Friday, October 10, 2014

Twas the night before Kona...

(phone post no pics... will post some later)

Twas the day before Kona and the town is a buzz with triathletes in spandex and compression galore.  The vibe is a good one and people are ready.  The energy is out there and infectious. 

We were up at 5am, our usual this week and had the 12 cups of Kona coffee going immediately.  We go through 24+ cups a day in our house.   Today is about eating, hydrating, eating, gear bag prep and eating.  Building up fuel stores are key as tomorrow we bite 10-12,000 calories so storing a few extra is beneficial. I eat normally race week- so lots of kale, veggies, egg whites... And each day a bit higher carb intake.  I've been eating Trader Joes GF. (No I don't do GF race week but John has celiac so it makes it easier ) Pumpkin Pancakes each am.  They are THE BOMB!!! Get some now. Each day I add one more pancake so today I am up to a stack. 

40 min spin at 6 with with Les and Amy and then Sag Monkey did a bike check and final once over.  10 min shake out run.  Headed to Dig Me beach for a final test of my Roka Viper swimskin.  The water is just amazing... 82 and clear as far as you can see.  Early in the week I saw pods of spinner Dolphins every day- babies and adults playing and spinning along with the manta rays.. Coral and colorful fish.  Truly an aquarium.  Today was a lot of lean, as in eat a cheeseburger lean, bodies.  Short swim to the coffee boat, espresso shots as you hang in the edge and listen to the myriad of accents and languages.  This is when you realize this a World Championship - not just a bunch of yanks....

The goal after that is get out of the sun and off our feet....but we had to go get some more love from Bonk Breaker ( or more fuel for tomorrow) and then one more iced Kona coffee and home.  Pancakes round 2 and RnR.  Out of the sun, horizontal, reading, on the phone, working (yes working) and then the bags... swim gear, bike gear, run gear and special needs bike and run.  Lots of mixing of fluids, tiny bags with salt tabs and other pills, water bottles, race numbers..... and no pictures.  Focused and just got it done.

Then the red carpet/cat walk.... where you check in your bike - a long carpet lined with people and clipboards marking off what bike, helmet, shoes, glasses etc you are wearing for the "kona count" which is published later. Helmet check for safety and the personal escort to your "box" on the pier to rack your bike then the the LONG walk around the pier to the hanging racks for swim and bike gear bags.  Lots of familiar faces and hello's.  It was overcast with intermittent rain drops..... please be like this tomorrow.  And it is done.... lots of lean, fast and excited people.

Home.. then early dinner of pasta, EVO, parmigiana and some spinach. Osmos PreLoad and now water...chilling out and hope to be horizontal by 7.  ... alarm goes off at 3 :)

1028...wish me luck 


No comments:

Post a Comment