Ironman Kona 2006

[update: November 02, 2006]

Successful races usually begin with a “pop” out of bed. Mornings when the alarm goes off and I think “I would so much rather be buried under these covers than out there racing”...are usually a bad sign. Race morning in Kona began the good way. Actually the entire week leading up to the race I felt strangely calm and relaxed. I could not wait to get out onto the course and race, I was that ready.

Race morning progressed in the usual fashion, I managed to put away a large amount of necessary calories and to leave the house on time. I arrived at the race site so early they hadn’t opened the special need bag lines yet. Nerd alert! I made my way towards my bike in transition, Enya was droning in the background and I had the same thoughts as I did 6 years ago when they were playing the same song- “Now here is a song to get you nice and fired up!”. ? I finished preparing everything so early that I could actually sit back and enjoy watching the media hound over Natascha, Jo, Faris and Norman. No one really seemed to be very interested in my existence and I was wondering if all that attention added to their anxiety while I could remain calm. I went to find Paul and we hung out talking and poking fun at some of the outfitties going by. Some people really just love prancing around in their tiny speedos a little too much! Come on now people! Being extremely fit does not give you the OK card for speedo prancing!

They called us all down into the water and we lined up behind the boogie boarders. The sky was dark and overcast and I started shivering a little…now this part of the race usually causes quite a bit of anxiety for me. I do not enjoy floating around on this imaginary line treading water while the announcers bark at us to “GET BACK! GET BACK!” and everyone looks around like “If you ain’t movin I ain’t movin either”. The moment never lasts very long though and all of a sudden the cannon went off- “BOOM!” Finally the moment I had been waiting for was finally here! The first few minutes of the swim always bring me back to my days in the water parks as a kid. You know the end of the water slide just between the shuttle pool and the slide itself? This is exactly what it feels like but for at least 10 minutes straight! After a while the turbulence dies down and you can get into a rhythm- much more enjoyable. I found myself to be in a huge pack, looking all around me I could see many blue colored caps along with a scattering of pink women’s caps, which I took to be a good sign. Last year I had a terrible start and could see mostly pink and only a few blue around me. I thought to myself, just stay with this group and you will be ok. I was swimming pretty well out to the turn around, with several moments of panic where I was getting swatted in the face, swallowing too much sea water, etc, but this is normal by open water swim standards. In general the swim felt easy, in retrospect maybe too easy! but I am still working on that. After a while I started seeing the finish ahead and I noticed I was swimming next to a large man. We were turning to breathe instantaneously. It was Ain Alar Juhanson!! He has a very cute gap in his front teeth and I could see this gap, just as I could see it last year. I was hoping that we were both having a better swim than last year as we came out of the water again side by side….! One person I did notice who was missing from this while scene- Natascha. Where was she?

No time to be wasted on that thought as I made my way through the madness of water hoses, shouts for “111!”, bags being handed, unzipping of the Blue Seventy suit, sunscreen on (Kynesis rocks! it is sweatproof), helmet on, number on and off to the Guru that the lovely volunteers had all ready for me. Onto the bike route I was glad to see I was just behind Kate Major. She always is a smart racer so I thought ok- just stay with her…Out to the first dog leg I could see Michellie, Joanna and Dede had a huuuge lead. Behind them was a trail of other very fast women…I tried not to get overly excited as my plan was to hold back on the first portion of the bike. Onto the Queen K we went and I was feeling good. I was really enjoying myself out there,my legs were responding well and the road was so smooth and fast. Dark clouds had taken over the sky and as we traveled out past the Energy Lab it was uncharacteristically cool. Knowing full well that it could heat up at any moment I kept hydrating as usual. I was traveling out there by myself for quite a while, I could see Lisa B’s twin top up in the distance and it seemed like the other girls were very far ahead. I kept in a positive frame of mind as my strength kept getting better and better. The first pack of age group men passed me, one being Todd from Austin. He yelled for me and it was great to see him so far ahead. I passed Lisa B and we chatted for a bit, she is just so awesome.

I was enjoying my time out on the bike as much as possible, the volunteers at the aid stations were amazing, they were running with our water and gatorade, determined to land them in the hands of the athlete. These folks must have been exhausted after all that sprinting! At the turn to begin the climb to Hawii I could see I was gaining on a large pack of women. Before long I passed Jo Lawn who was riding with Kate A, Heather G, Karen S, etc. I fully expected them to stay with me but to my surprise I had gapped them at the turn around point. At the bag handoff in Hawii, to my dismay they did not have my bag ready. I was yelling out “111! 111!” but no bag appeared. A quick calculation and I was so glad I had my overstuffed by Bento box (to the point of being embarrassed about it!I told Paul I looked like a little piglet going out on a picnic lunch!) as I was missing out on some major calories in that bag. Moving on…I forgot to mention there was hardly any wind up the climb. Two years in a row! Unbelievable! I was actually looking forward to those winds as I think it gaps out the field but to no avail…the way down was smooth sailing and fast.

On the way back town I had a few patches of fatigue but in general I was doing quite well. It was hard to know exactly how I was doing so I began asking the media cycles and photographers for updates. There were a few glimpses of Franko and Jo’s Armando. They all kept telling me I was doing “awesome!!”. I couldn’t tell what this meant really as this could be interpreted in two ways 1) I was really doing well or 2) you are not doing all that well but maybe if we keep saying you are you will feel better about yourself and go faster. This portion on the bike is always a little but difficult because you cannot see what is going on ahead or behind, you only have to believe that you are biking within your own limits and are where you should be. About 20 miles outside of town I passed Jo Zeiger, who has always been one of my favorite women athletes. Close to about this time the dark skies opened up and gave way to large raindrops- a welcome change from the hot sun we had been experiencing since the turn around. We enjoyed the cool down for a while before biking into the sun once again. I was imagining a meterologist predicting the weather out on the bike course. The thing is, he or she could pretty much have said anything and have been dead on! I passed my mom who had been waiting patiently out at the energy lab. She was so excited to see me and started jumping up and down. I was looking forward to seeing her the next time on the run. Close into town, I could hear a commotion coming up behind me and sure enough…Natascha passed me and not to mention, the other men around me like a freight train. Looking at her tiny body I thought “How in the world does she do that…??”

Into T2 the crowds were thick and going wild and Jo Z and I came off the bike side by side. I sat down for a moment to make sure I was well prepared. The volunteers helped me with all of my supplies and I began the first steps, pleasantly surprised by how wonderful my Asics felt on my feet. I began the ouch, ouch ooo pain of the first few miles of the marathon. I don’t care who you are, this part is the absolute WORST! I have learned to accept this part of the race as being absolutely no fun at all. Your body is saying “heck no, no way am I going to do this, I hate running”. I know now from experience that this pain will eventually subside but until then, there is no smiling (unless you have the initials NB!). After a few miles, thankfully the legs came back and I was hearing all sorts of numbers being called out regarding my position. People seemed surprised to see me up that far and as I ran through town. The good news is that I was growing stronger and stronger. Again my plan was to hold back to ensure a strong second half marathon as I knew that is where the real race would be. Kate Major’s sister Emma was cheering for me very nicely and I knew Kate must be near. She passed me fast and we talked for a bit, I tried to stay with her but nature was calling. A quick pit stop and I was a new woman! My legs were really coming back now and through every aid station I was enjoying the buffet of sponges, water, ice and Gatorade. Often times little kids would hand me things, it was awesome. Without all those gifts I would have been melba toast!

I was catching up with Kate now and we were both around mile 8 or so.I passed her back and we ran together a short while, I think she had to make a stop as well. The crowds were tremendous through town, people were now giving me splits on Natascha who was in third place! I was getting a little overwhelmed by this but I just kept within myself and in my system of running smoothly and re hydrating as it was feeling hot in town, however still not as oppressive as it has been in the past. My friend Dan gave me splits on Natascha, Paul was there yelling splits as well. I have placed second to this woman four times but never ever have I passed her in a race. Up the Pilani hill we went, I could hear the announcer Whit commenting on my form and I was thinking “This is good, this is fun”. Ironcially last year at this point all I could think about was stopping…thank goodness for the feelings I was having this year! I came into this race determined to bury last year into the ground. Once we were out onto the Queen K I came up on Natascha and went by her. A chill went through me. We exchanged “good jobs”. She stuck right on me for a while and as we sped up she yelled out “Great running Desiree! Keep this pace up and you will be better!”. I could hear her stop at the aid station as she was getting sick and not feeling well- what a champion that woman is. Unbelievable.

I was now in third place and determined to keep plugging away. Lisbeth Christiansen was up ahead so I concentrated on the men around me, sticking behind them on the long slow climb up to the energy lab. These parts are a little more fuzzy now as I was really working hard. I remember bits and pieces of moments and feelings. First of all, I knew Lisa Bentley was close, her husband Dave was yelling for me- what a guy! Now that is what i call teamwork! I was focusing on a man’s bright red speedo reading POLASKA on the back. The cameras were really on me now and at one point I asked the people in the media van if this was the hardest part. One fella responded with a “Yes and it is about to get a lot easier”. At this point in the race the suffering is really starting to come on and everyone seems to be saying nice things to help accommodate you in your suffering- some more true than others. As it felt we were running uphill and into a headwind I thanked him and was relieved to take what he had said as true. I came up on Lisbeth Christiansen and I remember thinking how pretty she looked, all blue and flowy looking. I said hello and good job, she turned to me with the most beautiful smile. Again, just unbelievable!

I was ready for another pit stop at this point, and we were about to make the turn into the Energy Lab. Peter had told me he would be out there working the water station and I was really proud to go by him in second place (one place higher than he had predicted for me!). He had done so much to help me get to this point, as I passed him I slapped him five and he looked so happy to see me up there. It was such an incredible moment. I could see Michellie coming back to me at this point, she looked to be hurting a little bit but then again- weren’t we all?? I was wondering if she was surprised to see me in second instead of Natascha.

Carrying on to the turn around it was a bit scary to see how close the other women were behind me. Beginning with Gina there was a steady trail of strong girls including a bounding Lisa B, Kate M, Jo L (who was looking great at this point!) etc. I knew that one bad mile could send me reeling backwards from 2nd all the way to 8th or so. I got ahold of my halfway bag this time and took in all of its contents, I knew at this point my stomach was no longer allowed to dictate what my body needed as it was telling me to stop eating that crap! Up the hill out of the energy lab I was not feeling so hot. I was getting a little worried now. I was still waiting for my gels to kick in and as I passed Peter he yelled strong encouragement. I did not want to let him down. Several other Austinites were coming back towards me now as well and yelling nice things- i did not want to let them down either. Come onnn legs! Come onnn!

Back onto the Queen K, I am getting goosebumps as I write this now, is where the race got dangerously exciting and the suffering was about to hit an all time high. Once again, I could feel a great commotion going on behind me and within minutes of making the turn, Gina Kehr passed me and began to pull away. In this moment I had a decision to make. We still had six miles to go which at this point this seemed like an unbearable undertaking. I could decide to look at it that way or to take the other side and to think “All I have to do is run right behind her for as long as I can”. I chose the latter and what proceeded was the most exciting and most important six miles of my career. passing my mom somewhere at this point I heard her yelling out for me and I could see her holding up a sign she had made. I could also see Paul, Dan and Jack and I knew they wanted me to hold onto second almost more than I wanted to.

I locked onto Gina’s back, she was so little but so strong and I noticed she was wearing running shorts. She was ready. So was I. The back of her top read “The Next Level”. In my head I thought, if you stay here, if you do this now, this finish will take you to the next level. Her friends were yelling at her “This is your day Gina!”, my friends were yelling at me “It’s one hour of suffering in your whole life Des!”. There were vans with cameras around us and I could hear “chick, chick, chick, chick” of the helicopter above us. We ran like this for at least a mile until I pulled up next to her. At this point I though we could both still catch Michellie and I expressed this hopeful thought to Gina. She didn’t respond to this thought so I figured she must be in pain. At this time a report came in on Lisa B being within a minute back. With four miles to go I thought that I needed to get away and go for it. I remember the moment we broke apart, we passed the 22 mile marker sign and there was a slight uphill. I felt a little guilty about doing it actually because she had pulled me along for almost two miles until my legs felt better. I just had to go.

The last four miles are a mixture of pain and suffering that now only seem bittersweet. Once I reached the Pilani hill I spotted Tony and Franko streaking down the hill- I was laughing inside because I was imagining how much their feet must have hurt in their Vans shoes down that hill. This section on the course has to be mostly responsible for at least 80% of all next day leg aches and pains. How cruel to have us run straight downhill at mile 25 on this marathon! At this end of this hill I was good and ready to hear Mike Riley say “You are an Ironman!” but instead they turned us left at the end down another road. I actually started crying a little at this point out of frustration, I was so ready to just sit down! But to have to turn left- oh no! I was still imagining Lisa Bentley galloping by me and losing second place so I put on my best ill formed, chicken style sprint I could muster down Allii. I looked back into the finishing shoot and realized I could afford to take a moment and slap a few hands. Jack had made it to the finish shute, he was standing there with a large grin and handed me a tiny American flag I carried to the finish line.

I will never forget how lovely and soft the bright blue finish line carpet felt underneath my feet. I will never forget the look of surprise and happiness I could see on my own face as I looked straight into the jumbotron. I will never forget how good it felt to hug Paul and feel the human sized lei given to the podium finishers crushing all around our shoulders. I will never forget how wonderful it felt to sit down! next to the pier and to see Mark Allen coming by, to see in his eyes that he was truly proud of me. Most of all I will never forget all the phone calls, emails and messages I have received since then, the support has been amazing.

I already can’t wait until next year.

Thank you to everyone who support me in this adventure and who have inspired me along the way.

Love, Desiree

Muhalo Kona!

[update: October 24, 2006]

photo by Tim Moxy, digitaltriathlon.com

I have many many thoughts and feelings to express right now. First and foremost I want to say THANK YOU!! The notes I have been getting are unbelievable…you guys are just the greatest and I will respond to you when I back home in Austin. It means so much to me to receive your notes and thoughts on the race…it makes all the suffering so worth it. Thank you!!!

I am in Maui right now for a few days of relaxation and fun…last year I also came to Maui after Kona. What a different feeling I have inside this year! I am so very happy and last year all I could do was to drown my sorrows.

It was thrilling to see Norman up in the top spot again, our team pulled home a huge showing with Norman and Cam being 1st and 8th, Lisa, Jo and myself being 2nd, 3rd and 7th. We are all so supported within our team environment- how could we not be up there tearing it up :) Tri Dubai rocks, thank you guys so much for everything and most of all for believing in me.

Thank you to all my other sponsors who got me to this place. My new Guru Crono felt amazing out there on race day, with the new Zipp Vauka bars and 909s wheelset it was light as a feather. Thank you Suzanne from Fisik for making a great saddle, the Arione Tri, and to Asics for giving me the sqishiest comfiest shoes ever- the Speedstars…my first few steps into the marathon are always so painful but my first thoughts into the run were ooo- these shoes feel so good. I also want to thank Nuun and Blue Seventy for keeping me hydrated and fast in the water (yes!), AJ from Advanced rehab for knocking out my pains before the race and to Karen for accupuncture care, mostly for getting me to relax! RecoverEase and EnergEase for keeping me going all day long and for helping me recover in my hardest days of training. Rudy Project for my helmet and beautiful blue sunglasses! Twin Six for the cutest jerseys and t’s (see pic gallery) , my two bike shop supportes Sid from Inside Out sports and Jack and Adam from Jack and Adams bike shop. Jack was out there there the entire week and got my bike running like a smooth machine- also handed me a little American flag at the finish! To John for the best running little blue Ford Escape- driving me all the way to Boulder and back for my training camp. To Gilbert of the Gazelles and Whitney and Longhorn Aquatics for getting me in top shape. To Mecca and Mike for being the best training camp roomies ever!

Last but not least, thank you to my family and support network, to Carri for standing by me and believing in me, to my mom and dad for being my biggest fans and supporting me in this crazy pursuit! to Paul, Dan and Jack for being all over the course and screaming their heads off on race day…to all of my other wonderful friends. I love you guys!

Big long rambling race report to come, I will have a while to type and eat ice cream. Finally- Horaay!

The Kona Bear

[update: October 20, 2006]

I am beginning to feel a little bit like the big brown bear who eats and eats and then goes right to sleep! Hopefully I don’t look like a big brown bear but I want to have the energy stores of one. Everything is pretty much done at this point…a quick drop off of the sparkly new Guru tomorrow and pretty soon it will be time to GO. This week flew by and I managed to come out of it rested and ready to race. My mom has been here helping me with things while attending the sports medicine conference in town…she will be working in the med tent on race day- the graveyard shift of 8pm-midnight. One huge day for a spectator, supporter, medtenter!

Thank you to all who sent good luck notes. They are like one big ball of energy in my pocket that I will take out onto the course with me. Speaking of energy, this town is insane! You can feel the energy of 1700 incredibly fit people doing less exercise than usual…it is one big buzzing pot.

Off to watch Grey’s Anatomy…the most addictive yet rediculous show since The A Team :)

Aloha!