Kryptonite

I am going to try not to make this report too long but I feel like there is so much to say. As much as I would rather just write about all of the fun things we did while in Kona (paddle boarding, hiking, etc.) I have to write about the race that I would rather forget! I titled this blog Kryptonite because as my coach Joanna said after the race, “wind is my kryptonite.” For years I have tried to improve my ability to conquer the wind but the race on Saturday was proof that I have a long way to go. I know that Kona is historically windy but the last few years the weather has been great at the Honu 70.3. I knew I would battle a little wind but I thought I would take my chances and hopefully come out on top. I was wrong.

When we landed in Kona I was almost literally blown away by the wind. It was so intense that at lunch my meal blew off the table. When Jim and I took our bikes out on the course the day before the race I knew I was in trouble when I was pushing 5-10 watts above my goal wattage and only going 13 mph (and this wasn’t even the windy part of the course). 

Race morning we woke up at 4am to find that the wind was already gusting.  I was hoping the wind wouldn’t pick up till later in the morning buying us a few hours of reprieve. Again I was wrong.

The transition area was a “clean” transition meaning everything had to be in your bag at all times, which was probably a good thing since things kept blowing away (including my water bottle). I got in my normal warm up and headed down to the water. As I tried to scope out the course I realized it looked different than I had thought. I was unsure of the route so I started asking strangers what the course was. Every person I asked gave me a different answer-not a good sign. Before I knew it the horn sounded and we were off. This swim was VIOLENT! It’s been a long time since I have gotten that beat up in a swim and it didn’t let up till at least the 2^nd buoy. At this point the chop kicked up and it seemed like I was getting a mouth full of water every time I tried to breath. Despite the conditions I felt like I was swimming strong. Then something weird happened… after rounding a buoy I saw people to my right swimming into shore and a few people to my left swimming out farther to the left. Which way do I go? A lifeguard on a paddleboard started blowing his whistle and telling everyone who was heading into shore that there was one more buoy they had to swim out to before heading in. Most people didn’t listen and just kept going. I was a little thrown and wanted to follow the mass of people but instead I asked the guy, “which way do I go?”

He replied that we had to keep heading out so out I went with just a few others. This really pissed me off as I saw all of these people cutting the course. After all of that drama I was sure my swim time was going to be horrific, not to mention this was only my 2^nd non-wetsuit race and the first one was no bueno. I told myself if I could be under 35 minutes I would be ok. I was stoked to see 31 minutes on my watch as I headed up to T1. When I got to my rack everyone was talking about the crazy swim. The girl next to me said, “yeah I didn’t even swim out to that last buoy.” AWESOME.

Now I was worried that the gains I made in the swim would be diminished by all of the cheaters! Oh well, time to move on and get on the bike.

This is when the kryptonite comes into play. The first few miles were an out and back and as I saw the pros coming back from the turnaround I could tell the wind was nasty (even Lance looked like he was fighting as he road super fast). The next 30 minutes or so were tough but totally manageable. I assumed that’s what the whole ride was going to be like, but soon the cross winds started gusting and it was unlike anything I have ever felt or seen. A girl in front of me blew across both lanes of traffic and almost over the edge. I didn’t want that to be me. I was holding on for dear life just fighting to keep my bike upright. This is the stuff that freaks me out. My power was all over the place but at that point I wasn’t that concerned- I just didn’t want to crash. Then as a guy passed me I felt this light sprinkle. I assumed he had just peed and I was getting sprayed. Nope. It was rain. It proceeded to rain for about the next hour making the roads slick but keeping then temperature cool. It was around this point that a huge gust came and lifted by butt right off my seat. I swear it was a good 10 seconds before I made contact with the seat again. WTH?? I was so happy to finish the climb to Hawi and hit the turn around. It felt like heaven for about 10 minutes but then the crosswind was back. This time since we were going down the Queen K I was moving much faster, around 38-40 mph, so the thought of crashing was a little scarier. This is when I had to have a little conversation with myself, swallow my fear and just go with it. I had a few guys tell me they were impressed I was keeping that bike upright and I felt the same way. I didn’t hold back and even though I had lost a lot of time and energy in the wind I gained some confidence.

Coming into T2 I was happy to get off my bike, assuming the wind wouldn’t be as much of a factor on the run. Again, I was wrong. It took awhile for my Garmin to find a signal but once it did I saw that I was running about a 6:35 pace which was right within my goal time. Around mile 3 I turned and hit the same wind that plagued me on the bike. I was going nowhere. My friend Stacey came by me around this time and gave me a few encouraging words. She has earned a Kona spot at this race the last few years so I knew if I could just stay with her for the next 10 miles I could squeak out a good run.  That lasted maybe all of 20 seconds. Stacey pulled away as I watched in amazement, as the wind seemed to not slow her down at all. That’s when I got frustrated. I didn’t understand why the wind was crippling me so badly. I was literally stumbling and falling. Cardiovascularly  I felt fine I just couldn’t muscle through the wind. This agony continued until about mile 7-8 and then things started looking up. At mile 10 I hit the long out and back stretch on a desolate, dusty road and that’s when I saw how far back I was. I counted girl after girl who was ahead of me. Crapola. I didn’t realize things were that bad! The last 3 miles I picked up the pace and started running a few folks down. The last mile I ran as fast as I could (I even lost my favorite hat as the stupid wind took it right off my head). I kept looking over my shoulder to make sure I didn’t get punked in the finisher chute again but let’s be honest-all of my competition had already crossed the line. As soon as I finished I saw Jim whose first words were, “what happened to your hat?” We exchanged war stories as we headed to the beer garden and BBQ area. I have to say this was the nicest finish area of any race. Perched right along side the ocean on the grounds of a beautiful hotel. I was just happy to be done, in one piece and now relaxing in Hawaii.

At the end of the day I was 7^th in my division and 13^th overall amateur. Not stats I am proud of at all. But I learned a lot and I didn’t crash so I will just chalk it up to another race under my belt. I have to focus on my “A” race of the season, which is less than 3 weeks away. I am praying for no wind! J