Quick Kona Update 2

6 Oct 11-

I was going to write a piece on Financial obligation to complete an IRONMAN, and an outlook on my expenses for this season.  I figured since it is not completely over I would wait until post Kona, you never know how much the airline company will charge you, so that could vary the total cost of the season ;)

So instead here are some quick updates from the last 3 days.

There was a kids swim/run, my little sister took part.  This was her first open water swim and the water was a little rough so my step dad stayed with her but she finished the swim on her own.  The parents were saying the swim was worse than most mass starts they had been in, the kids were brutal out there.

 

Winter, from Team Winter (http://www.teamwinter.org/) with my sis.  Check out her site for more info, she was 2nd Overall, and almost ran down the winner who was a boy.  He ran barefoot so if she didn't put shoes on she could of got him.

 Tony Kannan, Indy Car Driver.  I told him that I raced quartermidgets growing up and knew Bryan Clauson.  Him and his wife are both very impressed with Bryan.  Now we are just trying to talk BC into a Triathlon ;)

Stopped by the World Bicycle Relief talk and contributed $25, contributing another 3 bikes in a few weeks to Jordan Rapps Fundraiser. Keep an eye on Slowtwitch for Jordan's announcement.

So some of you may know that I am out here on PTDY (Permissive Temporary Duty) for the Air Force.  They are not paying for the trip, all expenses are incurred by self.  So with that being said, I try and promote the Air Force and represent the US Armed Services in a good light.  I am still getting paid my normal salary and am not having to work, so it is the least I can do.  I wear shirts that AF logos on them, or a cycling kit with the same, or a visor with the AF logo.  I try and promote our military in a good light and not bring any negative image upon us.

With that being said today was the "UnderPants Run", here is a video which explains it: http://www.active.com/triathlon/Articles/How-the-Kona-Underpants-Run-Got-Started.htm

So in honor of the Underpants run I got in a little skimpy speedo, went all out on the attire and ensured I had no military affiliation on me.  It would of looked bad if I had a big AF Logo on with the below picture, but in reality, if you know the whole story and what was happening today it would not be all that bad.  We were fundraising money for the Special Olympics and that is of course a good cause.  So as hideous as the outfit is and I did take it to an extreme, it was for a good cause.  Here are two pictures, I know there are more out there and I am sure they will make it around FB, Twitter, Lava Magazine, Slowtwitch etc......But remember this was for a good cause.

 

From the Underpants run, courtesy of Jay Prasuhn!

Even with a "little" hair I could still pick up on the chicks ;)  My new friend Jana, I actually met her on the flight over from Honolulu.  She is here spectating and is planning to do her first triathlon next year.

Well I think you have "seen" enough of me for today.  Headed to the race brief and pasta dinner tonight.  Going to sit with the potential M35-39 Winner, Cam Loos, of the US Navy.  As much as I would like our AF guy to win, Cam is in top shape and is a former pro.  Rooting for him to do the US proud and win his AG.

Look out for the Pre-Race blog tomorrow, I will also make my race predictions on there for the Pro Race!

Quick Kona Update

3 Oct 11-

Just some quick photos and notes from Kona, not a full out blog:

-Sunday Swim, ran into a guy I met at the Tri in San Jose.  One of the 2 guys that beat me.  We got in a swim together, and came across about 10-15 DOLPHINS!  Pretty cool!

-Today got out for a long ride and came across Craig Alexandar and got to see the NEW SHIV in person.  Pretty cool bike with some neat concepts. Craig was also a super nice guy and we chatted for a few minutes, wish him the best of luck this weekend!

-Moved into our condo today from the race hotel, absolutely AWESOME!

-Here are some pictures from the last few days

 At the Lagoon in Ko Olina, Oahu getting an open water swim in

 Leaving Oahu, headed to Kona

 Out on the road for my Monday "long" ride

 I guess that is what the locals refer to Triathletes as ;) jk jk....Guess they have Donkeys out there on the Queen K.

Faris chatting it up on Ali'i Drive.

My Path to Kona: Part 1

30 Sep 11-

As I sit here and get ready to fly out of S. Korea over to Hawaii, I wanted to take a minute and start the blogs that will lead up to the Kona Pre Race Blog.  A lot of people dream about getting to Kona and attempt year after year to get to the "Big Dance".  I wouldn't say I "dreamed" about getting to Kona, until I made it a goal of mine.  I walked into this sport a little over 3 years ago now not even knowing what an IRONMAN was or what the difference between a triathlon bike or road bike was.  I came into the sport with no knowledge of anything and looked for guidance from many people.   I couldn't tell you who Chrisse Wellington was or who Team TBB was.  I couldn't even tell you how far a marathon was, but somehow 4 months later I was running one.  I showed up to my first sprint tri and a guy showed up on a Felt DA (tri bike) with a disc wheel, deep front Zipp and an aero helmet.  Me and my buddy were laughing at this guy wondering who the heck he thought he was.  10 months later I was rooming with this said guy at China 70.3, picking his brain on everything and he has become a great mentor.  Step back and looking at myself I am a spitting image of that guy, and I am sure there whispers at the small on base tris when I show up with people saying the same thing.

The path that I took to get to Kona is unique in my opinion, as is everybody's.  Some people are realistic and know what it takes to get to Kona, they lay out a plan that will work for THEM.  Others don't have a clue what it takes and they think they "know" what they need to do.  I have seen and read about these people and they wonder why year after year they don't reach their goal of getting to Hawaii.  I by no means knew what it took to get to Kona, but I was surrounded by people that know what it takes.  I was surrounded by mentors that have led me down the path to success.   I used those resources to make sure that the goal I wanted to achieve was attainable and I laid out a plan to achieve that goal.

I am fortunate enough to be in Asia, which means IM China was not going to cost me a fortune to get to (IM China was my original plan of my first IM, until it was canceled).  I then switched it up to IM Korea.  When you have a goal that is thought to be the top of the sport, people will think you are crazy when you tell them on your first IM you are gunning for a Kona slot.  If you pick the right race, in the right location, that suits you, anything is possible.  To make things even better, the cancellation of IM China brought a total of 75 Kona slots to IM Korea,  that is a very very BIG number.  So that was step 1, choosing a race that suited me.  Why did China and/or Korea suit me?  The races are known to have small fields which mean a higher chance of qualifying.  Some may call this cherry picking but when you are aiming for a goal that has so many variables in it, you take control of the things you can control, the race selection being one of them.

The other thing that had to be done, was I needed to hire a coach.  There was no way I was going into my first IM with ambitions of qualifying for Kona and coaching myself.  I lack the knowledge and experience in the sport to coach myself, and even the best coaches still need to be coached.  I had been following Team TBB for quite sometime, well since China 70.3 in April of 2009.  There had been talk that they would be doing online coaching and it was something that I kept my eye on.  I frequented there forum regularly looking for all the "free" advice that I could and just taking it all in.  When I made the decision to do the IM and they launched there online coaching I knew that is who I was going to put my trust in.  There are a lot of people out there who go out and get a coach, just to have a coach.  They don't do their homework, they don't know the history of the people and they just assume because they are a pro they are a good coach.  Team TBB has a proven track record and I liked the coaching model that they laid out, where their online coaches had the capability to seek advice from their head coach if need be.  The only way a coach/athlete relationship works is if you fully trust your coach and don't second guess his thought process and training plan.  What is the point to pay for a coach and then not even believe in what he is providing you?

The last big thing that I did was get a powermeter.  I got a wired SRM and really started focusing on power on the bike.  It has been the second best investment I have made in triathlon other than my coach.  Training by power is a great way to measure your fitness and track your progress.  I use WKO+ and it is something that I have enjoyed studying and watching over the course of the season.

Lastly, the thing that is out of everyone's control is the athletes you are surrounded by.  I say athletes, because you can't control the caliber of people you are surrounded by in terms of athletics, but you can control the other people you surround yourself with.  Being on a military installation where a majority of the base is on a 1 year tour, it is completely out of my control.  However, I have been very fortunate to have some great people to train with.  They know who they are, they are the guys that road in the freezing cold weather or came over on Xmas and put in a 3 hour trainer ride or anyone who just put in time in the pool, on the bike or on the run with me.  If you weren't there to hold me accountable I could of just blown off the workout, or I may not of been pushed as hard.  It is because of the people in my life that have led me to where I am at today.  It is not necessarily because of all the positive people, although they have a huge effect on it, the negative people are important as well.  The people that question what you do or the goals you aim for, thinking you are just flat out crazy.  Those are the people that push you to do better and reach higher each time.

I can't thank everyone that I have been surrounded by for the past 3 years and especially those that have been around these past couple of months leading into Kona.  You have been a crucial part to my training environment and have pushed me to where I am today.  And then as always if it wasn't for the great family members that I am surrounded by that continue to support me, I would not be on this plane to the big dance.  The Love and support they have for me is incredible and I am not sure if they will ever know how appreciative I am of it, words can't describe what they have done and what they continue to do for me.

In Part 2 I plan on talking about the lifestyle I lived this past year and the financial obligation that an IM has on someone.

Not really sure what picture to put to this blog, but since it is about the Path to Kona, here is a look back from January 2010, probably around 170-175lbs........