Well she did it again: Chrissie Wellington is amazing. What an athlete, what a great attitude, what an inspiration -- can I be her?? The girl got a flat, stopped to pee, etc., and still was the women's winner at 9:06.23, about 15 minutes ahead of second place (huge gap!). Not to mention, she finished less than an hour after men's champ Craig Alexander (8:17.45) and did it with a huge smile on her face.
I had planned on doing an a.m. ride Saturday, but live Kona coverage had me tied up until about 11 a.m. I had butterflies in my stomach watching everyone getting ready before the race. I can't believe Chrissie and Maca sat down for a quick prerace interview (poor Maca in the end, though).
The swim start of an Ironman is amazing. There's nothing like watching the water go from a calm sea of bobbing heads to a frenzy of thrashing white water. Andy Potts rocked that swim! Once he went into T1, I went on my ride, which ended up being the Santiago-Plus Loop, for a total of more than 40 miles and lots of hill work, including my beloved Modjeska Grade Road. Here I am at the top after my HR was back to normal:
Those pictures honestly don't do Modjeska justice. It's less than a mile, but it's crazy. Try it!!!
After chowing down a post-ride meal and letting that settle, I pushed myself to the gym for a swim. I hate the pool at 24-hour fitness (or any gross indoor pool for that matter), but I just wanted to knock out some laps ... I did about 2,200 meters (with a 14-minute 800). That's decent for me at this point.
Coming home for dinner and watching the Ironman finishes was a great treat after a hard day. And even as hard as I pushed myself, knowing they were working out all that time (with no lunch breaks, etc.), is truly inspiring!!
SUNDAY: YOGA & RUN
Got in an hour yoga session Sunday at 24 Hour Fitness. I need to do that more. Man, am I tight and not very flexible in yoga standards! That definitely should be in the routine for all triathletes. I also did a little weight-lifting, but the highlight of the day was my run:
I ran Whiting Ranch (about 7 miles of hills, hills and more hills, then downhills, yee-haw) in just over an hour. Then, the best part: I ran home (4 1/4 miles)! I only stopped when a stoplight stopped me. It felt good and definitely was a confidence booster considering I could barely run at all this whole year with the knee injury. On that note: If you can run on dirt/sand, do it. I ran on concrete and asphalt for so many years, I swear that contributed to my knee problem.
Iced both knees when I got home and enjoyed a classic steak-and-potato dinner. I was asleep by 9-something. What a weekend :)
I'm sure a lot of hills look alike, which is probably why that hill looks so familiar. I make an annual trip to Pt. Mugu (Oxnard, CA), which is just west of Malibu. We usually head out and ride all over the area along the coast. So many hills. I'm sure that hill was pretty tough. Ever ride in the hills around Malibu/Oxnard?
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