LIEBS' KONA RACE REPORT
LIEBS’ TEAM ENDURANCE NATION KONA RACE REPORT
So since I just finished a podcast with Coach P on Friday, I will keep this uncharacteristically brief. LOL yeah right. Kona was amazing. Every single thing about it. From the strange sounds from the birds of paradise you hear every morning, to the presence of pros everywhere, to the way almost every islander greets you especially when they see you with the neon orange athlete wristband. Truly one of if not the greatest experience of my life. I learned much about myself and those around me during the journey. I have been helped by so many, and also hurt by a key few along the way. But I wouldn’t change a damn thing. Just like Tim Durant said: Know Regrets for No Regrets.
PREPARATION
For the heat I used various unorthodox preparation techniques, mostly to build confidence, such as intentionally running in 95 degree heat blazing August sun at high noon, sometimes without nutrition or hydration, to see what it feels like to really hurt, so I could welcome that feeling in Kona if necessary. The past two weeks before Kona I had been running in place in a sauna for 30-40 min at a time. Truly thought I was ready for the heat. More on that in a bit.
NUTRITION / HYDRATION
After learning the hard way through Eagleman and race rehearsals, I came up with a bombproof nutrition plan that again worked in my favor for this race. As per Coach Rich’s guidance in one of his podcasts, my daily diet for the 4 months leading up to the race was full of fresh fruits, veggies, and lean meat. I tended to add in lots of protein to the TONS of fruit smoothies I made in an old Vitamixer my mom gave me (thanks mom). I limited intake of processed/refined/preserved carb crap. Was fanatical but paid off, dropped significant weight and body fat % down to ~14% for race, official raceday weight was 196 lbs but that was after significant hydration as well. The day before the race, after 4pm I ate nothing that I couldn’t drip on my shirt a la Al Truscott. Race day, couple of GU’s in the am, 3 hour Infinit bottle on the downtube with another 3 hours of powder to mix at BSN (didn’t want to premix hot Infinit SUCKS!) and new Speedfil A2 on the aerobars, like a torpedo mount but with the Speedfil straw and easy-fill, no splash on the fly refilling of water. Had a 6-pack Salt Stick in each aerobar. Set my digital watch timer to ring every 15 minutes, and like clockwork would take mouthful of Infinit and several mouthfuls of water every 15 minutes, adding in 1 Succeed S-Cap every 30 minutes, the entire day, no matter how I felt. Took extra water at each aid station for more sips and to wet my neck and back on the bike. On the run planned to use Perform and water and continue the salt caps. More on that later.
THE SWIM
Most of you know my story so no surprise my biggest concern of this entire race was surviving the open 2.4 mile ocean swim without a wetsuit. Indeed, I have had recurring nightmares of missing the 2:20 swim cutoff since the lottery results were announced on my birthday 4/15. So every time I hit the pool since that time, I made myself swim without a wetsuit (up until that point I physically didn’t know how to swim without a wetsuit, taught myself last year in a pool with a wetsuit to overcome lifelong fear of water). And instead of doing speedwork or technique drills, I decided that the best ROI for *me* in that realm again would be confidence work - that is, going the distance EVERY SINGLE TIME in the pool - the full 2.4 miles without a wetsuit and without a break - to prove to myself that I could do it. This was hard as balls at first but I got better, faster, more efficient, and ultimately less scared. The end result was I had a great Kona swim! As reference, my first Ironman Lake Placid this past July WITH a wetsuit, in a LAKE, I swam like a 1:29. In Kona I stuck with a pack and ended up swimming a 1:40:25! Was very pumped getting out of the water as you can see by the pics LOL. The swim out was gravy, the swim back not so much. As Coach P says on way back in you look down and see the same damn piece of coral 3 times and realize you are swimming but making little forward progress given the tide and current. So yes the swim back in was tough but I always made sure I had a pair of feet in front of me and just relaxed and tried to glide, look for fish, enjoy the experience. So other than the briny tightness of my throat from the salt water, the swim was A-OK.
T1
Yes I took my DAMN time. Something like 13 minutes. Did everything but order pizza; actually, could have microwaved and ate pizza in that time LOL. My take is this was the Ironman World Championship, I was sucking it all in. To the olympic and sprint racers out there who yelled at me afterwards for “leaving time on the table”: you just don’t freaking get it.
THE BIKE
So it was really easy finding my bike in the racks LOL. And such a trip jogging it down that green carpet with everybody screaming for you. Was even bigger rush when I got going through town. Just tried to JRA for first hour, kept my normalized power to around my 1st wattage gear guidance of like 165 watts. Next hour bumped up to like 175 watts, hour 3 like 172w, netting everything together including my long BSN stop ran a normalized power of 167w, average power 154w = VI of 1.08 but I didn’t care I was just happy that I kept pedaling through the winds avg cadence 82rpm, taking advantage of the rare tailwind and less rare declines. I coasted and thus had zero watts MUCH less than I did at Placid. I peed on the bike about 4 times in total. Honestly I felt good on the bike, even after the climb to Havi and the descent from Havi, as the winds were not as bad at that time as they were during my practice run so I had confidence. Coming back the Queen K around mile 80 I started to actually notice the headwind and realized that I felt I was working harder than before to not go as fast. The biggest problem I had was because I had been good about staying aero (another thing I didn’t do well in Placid), my neck was killing me, and I was soaking wet and my crotch was on fire by like mile 70. By 112 miles when I handed off the bike and thanked the volunteer, I actually told her I never wanted to see it again! I was very thankful that I didn’t have ONE mechanical problem (another recurring nightmare of mine) - no flats, grinding, squealing, nothing knock wood. And I was VERY happy about my bike split of 6:25:53! Yes EN folks, I know, “there is no such thing as a good bike split followed by a poor run”. Came off the bike with 294.3 TSS points, within range for that split. Was the perfect bike split in my mind. I honestly felt I had stayed within my wattage guidance and wasn’t cooked. Yet.
T2
Yes, I took my time. Again. Like 12 minutes. Enough time for Tucker to hunt down and eat the last Fig Newton (Newman?) in his town. But I digress. No other explanation is really necessary here. I had to get mentally prepared to run a marathon! (and reapply spray sunscreen which I swear by). But I gotta tell you, even with these long transition times, the little stupid voice inside my head clearly oblivious to any actual physiology that was happening within my body was saying “Holy crap dude you can run a 4:35 marathon - you may be able to go sub-13, git ‘er done!”. Yeah. Sure. Right.
THE RUN
Ah the marathon! My “strong point” LOL! Had been saying and feeling the whole time leading up to the race that if I could just get back from the bike and start running that I would be OK. Well I was. For about 3/4 of a mile. Then despite all of the crowds, people, etc, something drastically changed inside of me. I very quickly stopped caring about finishing time/looking good etc, and just as quickly realized that something was very very wrong. I couldn’t figure out what - I had been taking nutrition/hydration/lytes adequately, making urine, took breaks during the transitions, what could it be? Dammit Liebs just MAN UP and run for crying out loud! But I started to feel very lightheaded. By the mile 2 aid station I was wobbling, seeing double, and my head was pounding. And it didn’t seem like I was sweating very much anymore. I suddenly acknowledged that if I didn’t COMPLETELY STOP moving, forget finishing times I would be an ICU admission within an hour or two. So at the next aid station I sat on the rock wall on Alii Drive for a few minutes until I got my bearings back, then walked up to the aid tables and proceeded to buy anything and everything they were selling (except coke, I save that for the end). And I started icing the shit out of every vital body part I could think of, took coaches’ advice and iced the femoral arteries, held ice on my carotids surprised I didn’t vagal further but felt good so kept doing it. Ice under the hat, ice under the tritop. Ice in my hands. Continued the salt caps around the clock. Finally felt good enough to start moving slowly, so I started walking. Again, gone now are the hopes (and cares) or a decent finishing time, and now I just wanted to finish - period. My leading diagnosis was that my core temp was way too high, wondered if my choice to use aero helmet on bike was wise as I had also brought a well-vented road helmet but thought the wind savings of the aero helmet would outweigh the cooling properties of the roadie. But anyways, I walked the next 3-4 miles doing the EXACT thing at every aid station - tons of fluids (no solids), and ice everywhere. Kept moving. And the benefit of walking was that there were some significant rolling hills on Alii that I hadn’t remembered before. As it was taking me a lot longer to complete this portion, the sun started to go down and I said to myself “Ah strategy! Go slow now, rest, let it get dark then negative split and crush it on the Queen K and the Energy Lab in darkness!” - Ah, stupid youth. So there are bits and pieces of my soul staining Ali’i Drive, it was all I could do to just keep moving forward and stay in the game, never give up. I remember the irony and pain of passing my bungalow not once but TWICE during that portion, thinking I could just crawl into bed and just sleep, or die whichever was easier. I kept remembering what John Collins the Ironman founder had once said, “You can quit and noone will care. But you will always know.” So I kept moving, kept my aid-station-assault plans active, and somehow made it back to the Queen K. Which by this point looked like bombed out Beirut. Especially as it got completely dark, all you would see would be glowing neon green light sticks around people’s necks either coming at you or going away from you. Or retching on the side of the road. Or lying down in the lava. You get the idea. By now it had cooled off and was very quiet, all you heard were your own footsteps. Was actually very peaceful and I was at one with the Island and all of my loved ones who had passed. I thought of each and every one of them, thanked them for their love and their lessons, and made myself at least run/walk as much as I could until I hit the Energy Lab. Even then, the gunner in me kept saying “OK Liebs! Fastest 10K you’ve ever done, right here, crush it to the finish!” Honestly I don’t know what I’ve been smoking sometimes but it at least fires me up. Just kept moving. Was able to run / walk miles 20-23, and pretty much ran the last 5K including a 7:25 minute mile coming back into town! (pure adrenaline). And you know the rest, you could hear me and see me on the jumbotron and video. Final run time 5:48:53.
WRAPUP
I made a [new 10 minute] public photo/video/audio documentary here: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxQ6fgWqlYg .
This includes video of the finisher chute thanks to teammate David Ambrose. I screamed louder than I had ever in my life when I peaked the ramp at the finish line and heard Mike Reilly say “Jonathan Lieberman...come on home Jonathan...YOU ARE AN IRONMAN”. Freaking teary-eyed right now typing this thinking about it. And somehow I stayed vertical for the next several hours and drank/partied at the finish line until that last finisher came in at 4 seconds after midnight, a 71 year old woman I think, and I was heartbroken that they had to DQ her but realized that life has rules, expectations, outcomes, consequences. Those feelings aside, I was ecstatic because I had accomplished the impossible in my mind. I smoked a pack a day from age 13 until 23. A year and a half ago I weighed 241 lbs and didn’t know how to swim because of fear. I have made, and broken, lifelong relationships all in the name of learning and growing and dreaming and planning, more than I ever could have dreamed about what I can do, about the human spirit. About what I’m made of.
And I absolutely have No Regrets.
Official Hawaii Ironman finish time: 14:21:37
As a reference, my Ironman Lake Placid time this past July: 14:48:49 
Thank you to each and every one of you, I will be an EN team member for life.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Lieberman
aka “Liebs”
ps - edited on 10/28 to include link to new improved video
Comments
Great job.
Big life congrats.
Liebs,
Great RR and nice job on finishing in Kona. It was great to follow you and the other EN'er on race day, but I do have to admit if you would not have got that dam tracker I might have missed your finish as it was getting early in the morning. After seeing your finish I just stayed up for the final finisher as well.
You now have another medal for you custom made rack. Enjoy the down time after Kona.
Gordon
Great report and outstantind film! You could really tell how much this meant to you. Best of luck for next year.
Dave
"KNOW REGRETS" - LIEBS' 2011 FORD IRONMAN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
This is the final 10 minute mix down including much more video footage, audio, and new music. If you are reading this, please take 10 minutes and watch. Don't forget to click "Show more" on the youtube page for more text/info.