Surf Nipple Vs. Runners Nipple/EPIC training

WOW....A whole week in the 50th state of our union...HAWAII. (they love that fact btw.) IT WAS EPIC. What a great time. I met some family of dear friends, saw some breathtaking sights, and got some EXTREME mental imagery as far as training goes. Since this is a training blog I will concentrate on the training. Here is how it went down:
Thursday (7/23/09)-travel day
Friday (7/24/09)-Long swim not timed or measured but it is approximately 2000 meters. It was done at Waimea Bay beach park. It is where they have the big wave contests in the winter. Today it is a virtual pond. Breathtaking. Easy to train there.
Saturday (7/25/09)-Long day at the beach. Surfed for the first time and even got up. GO ME. Ive got the nipple carnage to prove it. I also got a surf board burn and even a sun burn on top of that. I have had runners nipple and its got nothin on surfers nipple. Sorry no pics of that. I kayaked, body boarded, and swam. Surfing is one awesome shoulder and core activity.
Sunday (7/26/09)-Long run. OK this is the type of run that sets it all off. 9 miles from turtle bay past sunset beach all on the Northshore. Here is a picture of the sunset @ sunset beach where I ran. It was slow and I stopped a bunch to take it all in and because of the humidity. Here in Vegas it is hot but dry there, not so much.




Monday (7/27/09)-Travel day. Went to Kailau-Kona on the big island. This is the holy grail among triathletes. I rented a bike. I rented a much nicer bike then I would ever buy for tuesdays long ride along queen K.
Tuesday (7/28/09)-Long Bike. I was hoping for 40 miles. What I got was way more than that. As absolutely gorgeous as it was it was difficult. May be that why they do it there. Its hot, hilly, muggy, desolate, rainy, windy, and cold. Huh? Here is the map:
The red is what I rode. The pink is the rest. The bottom-most or southern tip of the pink is where the swim start is, where the transition area is(T1 and T2), and where the finish is. I didnt ride that part. I rode 30 miles at the northern tip (the red) from Hapuna Bay to the city of Hawi where the turnaround is. As you go north you gain over 700 feet and the climate is remarkably different. Hot/muggy to cold and windy. The terrain changes from hot volcanic rock to grass land. Boy my legs felt it. Up and up and up. Then when I turned around it felt still up. And yes the wind DOES go in your face in both directions (I thought that was overdramatic by ABC's part but its true). Here are some other pics:

While in Kona there was also a bunch of IRONMAN gear. I couldnt help myself. Here is a pic of all the gear I got:
from the number on a clock here is what everything is: 1 o'clock=cycling jersey of LONO the Hawaiian god of war. Plumerias all around...very cool cycling jersey. 5 o'clock new cylcing sunglasses. Super cool. 7 o'clock cheapy IM t shirt to train in. 9 o'clock official ironman program. 10 o'clock a hat to run in IM-style. Middle middle is a post card I will use as a reminder of this weekend at work.

Right outside the swim start on illi'i drive there is a shop. The owner of the shop is a finisher of multiple IM. His name is also Ron and a really cool guy. His buddy made this statue. It is a huge replica of the original IM trophy. It sits outside the shop. Here is me with it.

I usually end with a quote but today I am not going to. Rather I am going to end with a definition. Although I have made life long memories this last week, what I take away most is an idea of what living with aloha is about. (sorry I cant figure out how to remove the underline)

“These are traits of character that express the charm, warmth and sincerity of Hawaii's people. It was the working philosophy of native Hawaiians and was presented as a gift to the people of Hawaii. Aloha is more than a word of greeting or farewell or a salutation. Aloha means mutual regard and affection and extends warmth in caring with no obligation in return. Aloha is the essence of relationships in which each person is important to every other person for collective existence. Aloha means to hear what is not said, to see what cannot be seen and to know the unknowable. “

http://www.volcanogallery.com/alohaspirit.htm