Lavaman

Cobwebs dusted and still some work to be done, but my first tri of the year is in the books.  This was my first year racing Lavaman Waikoloa and it was most definitely a fun one. The after party is what attracts many a racer to this event on the Big Island of Hawai'i.

A quick recap:
I decided to switch my entry at the last minute and race elite...mix it up with the fast ladies and see what I could do out there very early on in this season.

The SWIM....was amazing. It also happened to be wet-suit legal, which I don't quite understand. The water wasn't that cold, but it was wet-suit legal and people wore their suits if they had them. The water was clear, warm (in my opinion) and inviting! Everything you want the Ocean to be. Starting in the elite wave gave me a nice fish to chase in Tim Marr. We swam together until the 2nd turn buoy then he put some space in between the two of us and I fell a bit behind, I pushed through, bridged the gap and came out of the water first woman and only seconds behind Tim. Great confidence booster heading into the bike (all my swimming has been paying off!).
 

THE BIKE....oh the bike, one of these days I will not let myself get negative and pissy (I'm working on this I swear) AND I will be a better, stronger, more confident cyclist come May. Starting the bike with no one in front of me besides Tim was...interesting...I knew the other girls were coming, I just didn't expect them to come so soon and SO FAST! The first two ladies, Magali and Bree blew past me and I wanted to keep them in my sights for as long as possible. That didn't last as long as I had hoped. This is the point in which I need to tell myself to keep pushing, it's only 40k, you're not going to be riding for that long, just go, go, go, go, go, don't think just pedal, but instead I think about my legs hurting and when is the turn around coming and why is this taking so long and on and on and on. Not the best strategy when your plan was to just ride hard and don't think. LESSON LEARNED. Won't happen again. Not happy with my bike, but I learned some valuable lessons and know I have plenty of work to do in the next, less than two months Anyway...

THE RUN...Obviously I was very happy to be running. The run at this race is no joke, it's no regular fast flat 10k. You want beach, trail, lava rock, resort path (right past people lounging at the pool/ocean sipping on cocktails wondering what on earth we are doing), sand and a little bit of road...you've got it! What a fun run, it most certainly wasn't a PR 10k type of run, they threw everything at you! Nothing too exciting to report from the run, the miles ticked away, I was consistent throughout (until the last 1/4 mile on the sand...who does that?!...oh yeah it happens a lot in Hawai'i...read Lanikai in 2 weeks), Kings Trail was a bit technical and caused some slow downs (I think at one point I looked at a volunteer and said, "Really, we are going that way!?" He laughed and said, "Of course"),  but it's a trail you can run along right next to the Ocean, who can be unhappy with that!? This wasn't my fastest run, but it also wasn't my slowest and I finished happy, all-in-all I'm pleased with my run.

AFTER PARTY...Hanging out after races, talking war stories, catching up with friends you haven't seen in a while, making new friends, enjoying the beautiful Hawai'i weather and scenery is what makes racing and triathlon somuchfun.

Michelle's first tri and she was on the podium!!! 

AG winner and 12th OA..not too shabby!

THE VERDICT...if you want a fun, destination, greatly supported, Hawai'i race, Lavaman should be on the bucket list! Great weekend with great friends, new and old!