Paul C 2018 Kona Race Plan

I qualified for Kona at Ironman Louisville in October 2017. Qualifying early give me plenty of time to come up with a race strategy, and I had one in place by last November 1. But in twelve months a lot of life can happen, and it certainly did. And my race plans have changed accordingly; probably twelve times or so. Here’s the current version, and I’m sticking with it. Unless of course, something changes

Mo and I flew out last Thursday. We stayed two nights at the Marriott Courtyard King Kamehameha Kona Beach Hotel. On Saturday we moved to our VRBO house on the hillside in Holualoa. Getting in early was nice. While I’m certainly not stress free, having the extra time to get organized, train, and even enjoy a few sights is quite nice

It’s very chaotic at race central. There are too many over-stressed athletes there. Athlete check-in started Tuesday, but I opted to wait until Wednesday. Maybe I’ll even wait until Thursday for check-in. Tuesday I rode on the Queen K to get a feel for the cross winds. They’re fierce, as if I didn’t already know. Then I did a brick run to test how I’m adapting to the heat. HR was high for the pace I was running. I’m not yet adapted

Swim:

Last Saturday I completed the Hu’ala Practice Swim. It was helpful to get a sense of that day’s currents and swells, and to practice sighting. At the start I lined up dead-smack in the middle (both side to side and front to back) and it seemed to work well. There was some contact, but it wasn’t as bad as I expected: we were all trying to get to the same place. I’ll try that same starting position on race morning. Normally I never race with a watch, but I’ll wear my Fitbit Ionic to keep track of time and be ready for the cannon.

My time won’t be anything spectacular. This year I just couldn’t get any consistency with my swimming, and a shoulder impingement has hampered my form.  I’m hoping to follow a set of feet in front of me and not overdo it. Make it an easy swim and don’t make any mistakes in the water

T1:

Most athletes will rush through T1. To heck with that idea, I’m taking my time and enjoying every moment on that pier.  Who knows, I may even write some Hawaiian-themed haiku poems while I’m in there.  A full change into biking gear with arm coolers, and then plenty of sunscreen spray

Bike:

Last November I had such great plans for the bike. I used Best Bike Split and had mapped out a target FTP to crush it on those lava fields. Well, that clearly won’t be happening on Saturday. I never seemed to have the opportunities to get the big rides in. I didn’t even get time to look at switching to latex tubes. My bike works as-is, so I’m going to ride it

The biggest challenge will be to hold back in the early miles. If I can achieve that it may be a nice long ride across the lava fields. I’ll watch power, HR, and cadence. If the wind is at my back and I’m riding along at 24 mph, I have no intention of pushing harder. I brought my cassette with 12 cogs instead of the one with 11 cogs. I’ll be deliberate at the aid stations and not worry about forward progress if it means risking a dropped bottle

I want to keep it steady and not get into race mode. That’s hard for me to do on the bike. I want to feel strong at about mile 78 when we make that right turn back onto the Queen K for that tortuous return leg. I’ve got to maintain control at all times. A mistake on the bike will be so devastatingly costly on the run. Don’t make mistakes on the bike

T2:

Don’t expect anything great from me in T2. I’m doing a full change of clothes, and that includes using a different heart-rate strap. I never bothered to put lace locks on my running shoes. I’ll put them on and tie them like I do for every run

Run:

I’m running with a new run form, and new run shoes. I changed after seeing photos of me at AG Nationals in Cleveland in August. I was heel striking. It was awful. I relearned to run with the pose method. It’s been hard to switch, but my form is starting to come around

I have no idea what to expect on the run. The conditions will certainly impact what I can do. If it’s sunny, hot and humid it will be slow going. With a bit of shade, who knows, maybe I’ll be able to run. I’ve broken the Kona run into about 10 separate segments. The first segment is that first 1/2 mile out of T2: there’s a hill, a right turn, and there will be thousands of screaming people. If I get caught up in the moment it will be all but over. The other segments will all be further broken down as needed to maintain focus. If it gets ugly I’ll run light post to light post. Hopefully I don’t have to run in the dark, but I’ll be ready if that happens. Like everything else on the day, I need to stay in control and not make any mistakes

I don’t have any special finish-line pose or gesture planned. I just want to cross the line, find Mo, and give her a big sweaty hug