So Big Kahuna was October 25, and it was awesome; though not without challenges! The fog was so thick in the morning, that the race directors informed us relieved competitors, our feet freezing to the cold sand, that the swim portion would be canceled. It kind of felt like cheating, though! Even the race website results page crossed out "Big" and replaced it with "Medium" Kahuna.
The bike portion was beautiful; I highly recommend biking down to Pigeon Point; there may not be a more beautiful place in California. I had a good bike, finishing 15 in my age group with a 3:00:44 time (18.6 ave mph, faster than I train at, so I was happy!), and a not-so-good run, largely due to the lovely IT-band pain in my knee that started at mile 8. It was so bad I literally had to stop, could barely walk for a few minutes. I started moving, then running again, but completely limping. Luckily, I hadn't ditched my arm sleeves, so I literally tied those around my knee (one above and one below) to create a makeshift brace. It kinda worked! I still had pain, and had to alter my gait substantially, but I was able to jog the remaining 5 miles for a 2:20:03 finish (10:41 pace), I think my worst half-marathon time to date. But it really hurt, and I have to say that run portion was a test of wills. I wanted to stop almost the whole way.
So shout out: my friend Brianna and her boyfriend came to watch, and it was so amazing having them there! They were so cute; they rollerbladed to the bike/run transition, and caught up with me on their wheels at mile 1 to give me a second cheer. Brie was such a good sherpa; she stayed with me the night before, helping me with all my tri gear and keeping my nerves in check.
I haven't been blogging lately, mostly because after BK I sort of slid into a massive IM burnout. Which, I am told, is normal, but it didn't make the remaining long rides any easier! I've stayed away from any long runs since then, too, missing one 2:40 min run, but it's too late for that now; just gotta focus on staying relaxed and mentally prepped for Nov 22.
More soon...
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