Kona Race Report

Goal of the day was to have a HUGE smile the whole way. Mission (mostly) accomplished.

Hope you're ready for an atrociously long race report with no pics. Yet!

It's hard to know where to begin. Yesterday was such an awesome, painful, magical, fulfilling day. A complete dream come true. There is certainly a magic and power about kona on ironman race day. So many dreams fulfilled, so many expectations crushed on the queen k, so many people gathered together to push their limits to get to that finish line. I know I'm not that only one that dreamed of that finish line for many years.

Race morning I wasn't very nervous at all. I had a strange sense of fulfillment and awe for just being here and being a part of the race. I had nothing left to prove to myself or anyone else and though the competitive part of me of course wanted to race to my potential, a bigger part of me was completely focused on just experiencing this race. Its reputation is the stuff of legends so no sense in having sky high dreams and disrespecting the difficulty of this course.

Check in went smoothly. It was awesome getting the big number stamps and they actually do make you weigh in beforehand which was kind a stark reminder of what your body is going to go through on this day.

When it came time to hop in the water I got in nearly first and just floated on my back and looked back and the thousands of people packing the sea wall. Its a totally surreal and unbelievable feeling to be the one in the water instead of on the sidelines. I kept with the plan of starting off to the left of the car and unknowingly ended up right by a crew of good friends including beth shutt, katie thomas, shawn burke and tony maniatis. Gotta love it, 1800 people in the water and we all think alike and end up right in the same spot. I was right where I wanted to be and ready to roll but as start time got closer, people started to push over to the left and my perfect little spot got over run with lots of large guys. Shawn called back to me to get me back up a few rows saying I was too fast to be back where I was (which garnered lots of looks from said aggro age group wanna be superstars) but I didn't want to start off too aggressively. Mistake number one.

About 5 minutes before the start, the drums start beating a slow steady battle rhythm and the excitement really builds. It actually got physical just jockeying for position as the drums slowly began to build their pace and then.... finally.... the cannon goes off.

Chaos doesn't even begin to describe. I always try to just stay calm in my mind, just go somewhere else and relax so I don't panic in the scrum. Its easy to feel like you are just constantly being drowned and I was getting worked. I was pushed under, pulled back, you name it. I didn't get off the front of the mess and I got totally stuck with too slow a group and there was nothing I could do. Starting to the left is great strategy- the bouy line seems to angle from the pier so about 500 meters into it suddenly you are right on course. Unfortunately when our group met the group that started on the line, we got even more slowed down. Since I didn't get off fast enough, we were stuck in a slower section of swimmers that started right on course.

The first half of the swim I just tried to find some clean water but it was at a premium. Eventually I got sick of getting beat up and moved in to right on the buoy line. Its funny how almost no one swims right ON the buoy line. Finally I had some cleaner water and less contact. This swim is so awesome because there are so many volunteers on surfboards to keep you on course that there's no way you can get off course or go too far inside because every 100 meters theres another surfboard to push you out and keep you on target.

We got to the turnaround and then things got really out of hand. I threw a few f-bombs and was pissed at some people's ettiqutte but whatever. If you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen. Its the Ironman World Championships so I told myself to suck it up. I finally felt like I hit my rhythm on the way back in but I knew I was swimming in a 1:05 to 1:06 group. Crap. Not what I was looking for. I was so relieved to exit the boxing match. Being on a bike out in the open without constantly getting punched and kicked sounded far superior to the way I had spent the past hour.

Transition was awesome but of course with my slow swim everyone and their mother was already in the tent. Had a quick uneventful change and headed out to execute Dirk's plan on the bike. When you exit transition, nothing prepares you for the amazing crowd support in Kona. Its totally unreal. I had a huge smile on my face, the energy in town was nothing short of incredible!

You go straight up Palani which is a significant hill and a little rough for the first few pedal strokes out of the water. The first 10ish miles loop around town and they are packed. I felt like I was in the tour de kona. It seemed like I got passed by the entire freakin field. It felt like a sprint triathlon and I just couldn't believe how many people were just dropping the hammer through town. And doing stupid stuff too! Descending Palani is a no passing zone and I had some dude pass me on the right, during the turn! Holy ITU style racing. Seriously? Calm down. Its a long day. I didn't worry about it but I couldn't wait to get on the queen k to steady my effort more and get away from the madness.

Dirk switched me away from power and back to heartrate this summer. After being so sick, it was a better way to keep my body in check in training and to avoid burnout (which he could smell all the way from California at times this summer). The plan was to keep it 160-165 out to Hawi and then 155-160 on the way back in and, as always, eat every 20 minutes. Though my legs were initially not feeling that hot, they started to come around about mile 20 and then I was just in the zone. The way out to Hawi went by fast, my heart rate was locked in and my fueling was going well. I had to be a bit patient initially as my stomach felt backed up but persistence, patience and listening to my body paid off. I usually have a bottle of double strength EFS on my training rides and it works great. But its super salty and for some reason, I felt kind of over salted. So I decided to hold off on taking my salt pills. It just felt right so I didn't take a single one and did a lot of water at almost every aid station.

The bike course itself is hilly. By no means is it flat in any sense of the word. But my legs and heart rate were perfect and I ignored people around me who would surge up the hills only to come back to me at the flats. Ironman is all about not spiking your heart rate and keeping the effort smooth and steady.

We made the turn up to the legendary Hawi and started the 18 mile climb. Its not a really an 18 mile climb, its still rolling terrain until just about the last 5 ish miles. Thats when the winds really kicked in and were pushing us around pretty good. It was only minorly sketchy though and I have a feeling we got away with lighter winds than Hawi can typically dish out. I felt really steady and in control the whole way up. It didn't hurt one bit and I didn't push out of my zones. Towards the top I got to see my college teammate Lauren and it was so great to be out there in such an epic place in triathlon. We both started our triathlon careers at UW Madison so it was really cool 10 years later to be sharing this experience with her. What a long way we've come!

On our way up we got to see the pro field coming down. That was probably the most amazing part of this race was having front row seats to the action. I got to cheer Dirk on and see that he was right up front and in the women's race, Dibens was KILLING It on the bike. She was absolutely hammering the women's field and Chrissie wasn't anywhere in sight- she must have been 30 minutes back! Everyone around me was so focused on their own race and the climb but I was busy cheering on the pros. How awesome is it to be sharing the same road and get to see the action right in front of you?!

It felt pretty darn good to get up into town and make that turnaround and then we started descending. Holy FUN!!! It was the best part of the course. Huge cross/tailwind descending down and I was flying a 32 mph. The winds knocked me around a bit but it wasn't so bad. Again, I think madame pele probably gave us an easier day than she has in her. But we also get a lot of epically windy days in Jacksonville so maybe I was prepared for it too.

The way back in on the queen K gets long and the field finally strings out more significantly. That was one cool thing about the course- you always have some company but on the whole its a very fair race. There were some people bunched together drafting here and there but there were tons of refs dishing out penalties so it was great to have a really fair race. I was passed by a marshal at least 10 times and they would slow and watch your passes closely and time them.

Anyhow, the last 30 miles or so you start to get a nice head wind and its a bit of work to bring it home.

Somewhere around 80 miles I started looking at my total time and realized that I could potentially have a VERY good bike split. But I know the winds on the way home crush a lot of dreams so I didn't think too much on it. Just tried to keep sticking to the plan. Eating was getting harder, I dreaded every time 20 minutes came around and I had to eat but I would feel better after eating. As I got closer into town I crossed a timing mat and started to tear up, I knew my friends at home would see how awesome I was doing on the bike and be so proud of me. I still can't believe my bike. It was awesome to see what I can really do on an IM bike split. I felt solid the whole way, never had a low point at all and even up to mile 110 I wasn't wishing myself off the bike. I was just loving it. That's one thing about Dirk's training, you may not be a superstar in the first 80 miles, but I can guarantee that I will probably feel better in the last 30 miles of an ironman bike than 90% of the field. That's where all his training really pays off.

As we approached the energy lab the helicopters were hovering. The mens race was unfolding right in front of us. I got to see Dirk going into the energy lab and I screamed my face off for him. He looked like he was hurting and I was going to find out why when I hit that part of the course too.

Going through town again was nuts. Tons of screaming fans and a fast turn and descent down Palani. The run around transition was long and slippery. I took my time in transition and even had to pee (sorry TMI but was very happy to stay hydrated after my experience in St. George).

The plan on the run was to run the first 3 miles slower than I wanted to and keep my heart rate 165-168. For once, my heart rate was actually on the low side. That almost never happens. I kept it smooth and steady down ali'i and made sure I didn't let the crowd energy jack me up. I felt AMAZING and I knew I could be in for a really really fast day if I could put together the run I'm capable of. I focused on fueling, hydrating and ice down the pants to keep my body temp down. It felt easy and automatic. Because the way out seemed mostly uphill, I kept this control up until mile 5. At the turnaround I started to drop the pace and it felt great. Again, more water and food but my heart rate was still rather low which was unusual. I had this great plan that I wasn't going to succumb to walking for at least the first 13 miles and mentally, I had prepared myself well for the first 10 miles but maybe not so much for the miles after that. Going up to Palani onto the Queen K is a bitch. I'm not going to lie. That hill SUCKS (other than the amazing crowd support!). But while I was going up, Chrissie and then Rinny were going down. Again, front row seats to the action, so amazing. I gave them huge cheers as they made their way to the finish and I couldn't believe that Chrissie made up that much time or that Rinny was so close behind! The women's race looked like it was actually a race this year!

Just after mile 11 on the Queen K my legs began to tighten. This has NEVER happened to me before this early in the race. As I tried to keep moving along, the muscles between my rib cage started to cramp (not a sidestitch- I've had some thoracic spine issues and this was actually in my back between my last two ribs). I didn't know what to think. I started to walk. How could the wheels fall of right now? That makes no sense. All the training I've done and how conservative I started the run. I just couldn't figure it out. I started to go to that bad place mentally. I figured my day was over and I would be walking the rest of the way, but walking 15 miles is a LONG way to walk. I started to wish the race was over. The stretch of the run course along the Queen K before you enter the energy lab is absolutely interminable. And I hate to complain because it was overcast which is a gift from God on this notoriously blistering stretch of road. I reasoned with myself quite a bit and figured that my body was just tired. Cumulative fatigue from a long year. I started to think about taking up a less painful hobby like knitting and wondered where my deep seeded need for masochism and pain comes from. I told myself too that it was all mental. I just didn't want to hurt. I didn't want to dig. I had absolutely nothing left to prove to anyone else or even myself. I was here on the queen k. The place I had dreamed about for so long and I was struggling. But so were lots of others including some of the pros coming home including Lieto- he looked terrible. Its a weird state of suffering and watching others' dreams die on that barren stretch of road. Mentally, it has to be the toughest stretch in all of triathlon. Its hilly, hot and the scenery doesn't change. It just keeps going. My knee caps were aching fiercely and each step felt like stabbing pains in my patellofemoral joints. I tripped and fell during the underwear run on Thursday falling directly on both knee caps and bruising them. I passed it off like it would be fine, but it wasn't. They hurt like hell.

I caught up with a girl from Winter Park and we walked together for a bit. If there's one good thing about ironman suffering, its that its shared pain with many many other people. She started taking some salts and it hit me, I hadn't had ANY electrolytes since starting the run. You dumbass. You've been pounding water and not taking any salt tabs. How dumb can I be? And how could I have not recognized this and thought my race was over?

I started eating pretzels, drinking coke, pounding salt tabs and I was running again. It wasn't pretty and it still hurt all the way through the energy lab. I hit the motivational mile and there it was on a the big screen. The message from Neil "Libby Bergman H T F U !" I had spent the last 7 miles pissing and moaning to myself and for some reason, Neil's intolerance for my complaining was just the thing I needed to lift my spirits. That and some awesome support from Karel and Lauren's husband Brodie who were out at the energy lab exit.

I left the energy lab with a second wind. The cramps were gone, I felt so much less negative. It was time to bring this ugly thing home. The miles were long and hard. They were most certainly not pretty but I had regained some focus and felt like I was actually running a decent pace. At this point all time goals were out the window, it was about the finish line but I wasn't going to give in to the Queen K. I had one last stand in me. Finally at mile 24 I was running with a girl whose coach was on the side of the road egging her on. Acknowledging that she had a bad day but that with 2.1 miles to go, there was still 23 minutes to the 11 hour mark. He pleaded with her to at least put this thing under 11 hours.

Other than Kona, the one Ironman goal that would REALLY bug me if I didn't accomplish it is breaking that 11 hour barrier. I know I'm capable of much more than that and this was just the fire I needed. I couldn't believe it was even still a possibility after the big goose egg I was laying on the run. That was it. I was a woman on a mission. No stops I was going to make something pretty out of this ugly run. I booked it into town through the masses of people screaming me on. It was an awesome, powerful and painful moment running down ali'i. There was a girl in my age group right in front of me and one right behind me so I didn't savor the run down ali'i as much as I wished I would but I did it. I was there and I broke into tears right then and there. I did it. I finished what I started. I accomplished this dream and I was and still am so thankful for the opportunity to compete in this sacred place amongst the best in the world. I'm so thankful for all the amazing people in Kona who embrace this race and spend 17 hours volunteering in the hot sun with a huge smile on their face the whole time. This is truly a special place and yesterday was a special day. One that I will never forget.

For once I was finally well enough to go back to the finish line for the party. My friends Katie and John came over from Maui and it was great to spend time with them and just hang for the last few hours. It really was a party. Mike Reilly is a complete nut with the towel he loves to fist pump, dancing down the chute and pumping up the crowd. I teared up over and over again watching other people's dreams come true at that finish line. The energy of the crowd was incredible.

And now I lay here in bed with my typical post race insomnia, dreaming of a huge lava java breakfast but too afraid to get my legs moving. Wondering what the future brings and wondering if this is really it; if I can be strong enough to be satisfied with accomplishing my dream and walk away. Time will tell. But that gnawing feeling of what could have been.... that run I COULD have had and the time I COULD have gone.... that is how the addiction is fueled. But I did it. I finished the Ironman World Championships with a huge pr (10:54) and wound up 19th in my age group. Not so bad for wondering if I even belonged here earlier this week. But what's most important of this entire journey is that I proved to myself I could do it.

And I did.