We had a little hiccup with the race wheel, there was no hole drilled for the valve extender. I was a little concerned but realised that in a worse case scenario, we could drill it ourselves. Rang Hed up and it turns out that Andy (their technician) is in Kona. Andy was really helpful, and I was sorted in no time.

I was also having trouble with the shifter/deraileur. A little investigative work by the B&L boys determined that the cause was my old cassette with a new chain. The lads are on the job and hopefully that will be that. I'll be running an 11-21, so I hope it's "normal" winds up to Hawi and not hurricane style. My old cassette is an 11-23, but given the choice of steady shifting and being a little undergeared - I'll take the undergearing risk.

Back to lying in bed. Last night I decided that I am coming back in 2001. Not sure if I am going to race or not. But the vibe here is totally groovy. All I need is a publication that wants to have a man on scene. I have a few ideas. I am also going to invest in a digital camera. There is soooo much good stuff happening that I need to share with you. My reports are only scratching the surface. For example, I could tell the ladies that Norman Stadler pierced his belly button, but wouldn't you rather see his rock hard abs?

I'll get to resolving my cliffhanger from yesterday in a minute. First, I want to share two things about the local fauna. Have you ever seen the colourful geckos that they have on climbing gear? Green and blue with red spots. They also have them on the Primal bike jerseys. Here in Hawaii, they are all over the place - not the jerseys - the actual geckos! I thought those were cartoon geckos, but they really exist. The first time I saw one around our condo, I thought it was a plastic toy that a kid had left. The little fellow stayed very still for a while and then ran off, blowing his cover. I see them daily and they always cheer me up. I am actually watching one crawl up the wall across from me right now (no red spots, but very cute brown ones on his feet). Geckos and I are pals.

Even the pigeons are cute in Kona. Actually, they may be doves but it's tough to tell. They are about the size of a robin and have pale blue heads. Their bodies are gray, except they have bright feathers hidden, visible when they are flying. I see them along the highway above town. A little flash of colour when they take off.

OK, so last night I am preparing to upload my report and simultaneously downloading my e-mail. I have a look through my new messages and see that Lori, my

Talking to Lori and feeling special

tri-hero, dropped me a line. She said she was going to be at the Timex booth from 1-2PM today and I should drop by. That really made me smile. In September, she had seen my article on Xtri and we had swapped a few e-mails. A very nice lady.

So I rock up to the expo and say hi. We get to chatting about IMC/IMH and she says, "Isn't it sooo long between IMC and IMH." Clearly she missed my most recent article! I laugh and tell her that I haven't been feeling all that great since IMC, and didn't start feeling normal until this week. I also joked with her that every photo I have ever seen of her, she has both feet off the ground. She laughed and said that she noticed I was well dug in on the Penticton shot. I told her that I'm working on it, but a little heavier than she is!

Ladies, Lori may weigh 100 pounds, but she is a big believer in the weights. She says it has helped her cycling tremendously. I also gave a pitch for IMNZ - told her we could run together and I would keep her company! I also asked her to persuade Peter not to race IMC again. She said that he's considering it for 2001. Oh well, one less spot on the podium!

Finally, I can confirm that the rumours you have heard about her hair are true. We aren't talking as short as Sian, but she is sporting a bob just below her ears. She says that her nickname is now, "hair" rather than "big hair".

Lori is looking very good. Judging by her tan, it looks like she has been training over here for a while. Heat adjusted and ready to go! We said our good-byes and she promised to say hi this time "if" she passes me. Polite to the end. I said I would wish her bon voyage when the "Lori Train" rolled by on the Queen K.

After my visit with Lori - I wandered over to the Inside Tri table and said hi to the guys again. Mike scored me a hat and Gordon and Cam arrived later. Gordon has not made his mind up on the race. His achilles is still acting up. He makes the final call tomorrow. I told them to expect me back in town in early June when the 50-meter pool opens up. They joked that I only arrive when the weather is good. No doubt! It's snowed twice in Boulder already!

Ironman Week is always an interesting time and my mind constantly plays games with me. I waiver between taking it easy on the bike and trying to push a little to "see what will happen". After ten days of nearly complete rest, I have to admit that I am feeling better. Not the pre-IMC powerhouse (a well executed peak makes you feel like a warrior), but a reasonable mid-pack AG'er feeling. Probably a lot like I felt last year.

There was true fear deep in my heart just before I

Last night, when I was eating with Joe - I mentioned that the best thing for IMNZ (my pro IM debut!) would be to take this one out at 11 hours, recover quickly and then get into my winter training. Joe didn't say a word. Part of being a good coach is knowing when to say nothing. Another skill I need to work on!

This fine location is courtesy of Brad spending two days surfing the net. We will be able to head back to

From Kona with Love,

gordo