Tuesday was another day filled with multiple events.The afternoon, marked the beginning of the Ironman week. The "temperature" is raising. Suddenly, English is not necessarily the predominant language spoken in Kona.
Its official.
I am not quite sure how many athletes will start the race, but I definitely plan to be one of them.
Earlier today, I attended another interesting day at the Ironman Sports Medicine Conference. Today's topic was "Performance and Health." Individual seminars covered subjects such as common running injuries, barefoot/minimal footwear running, altitude and resistance training, as well as the role of exercise in disease prevention. Culminating the day, DJO Global presented a lecture on a ReactionWeb knee brace.
Doning the ReactionWeb brace and learning how to walk in it.
Meeting interesting people all the time. Sherry is a retired physician and a National Head Coach for the Wounded Worriers Foundation, where she works with a wide variety of disabled individuals. In the past, I have learned a great deal from my former Master Swim coaches in Vermont and New Hampshire, and I continue adding new skills to my swim "toolbox."
The theory.
And practice. I plan to be "water waltzing" the entire 2.4 miles on Saturday.
Another swim training practice in the turquoise waters of the Kailua Bay. The workouts are getting shorter and intense.
"Waltzing" from one buoy to the next. I think, the right elbow may be a little bit to high.
This is very comfortable.
And so is this. For the first time ever, I was able to put my hands behind my neck and float, almost falling asleep. Thank you salinity.
The day culminated with the Parade of Nations. The streets were lined up with spectators cheering on each nation. I was asked, how do you say "Ironman" in Polish? So here it is: "Czlowiek z Zelaza."
Our contingent.
An impressive and creative Canadian team. Ehhh.
A "cautious" Kiwi team.
Marching along the Alii Drive. For a secret reason, this time, I am not caring the flag.
The 1 km-long parade culminated at the gate to the Ironman Village.
At the entrance to the Village I heard his voice - how is your shoulder? It was the "Voice of the Ironman" himself, Mike Reilly.
Always classy, multiple world champion, Sydney Olympics silver medalist, Michele Jones from Down Under.
This lady does not need an introduction. Four-time Ironman World Champion, Chrissy Wellington. Her winning record is unbelievable. She has never lost an Ironman race as a professional triathlete.
This lady has a story which reaches back to 1982. As many might remember, in that Ironman race Julie Moss was leading the women's race until about 50 yards from the finish where she collapsed from dehydration and electrolyte imbalance. As she was crawling toward the finish line, there from behind came Cathleen McCartney to win this race. This event was captured on NBC's Wild World of Sports and the rest is history. Kathleen will be racing this year again.
With Dirk Bockel from Luxemburg. One of the best in the business and a 2008 Beijing Olympian.
Another piece of trivia. These two one-piece suits were designed by a local artist and manufactured by ZOOT following the first Ironman race in 1978. Things have change a little bit since then, but not by much.
And, here is "our After." How about yours?
