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06-21-09, 03:35 PM
The race previously known as "Honu" (and still known as that to many of us) is a fantastic race held on the Big Island of Hawaii. In 2006 this was my first ever Half-Ironman and despite dragging my ass through the heat for 7 hours and 58 minutes, I really enjoyed it. I think you can still find my race report in this forum.
I hadn't planned to do this race this year but at a Christmas party, some of my friends were trying to talk me into it. I resisted as our business is really keeping us busy but my wife looked me in the eye and said, I need a vacation." OK, the Honu was added to my race calendar.
I'll skip all of the boring stuff leading up to the race except to say that the organizers put on a top-notch event. Registration is easy and well-organized and...well, you're in Hawaii so how can that be bad? For those of you who have never been to the Big Island, there is a local "custom" over there where people use old, dead white coral to create messages against the black volcanic rock. This year they had someone do the race logo on the grass outside the host hotel. Something about this always gives me a good feeling.
http://www.betheball.com/Honu2009/Honu2009_Rocks.jpg
Race Morning
All-in-all, this wasn't my most successful race morning in that I seemingly woke up without my brain. I'm not really a morning person so waking up at 4 AM is never really all that great for me. I typically have GI problems on race morning so I decided to alter my breakfast a bit. Rather than going with a bagel and peanut butter, I scrambled up a couple of eggs to go with my pineapple slices and mango gatorade. This was a bit better on my bowels but I still had my standard stomach ache. I guess no matter how much I tell myself that I'm not nervous before races, I really am. I completely forgot to eat my banana (like I said, my brain wasn't hitting on all cylinders) but I'm fairly certain that I consumed somewhere near the 1,000 calories that I wanted. While getting dressed, I remember changing my mind about putting on my HR strap in the condo and that I would do it when I got to the transition area...more on that soon.
Rose dropped me off at transition and I headed down to body marking. One of the coolest small perks about Honu is that they mark you with the number stamps that they use for the World Championship. So, rather than some sloppy hand-written number on your bicep, you have bold, in-your-face numbers that seem to make everyone smile. The other perk about them is that when you tan during the race, the skin under your numbers is protected and you have your numbers with you for a few weeks :) So...up the hill to my bike to pump up my tires and unpack my swim gear. As I open my bag, it hits me that my HR strap is back at the condo. DOH! What a NOOB mistake...never, never, never change your plan on race morning. Of course, my strap wasn't in my bag as I was going to put it on before I put on my shirt. I fretted about it for a couple of minutes but decided that I couldn't do anything about it and I would just need to race on feel.
The Swim
Back down the hill to the beach where everyone was getting ready for the mass swim start. Mike Reilly announced that about 1,200 people would be starting at the same time and I commented aloud, "Yeah, 1,200 of your closest friends." A woman next to me laughed and I noticed that it was the eventual women's winner, Belinda Granger. Man is she fit. Wow! We had the option of starting on the beach or in the water and my friend Mark & I opted for the latter. I think we made the right choice but in all, it probably doesn't matter much. The cannon went off at 7 AM and took many of us by surprise as there was no countdown...and the chaos ensued.
http://www.betheball.com/Honu2009/Honu_Swim_2009.jpg
I've said before that I much prefer a mass start to a wave start. Even though you have to battle a bit in the beginning, it sorts itself out relatively quickly. By contrast, I've found that with wave starts, you are constantly being run over by the fast swimmers from the waves behind you or getting kicked in the stomach while overtaking the breast-strokers from the waves in front of you. Within a few hundred meters a pack of maybe 20-30 of us developed and we all swam together for most of the leg. Every now and then there would be some sort of contact (hands on feet, hands on butt, etc) but fortunately, no kicks to the face or neck etc. As a side note, my buddy Mark had the quote of the trip when he exited the water. Apparently someone's had repeatedly found his buttocks over the 1.2 miles so when his pack exited the water he said, "I just want to know which one of you jokers is the proctologist." He said that he got quite a few laughs.
Anyway, I exited the water thinking that time had just flown. As much as I hate to train for swimming, I really enjoy that part of the race. It's really the easiest part of the whole day. I ran toward the timing mat and smiled as Rose and her friends where cheering for me. As I crossed the mat, I was pleased to see 41:07 (684th Place, 98/140 in M40-44. Not lightning fast but great for me (considering I MAYBE swam once per week leading up to this). In comparison, my time at this race in 2006 was 44:43 and I was 45:03 at Oceanside in April. So, a pretty good start! I fast walked up the hill to T1 and put on my gear. I was a bit slower than I should have been but not terrible (5:26 as opposed to 5:53 in '06).
The Bike
In all my other races I've felt that I went too easy on the bike because I was trying to save my legs for the run. This time I decided that since I'm a crappy runner anyway, I might as well try to turn in a good bike split. I wish I had my HRM so I could know how much I stressed myself. In all I think I rode somewhere in low Zone 3 and minimized going anaerobic but I'll never know for sure.
http://www.betheball.com/Honu2009/Honu_Bike_2009.jpg
Since the bike is my strongest, I tend to pick off slower riders early and then settle into a routine with a dozen or so riders who pass each other over and over again. In most cases (as I weigh about 210), I get passed on the uphill sections and make up time on the flats and downhills. This day was somewhat similar although I didn't seem to be losing as much ground on the climb to Hawi. One thing that stuck out in my mind was this large girl who kept passing me...I mean she was putting out some serious watts! I cheered her on and she would return the cheer when I passed her back. When I reached the turnaround in Hawi it became a new race as I now had a 5 mile descent where my mass was an advantage. I never saw that same group of riders again but I suspect they were only a few minutes back. With about 10 miles left in the bike I was doing the math to see if I could get my bike split under three hours and I knew that I would need to really hammer to get there. The climb out of Kawaihae (not too steep but a fair grind for about half a mile) pretty much ended my hopes...oh well. My final time for the leg was 3:02:59 (18.4 mph) which was a huge improvement over 2006 (3:29:43) and a fair bit faster than Oceanside (3:16:03)...though I think the Oceanside bike course is a bit harder. I moved up to 565th Place & 95th in my age group so a net pickup of 119 places. Again, not bad. Add to that, this is the first time I've ever made it to T2 before the race winner was done! Hey, we all have our victories :)
The Run
I cruised into T2 feeling pretty good but within seconds of being off my bike, the heat took hold of me. The transition area was on grass and I believe that the hot sun mixed with the previous night's watering created a steam bath. Yikes! I was out of T2 in 3:46 as opposed to 7:31 in 2006 but this time I didn't spend any time in the porta-potty. As I was leaving transition, one of the officials reminded me to turn my number around to the front and as I did it, I ripped one of the holes. Pretty ironic as I did the exact same thing in 2006. Anyway, I started to trot down the fairway (the run course winds through the golf course of the resort) and I was absolutely crushed by the heat. Within a few hundred yards, I had been reduced to the walk of shame. I walked for a few minutes, trying to decide if I should even keep going. How was I going to handle 13 more miles of this? At this rate, the "run" will take me so long that I may come in slower than '06...how embarrassing!
http://www.betheball.com/Honu2009/Honu2009_WalkofShame.jpg
For the next three miles I managed to mix some slow trots in with some pathetic walks and logged splits of 15:51, 15:46, and 15:08...ugh. I was doing everything I could to get the heat under control and at the 3rd aid station settled into a routine of water over the head, a cup of ice down the front of my jersey, another cup of ice down the back of my jersey, taking in as much fluid as I could handle, and popping a couple of Endurolytes. From the nutrition side, I was staying on plan of one Gu every other aid station until mile 10 with a plan of switching to Coke at that point. Miles 4 & 5 were a bit better (12:46 & 12:18) and I seemed to have found a rhythm.
http://www.betheball.com/Honu2009/Honu_Run_2009.jpg
From there on out it was run to every aid station and walk through them in order to get my helpings of liquids and ice. My mind was now doing the math as to whether I could better the PR that I set last month in Oceanside (6:54:25) and it looked like I had a shot. That as much as anything kept me going. Finally I hit the last mile and was heading back down the fairway where this debacle began. I experienced the standard adrenaline rush associated with being close to the finish and my pace quickened...I wish I could bottle that stuff. I crossed the finish line in 6:48:35 (new PR) 925th place and 109/140 in my age group. My run time was 2:55:19 which was actually faster than 20 of my M40-44 counterparts (poor ba$tards). I spoke to Chris Lieto at the finish party (2nd Overall) and he said that the run course was the hardest he had experienced in a 70.3
http://www.betheball.com/Honu2009/Honu_Finish_2009.jpg
I thought I would have been faster this time around but I really underestimated the impact that the heat would have on me. In the end, a PR is a PR so I had to be pleased.
A couple more details about the race and it's organizers...One, they gave each finisher a wrist band that entitled us to three beers each, WOOHOO!!! Two, the finisher's medal was one of the best ever :thumb:, and three, they gave each racer a credit of $13 toward food from the various tables that were set up. That basically amounted to a fairly good cheeseburger which was better than the slice of pizza that most events have.
Geez, that was a bit long. If you made it all the way through, thanks for reading and best wishes for your next event!
-CJ
I hadn't planned to do this race this year but at a Christmas party, some of my friends were trying to talk me into it. I resisted as our business is really keeping us busy but my wife looked me in the eye and said, I need a vacation." OK, the Honu was added to my race calendar.
I'll skip all of the boring stuff leading up to the race except to say that the organizers put on a top-notch event. Registration is easy and well-organized and...well, you're in Hawaii so how can that be bad? For those of you who have never been to the Big Island, there is a local "custom" over there where people use old, dead white coral to create messages against the black volcanic rock. This year they had someone do the race logo on the grass outside the host hotel. Something about this always gives me a good feeling.
http://www.betheball.com/Honu2009/Honu2009_Rocks.jpg
Race Morning
All-in-all, this wasn't my most successful race morning in that I seemingly woke up without my brain. I'm not really a morning person so waking up at 4 AM is never really all that great for me. I typically have GI problems on race morning so I decided to alter my breakfast a bit. Rather than going with a bagel and peanut butter, I scrambled up a couple of eggs to go with my pineapple slices and mango gatorade. This was a bit better on my bowels but I still had my standard stomach ache. I guess no matter how much I tell myself that I'm not nervous before races, I really am. I completely forgot to eat my banana (like I said, my brain wasn't hitting on all cylinders) but I'm fairly certain that I consumed somewhere near the 1,000 calories that I wanted. While getting dressed, I remember changing my mind about putting on my HR strap in the condo and that I would do it when I got to the transition area...more on that soon.
Rose dropped me off at transition and I headed down to body marking. One of the coolest small perks about Honu is that they mark you with the number stamps that they use for the World Championship. So, rather than some sloppy hand-written number on your bicep, you have bold, in-your-face numbers that seem to make everyone smile. The other perk about them is that when you tan during the race, the skin under your numbers is protected and you have your numbers with you for a few weeks :) So...up the hill to my bike to pump up my tires and unpack my swim gear. As I open my bag, it hits me that my HR strap is back at the condo. DOH! What a NOOB mistake...never, never, never change your plan on race morning. Of course, my strap wasn't in my bag as I was going to put it on before I put on my shirt. I fretted about it for a couple of minutes but decided that I couldn't do anything about it and I would just need to race on feel.
The Swim
Back down the hill to the beach where everyone was getting ready for the mass swim start. Mike Reilly announced that about 1,200 people would be starting at the same time and I commented aloud, "Yeah, 1,200 of your closest friends." A woman next to me laughed and I noticed that it was the eventual women's winner, Belinda Granger. Man is she fit. Wow! We had the option of starting on the beach or in the water and my friend Mark & I opted for the latter. I think we made the right choice but in all, it probably doesn't matter much. The cannon went off at 7 AM and took many of us by surprise as there was no countdown...and the chaos ensued.
http://www.betheball.com/Honu2009/Honu_Swim_2009.jpg
I've said before that I much prefer a mass start to a wave start. Even though you have to battle a bit in the beginning, it sorts itself out relatively quickly. By contrast, I've found that with wave starts, you are constantly being run over by the fast swimmers from the waves behind you or getting kicked in the stomach while overtaking the breast-strokers from the waves in front of you. Within a few hundred meters a pack of maybe 20-30 of us developed and we all swam together for most of the leg. Every now and then there would be some sort of contact (hands on feet, hands on butt, etc) but fortunately, no kicks to the face or neck etc. As a side note, my buddy Mark had the quote of the trip when he exited the water. Apparently someone's had repeatedly found his buttocks over the 1.2 miles so when his pack exited the water he said, "I just want to know which one of you jokers is the proctologist." He said that he got quite a few laughs.
Anyway, I exited the water thinking that time had just flown. As much as I hate to train for swimming, I really enjoy that part of the race. It's really the easiest part of the whole day. I ran toward the timing mat and smiled as Rose and her friends where cheering for me. As I crossed the mat, I was pleased to see 41:07 (684th Place, 98/140 in M40-44. Not lightning fast but great for me (considering I MAYBE swam once per week leading up to this). In comparison, my time at this race in 2006 was 44:43 and I was 45:03 at Oceanside in April. So, a pretty good start! I fast walked up the hill to T1 and put on my gear. I was a bit slower than I should have been but not terrible (5:26 as opposed to 5:53 in '06).
The Bike
In all my other races I've felt that I went too easy on the bike because I was trying to save my legs for the run. This time I decided that since I'm a crappy runner anyway, I might as well try to turn in a good bike split. I wish I had my HRM so I could know how much I stressed myself. In all I think I rode somewhere in low Zone 3 and minimized going anaerobic but I'll never know for sure.
http://www.betheball.com/Honu2009/Honu_Bike_2009.jpg
Since the bike is my strongest, I tend to pick off slower riders early and then settle into a routine with a dozen or so riders who pass each other over and over again. In most cases (as I weigh about 210), I get passed on the uphill sections and make up time on the flats and downhills. This day was somewhat similar although I didn't seem to be losing as much ground on the climb to Hawi. One thing that stuck out in my mind was this large girl who kept passing me...I mean she was putting out some serious watts! I cheered her on and she would return the cheer when I passed her back. When I reached the turnaround in Hawi it became a new race as I now had a 5 mile descent where my mass was an advantage. I never saw that same group of riders again but I suspect they were only a few minutes back. With about 10 miles left in the bike I was doing the math to see if I could get my bike split under three hours and I knew that I would need to really hammer to get there. The climb out of Kawaihae (not too steep but a fair grind for about half a mile) pretty much ended my hopes...oh well. My final time for the leg was 3:02:59 (18.4 mph) which was a huge improvement over 2006 (3:29:43) and a fair bit faster than Oceanside (3:16:03)...though I think the Oceanside bike course is a bit harder. I moved up to 565th Place & 95th in my age group so a net pickup of 119 places. Again, not bad. Add to that, this is the first time I've ever made it to T2 before the race winner was done! Hey, we all have our victories :)
The Run
I cruised into T2 feeling pretty good but within seconds of being off my bike, the heat took hold of me. The transition area was on grass and I believe that the hot sun mixed with the previous night's watering created a steam bath. Yikes! I was out of T2 in 3:46 as opposed to 7:31 in 2006 but this time I didn't spend any time in the porta-potty. As I was leaving transition, one of the officials reminded me to turn my number around to the front and as I did it, I ripped one of the holes. Pretty ironic as I did the exact same thing in 2006. Anyway, I started to trot down the fairway (the run course winds through the golf course of the resort) and I was absolutely crushed by the heat. Within a few hundred yards, I had been reduced to the walk of shame. I walked for a few minutes, trying to decide if I should even keep going. How was I going to handle 13 more miles of this? At this rate, the "run" will take me so long that I may come in slower than '06...how embarrassing!
http://www.betheball.com/Honu2009/Honu2009_WalkofShame.jpg
For the next three miles I managed to mix some slow trots in with some pathetic walks and logged splits of 15:51, 15:46, and 15:08...ugh. I was doing everything I could to get the heat under control and at the 3rd aid station settled into a routine of water over the head, a cup of ice down the front of my jersey, another cup of ice down the back of my jersey, taking in as much fluid as I could handle, and popping a couple of Endurolytes. From the nutrition side, I was staying on plan of one Gu every other aid station until mile 10 with a plan of switching to Coke at that point. Miles 4 & 5 were a bit better (12:46 & 12:18) and I seemed to have found a rhythm.
http://www.betheball.com/Honu2009/Honu_Run_2009.jpg
From there on out it was run to every aid station and walk through them in order to get my helpings of liquids and ice. My mind was now doing the math as to whether I could better the PR that I set last month in Oceanside (6:54:25) and it looked like I had a shot. That as much as anything kept me going. Finally I hit the last mile and was heading back down the fairway where this debacle began. I experienced the standard adrenaline rush associated with being close to the finish and my pace quickened...I wish I could bottle that stuff. I crossed the finish line in 6:48:35 (new PR) 925th place and 109/140 in my age group. My run time was 2:55:19 which was actually faster than 20 of my M40-44 counterparts (poor ba$tards). I spoke to Chris Lieto at the finish party (2nd Overall) and he said that the run course was the hardest he had experienced in a 70.3
http://www.betheball.com/Honu2009/Honu_Finish_2009.jpg
I thought I would have been faster this time around but I really underestimated the impact that the heat would have on me. In the end, a PR is a PR so I had to be pleased.
A couple more details about the race and it's organizers...One, they gave each finisher a wrist band that entitled us to three beers each, WOOHOO!!! Two, the finisher's medal was one of the best ever :thumb:, and three, they gave each racer a credit of $13 toward food from the various tables that were set up. That basically amounted to a fairly good cheeseburger which was better than the slice of pizza that most events have.
Geez, that was a bit long. If you made it all the way through, thanks for reading and best wishes for your next event!
-CJ