And This One Time, At Tri Camp...
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*** Tri It Campers. Your Cool Factor May Vary! ***
The first week would consist of a structured triathlon camp hosted by triathlon gurus Julie and Duncan. The following week I was to train, train, train while Mark “worked” from the lanai. We’d wrap up the second week with the much-celebrated Lavaman Olympic distance triathlon and then we’d pack up and head home in the middle of the third week. What adventures await???
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03/14/10 Sunday
Swim: None.
Bike: 8 miles in 0:30.Run: None.
Training for the day consisted of about 8 miles in 30 minutes on the spin bike (so I really didn’t go anywhere at all, much less someplace tropical) in our cold, dark weight room at some ungodly hour prior to heading to the airport. I’m SURE this will be the least exciting workout of the trip! Fellow camper Jessica and her family were kind enough pick us and our unwieldy bike boxes up and shuffle us to the airport for our planned rendezvous with Annette, Heidi, Michelle, Ross and Alyson.
*** Campers Ready to Roll at the Airport ***
Mmmmm… nothing like a big group breakfast at Anthony’s to get things underway! Heidi quickly set the tone with the first innuendo of the trip as we passed around the fabulous travelling grass skirt: “Let your junk hang out Ross!” Soon enough we were in flight and hearing something you don’t hear on every flight spiel: “Ladies and gentlemen we might not have enough fuel to make it to Kona and have to make a pit stop in Honolulu.” Um, exactly how does that pencil out?
*** Ross Rockin’ the Grass Skirt ***
Oh well, we turned our attention to the goodie bag camper-in-spirit Christine had sent and singled out the most important treat to pass around: chocolate! It would melt in Hawaii, we rationalized. After a looooong but uneventful flight, we landed (in Kona, even!), piled everyone into one of three cars and took our luggage to the condos at the gorgeous Mauna Lani Resort. The condos were BEAUTIFUL! Half of us were in a rental and the other half were in Julie’s right across the street. Can’t beat that for convenience!
Luggage out, we turned around and headed to Costco (trip #1) filling the van right back up with beer (lots), Diet Coke (lots), food (some nutritious, some not-so-much) and sunscreen – you know - all that important triathlon stuff! Dinner was appetizers at the Fairmont Orchid where we watched the sunset and the lighting of the torches. Fabulous!
*** Our Hosts, Julie and Duncan Kickin' the Trip Off Right! ***
*** Relaxed and Ready for Anything! ***
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03/16/10 Monday
Swim: 1,000 yards in 0:25.
Bike: 20 miles in 1:10.
Run: 3.5 miles in 0:40.
The camp kicked off with a fun introductory run-swim-run. We trotted from the condos with our goggles around our necks and swim caps stuffed into random crevices of our swimsuits. For the record: Julie makes running in her swimsuit look so easy and for me, at least, it wasn’t. I’m a firm believer that some things are just meant to be covered with fabric when running, understood? At the beach we kicked off our shoes and hopped in for a short swim.
Swimming around the catamaran the “Wynona”, would become akin to doing laps at a pool on the mainland. Have a thirty minute swim prescribed? Head out for three times around the Wynonna and you were good to go! The water was pretty rough, but everyone was a good sport about it and even the less comfortable swimmers made it out to the boat and back at least once.
*** Wynonna Swimmers ***
That afternoon I shuttled some of the campers who were renting bikes into Bike Works in Kona while Mark stayed back and put our bikes together. You fall in love with a guy all over again when you see the amount of time he spends on your bike. The renters were getting back from Kona by the time we were ready to go so we headed out for our own 20 mile shake out ride. Things that needed to be shaken out: my squeaky bike seat and bar wrap. I hoped he still loves me enough to put those in order as well!
*** Three of the Rental Bikes Dubbed "Woo Wasters" ***
Upon return we were informed Heidi had an, um, a fat lip and was very much missing her bike seat. Ouch! Off to the hot tub for some well earned steaming where the conversation took us to Heidi’s innuendo of the day: “We’re talking about my labia here people!” That night at Julie’s condo we enjoyed a FEAST of pasta, salad and garlic bread….. mmmmm! We capped the day off with a long comfy beer-fueled chat. Ahhhhh, perfection… and time for bed!
*** Hot Tub Therapy ***
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03/17/10 Tuesday
Swim: None.
Bike: 30.5 miles in 2:10.
Run: 8 miles in 1:40.
Early morning orienteering was on the agenda and the group split into six teams of two. What is the price of a Coke at the machine at the Club House? How many yards is it from the red tees at the sixteenth hole of the golf course? We scrambled all over the property searching for the answers. Half the fun was the employees of the property who caught on pretty quickly and got in on the action. We’d trot up with sweaty maps in hand pointing and looking lost and they would offer up answers: “its 75 cents!” and updates “The other team just left, you can catch them!”
*** Julie and Kristen Getting Oriented ***
*** The Orienteering Route from Google Earth ***
*** Recovery Drinks ***
That afternoon what should have been a simple ride to lunch turned into Epic Ride #1. The entire group rode about 10 miles Café Pesto for a delicious meal. Much of the conversation centered around the (oh-so-proper-meal-topic) Heidi’s saddle drama. She had been unable to overcome her, ahem, injury from the previous day and ended up turning back to get a car to join us at lunch. To her credit, she was in excellent humor, and the incident led to unrelenting jokes and hours of entertainment for the balance of the trip. Even with all that banter about Heidi’s privates, Alyson was the proud owner of the innuendo of the day: She sat down at the table all sweaty and apologetic and offered to try to “suck all the juices back in”. Um, ewe!
We continued back via Hapuna park and then onto some very steep rollers on a back road. We were cruising along nicely then we heard an explicative that equaled “pop!” Mark had a flat which provided an excellent opportunity for Duncan’s Special Tire Changing Class! I whipped out my camera to capture the moment and discovered that it had not survived the car wash treatment. Dang! Well, the tire was inflated soon enough, so we continued the adventure by checking out a new route to the resort via the beach. The route got us home well enough, but we did have to “hike-a bike” a few hundred yards. Thirty miles, 1,900 feet of climbing, a monsoon, a flat tire, a hike-a-bike and one camera casuality. That’s a pretty big ride for me! I must say I felt validated when Duncan deemed the ride “Epic”. Indeed!
*** Tire Changing Lesson ***
*** Hike-a-Bike ***
Upon return Mark, Heidi and I quickly planned an emergency trip to Costco (trip #2 and my favorite kind of emergency trip!) for a new camera and to Bike Works (also trip #2) for new bike shorts for Heidi. We found success on both fronts! My new camera is shockproof, waterproof, freeze proof, Grand Canyon proof, and maybe even biking-in-the-rain proof. We returned to the condos just in time for delicious burgers by Grill Master Ross. Mmmmmmm…..!!! Heidi’s saddle drama provided even more fodder for dinner entertainment as the Marine’s “Hoo-Rah” became Heidi’s “Hoo Raw”.
*** Rest in Peace Little Camera ***
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03/17/10 Wednesday * St. Patrick’s Day! *
Swim: 1,200 yards in 40 minutes.
Bike: 40.5 miles in 2:25.
Run: None.
Triathlon specific swimming was the first order of business on the day. We headed to a nearby beach for a short swim where we practiced sighting and a simulated race start. We also practiced a bit of sunning on the beach, a very important technique!
*** Triathlon Sunning: It’s a Learned Skill! ***
Campers had a choice of bike workouts and I opted for hill repeats led by Duncan with Mark and Jim. We rode about twelve miles down the Queen K to a Veteran's Cemetery where an ominous hill loomed. There was some discussion as to exactly “how” we were to do the repeats. “They should hurt.” Duncan offered. Gee thanks. I guess I did them right! It was my first time in a paceline and oh what fun it was to take my turns at the front “pulling” the riders along, then to peel off to the back and make my way through the riders to the front again. That it was on the hallowed Ironman grounds of the Queen K was a huge boon. I have one word for it: FUN!
*** Bring On the Hill Repeats! ***
*** The Cervelo’s Debut on the Queen K ***
*** The View from the Top of the Hill Repeats ***
*** Taking over the Fairmont Orchid for Pupus (Appetizers) Yet Again! ***
*** Wearing of the Green Trophy Presentaton! ***
*** St. Patrick's Day PJs! ***
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03/18/10 Thursday
Swim: None.
Bike: 63 miles in 3:35.
Run: 1.5 miles in 0:15.
The longest planned ride of the camp was on tap for the day and it did not disappoint. One group headed out an hour prior to the other to accommodate different paces and we were to rendezvous in Hawi, about 28 miles away for ice cream and coffee then ride back. Hawi is where the Ironman Hawaii bike course turnaround is, so by completing this ride every camper would have ridden every portion of the bike course.
*** D'oh! ***
*** Hockey Sock Tape to the Rescue! ***
Finally underway, the trip out to Hawi was pretty much “uppish” with some head winds thrown in for good measure. I stuck with Duncan and we zipped ahead a bit in our own little mini paceline, circling back a few times to keep tabs on everyone.
*** Trying to Look Like a Team of 100! ***
In Hawi we took full advantage of our photo opportunity and then pushed off for the ride back to the Mauna Lani. The headwinds had become a crosswind which was a good experience, I suppose, but a little uncomfortable at thirty plus miles per hour! Duncan and I continued to push the pace and pulled up long enough for Mark to join us for the victory lap into the Mauna Lani. I set off on a short transition run (which did not feel good, for the record) while Mark and Duncan took the van back out to see if anyone needed a lift. Nope, no need for that, as the balance of the crew was not far behind and certainly not willing to accept a ride this late in the game! We later learned that Super Trooper Jessica had a long ride of a whopping TWELVE miles under her belt prior to this ride. No complaining, no wimping out, no drama… she made all 56 miles like a pro.
*** Hawi Invasion ***
Jenn to Annette in 2006: "Promise me we will never be those geeks in matching outfits."
Annette to Jenn in 2006: "I promise."
Jenn to Annette in 2010: "Aren’t matching kits (cycling outfits) fantastic???"
Annette to Jenn in 2010: "Oh my gosh I love ‘em!"
For dinner we headed into town for a beachfront dinner at Huggos. Annette had a friend who’s brother was in the band and he was expecting us. We gave him a hard time enjoyed the music which was AMAZING. Coupled with the pleasure of our toes in the sand and a few drinks everyone was happy!
*** My “Recovery” Meal ***
*** Heidi Got Leid... ***
*** High Five Ross! ***
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03/19/10 Friday
Swim: 1,900 yards in 1:00.
Bike: None.
Run: None.
Ahhhhhh, recovery. The only thing on the agenda for the day was a swim workout at the Kona pool and I didn’t even take that very seriously. I mostly splashed around with the new camera and tried to eavesdrop on all the instruction Julie and Duncan were handing out. Boy, those two know a thing or two, for sure!
*** Heidi Getting Instruction from Duncan ***
*** Working on My Reach! ***
*** Does it Look Like Mark is Having Fun Yet? ***
We enjoyed a bit of shopping and dining in Kona. Julie was a (super!) model for the triathlon store "Unison" and we made good use of her discount! And that evening the boys cooked. Fabulous!
*** Annette and Jessica at Lunch in Kona ***
*** Boys Cooking is Always a Good Thing! ***
Sadly, the structured camp was winding down. We hosted appetizers at our condo and each shared a favorite moment of the camp. Yes, Mark and I would be staying on for another ten days, but we were missing the other campers already and everyone was getting l nostalgic.
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03/20/10 Saturday
Swim: 500 yards in 0:15.
Bike: 28 miles in 1:14.
Run: 1.2 miles in 0:13
Saturday was Ironman Mecca Day! Mark rode into town with the folks returning bikes and I followed with the van and took a few photos. At the bike shop we were asked: “How many people in your camp, like 100?” Um, no there were twelve. “Well we saw you guys everywhere!” I suppose, then, to make 12 campers look like 100, all you have to do is have campers riding up and down the Queen K a few hundred times, hit at least three beaches and run your butts all over the Mauna Lani resort!
*** Heidi in Her Hott Pink Helmet! ***
Kona is home to the Ironman World Championships. The race begins at the pier and ends in downtown Kona on Alii Drive. Our hosts wanted to make sure we got a good feel for the race, so we ran from the parking lot down Alii Drive, just like the pros do! Well, just like the pros except for that 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile run bit. Once at the pier we kicked off our shoes for a short swim in the warm clear water. We could now say we have swum, biked and run on the Ironman World Championship course. AWESOME!
*** Ahhhh, Dare to Dream! ***
During the swim Mark got stung by something… um…. something stingy? Whatever it was he was a hurtin’ and the welts were a growin’ so I played my “touron” (tourist + moron = touron) card and asked a nearby vendor what to do. We were informed that anything that stings you in the ocean is alkalin and that it was most likely a Portuguese Man-of-War. We needed to put something lightly acidic on the sting and pee or vinegar were the two choices offered. Um, we’ll choose vinegar, though we did have several pee volunteers , thanks! I left the wifely worrying duties to Jessica and continued with the planned ride back to the resort with Duncan. Duncan and I had an excellent ride home in our mini-peloton of two flying down the Queen K in the heat and wind. He seemed very pleased with our average speed and, when Duncan is pleased, I am pleased.
*** Oweeee! ***
The afternoon was spent lounging at the hot tub and preparing for our awards ceremony. We all chipped in and got a very cool a turtle sculpture as a thank you to Julie and Duncan for their hard work putting the camp together. The sculpture was presented at the awards ceremony where awards included the obvious: “Most Flats” to Mark, the obscure: “Best Vocals” to Alyson, and the soooooo appreciated: “Best Cook” to Ross!
*** Turtle Sculpture ***
*** Schwanky Plastic Trophies ***
*** Mark's Double Date for the Awards Ceremony ***
Thus concluded the formal Tri Camp. Booo!
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03/21/10 Sunday
Swim: 600 yards in 0:15.
Bike: None.
Run: 4.25 miles in 0:40.
Sunday brought our first unstructured day on the island and I took advantage of it with a simple morning run along the beach. Postcard views were at every turn and I tried to mentally save as many as I could to use someday on some rainy winter slog on the treadmill. Ross and Michelle had discovered a nearby beach that had lots of turtles so we headed over to check them out. I wouldn’t count it as a swim workout, exactly, but we did cruise around quite a bit taking photos and enjoying all the marine life. The day concluded with pupu’s at the Fairmont Orchid with Julie, Stacey, Kristen and Jim. Oh how well I slept that night!
*** Turtle Mania! ***
*** Keep 'em Comin'!***
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03/22/10 Monday
Swim: 3,150 yards in 1:10.
Bike: None.
Run: None.
The only official business on the day was our move from the rental condo across the street to Julie and Duncan’s place. That complete, I headed into town for an excellent workout at the Kona pool. I also stopped in at the Unison store for jerseys and of course to Costco (trip #3!) for some essentials.
*** Home Sweet Home ***
*** Mark "Working" From the Lanai ***
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03/23/10 Tuesday
Swim: None.
Bike: 117 in 7:05.
Run: None.
Finally the day of the planned BIG RIDE! I had set my sights on riding the entire 112 miles of the Ironman Hawaii bike course in one day. Mentally I broke it into four sections: North from the Mauna Lani, South back to the Mauna Lani, South to Kona, then back North to the Mauna Lani. I pushed off shortly after sunrise in my stylish new Unison jersey taking it nice and easy all the way up. Winds were a factor but certainly not dramatic and I didn't feel in any danger of being blown off my bike as I had on the previous ride to Hawi. In town I stopped at a grocery store for some fluids, a quick potty break and then hit the turnaround looking forward to lots of miles of descending after all those miles of ascending!
*** Ready to Roll in New Jersey and Helmet! ***
On the descent I was zooming merrily along, glancing on occasion at the ocean when I was surprised to see something.... something big… something moving… whales breaching! They looked like big grey boulders rising slowly out of the ocean and then splashing back down! AMAZING but, alas, I had to keep moving so eyes forward again. I stopped at the entrance to the Mauna Lani to drop off a water bottle and have the delicious Pro Bar (a calorie dense sports bar) I had been provided with by Annette. Coincidently Stacey, who had just arrived for Lavaman, and Julie were just pulling in so we chatted a bit and then I pushed off to the South.
Well dang, this was the part that I thought would be easy and it just wasn't. There was a headwind and it wasn't as downhill to Kona as I remembered. I really started to struggle and even though I had Perpetuem (an endurance drink that can be carried in powder form) in my jersey I didn't want to stop to mix it so I kept on pushing. I was running out of water and energy and decided to simply stop at the first fast food place for lunch to regroup. I set my sights on the Taco Del Mar about five miles out of Kona. I pulled up to turn in but after waiting for traffic for several minutes with no break I decided to push on. A few miles down the road a lady yelled out the window that I had lost something back at the light. Hmmmmm what was missing? Well s***, my repair kit. I was most of the way into Kona by now, out of water and really pooped. I'd have to look for it on the way back.
Finally, ahhhhhh the Golden Arches! I rolled my bike right into the lobby, ordered lunch and put my feet up for a few minutes. I had a grilled chicken sandwich and a hot fudge sundae (um yeah, carbs!?) and the best Diet Coke EVER. I finished the Kona portion of the course with relative ease and then headed home. Hopefully the return would be easier.
*** Only in Kona: My Cervelo in the Lobby of McDonalds!***
I rolled in with about 117 miles in total. Success! Minor miracle of the day: I felt pretty good overall with no major pain or chafe. My Achilles tendons did get quite tight that evening and they were both tight the following day but have since bounced back nicely. Epic ride #2 complete!
*** Epic Ride #2 in the Books ***
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03/24/10 Wednesday
Swim: 2,500 yards in 1:05.
Bike: None.
Run: None.
One day post Ironman bike ride and I felt pretty good! I ran errands in town, meaning I headed to Bike Works (trip #3) to spend too much money on a new repair kit. I also had a nice easy drill-focused swim at the Kona pool. On the way back I checked out the Energy Lab. This is a pivotal part late in the Ironman marathon course where it gets really hot and big moves are made. I wanted to see what it was about and had considered a 3 or 4 mile recovery run, but after only ¼ mile my legs gave me the big middle finger so I called it off and simply headed home. That afternoon Stacey, Mark and I went to the beach and Mark swam for awhile while I valiantly held down a beach chair. We then headed back to the condo for a nice early bedtime!
*** Ben There, Can't Say I Ran That! ***
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03/25/10 Thursday
Swim: None.
Bike: None.
Run: 8.0 miles in 1:20.
Ahhhhh… the day of the big sleep. So THIS is what vacation is about!?! Yep, I slept in to almost 8 AM and was finally feeling recovered from the long ride. Once I got rolling I went for a nice long run in the afternoon heat just soaking up the sun and happy to be in Hawaii. Mark and I enjoyed hot tub time in the afternoon and joined Stacey and Julie at Ruth’s Chris for dinner. Schwanky!
*** Hot Tubbin'! ***
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03/26/10 Friday
Swim: 3,450 in 1:15.
Bike: None.
Run: None.
Geeze, Friday already!?! I headed into town for a big swim at the Kona pool. In theory serious racers would take this day off completely. Clearly, I’m not a serious racer. The pool was void of triathletes for the first time since we’d arrived and I had my choice of lanes. I swung by Costco (trip #4) where I found said serious racers stocking up on some serious amounts of food! They were all sashaying around with their “USAT National Championship” tech shirts and long lean bodies buying fruits, breads, vegetables and beer, the carbohydrate of choice! I enjoyed the afternoon at the beach and splashed around taking a few photos. To bed early again….. finally feeling caught up on my sleep!
*** Hmmmm, Which Lane? ***
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03/27/10 Saturday: Pre-Race Day
http://jennifermaeedwards.blogspot.com/2010/04/2010-lavaman-race-report.html
Swim: 1,380 yards on 0:30.
Bike: 5.02 miles in 0:22.
Run: 1.75 miles in 0:20.
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*** Pre-Race day. http://jennifermaeedwards.blogspot.com/2010/04/2010-lavaman-race-report.html ***
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03/28/10 Sunday: Race Day
http://jennifermaeedwards.blogspot.com/2010/04/2010-lavaman-race-report.html
Swim: 1,640 yards in 0:27.
Bike: 24.85 miles in 1:12.
Run: 6.2 miles in 0:58.
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03/29/10 Monday
Swim: 3,450 yards in 1:10.
Bike: None.
Run: None.
Man-oh-man, our last full day in Hawaii???? I felt like I had just arrived! I enjoyed my last big swim at the Kona pool and got a much needed pedicure. And yes, of course, the requisite trip to Costco (#5) to return unused items and to Bike Works (#4) to do the same. Mark and I relaxed in the hot tub for awhile, and then it was time to pack, pack pack!
*** Love Him For This!!! ***
*** Bye Bye for Now Hawaii! ***
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03/30/10 Tuesday
Swim: None.
Bike: None.
Run: 7.5 miles in 1:15.
Sigh, our last day. I was able to squeeze in a 7.5 mile run before we had to head to the airport. I tried to soak it all in and enjoy the views as I ran along the trails overlooking the ocean at the Mauna Lani property. Reality could wait, at least for a few more minutes.
*** Need a Poster of This In Front of My Treadmill at Home! ***
*** Sporting My Victory T-Shirt at the Airport with Julie. Thank you Jessica! ***
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03/31/10 Wednesday
Back on the mainland, my first order of business was to get my bike into Gregg's for repair. The manager had already offered to take a set of bars off a bike they had for sale to get mine fixed promptly. Additionally, he had agreed to put my bike back together out of the bike box at no charge. I had no experience with the shop other than the bike purchase so I was already impressed. But then, what to my wondering eyes should appear? It was returned with CARBON FIBER time trial bars instead of the aluminum ones!!! Hmmmm… some mistake? Santa Clause? Had Mark secretly paid for an upgrade? Nope, turns out the aluminum ones they had wouldn’t fit so rather than delay my repair they put brand new carbon fiber ones on. AWESOME!
*** Bike Porn! ***
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Camp Totals
Swim: 20,690 yards in about 12 hours.
Bike: 336 miles in about 20 hours.
Run: 41 miles in about eight hours.
And, In Addition:
* Epic Rides: Two.
* Trips to Costco: Five.
* Trips to Bike Works: Four.
* Photos Uploaded by Group: 785.
* Bike Crashes: NONE!
* Fun Had: LOTS!
*** A "Minutes" Graph from My Log During the Trip ***
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04/03/11 Sunday
Swim: Lots.
Bike: Lots.
Run: Lots.
Fun: Lots.
Yep, we had so much fun we are planning a return trip! Several of the campers who were not able to participate in Lavaman would like to do so and those of us that did can’t wait to return. What adventures await?
*** Here We Go... Again! ***
