Ho’omau Kona 2014

"Ho'omau reminds us that to overcome our challenges, we must go forth with determination, perseverance and endurance. As you face and overcome challenges, remain courageous and maintain purpose. Pursue your dreams, push past obstacles and soar with unwavering faith and firm resolution.

You will find your way home." ~ Kona 2014 theme



It all started out as a bucket list goal. I signed up for my first Ironman with Deb in 2008. My friend Deb convinced me to do another one in 2009. In 2010, I wanted a bigger challenge and my dream turned into competing at the IRONMAN World Championships in Kona, HI. By 2013, my dream of qualifying came true! It was a long journey; 7 years in the making. Lots of good and bad workouts/races. I have many fond memories of training partners. I have faced fears and humbled myself to push past my limits. There were also some disappointments that were heart breaking almost to the point of quitting. However, I am very honored and happy to finally live the dream of participating as an athlete in Kona on October 14, 2014.



Pre Race:
The alarm went off at 3:45am on race morning. I slept pretty good the night before, only waking up a few times. Once out of bed I made my typical race breakfast, oatmeal and a banana. My friend Cathy and I drove down to the transition area and I headed to drop off my special needs bags. I handed my transition bags to the race volunteers and continued on to body marking, well actually tattoos this year. We also did a weigh in. After weigh-in, I walked into the transition area passing the pro area. It still amazes me seeing athletes like Craig Alexander, Mirinda Carfrae, and others up close and personal. Once at my bike, I put my bottles on their cages. I pumped up my tires and waited in line for the portapoties. The pro men started the race 35 minutes before the AG women. We stood for the national anthem and heard the cannon go off for the pro men’s start. Somebody helped zip up my speed suit and I did a warm-up swim, then made my way down the stairs into the water. The start was about 200m out from the beach. I made my way to the front of the start line, between the TYR sign and the pier. As more and more women crowded the deep water start, I told myself to stay calm. It was super nice to be separated from the men! I knew I was surrounded by the best and fastest triathletes in the world. It was a pretty windy morning so there were plenty of swells out on the course, it would be a tough race.

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SWIM

The cannon sounded for the females, I only had a few bumps and my goggles kicked once. I started to lock into my pace and found some feet to swim behind. I still occasionally picked my head up to find the next buoy, but my main focus was just staying with the swimmer next to me to reduce the amount of sighting required and to take advantage of any possible draft. There was great scenery below us for the first half tons of fish and coral. The 1.2 mile swim out felt like forever. I kept looking for the big boat at the turn-around, but never seemed to get closer. Finally, we reached the boat. The way back to shore was a lot more rough than the way out. I still felt strong and began passing people, and caught up to the men, who were definitely more physical than the females. I enjoyed rolling with the waves. About a quarter mile from shore, we started to funnel together and I made my way up the stairs into T1. I never turn on my watch, and so I had no idea how my swim was, I just focused on the next task transition.

Swim: 1:10:26, 25th in my age group

T1: 3:23

I quickly rinsed the salt water out of my mouth. I grabbed my bag and ran into the change tent. Wow, it was packed! I snagged a chair right by the entrance and began putting my bike shoes on. The green mat was super slippery with the bike shoes on. In the future, I'll keep my shoes on my bike next time. I forgot to grab my nutrition and ran around searching for my bike. I put on my helmet and started to the mount line.


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BIKE
I mounted the bike and headed up the short hill of Palani. I saw my friend Cathy, my parents and some other Salt Lake folks cheering me on. I tend to start out too fast on my bike rides, so this race I tried to really relax, and avoid following the adrenaline filled crowd. The first few miles of the race were an out and back. After the out and back section we headed out on the Queen K Highway. The wind welcomed us almost immediately. I embraced the wind, expecting windy conditions. For the next 30 miles I battled the headwind along with trying to stay out of the draft of the other riders. Afterwards I would discover that the course had the worse winds in 15 years. Besides the wind, it was pretty hot out. I did my best to stay on top of my nutrition and water intake. I took a GU gel or half a bonk breaker every 30 minutes on the bike. I needed to grab these at the aide stations, because I left my nutrition in the transition bag.. The wind was so strong so at times it was hard to take my hands off my aero bars to drink or eat. At every aid station, I grabbed a bottle of water. I poured some of it on my head, to help keep me cool. I also had salt tablets every hour. My stomach was not happy with me during the bike ride, I always have stomach issues. I think some people are blessed with strong stomachs. Unfortunately I am not one of those people I have learned to expect bloating and diarrhea, and deal with them the best I can. As we made the turn at Kawaihae, we received a reprieve from the wind. Then started the 20 mile windy gradual climb up to Hawi, the turn-around point. The wind was so strong at points so I leaned my whole body into the wind to counterbalance. Finally I reached Hawi, I was determined to push hard on my way back. I felt strong descending the hills despite the crosswinds, and passed a ton of people. Then we made the turn at Kawaihae and back into the headwind and crosswinds. I just kept my head down and fought the wind the best I could. I came back into town and was excited to get off the bike.



Bike: 6:08:00, 24th in my age group

T2: 3:44

Getting off the bike, I could tell the wind had done some damage to my legs. They felt heavy running through the transition area. I grabbed my bag and entered the change tent. I grabbed a chair and took a little extra time putting on my socks and shoes. At some point during this change, I dropped my salt tablets without knowing. I ran out of transition and onto the run course.


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RUN
The run began with a short hill and then a 5 mile out and back (10 miles total) down the famous Ali’i Drive. My goal going into the day was to hold between an 8:00 and 8:30 average pace for the first 10 miles of the run. I knew the first 10 miles were the flattest. I started my marathon shuffle and kept telling myself to keep it easy, this just like a 20 mile training run. Heading out on Alii drive I saw two Utah athletes Chuck and Katy we exchanged greetings and they both looked strong! Around mile 5 some lady from France passed me with a great cadence. I quickly jumped behind her and paced off of her. Throughout the race we kept passing each other, which was super nice! Heading back on Ali'i drive I saw two more athletes from Utah Ironman Cowboy and Kara, we exchanged greetings and encouraged each other. AT the end of Ali'i drive we turned up the infamous hill of Palani Rd. I started up the hill and felt amazingly great! I saw my friend Cathy, my parents and Cherrel. I passed my French running pacer. The support from volunteers and spectators was amazing! Soon I reached the lonely Queen K Highway. My running pacer passed me again on the queen K. I did meet the last two athletes from Utah on the Queen K, I saw my coach BJ and Cameron heading back and was a little jealous that they were much closer to the end of the race than me. There was no shade, but luckily, there was some cloud cover to help reduce some of the heat. I ran mile by mile, just trying to keep a good pace. Eventually I approached the Energy Lab, I had heard so many stories about the heat and bareness of the Energy Lab. I passed my running pacer again. It was the highlight of my run. The volunteers in this area were extraordinary. The turn-around seem to take forever to reach, but I made it and knew that I only had 8 miles left to go. There were a few Red Bull tents in the Energy Lab so I decided to take a few cups. The climb out of the Energy Lab was tough, my pace fell beyond 8:00 min/mile, and my French running mate passed me again. I was able to pick up my pace afterwards. Around mile 20, I was fairly fatigued. I knew I only had 6miles left and just kept moving, I did pass my pacing partner one last time. The last steep hill was pretty tough, I just told myself to keep moving forward and I rock at hills. I ran back into town and down the hill on Palani Rd. I began to soak up all the cheers from the crowd and volunteers. we turned off Palani and I was super fatigued, I saw my parents and struggled to smile. Finally, I adjusted my race bib as I made the final turn down Ali’i drive. There were thousands of spectators, and I sprinted to the end. I came into the finish chute and I lifted my arms in victory.

It was the IRONMAN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP! The moment was a summation of 7 years of IM training, day dreaming, racing, accomplishments, setbacks and sacrifices. It was all worth it. After 11 hours of racing, I had accomplished one of my biggest dreams. The race was hard and still far from a perfect race, but I’m proud and humbled to have had the chance to race on the biggest stage in the world with my friends and family cheering me on from near and afar. I felt the love all day long!



Run: 3:38:04 (14th in my age group)
Total Time 11:03:36, 14th in age group



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Post-Race: After crossing the finish line, I immediately collapsed. I told the volunteers that I was fine however, I ended up at the med tent. Somehow I lost 7 pounds from the race. I got an IV and when I got my strength back, walked towards the post-race yummy treats., malasadas!

Thanks again to everyone who has helped me along this amazing journey over the past 7 years! It is amazing how much I have grown and changed since taking my first Ironman. There are so many people that have helped me along my journey it is almost impossible to thank them all.

Thank you to my coaches over the years!

Thank you to all my friends and relatives who’ve supported me! Your kind words, texts and Facebook posts!

Thank you to my training partners over the years! I knew absolutely nothing about the sport when I first started look at me now, I just raced in Kona. You’ve made training for these races the best part about IRONMAN.

Looking Ahead: Training for Kona is mentally, physically, and financially draining. However, there’s no way I’m finished. I’m just getting started. I know my biking will continue to build under the guidance of my coach and I plan to work on my swimming technique and running speed a lot this off-season. I hope to be more competitive next year.

I have worked with many inspiring nurses at Huntsman, and some of them threw me an awesome
                                  Hawaii party!  They even made me a Team Kathryn shirt :)

Pre Race Check in we received an awesome gear bag and  I also met on of my heroes Chrissie
                                    Wellington who wrote on my chart be awesome.

                                 Practice swim with my coach and we swam with dolphins!

                                                  Parade of Nations, with the Utah Crew.

Female Age Groupers Swim Start

                                                       Biking in the Lava Fields

At Kuakini Headed towards T2

Start of the Run

Infamous Palani with my running partner with pink shoes

My Parents

                                                           Finish Line!!

 Awards dinner with the three females competing in Utah all in the same state, same age group and
                                 we all have names that start with a K-Kathryn, Kara and Katy

Race Video Links
Female Age Group Swim Start
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhZIV9EEOm4

Kona Highlights
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cm5l3Y7WkQI

Trans-Zion Trek 11/2014

So after training hard for Kona, I needed a break from triathlons.  I wanted to do something challenging.  The first snow in Salt Lake was coming, so I wanted to go down south and climb and hike in the sun.  Especially since I had 3 days off of work.   The more I started thinking about it I wanted to do something challenging and adventurous like the rim to rim to rim trail in Grand Canyon.  However, I didn't want to drive as far.  I asked the Wasatch Wranglers about any suggestions in Zion, and that is when I learned about the Trans-Zion trek.  The trail is about 48 miles and you can start and end in either Kolob or the East rim.  The only problem would be a ride.  I saw Zion Adventures had a shuttle, but you had to give them a week notice.  Out of the blue, my amazing friend volunteered to be my support for my adventure.  2 days before I left, I bought a hydration pack, and some trail running shoes that I have not used before.  I'm quite the planner!  After reading a few blogs I decided to travel East to West, hoping I might finish a little quicker, especially since the longest trail run I have done this year is about 13 miles on flatter terrain.  I made a map with an old Zion National Park Map, bought some nutrition, trail running shoes and a hydration pack.

Went to the Kolob visitor center, and learned about weather conditions - possible snow on Saturday night and sunny weather on Sunday, a high of 36 and wind gusts.  50 mph wind gusts... hmm well at least, I will not be on my bike in the wind I thought to myself.  They also told me all the springs were dried out.  Oh boy, not a lot I could do now.  I had to either go for it or hold off on the idea that would plague me for awhile.  This trip would be a lot more isolated the Grand Canyon rim, and there would be no halfway visitor center store and no cell phone service.   I stashed some water and gatorade at Hop Valley just in case I would miss my friend.



Then we traveled to the main Zion's entrance and watched the sunset.

 We went to the east rim trailhead and saw two trail runners who went west to east and finished in 11.5 hours.  They told me there was no snow, they were fine with shorts, and from Lava Point to the Grotto was a long stretch without water.  I really wanted to run in shorts, but looking at the forecast, it looked like the day I chose to run would be the coldest day in the week, so decided I better stick to tights.  My friend and I found a great place to camp just outside of the park entrance.  It was a windy night, we were looking at the stars, and it started to snow so I put the fly over the tent.  Oh boy was I in over my head, maybe.  I decided to wait to see how much snow was on the ground in the morning.  I did bring some spikes, but was worried about trail finding if it snowed too much..


When I woke up, it was cold however there was no snow on the ground! :)  My memory foam pillow was hard as a rock so it was not very useful.  The first thing I checked was to make sure I could drink out of the hydration pack, and it worked!  I decided to wear tights, my wool hat, ski gloves, ear cover and a neck warmer, short sleeve shirt, long sleeve shirt jacket and my biking windproof jacket.  The biking jacket was nice because I could use the pocket in the back for extra storage for my 13 hours worth of fuel.  I did bring some water purifying pills.  I used Vaseline to help with chaffing, but brought some body glide too.  We packed up the tent and everything into the car, my hands were cold, man I should have brought hand warmers.  Had half a tuna sandwich for breakfast and a pb and banana sandwich in the car, and drove to the trailhead.  The car said it was 16 degrees outside! I only filled up half of the hydration pack figuring I could replenish my water at the grotto.

I left the trailhead around 6:30, so I only needed a headlamp briefly.

East Rim Trail to the Grotto 6730 feet. 10.8 miles
The trail gradually ascended up 1000 feet on a sandy trail to the rim with views into Jolley Gulch and the east side slickrock areas. On the rim ran through a ponderosa forest on flatter ground for a few miles. After hiking over the rim of the canyon you sharply descend 2,300 feet down to the floor of Zion Canyon ending at Weeping Rock.  I loved running through echo canyon, although running on the sandstone was a little rough for me to move quickly and the trail was at times difficult to follow.  I was happy to be in this section in daylight, so I was able to see the rock cairns to help me navigate.

I decided to drink water and have 100 calories every half hour, just like I do in my ironmans.  So at the first half hour I tried sipping on some water but it was frozen.  Oh boy I spent the next 10 min trying to decide to run the 11 miles without water, but finally decided I needed to force myself to hydrate.  So I stopped took my hydration pack out.  The water in the main compartment was not frozen so I tried to open up the pack and sip water without spilling.  I decided I would continue this procedure every 30 minutes, even if I was feeling good.  This trail is too beautiful to not take any pictures while running through, maybe next time I can go without taking as many picture. I didn't see anybody until I was close to weeping rock and I saw a few people. At the base of the canyon, I saw a shuttle and decided to jump on for a ride to the Grotto-really didn't feel like running on the road..

At the Grotto I drank a bunch of fluid and filled up my 2 liter hydration pack and the straw was still frozen.  I used the bathroom at the Grotto, then headed up Angel's landing.


Grotto to Wildcat Canyon Trail (West Rim Trail). 14.2 miles 3000 feet of elevation gain
Started ascending up to Angels Landing.  Just past angels landing around scout lookout I met my friend, where we were in the sun and I had her take a picture.  

She decided to meet me in Hop Valley.  I gave her my ski gloves, stocking cap and continued with some light weight gloves and my ear warmers.  I was a little nervous about having enough water.... The trail continued upward through the sandstone until I reached a plateau.  The rest of the trail was mostly a sandy level trail with some great views to the west.  Up on the plateau I knew my hydration pack should be unfrozen.  I finally figured out the connection wasn't tight to the main compartment.  Ahh!!!  So much better!  I picked up my pace.  At mile 25 I felt like there was a rock in my shoe I looked and it was a blister because of sand. I think the small gaiters helped with keeping some of the sand out, but should have emptied it a little earlier.  Oh well, just keep going.  I looked at my watch I was at 7hours 15 minutes, traveling much slower than anticipated.  Too many pictures and trying to drink my water without spilling it.


Wildcat Canyon 4.7 miles 500 feet elevation loss
A mostly level section of a sandy trail that wanders through a pine forest, and an open meadow.  I was hoping not to see a wild cat.  The flat ground helped to continue a good pace, and the scenery did not have much to take pictures of, so I made pretty good time. The fall would be nice, because there would be leaves on the trees.  I was trying to conserve my water, because I was running low.


Connector Trail 3.9 miles 500 feet elevation loss
Continued heading west on a faint trail, through a forested plateau and then descended to an open valley passing a few random rock formations. Near the end of the trail there was a short sandstone trail section that added variety.  Finally crossed the Kolob Terrace Road and made it to the Hop Valley trailhead, were I met my friend! Yay :)


Hop Valley 6.6 miles
Had a PB and banana sandwich and a little coke, gatorade and refilled my hydration pack.  I felt amazing.   However the wind started picking up here... just like what the forecast said.   I reached a cattle gate, hopped over and started a descent into a beautiful valley with wide open views of the surrounding rock formations..  The trail was very sandy.  I think they named it Hop valley because you have to hop over the stream multiple times.  I wanted to get through this section before it grew dark.  There was no way to keep my feet dry.  I was worried my feet would be cold, but the sand would quickly dry off my feet....If I ever do the trail the other way, then I should bring extra socks. 


La Verkin Trail 6.5 miles
Gradual climb until the last few miles, where the trail steepens and my hydration froze.
Reached trail head in 13.5 hours.  I was done!  But my friend's car was not at the trailhead.  It was cold and windy, so I put on my windbreaker. I noticed snow and ice on the road. I realized that she couldn't make it up.  Mentally and physically I was drained.  My legs were exhausted.  I knew I had to quick moving to stay warm.  I started walking down the road, portions were super icy and ended up falling 3-4 times, and spraining my finger on one of the falls.  I swung my arms a lot to keep my upper body warm.  I was thirsty and hungry.  I had no water.  I had no food.  I reached another trailhead where I could see the city lights.  I knew I could make it to the city, so I kept moving.  After the bend, I saw some lights.  It was the lights from my friend's car.  Then I saw the gate... I couldn't bend my legs to go under the fence nor hop up the fence.  I stayed there to rest for a bit.

 Went to the side around the gate and hopped inside my friend's car with the heater on. So wonderful!  She gave me something to drink, some yummy sandwich, salad.... apple pie.  I felt so much better.