Kona, Undies, Lyme and the Dog and Pony show!

Posted by mandy on October 14th, 2010

Ok, so I told you I'd blog every day from Hawaii and well, it was a busier week than I anticipated! While it was a bit heart wrenching to watch the cannon fire and athletes start their day, I'm back and more motivated than ever.

I finished the Lyme medicine on my birthday and am feeling a whole lot better! I'm not sure which was worse - the effects of Lyme or the medication. Yuck, to say the least!

But, back to Hawaii - it was a blast - Sam and I had 3 easy flights there a few short hours after we finished partying at my Auntie Carol's wedding! I can't say enough about my Sam-boy - He keeps me laughing, smiling and beyond happy! We met Cannondale's Director of PR, Mister Michael De Leon at the LA Airport and piled in a minivan once in Hawaii.

We stayed about a mile down Ali'i Drive at a beautiful condo that was absolutely epic. I did not want to leave! The location was perfect, quiet and made for great training. I did my best to stay on East Coast time (6 hours ahead of Hawaii time) so that I could wake up early for workouts before spending the day in the Cannondale Booth at Demo Days.

My days went like this:

5:30 AM wake-up (yup, still dark!)

Run

6 AM - get the boys out the door

Run to swim start at Dig-Me beach (so named for the unbelievably hot bodies going in and out of the water and those just taking in the sites).

Swim! And make a stop at the Coffees of Hawaii boat - located about 1,000 meters out on the swim course each morning.

Run home!

Shower, breakfast and then down to spend the day at the demo.

Demo 9-5, chat about bikes, sometimes smile and nod at foreign visitors and take a few breaks to visit the other booths.

Dinner and drinks with the boys, athletes and other Sports Marketing directors and then early to bed (after a hot tub!)

The great thing was I could drive, walk, run, or bike all around.

Being in Hawaii during Ironman is interesting and can either be inspiring or totally depressing. You see the fittest people on the planet, walking around flaunting it and their athletic ability! I remember in 2008, being the skinniest and fittest I've ever been at 97 lbs and 10% body fat. I'm about 5'1" and I felt enormous compared to the other athletes. It's funny, this time around, I wasn't worried about it! I'm more than 15 lbs heavier, a good 3% points above that body fat and yet I was happy as could be. Maybe it's because I've found such complete happiness in the past 2 years. I give Sam a lot of credit, he's nothing but supportive. While the past few years have shown some athletic ups and downs, I'm happier where I am now. I don't feel pressure. I feel inspiration again. Finally. I think I've kicked the Lyme (only a blood test will tell in the next week! Fingers crossed) and I'm training for my next Ironman in a few weeks with the love of my life!

In a few weeks, Sam boy will be an Ironman for the first time and me? I've lost count at this point. The Gluten free diet is keeping me feeling happier, fresher and more energetic - I'm still learning and every once in a while I slip up and feel like poo - but I definitely recommend trying it!

Rambling away here, so I'll just post a pic for your enjoyment! And I promise to update on the race day, underwear run and an epic ride after the ride!

Mandy Braverman

Triathlete

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