Kona Revisited

With the Ironman World Championships approaching, I decided to reminisce and share our experience from Kona.

Swimming with Dolphins Swim with dolphins for free at Captain Cook Monument.  Every day around 6:30am or 6:45am a school of spinner nose dolphins swim to the shore.  This was the most exciting thing we did.  Tiffany was able to video dolphins swimming under water as well as jumping through the air.  Be sure to bring goggles and flippers and if possible a waterproof camera.  I purchased a pair of flippers from Walmart for $15.  Some people swim out to the monument, but it was a bit more arduous than we anticipated.

Volcano National Park Drive around the park and see old volcanos.  There are trails that travel through lava tunnels (caves).  Make sure to drive all the way down to the ocean to see where recent lava flowed over the road and to see the beautiful coast.  If you have time, one of the trails travels down to the bottom of an old volcano.  Several companies offer helicopter tours if you want to see current lava flow.  On the way home from the park we stopped at a black sand beach with turtles that are accessible from your car.

Punalu’u Black Sand Beach

Waterfalls in Hilo There are several waterfalls on the Hilo side (2 hr drive northeast of Kona) where it is rainy and very green.  Several waterfalls are viewable from your car, while others require a short hike.












Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens in Hilo This was probably the second most exciting thing we did.  It is a trail through a 17 acre garden of flowers from all over the world.  There is a hidden waterfall and a section dedicated to orchids around the globe.  A couple purchased the ocean front land in 1977 and transformed it into a garden oasis. It is breathtaking!

Green Sand Beach and South Point The green sand beach is one of only 4 green sand beaches in the world.  It gets its green color from the mineral olivine.  It requires a brief but laborious 2 mile hike in desert like conditions, so bring water (I recommended 1 liter per person).  For a small fee you can hire a local or if you have a 4 wheel drive vehicle you can drive yourself.  South point is the southern most point in the US.  There are several spots to jump off cliffs into the water.  Be sure to bring water and towels to rinse off as there are no restrooms or showers.

Secret Pond It is a small pond located on the property of Mauna Lani Hotel.  It requires a short hike on paved trails.  It was very peaceful walking around the property with the plethora of ponds and rainforest like scenery.

Lava Java Great food all day.  Pastries, sandwiches, omelets, coffee, and several other options.  A must for Kona participants.  You'll see several pros there.  Just be prepared to wait in line.  Post race, we enjoyed a gigantic sticky bun for breakfast while soaking up the ocean views.

Waipio Valley This was Tiffany's favorite spot and an amazing experience. In order to get to the Valley floor we had to walk a mile down the steepest road in the US (4WD needed if driving). Thankfully once in the valley everything was flat. For a small fee, there was a horse drawn carriage tour of the valley. In some spots the road was covered by knee high water. We searched deep into the valley for the waterfall, but ran out of time. Susan waited over 3 hr in the car for us. The black sand beach and mountains were stunning. I’ll let the pictures tell the rest.

If you look in the distance you can see a diagonal line in the mountain 

across the valley. That is the path (the only path) in and out 

of Waipio Valley. And yes that is the path we took into and 

out of the valley.

Greenfield's Coffee Plantation Learn how coffee is grown and prepared.  Enjoy free samples of their most popular coffees.  I was truly impressed to hear that they still have their original plants that they use to start new coffee trees.  We learned that the berry, surrounding the coffee beans, contains high amounts of antioxidants.  Our guide informed us that many of their long time employees have sun dried facial features, but their hands look like teenagers.  

Mauna Kea  This volcano is the highest point on the island.  Measured from it's underwater base, it is twice the height of Mt Everest (base to peak).  It is home to some of the best/ most expensive telescopes in the world as well as the highest lake in the US.  Lake Waiau is a sacred area where natives place the umbilical cord of newborns to bless their children.  Be sure to bring gloves and a wool hat.  It gets cold at 14,000 feet.  It can also be difficult to breath.  Tiffany could only walk 10 feet before she needed to sit down.  It was hilarious and I still laugh remembering it.  

Underpants Run On Thursday before the race is a charity run through downtown Kona.  Participants dress up in their favorite underwear and run/walk 1.5 miles around town.  The event began several years ago as a fun natured ribbing of the German athletes who walked around town in their speedos.  Tiffany, Susan (Tiff's mom), Joe (my dad) and I had a blast.  Tiffany wore fancy lingerie and I wore Batman underwear with compression socks.  One of our favorite costumes was a little kid dressed up alongside several adults wearing a headband and loincloth with the Japanese flag.  At the end of the short run, we did group calisthenics led by Greg Welch and Mike Reilly.  Next time, I think I will go with the classic tighty whites.

Lodging Vacation rentals by owner is what we use to find a place to stay.  We rented a 4 bedroom house just south of town.  It was very reasonable and we enjoyed a beautiful sunset every night on the back porch.  The Sheraton Hotel is also south of town and seemed like a good spot.  I believe Crowie often stays there.  Mauna Lani Hotel is north Kona and usually has availability late in the season.  Most of the places downtown seemed to sellout fast.  It's pretty loud and busy downtown, which may or may not be appealing.

Transportation  I would recommend  renting a 4 wheel drive vehicle if you plan to do sight seeing, but it is not necessary. We rented a van and got around find. However, several sights are off the beaten path so we were forced to walk on many occasions.

Racing Enjoy yourself.  You've worked hard to get to Kona.  Race morning was crowded with athletes and spectators.  You'll see several pros as you get body marked and go through transition.  I happened to be near the steps to the beach as they were announcing the pros one by one.  It was really cool being that close to these amazing athletes.  I would take your time entering the water and line up to the far left when starting the swim.  I lined up on the right and got pummeled for an entire hour.  The bike is a draft fest so relax and prepare for the wind and gradual hills after Hawi.  As you near Hawi, you will start to see the pros coming back.  It was like having a backstage VIP pass for the event.  FYI, Kona is notorious for losing special needs bags on the bike.  It happened to me and really disrupted my race.  Have a back up plan or avoid it altogether.  When you get to the run, go out easy and enjoy the crowds.  If you're feeling good at the energy lab, turn it on.  The majority of athletes are going to blow up.  They're not used to swimming and riding with so many other fast athletes.  Pace yourself and you will pass a lot of people.  Note that the special needs bags on the run are not until mile 18 or so in the energy lab.

Spectating Arrive early and park in or near Walmart to avoid getting trapped during the race, if you want to see your participant in other places.  Driving to Hawi may take too long unless you know exactly what you are doing, but going to Mauna Lani Hotel is manageable.  From there you can see pros and your loved ones and still get back for the run.  Palani Hill is a central spot where athletes pass multiple time on there way out to Ali, then as they head out to the Queen K.  Tiffany and Susan drove all over the course supporting me.  Every time I saw them it lifted my spirits.  Also I recommend purchasing tickets in advance to the awards ceremony.  It was set as a luau with several entertainers performing traditional dances.  I really enjoyed the Hawaiian men juggle torches of fire.  A female musician played the ukulele with such speed that it made my fingers twitch.

All in all it was a wonderful experience with memories to last a lifetime!

This story is dedicated to the pink flip flops that Tiffany wore during the trip. They endured many difficult, arguably inappropriate walks, but did not survive the trip. I believe it was the walk through Waipio Valley that did them in.  

Life Lessons learned while "Rock Climbing"

      Tiffany and I recently went rock climbing in Red River Gorge, KY.  It was an opportunity to add balance to our lives and a cross training activity that we both might enjoy.  Tiffany has climbed before in college, but this was my first time.  She has very little fear of heights, while I am extremely afraid of heights.  We ended up having a great time and celebrated with a few beers.  In the midst of relaxing and settling my post climbing nerves, I came up with the following thoughts.
It's not as hard as it looks.  Once you start, it's not that bad.  You become focused on what you're doing and forget about the height.  Several times my wife would fuss about how challenging the climb looked. Yet once she started she was able to reach the top without too much of a struggle.  She simply focused on the next hole or groove. I find life and training to be very similar.  We get overwhelmed focusing on the outcome or end result, instead of just focusing on the next step.

Tunnel vision.  When you are up on the wall, it's difficulty to see all of your options.  The same thing happens when we face the unexpected.  We can chose to continue focusing on the inconvenience or we can chose to problem solve.  Research has revealed that 15% of our thoughts are random, while 85% are intentional.  That tells me we have a choice on what we continue to think about.

Just take a small step.  In the midst of climbing, the instructor encouraged us to take small steps. Often if we just took a small step, a variety of options would open up to help us reach the top.  I'm learning that in life and in training the little things add up.  It's not the big training days or crash diets, but rather the small consistent efforts that help us achieve our goals.






Duel effort.  Bryan & Tiffany
For anyone interested in rock climbing check out Sky Bridge Station. They offer 5 hours of assisted climbing and will supply you with gear you may need. We also recommend finishing up your day at their restaurant where they offer beer and specialty hot dogs. I really enjoyed Zee German Dog. Delicious!

Fit too Soon & for too Long

      As I look back over my season, I am reminded of articles I have read about trying to be in peak shape all year.  I believe this was my problem post Raleigh 70.3.  I felt great leading up to the race as my cycling and running was effortless.  I took some risks with nutrition during the race and I did not perform as well as I would have liked.  It left a bad taste in my mouth and a desire to race again.
   
      After a big race, I typically take two weeks completely off then ease back into training.  This time I decided to ride 100 miles 12 days after the race.  My Friday afternoons were free and Friday century rides became a routine.  On several occasions I would back it up with another long ride on Saturday.  I told myself it was only cycling and not the deep fatigue that occurs while running.  I felt good for several weeks, but soon after my cycling power started to declined.  I had difficulty sleeping at night and my recovery was poor.
   
      I wasn't following my training plan and I wasn't listening to my body.  The experts say not to ramp up your training more than 16 weeks out from your race or you'll peak too soon.  I prefer 14 weeks for Ironman training and 12 weeks for Half Ironman training.  Doing too much volume or intensity prior to that leads to physical and mental exhaustion.  It is stressful on the nervous system, endochrine system, as well as the muscular system.  Mark Allen even encourages athletes to carry extra weight early in the year.
   
      When preparing for your second race of the year, I'm learning that the build/peak phase should be further reduced.  I believe you can cut it down to 8 weeks depending on the gap between races.  Trying to continue one's fitness post race will only lead to greater accumulation of fatigue.  You will lose some endurance, but endurance is ease to recoup.  Focus on recovery while mixing in some short sprints (30-60 seconds) and light strength training.  Listen to your body and have fun.

• Listen to your body.  If it keeps telling you the same thing every day, do it.  Train where you are at, not where you want to be. 
• Assess all areas of stress.  Work, relationships, life, and training all contribute to stress on the body.  During periods of rest, Kenyans sit and watch soccer.  Americans, on the other hand run errands and stay active. 
• Follow the plan that you developed in the off season and be leery of adding to it.  We tend to be more rational in the off season as opposed to during the middle of the season when we are fatigued.  If anything, you'll need to reduce workouts, not add them.
• Have fun!  I typically do fun unique training days during the off season, but never during season.  That needs to change.  This past week I ran twice with the goal of going slow and enjoying the scenery.  It felt great.  We don't have to always push ourselves to hold a certain pace.

Intrinsic Motivation

      I’m currently reading Drive by Daniel Pink about intrinsic motivation. It made me think about why I race and do the things I do. He says we have three basic drives: biological, extrinsic, and intrinsic. Biological drives are basic human needs such as food, shelter, procreation, etc. Extrinsic drives are monetary or physical rewards for accomplishing a task. “If then rewards” he calls them. If we do something, then we will be given a reward. If I work really hard, then I will qualify for a championship race. Intrinsic rewards are internal motivators, feelings of accomplishment or of learning.

      In tasks that are routine and automatic, “carrot and stick” extrinsic rewards work well. However, many of the tasks we perform require heuristics and creativity that are impaired with the “carrot and stick” approach. Examples:

• More people donate blood when there is no monetary reward.
• Participants persevered longer on a math problem when there was no monetary reward.
• Participants were more creative & successful on a physical task of arranging a candle so that wax would not drip on the floor when there was no monetary reward.

      Monetary rewards tend to consume our attention and reduce creativity. There is also the potential for unethical behaviors to meet a quota or reach a quarterly goal. Extrinsic rewards have the potential to turn tasks into punishment in order to obtain a reward. People will only work so hard until the cons of performing a task outweigh the rewards. However, if the task is performed out of pure enjoyment and curiosity, people tend to persevere longer.

      Robert J. Hastings said, “Uppermost in our minds is the final destination. On a certain day at a certain hour we will pull into the station. There will be bands playing and flags waving. And once we get there, so many wonderful dreams will come true. However sooner or later we must realize there is no one station, no one place to arrive at once and for all. The true joy of life is the trip. The station is only a dream. It constantly outdistances us. When I am 18, that will be it! When I buy a new 450 SL Mercedes Benz, that will be it! When I put the last kid through college, that will be it! When I have paid off the mortgage, that will be it! When I win a promotion that will be it! When I reach the age of retirement, that will be it! I shall live happily ever after! Relish the moment, the station will come soon enough.”

• What are your priorities and how much energy are you putting into each priority. 
• Success is found in knowing your priorities and applying the appropriate effort. 
• Get to know your motives by examining your past. 
• What type of goals do you set? Focus on the process (specific behaviors) and the outcome will take care of itself.
• Set small manageable goals to challenge yourself every week. They could be as simple as arriving to work on time each day. Chart progress on a calendar. 
• Find ways to make your job or task more creative and fun.
• Randomly celebrate accomplishments as opposed to “If then rewards.”