Epic Camp Day 4

Todays fun and games started with us meeting at 06:45 for a 5k steady run followed by a 5k best effort but with no watches where you had to estimate your finish time.  I'm pleased to say that although Phil took out the race I (Neil) took out out second but more importantly the estimated time competition. Left to right we have the race briefing; then the steady first 5k; then Chris (ex US Army Special Forces and below the knee amputee) finishing.

After breakfast it was a great 120k bike ride in a pop out from Hilo among some great Hawaiian country roads.

Finally before dinner it was a swim session at the local pool including some "fun" events like 50m kick races and 50m all out sprints.  As usual dinner resembled a feeding frenzy.  Tomorrow we cycle off to Mauna Lani and thoughts are starting to turn to the 70.3 race on Saturday.

Epic Camp Day 3

Day 3 has lived up to the EPIC moniker.  At 06:15, we had a rolling start for the monster day of cycling.  From our condo in Kona, we spent the next 8 hours cycling 200km up a volcano with 1500m ascent and a run inside the volcano at the 150km mark.  This will be a short and sweet post for sure!  Neil started off with a group of 3 - within 5km, Neil was left to suffer the next 145km on his own... this gave him a lot of time to think!  And here is a snippet of what goes on in your head for 5 hours. 1. Make sure to use A Lot of chamois cream.  If you think you have enough, put another handful on.

2. Coca Cola: good when you have less than 2 hours to go.  Bad if you have 6 more hours.  

3. Cycling as hard as you can for the first hill does not bode well for the rest of the day.

4. No, your back wheel is not rubbing.

5. Pointing out hazards on the road is great - but as the day wears on, s%^t just gets run over.

6. When cycling to a place that means 'windward' or 'wet side' make sure to pack accordingly.

7. If someone is faster than you - they are faster than you... until they blow up and you pass them.

8. Fantasising about chocolate milkshakes is ok - whatever gets you through.

9. Did I mention chamois cream... really.  Get it on there!

10. You may be suffering - but you are suffering in HAWAI'I!!  Buck up!

All in all, it was a blur of emotions, but the end result was worth it as this is the view from out hotel in Hilo.

Epic Camp Kona Day 2

It's a funny sport when you can call a 3k swim, 10 mile run race and 1.5 (to 4) hour bike with a 5km climb at 20% an 'easy' day! The morning started with a 1.5K handicap swim race at the pier - going by previously submitted ironman swim pb ' s, (which kind of sucked if you were Eddie and had only done IM New York with it's down stream swim in the Hudson River and therefore had a super fast split) we all go in and swam for our lives (there was a significant  swell today) - then back in for a 1.5K easy swim.  Sighting was a challenge as the bouys are quite small and hard to see on a calm day.  I figured that every 4 waves was a good time to try to sight - or get a mouth full of water.

We all regrouped and had a snack before driving down the Queen K to then make our way back on foot through the famous Energy Lab down the Queen K - right at Palani (10K) down to Ali'i Drive and home (another 6K).  The heat is incredible on this road, luckily we had our Epic Camp support crew handing out ice and water - gels, bars and anything else you would want.

A lovely lunch was prepared for us on our return - and we graciously (but not gracefully) stuffed our faces in preparation for a 45K bike ride that included a 6K 'race' to the top of a hill with gradients of about 20%.  Let me tell you - I did Not have enough gears for  this ride which will be "interesting" as tomorrow's ride includes a 50km (yes you read that right) climb up to Volcano but more about that tomorrow.

Epic Camp Kona Day 1

Awoke on Day 1 of Epic Camp Kona 2014 to find that the weather looked favourable for the day's festivities which started at 06:45 with the first of three groups rolling out of Bali Kai for the start of the full 112 mile bike course out along the Queen Ka'ahumanu (Queen K) Highway, from Kailua-Kona to the turnaround in Hawi, normally you can be exposed to intense trade winds that buffet much of the exposed western and northern coast of the Big Island. The winds vary in intensity from steady to heavy blasts that can blow cyclists across the road. For this reason, disc wheels are not permitted in the races here. Winds may subside during the gradual climb to Hawi but pick up again as athletes make their way back to Kona.  Today Madame Pele smiled upon the Epic Campers as the winds were light, (there are several traditional legends associated with Pele in Hawaiian mythology. In addition to being recognized as the goddess of volcanoes, Pele is also known for her power, passion, jealousy, and capriciousness).  I'm not sure if she was any of those things today but she certainly was kind!The race we did two weeks ago in Bradwell-on-Sea, Essex with it's 20 to 35 mph winds trained us well for today although the freezing temperatures did nothing to prepare us for the heat and humidity!  Coach John Newsom, the Epic Camp organiser, was hoping for a tough day at the office but I'm not sure anyone else shared his desire!

Our group stayed together pretty much to the turn around but gaps started to appear on the way back particularly after the climb out of Kawaihae which is a lot more steep than it looks on the television!  It is often here or on the climb up to scenic point where one of the pros puts the hammer down and the wind is often a tail wind here so there is a real opportunity to overheat.  This was prevented on Epic Camp by the wonderful Dave and Mark leap frogging the riders in the vans to provide much needed ice and all sorts of nutrition as well as words of encouragement in either a Kiwi or Texan accent respectively

After the ride there was a 7km run off the bike out to Turtle Beach and back which was completed at the ubiquitous "Ironman Shuffle" pace.  There was a couple of hours to grab some lunch, throw some stuff in the laundry before it was off again down to the pier for an ocean swim before dinner in Lava Java.  All in all a good solid training day.  Special mention has to go to our Roomie, Nadia who managed to miss the turnaround and therefore tacked on an extra 10k onto the 180k ride, as a result of her efforts she won the prize for the effort of the day as well as the "Dick of the Day" prize :-)

T Minus One

Our last day of 'freedom' before the camp starts tomorrow.  A free day which consisted of a run down Ali'i Drive to the pier for a swim with... Dragon Boat racers!  And apparently one turtle that one camper (Eddie) accidentally ran into.  Breakfast and the largest coffee ever at Lava Java - and an expedition to find a grocery store then took up most of the morning.  But we did find the time to fit in another Acai Bowl.  

For those of you that may not know the Ironman History, here is a quick lesson from Wikipedia :

From 1978 through 1980 the race was held on the island of Oahu, the course combining that of three events already held there: the Waikiki Roughwater Swim (2.4 mi./3.86 km), the Around-Oahu Bike Race (115 mi./185.07 km, originally a two-day event), and the Honolulu Marathon. The bike stage was reduced by 3 miles to link it to the start of the marathon course. In 1981 the race was moved to the less urbanized Big Island, keeping the distances the same: a 2.4 miles (3.86 km) open water swim in Kailua-Kona Bay, a 112 miles (180.25 km) bike ride across the Hawaiian lava desert to Hāwī and back, and a marathon (26 miles 385 yards, 42.195 km) run along the coast of the Big Island from Keauhou to Keahole Point and back to Kailua-Kona, finishing on Aliʻi Drive.

Tomorrow on the first official day of camp, we will be cycling the 112 mile Ironman course.  Then running to Turtle Beach and back.  Then an ocean swim before dinner.  Did I mention this was Day 1?!?!?

Aloha!

Aloha from Epic Camp Hawaii - four months ago when we decided to come do it, we couldn't have imagined how freaking awesome it is!! Coach John Newsom and I just bobbing around off the Kona Pier

The four months flew by in a whirl of great training weeks (and some decidedly poor training weeks) but before we knew it we were packing up the car with bike boxes and luggage for the start of a long day of travelling.  The flights couldn't be easier - London to LA, LA to Kona.  London to Kona passes easily through the magic of movies on demand (you can watch a lot of movies in the first 11.5 hours!).  The plan to stay on Hawaii time from LA to Kona failed miserably as both of us pretty much slept on and off for the next 5 hours.

Looking back on our first day in Hawaii, it probably couldn't be more perfect.  We were up early (05:00) to get started on bike assembly - half way through, we had to leave and meet up with the other epic campers who like us have arrived early to run down Alii Drive to the pier for a quick swim.  A quick swim WITH DOLPHINS!!  Having worked up an appetite - we stopped to get an Acaii Bowl at Snorkel Bob's.  OK, for just a second, imagine eating the most beautiful, thick, creamy berry shake... then multiply it by 100.  Then, imagine eating this shake topped with fresh fruit, granola, hemp seeds, crushed nuts drizzled with Hawaiian Honey.  I could write two more paragraphs on this alone.  With our day just starting, we finished bike assembly and rode up to Bike Works to pick up a few things that we forgot... that Neil forgot :)   Can I just say what a fantastic shop Bike Works is - All the cool stuff I cannot get in the UK is there... on the shelf.

Tomorrow is a free day (which will entail us doing a very easy 2hr ride out to Waikaloa, a 20 min run and a swim - did I mention the dolphins! and on Sunday the camp and the real work begins with us cycling the Ironman route then later in the day a swim session off the pier before dinner at Lava Java.  So for the rest of today, we sit on the Lanaii of our condo listening to the waves crashing less than 100 metres from us, writing the first blog and drinking peppermint tea.