Tag: kona

So you want to qualify for Kona? Consider these 5 key principles

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For many triathletes, the Ironman World Championship race in Kailua-Kona represents the crown jewel, the mecca, the peak, the main event, the…–oh let’s face it, it’s perceived as the ultimate set of bee’s knees for long course triathletes. While not everyone wants to race there, most long-course athletes will speak wistfully of what it would be like (or what it was like) to race K. O. N. A. Several years ago, I announced on this blog that I wanted to qualify for Kona. At that time, I had a very vague (and quite naive) idea of what it would take to find …

The Click

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You know the moment during a run when you feel the click? Your body smooths into the stride, the rhythm of your footfalls feels effortless, and your mind is focused only on the present. Yup – that moment. It’s absolutely delicious, right? Those are the moments that give us the grit for the tough days because we know that we carry inside of us the potential of the click. The body may shift into gear at any moment. Even if you think the workout or the race won’t get better, just hold on. Wait for it. Stay focused. Stay positive. It just might come. That’s the promise of the …

Making Dreams Real: Kona Report – part 2

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This is the second part of my husband John’s experience at the Ironman World Championships in Kailua-Kona, on October 13, 2013. Part 1 can be found here.  Into T2, and it was time to flip the switch and go do what has always been my best event of the three. My target heart rate for the run was 145 beats per minute (bpm). At the first aid station, I was way through the ceiling at 165. On the bike I was able to offset the heat with the wind and by consuming over 12 water bottles. No, I’m not kidding. …

Chasing Dreams: Kona Report – part 1

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It has been a few months since my husband John finished the Ironman World Championships in Kailua-Kona on October 13, 2012. While it is a little late for a race report, I wanted him to share what he learned with the Running A Life Community. And, I know several of you have asked as well. What follows is his response to our request. Enjoy!   As I exited the water at Dig Me Beach, and shook off the salty Pacific, pieces of my dream fell to the ground and gave way to the reality. In the water, you could see …

Coulda, Shoulda

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“Whoa!” I exclaimed as I walked into the garage. “It is HOT in here.” “It’ll be hot in Cozumel,” John replied, barely looking up from his aerobars. It was the Fall of 2011. John was ramping up for Ironman Cozumel, where he would attempt to qualify for Kona. Now, in the Fall of 2012, we all know how that story went. On this day in particular, he was in the middle of a 6.5 hour ride – on the trainer in the 90-degree, airless garage. Why ride the trainer in a hot garage on a gorgeous early Autumn day, you might rightly ask? …

Kona: An IronFan’s Perspective

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  It’s been two weeks since the Ironman World Championships, where John crossed the finish line in 10 hours, 13 minutes and 37 seconds, which places him in the top 23.8% of the best triathletes IN.THE.WORLD. Impressive. Almost as impressive as his IronFans who hopped and shuttled and pushed and cajoled around the race course to make sure we were in just the right location to scream our crazy heads off and snap choice money shots, like this one:   But, hey, it was our job, which, to use the words of our friend Danny, included:  “Eat. Drink. Applaud. Repeat.” As …

The language of can

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I grew up in a household of caution. My parents were loving and supportive, but they were cautious and quite often very fearful of doing anything that was too far outside of their comfort zone. As a result, I spent much of my childhood and young adulthood setting safe goals, avoiding anything that was too far outside of my comfort zone. My parents didn’t discourage me, but they often talked in the language of “cannot,” rather than the language of “can.  I learned at a young age to be fearful of goals that seemed outside of what was “normal.” Then, …

Facing my fears and setting my (real) goals

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Having earned his slot to the Ironman World Championships for 2012, John’s obsession with qualifying for Kona has been satisfied. Apparently, obsessions can transfer over. I seem to have caught it, just as I prepare to set specific goals for the 2012 racing season. This is an odd situation for me. I’ve told myself a variety of lies over the past three years about Kona. Here’s a sampling: “Ironman isn’t about Kona for me. I just want to do the best I can.” “I don’t race ironman to be competitive.” “I race Ironman to find out something about myself.” Well, …

Ironman Cozumel: “Go get your dream.”

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Dear Readers – this piece is a guest post from my husband, John Jenkins, who recently earned a slot to the 2012 Ironman World Championships following his excellent showing at Ironman Cozumel, held on November 27, 2011. “Go get your dream,” my mother said just minutes before Maria and I stepped into the waters of Mirror Lake in Lake Placid to begin our first Ironman back in 2010. It was probably the most nervous, scared shitless, and unsure moment I have ever had and I think it was the same for Maria. Please people: embrace the starting moments of your …

Is this really happening?

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Monday, November 28th. It was the day after Ironman Cozumel. John crossed the finish line in 9 hours and 35 minutes, a whopping 33 minutes faster than his Ironman Lake Placid time (which was only 5 months ago), and good enough for a 10th place in his age group (of over 300 athletes) and 49th place overall. This impressive showing was not enough for automatic entry into the 2012 Ironman World Championships, held each year in Kona, Hawaii. There were only 7 slots available in his age group, so we had to hope for a roll down slot.  Yet, this …