What is Race Ready?

Race Ready is a modified indoor triathlon that gets people ready during the off season.  For those of us who live in colder climates, this usually means at the end of winter just before we are able to start training outside again.  In Winnipeg, we have Wanda to thank for these.  As a dedicated swim coach and triathlete, she organizes these events to get them ready for the upcoming race season.  This is what you can expect from a Race Ready.

You need to be organized.  Your tri-bag has to be packed just as you would for a real race.  We start early (0500h yesterday) and swim the distances for the event you have registered for.  I was registered for the full Iron so swam 4000m.  There is everything from a tri-a-tri to full Iron, and it is really meant for all levels of experience.  Your time is recorded, as is your T1 time.  The bike is done on a trainer and is based on time.  We all do the same (4 hours for the full).  The run is done on an indoor track, or outside if it's nice enough.  It was just a 5 mile run, but you still get the experience of T2, and running after a long bike.  Again, the whole point is to get you ready for the race.  

There are volunteers who will bring around nutrition, but for me, I really try to be as self-sufficient as possible.  I won't have people bringing me gels and portables on the race course.  It's great for newbies to triathlon, as something like this gets you familiar with what you will need on race day.  Overall, I encourage people to attend Race Ready events, or organize one of your own.  

I thought I would try some recipes from this book and bring them with me on my next Race Ready event.  I made enough for others to try as well.  With the exception of one person (I didn't know anyone could not like berries!) they received favourable reviews.  I made two different types of rice squares - one with chocolate chips and blueberries, and the other with raspberries and mint.  I still don't have the portion size and wrapping down yet, but I'm sure that will come.  Each portion was approximately 175 calories, and had the carbs needed to keep going.  A tasty alternative to all those gels!

Swimming with dolphins

Or rather the dolphins were swimming with us.  And I'm not talking about a tourist attraction either.

I was out for a swim with the local group of swimmers here in Kona.  We were about a mile out and I when I looked up to check my distance, I saw dolphins jumping through the water.  We all stopped and watched them as they went out a bit further.  We swam out to them and watched as they swam beside us and under us.  They were jumping over the waves and making lots of noise.  When I put my head under the water, you could actually hear them talking to each other.  There were about 50 or so out there, including many younger ones who stayed close to their moms.  What a great way to spend my last swim out here in Hawaii.

Just another benefit of being a triathlete.

First, a huge thank you to the Hawaii Cycling Club for putting on the Century Ride.  It was a fundraiser for Hospice Kona and had three distances to choose from.  I did a 62 mile ride with some great people and some challenging hill work.  If you're ever in Kona, check out their website.  They have some great cycling routes mapped out for you.  http://www.hawaiicyclingclub.com

The following day, I had a long run scheduled, and I wanted to head out the Natural Energy Lab.  Watching the Ironman race on television doesn't do it justice.  The hills seem never ending at times, but the view at the turn around point is stunning.  As my friends Robyn and Eric said a few days before on their run, they have a new respect for the triathletes that run the Ironman course.  I couldn't agree more.

All good things must eventually come to an end.  In a few days, I will be back in Winnipeg and swimming in the pool.  I hear that the snow is slowly melting and that a few people are starting to bike outside again.  That's definitely something positive to look forward to.

Training tips if you ever find yourself in Kona, Hawaii.

There is a great group of people/local triathletes that swim in the ocean every Mondays/Wednesdays/Fridays.  They swim the Ironman swim course, and have various distances for each day.  They start at 8am, and even if you don't know anybody, I would encourage you to show up at the Ironman swim start and meet some great local triathletes.  If you're shy, it's still good to come out even if it's just to feel more comfortable swimming with a pack.  This same group allowed me to go out with them on a bike ride yesterday, and I know I was on some hills that I would have had a hard time finding myself.  Mahalo!

Every triathlete needs a support crew.  My family is mine.  Even on holidays, they understand the need for my training.  I have the Fargo Full Marathon in May, the Liberty (long course) in June, and Ironman Canada in July.  With these races coming up in summer, I can't really take too much time off right now.  Luckily, Kona is the perfect place to train.  The ocean has buoys with distance markers, the roads have designated bike lanes, and you can't go more than 100 meters without seeing people running or walking.  It's almost as if this city was made for triathlon training :)

  

My bike is on a holiday.
On a holiday in Kona, Hawaii - home of Ironman World's.
Lucky bike.
Of course you can always rent bikes while on holidays, but I generally choose to bring my own.  I have friends who are also here but they can't get on their bikes for a full 4 days after they have arrived, so I'm pretty excited to have my bike with me.
A tip about transporting a bike.  I have a bike box (www.bikeboxalan.co.uk) that my wife got me as a gift one year. If anyone is looking for a good gift for a triathlete, check this out!  Some airlines will charge you extra for sporting equipment, but West Jet Airlines just charged me as an extra bag.  In other words, it cost me a whole extra $20 to bring my bike (one way).  They didn't charge me extra for the weight, but I don't think it would have been too much anyway.
I headed to Bike Works to get them to fill up my tires and give it a quick tune up before I rode my bike.  It felt like I was a kid in a candy store!  They are great people there and know their stuff.  A great find.
I just took my bike for a quick 60 minute ride from one end of Ali'i drive and back, mostly because it was the middle of the afternoon and I was pretty hot.  Tomorrow is another day.