6 September 2011

Kona Diary 2011 - Days 1-5

Aloha from Kona!  As we prepared to land on the Big Island there were butterflies in the stomach.  Knowing that the next 40 days would be spent here was an incredible realisation, and I couldn't have been happier to be back.


I'd planned to get straight in to the swing of training with a hard 3 day block upon arrival.  I woke up at 4:30am on Friday, and as soon as daylight broke I went for an easy run, just to blow off a few of the cobwebs from traveling.  My brother and I went for breakfast by the pier, although we were both still feeling the effects of 24 hours of travel and severe jet lag!


Later that afternoon I got in a long swim set (in a lane all to myself!) and went for another medium-long run in the evening.  The next day I cycled the 112 mile bike course, from Kona up to Hawi (the turnaround point) and back.  The crosswinds by Hawi were a reminder of how tough this race can be, as staying in control of the bike proved to be a real challenge.  Sunday morning called for a long run with hard efforts, followed by a gentle swim in the afternoon.  The 3 day block went exactly to plan, and I feel it's helped me settle into a routine.

Today (Monday) has been an easy day, with the aim of recovering from the last few days of hard work and preparing for the upcoming training this week.  I went for a 2 hour spin along the Queen-K highway first thing this morning, and this afternoon was spent relaxing at the beach.  



We've had five days of great weather and even though there's been a fair amount of cloud cover at times, it's been stiflingly hot.  It's so great to be back.  I remember leaving last year, hoping that I'd have the chance to come back again, and to be here now is amazing.  It will be nice to see the town get busier as the race approaches, but for now it's pretty relaxed and quiet.  That will all change in the next 4 weeks.

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