We’re in Hawaii but there’s still a slight “work” feeling to it. You wake up early, you head down to the pier, swim, walk back, drive, run, drink coffee…..all in a day’s work.
Another beautiful day in Kona. Headed down to the pier early and swimming by 7 am. Water felt colder today, choppier but still I did what I could to stay on Chris’ feet. A good plan until Chris and his feet decide to stop and look at fish below. Foot to mouth – almost.
We swam out to a boat with an orange sail. I popped my head up and a voice said “would you like some espresso?” Dear god I have swam to heaven. Oddly enough this was the first time in my life I turned coffee down. Really – espresso in the ocean? Not tempting but still a very cool idea.
Afterwards we drove out on to the Queen K and parked at a new coffee shop. I wanted us to run the worst part of the run course. I’ve decided to show Chris the worst of the worst, go through it and get mentally ready for it on race day. We ran out to the Energy Lab. Nothing like running along the Queen K, piping hot already, rush hour traffic, plus mobs of speedy cyclists on the shoulder as well. We ran up to the Energy Lab, looked inside, said our own quiet prayers of on race day give me the energy to get through this energy lab, then ran back the other way. All in all we ran about 6 miles of the course and it was great. And hott. Two “t’s” for added heat.
On the way back, we had a moment. It got very quiet, the sound of our feet hitting the pavement rhythmically only to be interrupted by the whir of black bike. As it passed, we noticed it was Natascha. She gave us the hang loose sign and rode on smooth as could be along the road. I pointed at her and told Chris “that was awesome, that makes it all worth it.”
Back to the car, on to a great cup of coffee. Is there bad coffee in Hawaii? Probably not. Now we have the whole day ahead of us and sit here wondering what should we do. We decide Hilo and waterfalls will be our plan.
The town is getting busier. Lots of athletes riding by. Lots of Kuotas, Cervelos, and EVERYONE has an aero helmet. So much for an edge.
I’ve gotten a lot of inquiries about the entourage position. If you are willing to walk around Kona wearing a shirt that says “I work for Chris & Liz” then the position is yours. Unfortunately, we cannot pay you in anything other than coffee.
Someone asked about pictures. I’ve taken lots but we forget out cable to download them at home. So, when we return we will download many pictures.
Namedropping for the day – at the swim Gatorade gear check-in, Chris spied a very small Heather Gollnick wearing a leopard print swimsuit.
Go get ’em…grrr……until later, aloha and on with the day.
