We started the day off with the great intentions of running the infamous Underpants Run here in Kona this morning. It is a mile or so long...everyone runs in their underwear...and it is supposed to be a good time. Honestly, it has been one continuous "underpants run" outside our place all week! Spandex, no shirts, sports bra's, etc leave very little to the imagination anyway :)
We have made the 3mi drive into town from our place no less than 15 times since getting here on Sunday. This morning, traffic BLEW UP. There was a 3mi line of cars! We tried several different ways to try and get there, but no dice. It was a bit of blessing though, I learned today that I need to get out the door a little earlier on Saturday so I don't stress trying to make it to transition!
Dan found a little coffee/breakfast place that was about 12 miles south of Kona, so we decided to head there away from the crazy traffic. I'm SO GLAD we did. This place was amazing. It was a little local spot called The Coffee Shack. It had wonderful french toast, 100% Kona coffee, and it was over looking the Ocean on top of a cliff at 1500ft of Elevation! It was so cool...and refreshing to get out of town for a little bit. If you are ever in Kona...MAKE THE DRIVE! It is well worth it.
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| View from breakfast today! |
After breakfast, Dan and I rode our bikes into town so I could get a mechanic to look at my shifting on the bike. It was shifting like butter when I left for Hawaii, but in transit, it got totally jacked up. It stressed me out for a bit...I tried to fix it on my own, but realized that I needed some professional help. I dropped it off at "Inside/Out Sports" which is the "host" bike shop for all Ironman events. They charged me $35 for a "Pre-Race" tune up and told me to pick it up in a couple hours. Dan and I walked around the expo a bit...bought some more shyt (I saw the finisher medal too...OH MY is it "Flavor Flave!") and had lunch. We headed back to Inside/Out and the mechanic was working on my bike. He took great pride in his work. I was so relieved as I watched him make adjustments and get the bike back to new. I tipped him because I appreciated it so much...piece of mind is a wonderful thing. Lesson learned...for any destination Ironman in the future, I'm wheeling my bike over to Inside/Out, and having them check it over immediately! Big props to those guys.
We rode back to the house and the bike was shifting wonderfully. Phew....mind at ease. We got back, and the girls were cleaning. I thought it was because the rest of "Team Barto" is arriving today. Well, turns out we had an ANT attack in the house and we accidentally shattered some glass on the dining room table trying to clean up! What a mess! They were everywhere! They even started to hang out in the keyboard of my computer...the one I'm typing on right now! It was DISGUSTING! So we cleaned, vaccumed, sucked the ANTS out of my computer (100's of them!) and called the owners. They are coming tomorrow to look at the ant situation...hopefully cleaning up a bit helped for tonight. They were very cool about the broken glass...I called a place just in case, $40 for a new piece. Phew...mind at ease.
Then...I tried to find out why my GPS device for tracking on race day hasn't been delivered to the house yet. Apparently, there is an issue with the address that was given...it is the right one by the way. So I tried to find the Post Office here...didn't have much luck...started to get really frustrated and stopped looking. I'm really mad that isn't showing up. It is real time tracking for everyone at home....and now we won't have it. No mind at ease on this one....but....you can still track via www.ironmanlive.com.
So after all that...I jumped in the pool and finally had a moment to relax today. Dan was great...he told me to stay put and relax while he went to the airport to pick up my family. I'm so grateful to have him here...he could tell I was really starting to get stressed...not good with the race 2 days away.
So now, I'm chilling on the couch. Sitting in my recovery boots....and waiting for my family and friends to get here. I'm so excited to have them all here and I think that will give me the boost I need for Saturday. I want to thank EVERYONE that is making the trip, following at home, reading online, and genuinely interested in what happens this week. You have no idea the amount of positive energy that creates for me. From what I saw, and have heard, this is a very lonely race. The fact that I have so many here and back home rooting me on....it will be like you are lining the course the whole way. I will draw so much inspiration from your support...thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Mahalo to all my friends, family, and supporters!
Dave
Dedication, Passion, Results
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