This ironman was by far the toughest race I have done to date. The course itself isn’t bad; it’s the conditions out here that get you… the winds and the heat. You don’t come here thinking different, as everyone always talks about how brutal the winds can be and how hot the lava fields are out on the Queen K. The experience was amazing though, and I would do it again hands down.
The days leading up to the race were spent training, at the expo getting free goods, and mostly indoors. Not sure why we bothered to stay inside, as the house we rented did not have air conditioning. Note to self… always ask about AC when you are going to a place with average temps in the high 80’s-90’s. We also had to follow pre-race rules set by Coach Jesse. One of them was having to be in bed by 8 PM and up by 5 AM the days leading up to the race. The first few nights were hard and I was waking up at 3 AM, but by the end of the week I was using the alarm.

The day before the race I had to get all my bags in order and my bike to drop down at transition area. That was quite the experience. There were reps from every brand recording what the athletes were sporting for bikes and gear. There were an abundance of camera people and photographers watching your every move. It was definitely neat, but it made me realize this Kona thing is a pretty big deal. It also made me more pumped up and a tad bit nervous at the same time.

On race morning it was the usual Ironman breakfast at 3:30AM… applesauce delight. Yes, I ate at the correct time and not two hours earlier as I did in Arizona After choking down breakfast it was back to bed to clear my head, and then off to transition for body marking and some last minute bike tweaks. I love the body marking here for this race. They actually use stamps and not just magic markers. I had to fit 1641 on these little arms and surprisingly it fit. After getting everything in order I hung out with Hannah and Molly in transition, and then it was off to the water.

The amateurs start at 7 AM on the dot. I swam my way up to about 8-9 rows of people back and centered myself between the pier and the outer buoy. According to Coach Jesse that would be the best place for me, as I am not a super fast swimmer, but not slow either. As Molly would say, we are mid-pack swimmers out in Kona. There was no warning before the cannon went off. All off a sudden I hear BOOM! I was off and swimming, or whatever you want to call it. I was getting punched, kicked, and swam over, which was expected. However, it would not let up. I was in a crowd until the turnaround point. I then moved to the very outside and swam the last mile with a few other swimmers that had the same idea. I eventually made it to a point where I saw the large blowup Gatorade bottle, which was a good feeling, as I was almost done. When I made it to the exit stairs I looked up at the clock and saw 1:13. Not what I was shooting for, but I was just happy I survived. I tried to make it up the stairs and tripped…oops! I finally made it to the hanging hoses for a quick rinse and it was off to T1.

This is only my second Ironman, but it was the same as in AZ, it took forever to get my transition bag. I understand I was coming out with many athletes, but c’mon at least I could get them to direct me to the right row where my bag was hanging. Once the whole bag debacle was sorted out, I made my way to the changing tent. The first order of business was sunscreen and then getting on my bike gear. I wasn’t in the tent long before I busted out in search of my bike. Found it! T1 only took 4+ minutes… yikes!

My goal for the bike was to hit my target wattage. As most of you know I am known for skimping on the bike and making up for it on the run. This time around I was not going to let that happen. Mile 15 marked the first aid station, which would be the checkpoint. If I hit my target wattage then I was in good shape. I did not want to play catch-up here in these conditions. As soon as I got on my bike I heard my friend Sherrie and Lindsay cheering me on, which gave me a quick boost. On the way out to the first turnaround I saw Coach Jesse and got the, “you’re in a good spot keep it up”, which was good to hear. I made the first turnaround and had a nice downhill until the turn up on Palani Drive, where I would see Courtney and the QT2 crowd cheering. I took it easy up the hill and was sure not to go over my 50 watt cap. There were people out of the saddle that early on hammering past me on the hill. I just let them go; I was sticking to the plan. When I turned on the Queen K I knew I was in for a LONG ride. The air is a lot hotter; there are many rolling hills, and the infamous wind.

On the way out I was doing well and sticking to the wattage. I was averaging a good speed and felt really good. I was drinking a ton of Gatorade and eating my PowerBars and PowerGels every 40 minutes like clockwork. Nutrition is the key to surviving an ironman and I could not afford to make any mistakes. I was stalked by a penalty marshal for a while because he thought I was blocking. He finally left me alone after a good 15 minutes of riding along side of me and the surrounding athletes. I finally made it to the turn that would take me to Hawi. I was told this was pretty much and uphill climb for 13 miles or so. Well, that it was… plus a headwind. That was the start of the winds that would eventually slow me down beyond belief. When I made it to the turnaround at Hawi, I was relieved. I did not get blown off my bike from crosswinds and I would have some downhill to pick up some lost time.

The downhill was refreshing and the crosswinds were not deadly. I only had to get out of aero a few times due to the shakiness of my bike from the winds. I was still feeling good and drinking serious amounts of Gatorade and eating. I was finally at the caffeine gels which was perfect timing. When I turned back on the Queen K that is when it all went bad. The headwinds picked up and there were times I was going 9-14 mph while being over my average watt range. I was in for a long 30+ miles. When I looked down and saw 5:30 on my SRM and still had 15 or so miles I threw my time estimated time of 5:40-5:47 out the window. I was OK with that as I was still right on target to hit my wattage, however, I was upset because I realized I would be on my bike a lot longer. The last 8 or so miles were a bit quicker as the headwinds would let up every so often. I finally made it to transition with my wattage goal+1 and a time of 6:07… 20+ minutes from what I had intended.

I jumped off my bike and attempted to move forward, but my legs were a bit tight. I couldn’t run. Oh no I was thinking this is not good. I took my bike shoes off and ran around transition to get my bag and hit the tent. After a few minutes my legs loosened up and I was ready to go. I put on my sneaks and hat and grabbed my banana. Oh yeah, there would be no Garmin for this race, as it somehow disappeared from transition. I was hoping I could get through this 26.2 without knowing my pace. I missed the aid station in transition so it was the banana and dry mouth for the first mile. Yuck! Within the first mile I saw Cait, which was her mile 9+. She was moving right along. I made it down to Ali’i drive and in front of Lava Java were Coach Jesse and the QT2 crew. My first thing was to let him know I did not have a Garmin. I had a mini melt down and then he just told me to take it easy. I slowed down and continued to head down Ali’i drive. I had my first bathroom stop. My stomach was in shambles and it was just the beginning of the run. Ugh! I also did not know when to eat as I did not have a watch and I was suppose to eat my shot blocks one every two miles. That was all a guessing game. The run and the nutrition would be based of feel.

After the first turnaround I made it back to the QT2 crew, and Coach Jesse who immediately said I was going way to fast. So I dialed it back and made my way toward the Queen K. The Palani Drive hill was no sweat. However, once I got on the open highway with lava fields all around I started to break just a tad. The temps out there were unbearable. At mile 12 I pulled over to the side to tear open my Clif Blocks. I needed caffeine and I needed a break. Everything was hurting and I had no idea what to do. I saw Hughes out there and something in me clicked… I was getting this done. I just needed to come up with a plan of attack. It was as follows: run to every aid station and then walk through to get sponges, water, ice, and Gatorade, and then start running immediately. I followed this for the rest of the run, and also managed to work in a few bathroom stops.

When I hit the energy lab I was happy seeing it was the turnaround point. I hit the port-o-potty before working my way down the stretch of open road. On my way down I was starting to see pink. Seriously! I was not sure what it was but I just looked down at the pavement and kept running. The actual turnaround point was a mile down the road. What the heck?!?! I can’t really explain in words what this stretch of the marathon was like. All I know is when you start seeing spots and pink that is not good. On the way out of the energy lab I was starting to feel a bathroom stop coming on and I was just plain toast. I had about 6 miles to go. At that point it was a mental mind game. For the rest of the stretch down the Queen K I talked myself through it: run, aid station, run, aid station, run, etc… until I finally turned on Palani. I stopped at the final aid station, got my goods, and then ran the last mile for the finish.

The best part of the race was the final turn on Ali’i drive right before you hit the chute. The spectators were cheering like mad and that is when I started to get emotional. I saw Hannah, Molly, and Noah and heard my friend Sherrie yelling my name. They told me I was just under 11 hours and then I heard the announcer yelling “less than 1 minute to 11 hours”, and that is when I started sprinting. I hit the carpet and ran down the chute full speed. I saw the clock change to 11:00:00, but I was OK with that. I crossed the line in 11:00:08… what a day! I finished with a 3:31 marathon, which was great given the extreme heat.

MICHELLE JOAQUIN (wah-keen), YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!

http://liveupdate.ironmanlive.com/ppv/wmf.php?rid=261&bib=1641

And to think it all started out in Arizona less than a year ago! http://ironman.com/events/ironman/arizona/gaylia-lynn-osterlund-catches-up-with-some-the-womens-qualifiers-from-ford-ironman-arizona

Overall, it was a decent and rewarding day out there in the lava fields. It was great to finish and be greeted by super friendly volunteers, my friend Sherrie, and Coach Jesse. A quick shout out to all that supported me through the months of training for this… you know who you are. Congrats to my QT2 peeps and my other tri friends for making it through the grueling Kona conditions. Here is to a great 2009 season… Cheers!!

Only as high as I reach can I grow,
Only as far as I seek can I go,
Only as deep as I look can I see,
Only as much as I dream can I be. ~Karen Ravn

Filed under: Race Reports