Thursday, October 12, 2006

THURSDAY: RE-RUN DAY
Yesterday was a morning swim, followed by an entire day devoted to sloth. The official triathlon-training word for this is "recovery". Apparently, exercise does not make you fitter; rest makes you fitter. Or, more precisely, resting so your body can replenish itself after you've mangled and drained it in the searing lava heat will make you fitter. So I rested.

In order to fully appreciate the rest, I went to the local island theatre and took in "The Departed", a film by Martin Scorsese. For those old enough to remember, he made "Taxi Driver", and for the rest of you, he also did "Gangs of New York". So he knows how to do violence on screen, and violence to a script. A better title for THIS film would be, "Last Man Standing", which is all I'll say about the flick.

Of more interest, on my way to the theatre, the light rain turned into a torrential downpour as I hit the intersection of the Queen K and Palani. Then, about 1000 meters later, the rain ceased, and the pavement turned dry. The cinema had a metal roof, and all through the show, we had intermittent sounds like a thousand woodpeckers trying to bore a hole in the ceiling as the winds shifted the cloud plume a bit to the north. The Big Island, being big, tall, and in the middle of the planet's largest ocean, has a variety of weather, usually all at the same time. About the only constants are the sun and wind along the northwest coast, called "Kohala", where the expensive mega resorts are.

Kona's weather depends much more on wind direction and actual weather fronts in the Pacific. At the moment, we seem to be under a regime which provides daily sea and land breezes, with afternoon clouds or showers coming down from the 8,000' volcano (Hualalai) in our back yard.

Because I was interested not in biking in the rain, but in getting acclimated to riding in the wind and heat, I drove back up the coast to find a bit of both. I went back to the very spot where I'd almost crumped on Tuesday, the "Scenic Pullout" at mile marker 83 on the Queen K. Today's ride was just perfect. Ninety minutes of 91-94F sun, with shifting winds both ways, especially coming back to town. The wind literally sucks the life out of you. Perspiration is increased both from the heat and the extra effort of driving into the wind, worsened by the wind itself evaporating the sweat more rapidly, which accelerates the whole cycle. I'm learning that increasing the amount I drink depending on the speed and direction of the wind is critical.

At this point in the training cycle, the purpose of any workout is NOT to get stronger, or faster. There are two main tasks. First, remind your body that it is still in race prep mode, to not let it's guard down. The little adrenal glands have to keep pumping out their hormones, the muscle mitochondria have to keep reproducing, the kidneys have to still be able to ramp up their filtration rate, etc. And second, learn the nuances of the race itself, where the hills are, what the weather's like, what to expect, so that the unconscious can absorb it all, and be ready to operate the show come Oct 21. The last thing I want is to have my conscious mind try to insinuate itself into the routine affairs required to maintain a steady effort for 12 hours (more or less).

The pros have started to arrive. On my drive back to Kona, I saw Normann Stadler, the German winner from 2004. Last year, he made the mistake of letting his mind get in the way of his success. He was chasing the race leader, about to take control of the whole affair, when his tire flatted. Unable to fix it quickly, he lost ground. Then a second flat pushed him over the brink. In a scene captured by NBC's camera crew, he had an emotional melt down, crying and throwing his wheel in frustration.  That attitude does not breed success.

Now, here he was, flying up the Queen K out of Kona, another camera crew in tow. It looked like he was racing them, but of course, they were just trying to keep pace so the cameraman standing in the open sun roof could get a good shot for the December show.

Yesterday, again on the Queen K, I saw 6 time winner Natascha Badmann (what's with the Germanic double N?) motor pacing behind a mini van. I wonder what the point is of that? But one does not argue with her success. Since 1996, in 21 long distance races, she has finished 1st 15 times, second 5, and 3rd once. Do NOT bet against this woman, is my advice.

Back in town, I eat lunch, and prepare for the day's real workout, an hour run with five two minute pickups in the middle. Unlike the morning's conditions, here in Kona, it's still wet in the afternoon. About 79F, and the kind of rain that's just one step up from mist. Actually pretty enjoyable, as long as you keep going. If this were what it's like on race day, I'd be one step closer to salvation. Sun is what I like least on a run. A high temperature is manageable, but the radiance of unfiltered sunlight seems to have the same effect as wind on the bike - it just draws the moisture right out of me. Problem is, on the run, you can't absorb enough to replace that unless you stop or slow down. Finding the proper pace is thus VERY tricky.


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