not carrying anything. I forgot to fill my bottle at the first station, like a moron, and ended up chanting to myself before the next one “fill your bottle” so I wouldn’t forget again. There was so much extra to do at the aid stations, since I had to fill my bottle too, that I started getting lazy about taking my salt and completely forgot to take alt red (and I didn’t hear or see my watch alerts). I started out averaging 9:20/mi the first 2 miles and the plan was 9:10. I tried to up my cadence (it wasn’t great) and get my times down, but the splits started to stretch out even longer despite the extra effort. It felt harder than it should, my respiratory rate was higher as well, and my inhaler only helped so much. My glutes were insanely sore starting around mile 5 while climbing Hualalai. It felt like fatigue, but I have never had this happen before. It slowed my cadence and uphill speeds. I loved running on Ali’i. Lots of support - saw Andrew Harley from TriDot on the way out on Ali’i’. On the way out and up Palani I saw Kathy and then heard Keish. I passed right on by (100% clueless) Jan Frodeno who was volunteering at the Palani aid station. Thank you, Kathy, for taking the pic! I was then out and on to the Queen K where it was hot and lacking spectators. I was watching people come in on their bikes and thankful I wasn’t one of those people! My throat was sore, and I chalked it up to mouth breathing. I was getting slower and doing my best to manage everything.
About a mile into the energy lab, I saw a big, black goat similar (who knows, maybe the same one) that I saw just before I got a flat while training the bike course back in August and then I saw it AGAIN on my second go of training the bike course before getting stuck in my small chain ring for the last 30 miles. Shoo, go away!!! I didn’t see you. Oh geez, I did see you. What are you doing here in the energy lab? Well, at least I can’t get a literal flat or get stuck in my small ring since I am running. Coach Jason had suggested that asking questions to myself would help get past the pain & refocus my effort. What would The Muscle do? The Muscle would run up Palani. What would The Muscle do at this aid station? The Muscle wouldn’t walk. The Muscle would just keep trying with the hardest effort The Muscle could manage. The Muscle would take salt on time. You have salt this marathon - stop being lazy and take it!! The Muscle would smash this energy lab section. The Muscle would get out and back on to the Queen K before the sun sets. Uh-oh. That set off my BS detector. Oh, come on, Jeanette! You know full well that The Muscle would reach the finish line before the sun sets. The Muscle wouldn’t be in the Energy lab just before sunset! And that was the end of that line of questioning. I couldn’t use “What would The Muscle do” anymore because, The Muscle WOULD HAVE FINISHED BY NOW! was all my brain was coming up with as an answer. My thoughts turned to how I was grateful that I wasn’t having intestinal issues like at St George. The sun going down was dark, but it helped with the core temps. My uphill running was S-L-O-W as my glutes were on fire and complete toast. I had to do a lot of Fartlek. Get to that sign. Get to that light pole. Catch that walker. A volunteer tells me I am almost there with 4.5miles to go - no, no I am not. I still have close to an hour. You can tell me that at the top of Palani. I looked at my watch around mile 22-23 after a long uphill stretch and saw 14min+. What??? That is how slow I am running (?!) - well then best not walk as it will take freaking forever if you are “running” 14 min miles. Plus, you made a rule - no walking. Forward is a pace. I was starting to cough up loogies, which I chalked up to allergies. Where is Makala? Where did it go? It is so dark. Pick up your feet or you are going to trip!!! And then out of nowhere in the dark, Mike and Max are there! Yay - energy boost! What a nice surprise because no one else is out that far. Mike accurately picked out my shuffle in the dark :D. Next thing I knew there was Makala and along with it lights, and more spectators. Last uphill grind. Palani is in sight. Now everyone is telling me, “It’s all downhill!” This is also a lie, but it is almost true. The half percent grade on Kuakini is not *really* a hill, but it sure feels like one after 139 miles. I saw Kathy again on Kuakini (credit for the pic!); it was easy to smile and enjoy the whole way down. I did get passed right before the chute started by someone in my age group but there was no gas left in the tank to respond. The finish chute is extra-long and amazing in Kona! I enjoyed it all the way in. There’s no place like the Kona finish line. I’m so excited to be back – it feels like home.

Run 26.2mi: 5:07:03, 110/157 50-54 AG; 870/1204 OA women

Total Time: 12:46:28, 79/157 50-54 AG; 729/1204 OA women

So, so happy to be done. I had to be held steady by some very nice catchers - there was a long way to walk. I got to briefly see Tina and Karyn who were volunteering (Karyn gets credit for the pic!) I did not feel good but didn’t think I needed the hassle of the med tent. I made the mistake of sitting down to get my phone out of the morning bag and then I didn’t ever want to get up again. I didn’t feel well enough to stand in line for a finisher pic. I finally got off the ground and moved to the food tent. I managed to eat half a slider and a couple of fries, but then my stomach didn’t want any more. I shuffled through the hotel and found Max and Mike. Mike took my timing chip and went to get my bike and bags in transition. Along with the bike check ticket your support person now needs the athlete’s timing chip to get your bike and bags in/out of transition. This should cut down on theft.

I got a milky runny/stuffy nose back at the Airbnb but had a gotten a message that the grass was just cut (I am allergic) so I didn’t think anything of it. I slept horribly and Garmin had me at a resting heart rate 22 beats higher than Thursday morning which had already been 8 beats higher than normal. Sleeping poorly is not unusual post-Ironman, but wow, 71 RHR for me is really high. I did some pool walking on Friday and just laid around grateful I didn’t have to go anywhere. Saturday, I woke up with sinus congestion and decided to take a covid test I had brought with me to make sure (I still thought it was allergies). It was bright red, right way. Oof. I should not have raced, but I had no idea. I don’t know where/when I was exposed as I had been vigilant about wearing a mask indoors. I must have been exposed outside. Thankfully, my symptoms got better quickly with just a mild sore throat left on Monday. I wish we could have explored the island, gone to the awards, etc. but such is life!

I’m always on the lookout for bird signs ahead of my races. It’s more or less just good fun and not something that I take seriously. This year, a bird nailed the window of our Airbnb (I didn’t see it - my family did) and then was stunned on the deck. It was stuck flailing on its back, so I flipped it over and then stood away. It sat there for a long time (maybe 15 minutes) with its eyes closed and then flew off. I did kind of feel like I hit a window during this race. I’m looking forward to that day when I can fly.

There was an ethical dilemma about flying home, but I really had no choice. I double masked and didn’t eat anything, but I felt bad about it. Keep in mind that people get sick on trips all the time and there’s a great chance that someone on your plane has covid, a cold, or the flu. I’ll be masking in airports and airplanes now for the foreseeable future. I was covid negative within a week of the race, so I was able to do IMCA (17 days post Kona) and
, spoiler alert, I’ll be back next year for a redo!