Rhoto Ironman 70.3 Honu 6th AG 39th Overall

I prefer 100 times a mass start than different wave starts, this is one of the best things about the Honu 70.3 race, the only downside is that by far, this is the most violent swim start of all the races that I've done in the past, last year it was like a battlefield and I got punched right in the face a couple of times, luckily this time was different, it was still pretty rough but I was out of the craziness after the first buoy, I tried to remember coach Steve the whole time and what he has told me for the last weeks.

I knew I was going faster than last year so it was a little disappointing to see my swim time at 30:49 but at least now I see that compared to last year this year was almost a minute slower (with some exceptions of course) 

After the swim I was ready to put on a good time in the Bike (my specialty) and I felt good for the first 20 kilometers, but as soon as the road started to go up to Hawii  I knew I had done a terrible mistake, I realized that I didn't trained "Hills" I've spent a month going back and forth in the Queen K but I simply never trained from Kawaiihae to Hawi (the hilly part) I know that It may sound very stupid and it is, but with everyday of the month going that fast this is the BIG Mistake I did, simply as that. 

So all the way up to Hawi I felt really slow and I wasn't able to get into a rhythm. So when I got to the turnaround I saw that I have plenty of work in the way back to Mauna Lani (T2) I knew I could make up some lost time, and even with the wind that was blowing hard, I started to get back my legs, and started to get into a good and fast pace, everything was OK, but then I lost my 2 fluid bottles in a bump near Kawaiihae, and that must have affected because with only 10k to go my legs left me again, I just tried to keep up with the same pace in that flat section, and maybe recover enough for the run, at the end my bike split was not near what I expected to be, it was 2:33. 

I knew that the conditions were not favorable so I tried to keep up the positive frame of mind by thinking that way, and trying to focus in the Run that was waiting for me in that Golf course, that is very pretty but also very very hard, it's simply impossible to get any kind of rhythm, if it's not a steep climb, it's a hard downhill, of it's not grass it's asphalt and then back to grass.

  

I started the run as I always do, fast but controlled so I don't blow up my race with the excitement of that first mile where I can always hear my Paola Screaming, Corre Pelucas!!!

Knowing what was waiting for me in the next 13 miles, I just kept my pace, the first mile was under 7 minutes, and so the next few miles, after mile 6 or 7 I knew I was going to be able to come out with a decent run in this hard course, I even felt good in the mile from hell, the mile number 9! and when I came out of that stretch of lonely road I just pushed as hard as I could for the remaining miles, I saw the ocean and that was a great feeling, I enjoyed those last few meters as much as possible, my run split was 1:33 for a Total Time of 4:41:47

Enough for a 6th place in the AG and 39th Overall, but not enough for a podium, here in Honu you get to be in the podium up to 5th place, I guess that must be a sign that the competition here is Fierce, and it was also not enough for an Ironman Slot I was 5 minutes from that only International spot, but I'm happy, I know that I gave it all that day, and that's what matters.

I now have time to reflect and pull my things together and slow down a little at least, It's time to get back on track and focus in Ironman Louisville, that's where I need to get my slot for the Ironman World Championship in October, I really don't want to be seeing the race from the sidewalk.

I don't know how to train for an Ironman but I will try to do my best, I know that I have to work a lot in my run an log much more miles, until now I've been able to get away with a low mileage, but I know that an Ironman won't let me do that. My swimming is getting better and I know what kind of work I need to do on the bike, the MIX of everything is what gets a little tricky, but I will try to do my best, one of the first things I have to do, is less facebook and more Running that's for sure ha ha! This Blog has always helped me to re-focus, to keep me on track, and it's also kind of therapeutic, and I can't say the same when I spent more than 20 minutes on FB it just leaves me with a not so nice feeling.

So I will start to work in a training plan for Louisville right now