I arrived in Okinawa to stay with Theresa for a few days before coming down to Miyako. Great to see Theresa and Mo-chan. Hannah came down from Kobe. Jaimee, her boyfriend and I had all travelled together from Brisbane. It was quite a reunion! We went to the Canadian Bar, Eager Beaver - Paul Patry was also preparing for the Strongman, so it was good to touch base with him before the race.The rest of the weekend we basically walked around reminiscing and eating...it was perfect!! (and a lot colder than I remember!)
So, Brian, my boyfriend, is a pro triathlete and had already been invited to take part in the race - he was injured last year and couldn't go, so it's amazing that we were both planning to race this year! His flights were paid for, so we travelled separately. He was lodging at the nicest resort on the island, I was in the guest house - not perfect, but not the end of the world.
I flew to Miyako on Wednesday and was met at the airport by the invited athletes co-ordinator - which was strange - I was meant to be heading into town to my little guest house by taxi. He explained that he didn't realise that I, the girlfriend, was a competitor. It turned out there was an uneven number of pros, and Brian asked if the rooms could be rearranged to allow me to room with him, and the co-ordinator said yes! Amazing! So, I got to stay at the best hotel, with all the pros, it was brilliant! It really heightened my strongman experience and build up to the race. Because I knew the island, and could speak some Japanese, I felt useful, driving everyone around, which is always good!
Wednesday night we all went out for dinner. In the middle of the night, Brian starts throwing up...and again...and again...and by morning is half dead :( Through vomiting and a dodgy stomach, he'd managed to lose 5 kgs overnight! We took him up to hospital and they put 2 IV drips through him and gave him some other medicine to stop the vomiting etc. I got him back to the hotel and went out on a cycle to get supplies and register for the race. I managed to find Campbell's Chicken Noodle soup - surely that sorts everyone out! Basically, because it was Thursday, with the race being Sunday, there was still time to build up his energy again, as long as he kept food in his belly! It was stressful - he'd come to win this race...and here he was, a total mess :(
So, Friday was Jaimee's birthday and the carbo-loading party...very fun day! The biggest cake you've ever seen in your life!
Saturday was packing race bags, racking the bikes, eating...stressing...early to bed.
Sunday...race morning. Amazingly, the sea was the calmest I've ever seen it and not a whisper of wind - the flags hung limp against the poles. This is extremely rare for Miyako...being an island.
I felt totally disorganised, I was running around putting talc in my socks., squeezing gels into little bottles for the bike, changing laces in my shoes, charging ipods...it was a mental couple of hours. Brian threw up again before breakfast...indicating that whatever bug was in his tummy was still there :(
Luckily, Jaimee was there to keep me straight. We headed down to the swim start and melted into the crowd of wetsuits. (I think I'm pointing at the pros heading off on the swim start...I don't even have my goggles on!) So, the swim was good. I definitely got bashed more than my fair share, but it thinned out quite quickly and only had crazy contact at all the corners on the course. Beautiful 3k swim - you can see the sandy bottom, fish and coral the whole way round, water was about 23 degrees c.
Swim predicted time: 1hour.....actual time: 52 mins. Hooray! Smiling right from the start!
Due to the lack of wind, everyone was feeling optimistic about the 155k bike leg. It was such a beautiful day, the water looked amazing as we cycled around the island. I did the first 30k in exactly an hour, and I managed to hold that pace the whole way round. Although drafting is totally illegal in these races, there were definitely huge packs of speedy men all coming past me...packs...drafting. They had blokes on scooters with whistles, but I don't think they were busting people properly. I felt a bit heavy in the legs at the 100k point, so I tucked into my food - 2 power bars that had melted together in my bento box...I never want to eat another one after that, grim! But it did the trick. I was sticking to my nutrition plan, 6 gels in the first 100k, and the power bars. I had oreo biscuits waiting for me in my special needs bag at 100k - I felt like I'd had a real boost to get me through the next 55k - the wind had picked up a bit. At 120k I decided that enough was enough - time to bust out the ipod tunes - although it's not encouraged, it's not forbidden either, so I thought I'd go for it, just one ear! I managed to roll into transition at 1:15 pm - giving me a bike time of about 5:15. They lump the 2 transition times into your bike time...so, my recorded time is 5:29 - maybe 7 or 8 minutes for each transition...hard to know exactly, but my transitions were definitely quicker than in Ironman NZ!
We had visited a Junior High school on the Friday morning - the same students were at the bike transition volunteering, so they were thrilled to see me racing, pointing me in the right direction, handing me my kit bag etc...It definitely gave me a boost to see them so excited!! :) 2 of the current ALTs helped me out with some sunscreen and an update on Brian's race. When I heard that he was in about 20th place on the run, I knew that something bad had happened - he should've been at the front. My bike predicted time: 5:45-6:00...actual: 5:15-ish = thrilled + legs a bit wobbly!
I set out on the run with my music blaring (my original plan was to save it for the 21k half way point...but I needed the rhythm!!) It was H.O.T. I knew I was going to struggle with the heat...I saw the race leaders coming towards me when I was about 12km in - it's an out and back course, so you can see everyone who's in front of you! The Japanese athletes had run a good race, the first 6 or 7 were all Japanese. Then I saw Anton, from Ukraine, and a few others, then I saw Brian - he looked to be running well, he had teamed up to run with Eneko from Spain. At least they only had 10k to go!
I got to the turn around in 2 hours...the first 10k was tough, getting the legs going, I ran solidly from one aid station to the next. A lot of the course has some sort of slight gradient - I'd run really fast down the slopes and Paul Patry witnessed me walking up one of the hills...I was on the way back, he was on the way out - his first long distance race, he was doing great!!
Next I came across Jaimee - she had set off on her run without her ipod! Oh noo!! I had about 10k to go, so I decided that her need was greater than mine - I'd had a great day and was full of cheer and genkiness. I strapped my sweaty ipod onto her arm and sent her on her way. Jaimee's first long distance triathlon too, she was full of genki spirit!! So fun!!
The last 10k, as always, seemed to take forever... winding through the streets of the town - it's never a direct route to the goal. So many people out cheering - saw a few of the Jet English Teachers - always a huge support. Dave had been doing the announcing all day, at the swim start and the bike transition.
Stopped for a photo with Shimoji san, we formed a mini irish band when I lived on the island! I'm amazed he recognised me (I used to have blonde hair).
FINALLY, I was at the end...I was hoping for a sub 4 hour marathon, but was happy with 4:10 because everything else had gone so well! I felt happy with all the little details: nutrition, choice of clothes, music...it had all gone better than I had expected!
Predicted finish time 11 - 12 hours. Actual time: 10:32 :)
As soon as I finished, I got interviewed...aaaaa the life of the gaijin in Japan!!! I felt good and happy...able to walk and speak, at least! It's a crazy atmosphere down at the strongman finish line. I showered and caught up the race gossip with Brian. Then we cheered Paul home, and then Jaimee!! Hooray!! Everyone home safe!!
Went home on the bus back to the Tokyu Resort, crawled up in a ball and just lay there - unable to sleep due to all the sweet gels, and the body just tingling with shock and trauma from the day! We went for a 1am stroll around the hotel lobby, in search of a vending machine.
Monday was busy. Breakfast - still not much of an appetite - despite the best breakfast/brunch buffet ever! Then car up to transition to pick up our bikes, then cycle home - stopping to get medicine on the way - I have been coughing up green gunk for almost a week now, I think I'm finally on the mend today (Tuesday). Quick chill in the ocean before heading up to the awards ceremony party. So much food and beer - everyone just hobbling around, struggling to stand through all the speeches!!
We picked up our certificates and glanced over the results. I was 3rd in my age group (25-29), 20th Woman and 305th in the whole 1300 or so starters - so happy!! Hooray! Brian was also 3rd in his age group (25-29), and 18th overall - not bad for being in the state he was!!
So, for male age group awards, they give a nice big blue award folder to 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the age group - so Brian got that. For the girls, they only give it to 1st in the age group :((((( So, I felt very sad about this! Brian changed his certificate with mine and gave me his blue folder, sweet man! It's much harder to place in your age group as a man, so I DO get it, but still!!! Girls LOVE awards too :)
So, that's pretty much it...I could go on and on and on and on about all the finer details, but I'm sure it only means something to me!
It was a great way to come back to visit this place that means so much to me. I'm looking forward to a few more days of chill time on Okinawa before heading back to Uni exams next week, then that 6 week block in school.........I'm pretty shattered right now, so I'll be sleeping in tomorrow!
The count down is on for the next Ironman race - Challenge Roth, July 10th, Germany!!
Thanks to everyone for all the messages and comments, it means the world to me. And I've said it before, that all you people who are taking an interest in this - it's only because you've done something like this before, or you're maybe motivated by it...that means that you've got the ability to do it too! It's hard work training for something like this, but it's such an amazing feeling to have completed something you never thought you could do!
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