Kona - Day Three...

I woke up this morning and got blog comments from Simon, Matty O and Doru that my participation in the Underwear Run is a MUST DO.

Thankfully I got up early enough to read the comments before the run was over. I had no choice but to get up early, my back was "killing me" from over-sleeping. Even after getting out of bed, it takes about 30 minutes for it to loosen up and I'm very careful to move slowly.

Today was "shave my body" day. It definitely helped loosen up my back. I felt like a contortionist trying to bend and reach around to shave those "hard to get to areas". For the first time ever, I even shaved my "armpits". With no wetsuit, I thought the hair might slow me down.

It's moments when I'm not "thinking clearly" that I'm glad I have a blog, I needed that "push" to NOT MISS the underwear run. I wasn't exactly sure what time the run was at 0r where it began, so I did some google searches and twittering and found out it was a 8 am about 200 meters from my hotel.

The Mark Allen Online breakfast was at 8:30 am and I figured I had time to do both. If I showed up to the breakfast a little late, I didn't think it would be that big of a deal, normally speeches are after breakfast anyways. I'm glad I listened to "the three stooges" and did the run.

Doing the Underwear Run was major fun. I couldn't believe the amount of people, it could easily have been 500 athletes and some of the "underwear costumes" were amazing. I wore Reid's Star Wars underwear along with the Captains hat.

As I was standing waiting for the race to begin, I met Emma. She's a friend of Simon's from Malaysia. It was great that she introduced herself and said "hi'. I loved it.

It was a relatively short, slow run, maybe a mile. In the heat, it didn't take long for everyone to work up a good sweat. Reid got a lot of good video. I wished our hotel had a faster Internet so I could upload it.

From beginning to end it only took about 25 minutes total, which was perfect for me. I was still able to get to the Mark Allen breakfast and even though I was a little late, I didn't miss anything. It all worked out perfectly.

Again, I'm so glad I did the Underwear Run, it was "a blast".

I'm also glad I didn't miss the MAO breakfast. I got a chance to meet the other Mark Allen trained athletes and get some words of advice from Mark and Luis. The primary message they gave was to "relax and don't put undo pressure on yourself". Which I've been doing.

I was starting to get a little freaked out when they were describing what could go wrong and you may have to deal with and then I had to self-talk myself back to, "forget about all the possible bad stuff and get back to relaxing".

It was really great meeting Mark and Luis in person. I was wearing the Captains hat and they recognized me right away. They were very gracious hosts and the atmosphere was very upbeat and relaxed. Luis gave a nice speech about "how tough it is to make it to Kona and you should all be very proud of yourselves".

It's was cool to sit in a room and know that all those beside you have experienced similar volumes of training to get to Kona. It's like being around "brothers and sisters in arms". Some even introduced themselves and said they "loved my video" of me wearing the Captains hat, cigar and beer.

Even though we don't know each other and haven't trained together, we "know" what each of us go through and feel like during our training sessions. At one point, everyone got up and introduced themselves, told how many Ironman's they've done and how they got into Kona.

I was impressed with a couple of things, the first was the amount of people that had been to Kona multiple times and the second was the physical shape of the women, they put most of the men to shame with their lean and mean looking bodies and veiny biceps.

I can't stress enough how gracious and supportive Mark and Luis were, they seemed to really care about us and enjoyed our company. They were very genuine. Before the group left, they gave us all shirts and we had a group photo.

Mark told me I have a great "comeback story". The best was when I told Mark I was definitely partying and drinking beer on Sunday and he said to let him know when and where and he'll join me for a beer.

From 11 am - 2:00 pm, I drove the bike course with Alice and Reid. When we got to the turnaround at Hawi, I saw a cool looking cigar store and we stopped. I met the owner and bought some post-race cigars. We then went across the street and got some carbo-loading "ice cream" before heading back.

Along the way, we pulled over to the side of the road and tried to do the "spell your name in the lava fields with the white rock thing". We were going to write, "Training Payne 2010", but it was too much work, so we just did "T.P." Most people will think it means "Toilet Paper".

I've been telling Reid about the "Curse of Hawaii" and that your not supposed to take Lava rocks home with you and if you do, it will bring you bad luck. I also told him that some people who have taken Lava home have "mailed" them back to the Island because they had experienced back luck after taking them.

Needless to say, as I was in the Lava fields spelling "T.P.", he slipped a small Lava Rock into my pocket.

We ate lunch at around 2 pm and by 3 pm I was really tired and decided to go back to the hotel room and rest. My plan for the day is to eat lots of carbs and then to eat lightly tomorrow. I'm still taking vitamins. I forgot to flush the toilet and Reid couldn't believe how "yellow" my pee is.

Rather than sleep, I decided to update the blog. I figured if I do it now, I can fall asleep a little earlier tonight. Two nights before is the race is the "most important" night to get a good sleep. I told Alice and Reid we're getting to bed early. Not that it matters, Reid's been asleep by 8 pm every night since we've got here.

With respect to putting any food in my mouth, I'm in "super paranoia" mode. I'm only ordering food that I think has no chance of giving me "food poisoning". I'm only going to eat bland, safe food. I didn't come this far to "eat stupid again".

Physically, I'm a little tired this afternoon and felt a cold sore coming on. I also aggravated my buttocks / hamstring injury during yesterday's run. It was a little uncomfortable sitting and driving in the car today. However, all things considered, I'm still glad I ran a little longer than I was supposed to yesterday. From here on it, I'll be doing A LOT of resting in my hotel room.

It's a good thing Reid is here. Alice and him play so well together. If it was just Alice and I, it would be too intense and boring for her. With Reid, the two of them are constantly "laughing" and "hanging out" together. I told them my day of fun will begin on Sunday. Post-race we are also going to start doing the "tourist" stuff.

The Carbo-loading meal was your typical pre-race meal. It had the basics of salad, pasta salad, mashed potatoes, lasagna, vegetables, fish, chicken and dinner rolls. It was a "lot of nothing" for $55 per plate. I hardly ate much and didn't dare try the Lasagna.

The pre-race speeches were about an hour long and it had "pomp and circumstance". I didn't mind it, Alice and Reid were "bored". After they were over, we left and I missed the athlete meeting. I couldn't put them through more "triathlon speak". It doesn't take a "rocket scientist" to realize that Alice needs a "break" from triathlons. Her eyeballs rolling into the back of her head was a tale tail sign.

By 8:30 pm we were back at the hotel and it's now time to rest until Saturday. I'm really looking forward to Saturday and whatever it may bring. I'm hoping, "it's all good" and I feel as good as I did for Ironman Lake Placid

Rest Day - Taper

Kona - Day Two...

I woke up with a sore back this morning. It wasn't from training, it was from 9-hours of sleep and lying on my back too long.

After a breakfast at Denny's, we stopped at Safeway and Wal-Mart to pick up some water, pop, fruit and vegetables. Wal-Mart had this really cool display with cases of Pop that spelt "Ironman".

Post Wal-Mart we drove around looking for a waterproof case for the flip video camera and had no luck. Reid wanted to get some underwater shots of the fish.

We asked a couple people if there was a "Best Buy" around and no one knew what a "Best Buy" was. With no luck finding an underwater case, we went back to the hotel and I did my last major training sessions before "Race Day".

I started with an open water swim at the pier. At 6-9 am in the morning, there are hundreds of people swimming. At 11 am, there was only about 10 of us. The late morning advantage is "we didn't have to worry about swimming into oncoming traffic".

Today was the most windy day since we arrived and as I swam farther out into the sea, the waves got bigger. I was bobbing up and down and at times it was tough to sight the next buoy. The waves also "pull" you in a direction and it's easy to be "drawn" off course. I can see the swim portion of this race being challenging and potentially causing slower than normal swim times.

When I got to the turnaround buoy, I stopped and had a brief chat with a guy from Australia and another from the United States. They commented how beautiful it is to swim in the ocean and look at the fish. The water temperature is also perfect, it was comparable to the pool at the YMCA.

After I finished, I stopped briefly at the Ironman expo to pick up a cycling jersey WITH sleeves, to protect my sunburn. I'm glad I didn't bring one of my cycling jerseys, the one I bought is really nice. I had a picture of me wearing it post-ride, but deleted it by mistake.

I had another solid bike ride. The winds were stronger than yesterday, luckily they weren't dangerous and I didn't get blown around. Going out, I had the crosswind at my back and got to the turnaround averaging 35.9 kph and returned with a 32 kph average.

If I wasn't in a race and didn't have to worry about my time, I enjoy cycling in the wind. It's challenging and with the hard pedalling and slow speed it gives me a similar sensation to running and time seems to go by quicker.

When I got back, I went for my 30 minute run and I expanded it to 55 minutes. My buttocks / hamstring was feeling much better than the last few runs and I decided to give it a bit more of a workout. It may not be what the "coach" wanted me to do, but I intuitively felt I needed it.

In 1988, I saw "very few" people training in the day's leading up to the race. At that time, if I saw someone training, my immediate reaction was to say to myself, "they're stupid". The standard thought process at the time was to taper by doing NO training for at least 5 days before the race.

In fact, with no word of a lie, I remember seeing "Mark Allen" out doing a pre-race training run in the days leading up the the race. He was one of the few.

Today, that theory is no longer in effect. The streets were full of people running and everyone is so damn "fast". I was running at a 5:00 per km pace and a couple of people just blew by me. I'm actually getting "sick" of all the "Men's Health" cover models running shirtless. It's getting old and I'm so damn "jealous" and don't appreciate it rubbed in my face.

With that said, if I had a body like them, I'd run shirtless all the time. I'd even consider going to work shirtless, at least two days a week.

In Wal-Mart, I saw a couple of guys walking around in "short shorts" with a shirt on. I assumed they were "Europeans" or "very vain Europeans" or "village people wanna-bees".

I can't tell you how many times I'd pass by one of these "athletic freaks of nature" and have to remind myself that I deserve to be here as much as they do. I too qualified. If I came here on the lottery, I'd definitely enjoy the experience and I'd feel a much higher level of "shock and awe".

Alice keeps telling me, "I'm sure they don't have much of a life outside of Ironman training" and she's probably right. I've often said, if they had a Ironman that required everyone to drink heavily the night before and race "hungover", I'd probably win. Craig Alexander would be "my bitch".

I was really happy with today's heat training and acclimatization. My body feels like it's adjusting quickly and it showed with a decent run time in the heat and maintaining a low heart rate.

Overall, providing I don't do something stupid with my diet, I'm feeling as good as I think I could feel at this point in time. Mentally I'm looking forward to the race and physically I feel as strong as I ever have before any Ironman.

I'm so glad I showed up on Monday and was able to do about 7 hours of training in the heat over the past two days. I'm also glad we got a hotel in the "heart of the action" and the finish line is literally steps from our hotel lobby.

During today's run I went down All'i drive and after about 2.5 km's out of town it starts to get very quiet. It reminded me of condo's in Palm Springs, "where old people go to die". For my personality and especially with Reid and Alice around, it's not where I'd want to stay, unless I enjoyed "hearing them complain".

Kailua-Kona feels like "IRONMAN TOWN", everywhere you look, everything "breathes Ironman". One of the shop owners told us that many of the locals go to the other side of the Island during Ironman week. It doesn't feel like Ironman is "infringing" on the town, it feels like "Ironman" IS the town. Kind of like how "college kids" own Daytona Beach for Spring Break.

I only had one "slight" mishap during training. I was running opposite of traffic and a bike was heading my way. I stepped to the left, to hug the curb and the cyclist tried to go the inside. I thought, what an "idiot" and "what was he thinking?"

The only explanation I could come up with is that he was from one of those countries that drive on "the wrong side" of the road and his natural reaction was to go to the inside. Or, he was just an "idiot".

The new hotel room they moved us to is GREAT. It has much more room than the previous one, which Alice thought felt like a "prison cell". She was right and in such "closed quarters" it's easy to get "snappy" with each other. I'm still a little "snappy" but that's just "normal" pre-Ironman stress. From experience, I'll be "a new man" the minute I cross that finish line.

We went for dinner tonight at a place that has 36 draught beers on tap. I told the waiter, "Not now, but I'll be back on Sunday". Tonight was my carnivore night and I ordered a 16-ounce ribeye steak. The next two days will be lots of "carbs".

I also think I'm serious about this race, I brought all my vitamins and even whey protein and Hammer Recoverite drink. When I go to the washroom right now, I'm "peeing yellow sunshine".

Finally, I've been taking "lots" of video. Unfortunately, our Internet service at the hotel is very slow and there's no way for me to upload it and have it appear online before Christmas. I'll post a "video montage" when I get home.

It doesn't look like I'll be able to do the "underwear run" tomorrow, Mark Allen is hosting a breakfast for the MAO athletes. I may have to do the "underwear run" on my own.

Swim - 1:00:23 / 3000 meters

Bike - 1:41:17 / 54.01 km / 32 kph avg

Run - 55:17 / 10.75 km / 5:07 per km avg / 135 avg hr

Kona - Day One...

Last night we got to bed early, due to the effects of the 6-hour time change. Reid fell asleep the minute his head hit the pillow.

I ended up having a fabulous 9-hours of sleep. I would have slept even longer if my back wasn't getting sore from lying down so long.

The room we got is SMALL. They were to give us a room with two beds, but when I arrived, there was no record of that change being made. It didn't take long to realize this is Hawaii and it's a "very" relaxed atmosphere.

There's no use getting upset and I didn't, it doesn't work here. They just asked me to check back everyday. I still can't believe we got everything to fit in that small room they gave us. It just barely did. Reid actually enjoyed sleeping on the cot, he said it was comfortable.

We were up by 6 am. It's beautiful here. Our hotel is within a 2 minute walk from the pier and finish line. After eating some breakfast we went down to the pier and visited the host hotel. I can "honestly" say, I was "wrong", the athletes here are not "uber athletes", they are "super-human" uber athletes.

I have NEVER seen so many "unbelievably" fit people in my life. Regardless of their ages, most of the people are "ripped" with no "tummy fat" whatsoever. I saw 60 year old that "blew me away".

I'd love to have a "tight body and flat tummy", unless it required not being able to drink beer. If I couldn't drink beer, I'd have to call a "hard no" on wanting to achieve that goal.

This morning I was still on edge and irritable, I felt sorry for Alice and Reid. and staying in a "claustrophobic" sized room doesn't help. I barely had enough room to put my bike together.

It took longer than normal to re-assemble and looked like "customs" went through the box and did something "wonky" with my derailleur. My fingers were BLACK with grease when I was finished, there was no finessing it on this time.

We spent the morning walking All'i drive and getting a feel for what's around us. Our hotel is located in the heart of the action and there is lots of shops and restaurants all around us.

The Ironman and sponsors advertisements are EVERYWHERE!!! It looks much different than when I was here 22 years ago. In addition to the hotel race expo, all the little shops also carry different style Ironman shirts and souvenirs, which I think are much nicer than the limited selection at the expo.

This event is HUGE and the energy is amazing. It is "unlike" ANY Ironman I've ever done, even the last one I did here. Along All'i drive it is just one sponsors shop or tent after another and there is nothing you can't find.

I decided I was going to do a ride in the afternoon, I wanted to do it in the worst possible heat of the day. Beforehand I stood in line for 40 minutes to register while Reid and Alice went swimming and snorkeling at the pier.

The registration process was a well oiled machine and they didn't go through the regular explanation of what all the bags were for, they just assumed you knew what to do. The volunteers were really great, they all seemed like they were "veterans".

Even though I've been eating well, they weighed me in at 192 lbs. I haven't been that high in over 3 years. For an Ironman I typically weight in at 189 lbs. I don't get it, I've been "off" beer and eating relatively well. I'm not sure if it was the salty nuts I was eating yesterday or the gallons of water I drank. Last night I had to get up three times just to pee.

After registering, we ate lunch. Alice seems to remember a lot of the surroundings from the last time we were here. I remember NONE of it, other than the pier, and it's smaller than I remember. My only vivid memory was feeling like I was swimming in an aquarium with salt water fish. Tomorrow I'll find out if that memory "rings true".

I went for a 3 hour ride this afternoon and didn't recognize the course, other than the lava on the side of the roads that looked like black "Manitoba Gumbo Mud". The roads were also "much" hillier than I remembered.

It is definitely "hotter" and "windier" than I thought it would be. I didn't think I needed sun tan lotion because I had rode in the sun all summer. Doh!!! I put on my new Tri-Toons Top and came back "lobster red" in spots. It doesn't hurt, yet. It just looks really, really bad.

The ride "taught" me something. Number one, is "hydrate" and "eat", oh, and use sunscreen. I didn't drink for the first 70 minutes and by the end of the ride all I wanted was water and needed food for energy. The winds are pretty bad and often they seem to switch directions.

On the way back to town, I met Chad Garrett, a Mark Allen athlete who's not competing this year. He was returning from a training ride to Hawi and said the winds were "wicked strong" the closer he got to Hawi. For seven miles he couldn't take his hands off his handlebars even to get a drink without the fear of being blown over. One guy was blown off the road and crashed yesterday and was injured so bad, he dropped out of the race.

I really enjoyed the ride. It was tough, but there's something about training and being on the road that makes me feel like an "Ironman". Walking through town and seeing all the hard bodies and acknowledging that everyone is "very good" is one thing, but I find the best is getting on the road and training. Being able to do it is all that matters.

On the road, there's no watching the "Aryan race" parading around with no shirts on and you being envious. Your just doing what got you here in the first place. It was also really cool to know I was riding the Queen K and training on the same Highway that Lance prepared for this years Tour du France.

When I got back to the hotel, I saw Reid's new haircut. He was complaining he was over-heating and Alice took him in to get his "mop-top" thinned out. It actually looks pretty, pretty, pretty good.

Tonight was the "Parade of Nations" or "Athletes Parade" and it was bigger than I thought it would be. The parade leads in alphabetical order by Country. For Canada, we had a old military Jeep that was leading us and I got to ride on it along another woman named Mary from Dundas, Ontario, which is about a 20 minute drive from my place.

Before we got started, I was handed a letter. It was a congratulatory letter from the Canadian Federal Minister of Sport wishing each of us Canadian athletes well. It's definitely going to get framed and hung up on the wall in the man cave.

The parade ended at a "second Ironman outdoor expo", which officially opened when the parade arrived. As I walked through, I saw this smiling face looking at me from their booth, it was "Mark Allen". He recognized the "Captains Hat". I've been wearing the hat since I woke up this morning and plan on wearing it until the last day of Ironman festivities.

Mark was really gracious and we spoke briefly. He seemed to get a kick out of my approach to triathlons. He mentioned that he loved the "beer is a great recovery drink" comment from my video.

Afterwards, I met up with Alice and Reid and we went out for dinner. When we got back to the hotel our phone message light was flashing and the hotel operator said they found a larger room for us. We checked it out and it was close to double in size and worth the "hassle" of packing everything up and moving it.

I spoke to Alyssa today, she's doing great, she just scored a 90% on her first ever University mid-term. Today was also "officially" her real birthday and my parents are in Toronto and took her out for dinner. It sounds like she's enjoying not having us around and distracting her from studying.

One of my "pictures of the day" is a "Matty-O" crossing sign. I know he's been to Hawaii and likes it here. They must have "remembered" him from his last visit and are playing it save for his next visit.

Mod Bike - 3:10:33 / 101.33 km / 31.8 kph / 136 avg hr.

Up, up and away…

Last night I only had 5 hours of sleep, but it was good sleep. It felt longer and just what you want before a 14-hour travel day to Kona.

I was up at 5 am and there was no “rush” or “panic” to get ready. I already loaded my bike and luggage in the truck the night before. All I had left to load was Alice and Reid’s luggage.

We left for the airport at 6 am and Alyssa came with us to say goodbye and drive the truck home. Even though we got to the airport close to three hours before the flight, I was nervous about making sure we had a seat on the plane.

Whenever I fly Air Canada, there is a much higher probability of problems. In February when I went to Los Angeles, I showed up to the airport two hours before the flight and they oversold the flight and I didn’t have a seat, even though I had a ticket.

Last night I tried to check-in online at it wouldn’t allow it. All I could think about was history repeating itself and Air Canada overselling the flight and not having a seat for us.

I guess that’s why I was on edge this morning and made sure we were at the airport well in advance. I’m glad I was, the line-ups were insane. I overheard someone saying it’s like this every Monday morning.

Before I could get out of truck to unload our stuff, a car pulled in behind us, two feet from the truck bumper. I didn’t have enough room to get the luggage out and immediately started sweeping my hand repeatedly at them to “back up”.

I guess it was a little aggressive, because the girl and the guy in the car were both yelling back, “okay, okay, okay” with an angry look of “we’re trying”. I couldn’t hear them, but their “pissed off” facial expressions and mouths flapping as they backed up told the story.

My number one focus was to get into that airport and get a seat on that plane. Nothing was going to stop me and if they didn’t like my approach, so be it. Frankly, I was a little surprised they took my actions as “hostel” and realized I must be a little “tightly wound” this morning.

When I got to the ticket kiosk and put in my information, I was relieved to see we had seats assigned. I thought all was well until after I put in all our passport and hotel information it wouldn’t print out the tickets and instructed me to see an agent.

While I was working the kiosk, Reid was “throwing up”. He woke up with a stomachache and said he felt sick. Before we left the house I gave him a small plastic garbage bag incase he started to “throw up” during the drive to the airport. It was a good thing he kept it and took it in the airport because he had four major “exorcist-style up-chucks”.

As we drove to the airport I was worried it was his appendix and was playing in my mind the options. My primary thought was to get him to Kona and if it was his appendix we could take him to a hospital and I would still be able to do the race.

As bad as this sounds, before we left the house I was playing scenarios of what might prevent me from racing, like a death in the family. As selfish as this might sound, I told myself, if anyone dies, I’m not aborting this race to attend a funeral.

I figured if they’re dead, what's the advantage of returning for a funeral. If it was me who died, I wouldn't want one of my relatives to miss racing the Ironman and return for my funeral. I'd rather they "live life and race".

Although, now that I think more about it, if Alyssa had any problems, I’d be on the first flight home without hesitation. Aside from that or anything just as serious, "come hell or high water" I’m racing.

Even if Reid has to go in the hospital for his stomach problems, I’m racing. Alice can stay with him and I’ll join back up with them after the race.

With that said, I don’t think Reid has any serious stomach issues. I asked him a series of questions and I realized it wasn’t his appendix, it sounded more like food poisoning and after he “threw up” he started to feel better.

After the kiosk wouldn’t print my tickets, I had to stand in my first long line to deal directly with an agent. When I finally got to the front, I turned my back to get my bike case that was sitting just outside of the line rope and some white haired German guy who was behind me didn’t notice and cut in front and was going to the agent.

Before he went to far I said, “HEY, HEY, HEY, I’M NEXT!!!” I guess it came across a little too aggressive because he shot back, “okay, relax” in a “dick head” way. I thought two things, “what gives him the right to get testy with me, he should have apologized” and my other one was, “man, I must be wound up and coming across aggressive, that’s the second confrontation today”. Again, I blew it off; all I was focused on was getting those plane tickets in my hand.

The next long line was customs; it was insane with hundreds of people waiting. I was so glad we showed up early or it would have been “major anxiety” whether or not we were going to catch our plane.

We finally got through that line and then we had another crazy long line for security clearance. When I got to the front, they checked my ticket and instructed me that I’d be “flagged” by Air Canada as someone for “enhanced security inspection”.

I’m not sure if it was random or the woman at the counter made an “executive decision”. She had an edge about her and saw that I was in a little verbal “scuffle” with the guy behind me.

They took me to a special line and did the “bomb swipe” and “open every zipper” bag check as well as the “full body scan”. Which was a little weird knowing someone somewhere can “see your pecker”.

Because Reid and Alice followed me into that line, they got the full body scan as well and also gave someone a “peep” show. Reid had the option to turn it down because he’s under age, but went for it anyway. Afterwards, I was “teasing” him that if he became famous, they have that picture and could release it.

In total, it took us close to two hours to get our tickets and work our way through all of the lines and get to the gate. Other than a short delay to wait for about 50 other late passengers that were caught in customs, the departure and arrival was uneventful and the 5-hour flight went by quickly.

When we got to Los Angeles we had two hours before our next flight, about 30 minutes of it was eaten up trying to get from one terminal to another. It was a bit of an adventure figuring out where to go and what bus was to pick us up.

Our next flight was on Delta and I have a Credit Card that gets us into the “Sky Club Lounge” where they keep all the free snacks and drinks. I think I pigged out on fourteen pounds of peanuts, yogurt covered peanuts and some other “dog food” looking snack. It was a bummer not being able to take advantage of the “FREE BEER” offering.

The flight to Kona had its scary moments, especially in the beginning. We had some “wicked” turbulence of the “scary” variety. It had me wondering if we were going to make it and I was considering what my final words should be to Alice and Reid if we were going down. The best I came up with was, “see you on the other side”. I think there was an “I love you in there as well”.

The bumpiness lasted for a while and eventually the pilot told us that a plane in front of us, on the same flight path, said it would end in about 100 miles, which it did.

Getting on the plane to Kona was the first time I started seeing other triathletes. On the plane we sat in the last row beside the toilets and got a chance to see a lot of “very fit” looking people that looked “lean and mean”.

In Toronto, before we left security, I felt like an athlete when I got a compliment from the female security woman who asked me to open my bike case.

She saw my Ironman shirt and tattoo and was impressed that I was competing in Kona. She said, “you look really fit and I’m afraid to guess your age”. I said I was forty-five and she said she was forty-seven.

I was wondering if I looked as old to her as she looked to me. She had “none of her prime left” or “was I delusional about how old I look?” Do we both think we are still younger looking than we are when we look in the mirror?

Age and looks wise, Alice and I got some good compliments from our nieces and nephews this weekend. We were at a wedding and they were all amazed and kept saying, “you guys haven’t aged”. That was kind of cool to hear. I can guarantee you that if I was still a Fat Guy and out of shape, they would have been saying, “Geez, Aunty Alice sure doesn’t age” or “why is she with that old fat guy”.

We finally arrived in Kona and checked into our hotel. It’s the same one that Alice and I stayed in 22 years ago when we were 22 years old. Alice remembers more of it than I do.

It didn’t take us long to get tired. There is a 6-hour time zone difference. We forced ourselves to go for dinner and now it’s 7:30 pm Hawaii time and 1:38 am Burlington time.

Good night all, we're pretty tired.

Oh, and by the way, I just noticed this is my 1000^th post since I started the blog. It seemed like just yesterday I started this blog November 12, 2007.

Travel Day – No Training.

Done...

It's been a crazy couple of days. Tomorrow will be the third day in a row I've needed to be up early to catch a flight. The upside is this one's to Kona.

After flying a total of 4000 km to and from Winnipeg, I arrived home at 1 pm today tired and really didn't feel like training. All I wanted to do was sleep.

I gave it a lot of thought and was calculating if I missed training today, "how would I catch up tomorrow? We're flying to Kona and wouldn't get in until around 11 pm Toronto time (5 pm Kona Time) and not sure how I'd feel physically. I was also concerned about missing a third day of training in a row.

In the end, I "pushed" myself out the door and did about 3 hours of training. I swam, biked and ran. Unfortunately my buttocks / hamstring only felt marginally better.

Without question I needed to run. I think it was wise that I took the "legs out for a light jog". There's so many other parts, like the quads, calf's and tendons, that need a regular workout to stay strong and sharp.

It's pretty much an easy schedule of training from now until next Saturday's race. My hope is a couple more days of rest and no long runs will help my discomfort injury get better. I'm glad it's going to be lighter training, I'm close to burn out, again.

I was reading the "Triathlon Bible" and it says that you have to go very close to the line of "over training" in order to shoot up to "peak performance". I'm definitely on that bubble. August and September where lots of training mileage months. Not to mention December 2009 through to July 2010.

Actually, now that I think of it, it's been 11 months of high mileage training and even then, I only had a three week semi-break from the previous season of racing. In fact, it's probably close to 20 months of fairly intense training without much of a break.

It's time for a well deserved break.

When I got finished today's training it was 8 pm and I still needed to pack, which took me two hours of high intensity focus. I wanted to make sure I didn't forget anything. This being my 3rd flying destination Ironman, the packing of the bike felt like "old hat".

By the time I was done, I was beat and hungry and pulled a John Barclay and picked up a "Quarter Pounder and Cheese" from McDonald's.

Right now I can feel I'm in the home stretch. Next post will be from Kona, providing Air Canada does their job and gets me and my gear there, which is always a crap shoot.

Time for Bed.

The photo today is of a sweat band that Davis gave me yesterday. I'm definitely going to use it when appropriate and I'm sure it will get well used.

Swim - 45:55 / 2000 meters

Bike - 1:39:44 / 51.14 km / 30.8 kph avg

Run - 33:10 / 5.95 km / 5:34 per km avg pace / 136 avg hr

Test flight...

To make my Kona journey just a little bit more challenging, Alice and I flew to Winnipeg early this morning. It was Thomas and Trista's Wedding. Thomas is Alice's sister Darlene's son.

Thankfully, I woke up with "no" runny nose. Getting to bed earlier last night, taking Cold-FX tablets and not training seemed to have helped. Other than my sore "butt" hurting even more when sitting on the plane seat, it was an uneventful flight.

We arrived in Winnipeg at 11 am and shortly after we got off the plane we saw my cousin Tim Lauren. He was working the Enterprise car rental counter where we picked up our car. Tim also wished me luck at Kona as we left. It caught me a little off guard, I didn't realize he knew I was going to Kona. Small world.

It's seems like running into relatives at the airport is possibly becoming a trend. The last time I was in Winnipeg, I ran into a different cousin Jason.

Before heading to the wedding, we had a spare hour and stopped by a couple of friends places and my brothers. By 1 pm we were at the ceremony. In impromptu fashion I helped by taking over the video camera recording responsibilities.

I almost had a heart attack when I thought I "forgot" to turn on the "record" button and missed the bride walking down the isle and the two of them saying their vows. My heart was in my stomach and I was shaking inside. I was thinking, "I just screwed up the recording of one of the most memorable days of their lives".

It was a sickening feeling and I was "incredibly" relieved when I found out the footage was okay. I'm sure the expensive HD video camera was recently purchased just for this occasion and before I knew the footage was okay, I kept thinking "I was the biggest idiot of all time and how could I screw up so bad, there's no do overs".

With that said, I couldn't be the "perfect cameraman". I had to give them some "Uncle Bryan" video entertainment. They don't know it yet, although they probably will tomorrow when they review the footage, but I slipped in a long close up of "Chesty Cleavage" of the maid of honour.

She had a major set of "air bags" and I thought it would be funny as they all sit around watching the footage and then see the video panning, and panning, and panning, and cropping out her head, and panning until the camera could zoom no more. Then it recorded directly focused on that area for some time. I don't know Trista the bride very well and I sure hope she has a sense of humour.

After the ceremony and before the reception, Alice and I went to Sorrento's restaurant, a Winnipeg landmark, they're famous for their big "Sorrento's Salads" and "Cheese Toast". It was worth flying into Winnipeg alone for that salad. It's Alice's favourite.

I was a "good boy" all night. NO DRINKING. Not only did I "not drink", we even left by 10:30 pm. We have a 9:20 am flight in the morning and I wanted to get as much sleep as possible. Originally, we were going to stay at my brothers, but then he figured he'd still be up and partying until past 1 am.

Then we were going to stay at my friend Rich's place, but his son Davis was having his Annual Beer Run and they'd be up late, so we had no choice but to get a hotel. Winnipeg is normally a "wholesale" City and prices are cheap. However, I've come to learn, when it comes to hotel rooms, Winnipeg is expensive. I couldn't find ANYTHING under $100 per night.

We ended up at the Greenwood Inn near the airport and were fast asleep by midnight. I couldn't believe it, I did it, we went to a wedding and actually got home and were in bed by midnight.

Rest, Recovery & Taper Day -

Sore left buttock/hamstring, sniffles.

Sniffles...

Last night I had a terrible sleep. It took me a while for me to get into REM and when I did, it was "short" and "light" at best.

Being bundled up in a sweater and pajama pants as I slept probably may have contributed to the poor nights rest. Although, I did the same for the previous two nights without any problems.

When I woke up, I was on the fence whether or not I should do my scheduled tempo run. My left butt/hamstring area was still sore and I had ran three days straight and was concerned about over doing it.

By noon, my nose was running and I started feeling a cold coming on. Even with that, I was still on the fence about whether to train or not.

I spoke to "Unofficial Coach Gord" and he insisted without hesitation, "do not train, you're semi-injured and getting a cold. Don't be a fool".

I knew "not training" was the right thing to do, but I needed someone to "bitch slap" me, which I can count on Gord to do.

Instead of training, I picked up a 58 Litre Keg of beer and booked a massage.

The massage girl I recently found is really good, she's not afraid to put the "hurt" on me and dig her elbow into my buttock muscles. The best part is, my "hairy ass" doesn't make her sick. Or at least she doesn't show it.

I know I NEED a massage if there's pain when she works it. If there's no pain, that means my muscles are fine. Today, there was some definite pain in the butt muscles, the quad muscles and the upper part of the calf's just below the knee.

Tomorrow is another rest day and I'm glad. After today's "deep tissue" massage, my muscles need time to heal and repair themselves. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be getting much immune system rest, I've got an all day and night event I need to attend tomorrow.

Picking up a new Keg of beer was a "risk", it could have ended my Kona journey early and I knew it. It's 165 lbs of beer and I'm lucky I didn't throw out my back lifting it up and down from the truck or wheeling it down the side of the house, down a hill to the walkout "man cave" below. Not to mention if it fell on my foot as I was maneuvering it.

In the end, I took the "risk". I just couldn't pass up on having a nice "cold pour" waiting for me when I got back from Kona.

Tonight, the family went out for dinner to celebrate Alyssa's 20th Birthday. Reid even got dressed up. Alyssa is studying like crazy and doing really well at University. She was telling us about some of the psychology stuff she's learning, which is really interesting. Reid on the other hand, was only interested in making faces, bugging Alyssa and telling "knock, knock jokes".

It was family time at it's finest. "I loved every minute of it".

Going out for dinner definitely helped make me feel a little better. I ordered food with lots of garlic and I think the garlic helped. My only "faux pas" was I ate three pieces of Alyssa's Dairy Queen Ice Cream Cake when we got home. I couldn't stop at one and felt a little "sick" afterwards.

After eating so well and then having Ice Cream Cake, it didn't take long for it to work like a laxative. I can guarantee you, I won't be doing that again before race day.

Tomorrow's an early morning, so tonight is going to be an early night. Right after this post I'm going to have a hot bath and try to get to bed by 11 pm. Hopefully that will help me avoid a full blown cold.

There's nothing like a little drama before Kona.

Lastly, I went shopping for some "funky underwear" for the pre-event Ironman Kona Underwear Run. I couldn't find any. Then when I get home, Alice says Reid has some. Doh!!!

Taper Day - No training

1 hour massage