Journey to Kona

I had just finished the VTS Angel's Tri Sprint in Lynchburg, VA mid-April and took a quick look at my email. What!!!! I had been selected for the Ironman World Championships in Kona in October 2013. Really!!!

Raleigh 70.3 Swim Start 2013

I was surprised to "Lottery In" to the Ironman World Championships in Kona this year. My plan was to build goodwill through the lottery system in hopes of training and opportunity meeting a few years in the future. However... my lottery number came up and I was inspired to accept the challenge.

Fortunately, I had this scenario in mind during my winter training, all be it in the back of my mind. I had been training in some longer cycling classes, and trying to trim down for a busy and "normal" Tri season in Virginia. The Angel's race was the first of the season and had gone very well. I had studied the course and leveraged that and my fitness training for some of my best times. But now it was time to become very serious with a reasonable base to build from.

I contacted Bob Leftwich at the Bike Stop in Culpeper. Bob has been involved with Ironman and I wanted a confirming opinion about the Lottery. Is this the big deal that I think it is? A quick email back was an emphatic YES!!! Bob recommended a coach in King George VA that had done Ironman Kona and would be a good first step.

I contacted Debbie Bernardes of UCANDOIT Coaching. The conversation went something like this:
Hi Deb, I have lottery'd into Kona Ironman and I need a coach. After a few questions to me, I asked - Is it doable? Without hesitation - YES. Great how do we get started.... another green light.

My next goal was to complete a 70.3 IM in order to qualify. I was able to register for the Raleigh, NC race in early June with only 6 weeks to prepare for my first 70.3. At first the training seemed easy. Low HR and long time in the run / bike. It took a while to move past the sprint thinking and get in tune with endurance thinking. There was a time that I thought that a Sprint Tri was endurance. That had changed.

Raleigh 70.3 5AM Jackson Lake June 2, 2013 

To get ready for the Raleigh 70.3, I had signed up for the Marine Corps 13.1 Half Marathon. The distance that I would cover in Raleigh "after" a 1.2 Mi Swim and a 56 Mi Bike. That was a good and bad decision. Only two weeks before the Raleigh race, everything needed to go well. However, I learned some big lessons that would deliver me more successfully to the finish line in Raleigh.

The Marine Corps Half in Fredericksburg, VA was a rainy cold day in May. I had advice from my coach about the race. However, I choose to run a "different" race. In the end, I learned the lesson of taking it slow in the beginning (not fast) and replenishing along the way with abundant intakes of electrolytes. Having not followed these two tips... I cramped up towards the end of the race with a big cramp in the calf after the race that left my calf muscle sore and resistant to running. This was not good with two weeks to go for the real race..

I dug such a deep hole in my muscles during the MC 1/2 that recovery was challenging. Fortunately, I was able to regain my footing and prepare for the Raleigh race. Now, I was ready to listen more attentively to the coach. Her advice meant everything as I made ready for the race. I finished strong and in plenty of time to advance to Kona. I will share my race notes on a later post. I learned more lessons during the race. I must say that the people of Raleigh, The event sponsor - The Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, and the Ironman staff we amazing. The Raleigh experience was World Class.

Today - July 4th, I ran a PR in our Freedom 5K in Culpeper VA. The training is working. I am over 2 minutes faster than my April 5K which was 6 minutes faster than last year.

This blog is about my journey to Kona.