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| About fifty feet out of the transition area, you go straight into a hill that is about four blocks long. My heart rate was well over 160 bpm and I put it into my 44-25 (small wheels) and spun up very slowly. Everybody was passing me! I was even able to drink a little bit on the climb. After my stomach fiasco in Canada, I was 100% committed to heart rate racing. By the top of the hill my heart rate was down at 150 bpm, still too high so I spun the first half mile fairly easily. Heading out on the Queen K highway, it didn't take long to get myself back into my aerobic zone. Then it hit, hunger. Man, this was a great feeling. To be hungry for solid food was a big confidence booster. Not knowing how long this would last, I started eating the PowerBars that I had stuck on my bike. I was steadily moving through them and even a bit worried that I was going to run out. Just goes to show how different things can be one race to the next. I tried some of the aid station food and was really excited to see that I could eat (and enjoy) bananas as well as the granola mini-PR bars that they were handing out. Tech Zone: I set my HR alarm at 124-146 bpm and stuck to it religiously. I spent most of my ride at about 130-135 (my AT on the bike is around 153). Using perceived exertion, I would describe this pace as easy moving to steady hard at the end of the ride. I had a little film canister full of sunscreen taped on to my handlebars and I dipped into it for the whole ride making sure that my neck, ears and face got plenty of cover. Those of you who train with me will know my well-documented fear of UV radiation. My one concession to vanity was no zinc oxide this time. I actually had concerns about the aerodynamic properties of a film canister but I am glad that I managed to get past these. Once again, I was riding with the tri-babes. These ladies were with me for the first four hours of the ride and I enjoyed their company. We weren't talking much but there is an unspoken camaraderie between athletes in an IM. I had my usual strategy of focusing on consistent power output rather than consistent speed. This meant that plenty of folks passed me on the climbs and no one passed me on the descents. This strategy works for me but plenty of folks were blowing through. For the first hour there were clearly more people passing me than I was passing. Then it started to change and I was holding my position mid-pack. My body felt good, I was well hydrated and the solid foods were going down easy. The sun was shining but it wasn't too hot. Have I mentioned that I was really enjoying myself? I was holding back and riding on heart rate alone. While the aid stations were not as fun as Canada (with the exception of the Hilton Station), they were very professional with the exact same layout and signage for water, Gatorade and cola zones. This is only area where IMC could learn from Hawaii. The signs make it really easy to get what you need. Next Page |  Trying to eat, drink and screen-up while riding Pay-n-Save Hill. |