Welcome! We're here with Julie and will get started in about 15 minutes. Start sending in your questions about the Kona course now.
Hope you guys have some good questions for me today! What do you wanna know about Kona, the course, the conditions, the lead up to the race...how to handle the nerves/pressure etc etc. hit me up
there are a few things that you can do that can help u prepare for hot climates. Ride indoors on the trainer w no fan, run on the treadmill w no fan. U can even step it up a notch and put a heater in the room to make it really hot and sweaty. There is also a fair amount of research out there to show that sauna work/steamroom stuff can help w heat acclimatization. A fair few people in Boulder have been using this
This question comes from Anne O'Brien on our Facebook page: How do you handle the cross winds on the bike ?
The biggest thing you can do to handle the cross winds in the race is to try and stay relaxed. the more tense you get the more twitchy you will be. U can also keep looking ahead and try to anticipate when big windy sections or gusts are coming. Look at riders in front see when they are getting blown across the road and prepare for it.
Do u guys have any specific questions about the course?
This question is from Veronica Mayer: How do you keep from getting bored [during the race]?
Nutrition is very individual. The biggest thing i have learnt is by doing some dry runs in training where i will go out and ride 100miles or so at RP and stick to a "race nutrition plan" and then run off for 90+mins. This way i can test what works and what doesn't. The biggest adjustment you need to make for Kona is in the hydration and electrolyte side of things. Last year i was trying to intake 40-48oz of fluid an hr. I had to practice doing this...cos thats a lot of fluid in your belly :)
How do i keep from getting bored on the bike? It's not really anything i've struggled with. I just break the course up into sections. I dont think of it as a 112mile ride...its for me a ride to hawi and back. But first i have to get to scenic point, then kawihae, then Hawi...then back to scenic point to the airport and home to T2. breaking it down really helps
Jeff Clark wants to know how if the heat impacts the bike ride. What do you do to stay cool?
You dont feel the heat as much on the bike because you are moving pretty fast and so have the cooling effect of the wind/air movement. But i found the last few years that the arm coolers really helped, and keeping them wet. I also can pour water thru my Lazer helmet which helps. Again bigges thing is keeping on top of your hydration and making good use of all the aid stations out there
Sleep the night before is always a bit hit or miss. I normally sleep pretty well, but wake up at least a couple of times and panic that its time to wake up. I always end up wanting that last sleep to go as slowly as possible. But once the alarm goes i then want to fast forward as quickly as possible until when the gun goes off. That is the worst time for me. From wake up racing morning until the gun goes.
People think this course is pretty flat but it isn't. I've ridden it about 5 times in the last week, i know :). I think there is about 5000ft of climbing in it. Sure there are flat sections, and the roads are super smooth which helps make it fast, but the section from Kawihae to hawi and back (about mile 42-78) is pretty rolling
also so much depends on the wind conditions on the day. U can seriously have a head wind all day even though it is an out and back. The wind direction is always shifting late morning
Hi Hector, Good question. It is easy to get carried away in the first 20-30miles, u should be fresh coming in, and feeling good early on, but we all know you go out to hard, you will suffer later. U have to feel like you are holding back a bit at the beginning, and i think a lot of us now think of the ride as a "build" ride...where you aim to finish stronger than you start. In all reality you end up even splitting it. If you have a power meter this is a great time to use it. In a race i use the power meter to hold me back in the first 1-2hrs, and then towards the end it gives me something to focus on so that i dont slack off like the other girls :)
Julie, the women are starting five minutes behind the men for the first time. Why did they have to change the start time and how will it impact the women's race?
I think moving the womens start back 5 mins is a great step in the right direction. I do worry that it;s not enough though. Looking at the splits from last year you will see that there are still some guys that swim 5mins slower than the faster swimmers like Joycey and Big Bird. Give the men 8-10mins head start and there wouldnt be an issue...for the sake of another 3-5 mins why risk it? Hopefully it wont be an issue though
Some critical parts of the course: Swim start. You all have heard it before but think about where you want to start in the water. If you are nervous or apprehensive start to the sides or even wait til the masses go. The swim course is pretty simple (big rectangle) the hardest part i would say is swimming back into the pier and what to sight off. in 2010 after the turnaroun bouy a few of us actually swam off course and started swimming towards the bouy that marked the way out rather than way in. I really just wanted to give Rinny a chance that year.
On the bike i break it into sections. Section1 T1-waikaloa is FAST and smooth and mostly flat. Typically you have a slight tailwind here. Good time to stay aero, and think about being fast but holding back. Then you have from Waikaloa to Hawi. Rolling hills. Hills that you want to punch up...but if you do will suffer later. Try and ride these in control. Hawi back down to kawiahae is typically super fast. Dont slack off here just because there is alot of downhill. Then the last section from Waikaoloa past scenic point hurts! and you feel like you are home when you get to the airport but still have 8-10miles to go. This is where the strong put mins into the weak like Rinny :)
best breakfast at lava java - the muffins, cookies and cakes. Love them. How are the twins Jenny?
Lasting memory of finsihing 3rd. Was probably how happy i was to be done. I can into that race not knowing what to expect at all. It was my first IM. I was just so happy not to have to try to keep running any further :)
Most common thing going thru my head? ....hmmm. I think i'm pretty focused the whole time and thinking about how i can either be more efficient on the bike to go faster, how to get the most out of each pedal stroke, arm stroke, run stride. Pretty focused on the task at hand. I'm not one to really sing songs to myself while out training
Kona is the race that everyone wants to do...well most triathletes. I think people are talking out of their asses when they say its just another race. It's like the Olympics. Its the race you have been focusing on all year, and the one that you want to peak for and win more than any other. The pressure is higher, the media attention is higher, its more intense. Some thrive on it, some don't. It is wierd having everyone around all week, but i think that just adds to the excitement. Everyone looks so fit and fast and focused...it can be intimidating...but you just have to use that to your benefit, rather than psychying you out
Cool. that's it for today focus. I have riding to be done. Todays victim @linseycorbin. Giddy up Montana
See you tomorrow at the same time for a breakdown of the men's race.
@TriathleteMag @juliedibens I'd like to know about hot weather training since I only have 3-4 good months of Summer heat to work with/year.by belladonna_713 via twitter 10/10/2012 6:57:28 PM
@TriathleteMag Hi! Can you ask her about her nutrition strategy for these days? Thanks!by aragunde via twitter 10/10/2012 7:01:45 PM
@TriathleteMag @juliedibens Can you sleep the night before?by Ironbarbie via twitter 10/10/2012 7:07:39 PM
