Tuesday in Kona

Great day in Kona. Went to register at 9:00 a.m. Line was about 45 minutes. Everyone was awesome and enjoyed talking to people in line. got some cool stuff, ironman back pack, containing a program, a few nutrition samples and ads. After that I went to Dig Me beach to swim. Since yesterday the waves have come up and the swim had more current and swells. No problem with the swells but the general current slowed me down. Still there were a lot of people out churning up the water. It was a good swim, great place to be for it. After that it was breakfast at Splasher's overlooking the pier. Maureen had pancakes and I had the Loco Moco. According to local lore, it was ono grinds. We had a good meal and watched all the athletes and tourists moving up and down Alii Drive. Ironman workers were setting up bleachers in the area that looked like the finish line. There were crowds going in and out of the water at the stairs. There were also locals out on the pier fishing and jumping into the water. Down the sea wall the waves would crash and splash high in the air covering unsuspecting pedestrians near the wall. After breakfast I went to the Ironman VIP House on Kona Bay Drive to participate in a focus group survey. The house is in a closed gated community in one of the best ocean front properties in Kailua Kona. Amazing place, very exclusive. I finished about 1:30 and headed back to the condo at Sea Village. Rested up a while and then went out for my afternoon run. This was about 3:30 or so. Headed south on Alii Dr. at an easy pace and had no trouble working up a sweat. Just after I started another runner came up along side and we ran the next mile together. His name was Bob from Laguna who was here with his wife who was going to be in the race. After about a mile he turned back and I continued on past Magic Sands beach. Even though this is still training Ironman had already set up working aid stations with Perform and water, very much appreciated as I did not take any with me for the run. I planned to be out only an hour or so and didn't feel like I needed it. The Cytomax people had set up an aid station in front of the house they were at and very nicely gave me a water bottle and some electrolyte mix which I really appreciated. I was out for about 50 minutes and covered 5 miles. Then a soak in the cool water of the pool. Later we all went to Jackie Reyes Ohana Grill for dinner. Excellent food and service. Town is full of people and the restaurants are jammed. The challenge now is to fine a few places to eat for our support group where we don't have to battle the crowds. Tomorrow we're going to grill at the condo.

As far as training tomorrow the plan is to head north and ride from Hawi towards Hapuna. Need to get a feel for the winds. If you are out there I'll see you on the road, if not then a hui hou. Keep the love and kulia i ka nu'u (strive to reach the highest).