Day 6: Listen to Advice, Experience is Invaluable!

Today was the day where things could have turned nasty...FAST!!

Riding a longer part of the course including the length of the Queen K and also into Kawaihae and some of the way to Hawi. As per the sign below, this is the final part of the Queen K.

From getting the right advice from Andrew before I left (having a coach who has raced here is a HUGE benefit) and also from Brett & Carla (both their 3rd time here) I learned how fast things can turn pair shaped for me. Without the advice from the above 3, it would have today. Talking to experienced athletes on a course like this is just invaluable. I will be picking their brain more over the upcoming weeks.

So after 4hr in the saddle (and some sun burn in unusual places) I must say that I was happy to be home. A solid 30min run after this felt really good and once the session was over, I was very content.

The rest of the day involved plenty of R & R and having a channel dedicated to MMA has worked well for me. I am a big fan of it, although not a sport that would ever entice me to get involved in, I am happy to watch from behind the box!!

A nice relaxing swim was in order for the afternoon before more R&R this evening. I managed to take a few more shots today, one was of this MASSIVE cruise boat (might put that on my bucket list!)

The below photos are of the start, very weird as this does not resemble anything that the whole area will look like in the upcoming weeks. This place will be transformed soon then I think the entire experience will start sinking in.

The two below photos are of the swim start area....not the washing machine that it will be at race start.

Below is the pier where transition will be set up.

Tomorrow continues what has become my normal weekend training over the last 18months or so....a long run, but this time it will be in conditions that will be new to me. I can only imagine how much i will sweat. Will update on that tomorrow.

For now...

X-Man