Sunday, October 2, 2011

Hana Hou!

It's been just over a month since we got back from the incredible Colorado adventure. I still think about it quite a bit (some of my co-adventurers say they do too - that trip seems to have left an indelible imprint on at least a few of us). I've also spent more time google-earth'ing over Colorado learning about the state and its various regions than is probably healthy for someone staring down another mid-west fall and winter. The dates for the 2012 Pro Tour have already been announced.  Lizard Head Cycling Guides is waiting for the final word on the route (due out at the end of November, I think - various cities are still putting in their bids) to finalize their plans for next year's trip. Most of us who went this year are already planning on going again - it's just too painful to think about missing it! Several others, whether sold after seeing the pictures and hearing the stories or simply to shut us up, seem to be seriously considering coming next year as well. It's going to be a tough experience to top but something tells me we'll find a way.   

It also seems that my tolerance for being inside the radius is growing shorter and shorter. Sometimes opportunities just present themselves and after decades of trial and error (mostly error. lots and lots of error) it turns out that I'm far better at regretting what I do than what I don't do. Yes, the former can, and quite often does, end in epic failure, but somehow it still ALWAYS results in fabulous stories and memories and more often than not, unimaginable events that change your life for the better (even if they might not appear for the better at the time). The latter invariably results in, well, let's see ... regret, more regret, and nothing but regret. You take your pick, I'll take mine.

I landed in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii last nite. Triathlete friends, I know your eyes are already as big as saucers - mine too! If you know me at all then you know *I* am not personally racing - not in this lifetime at least - I'm not even up to a Half Ironman distance race yet (yet, she says. And in print none-the-less!? Coach, I sure hope you didn't read that). A friend of mine, however, IS racing - this is Pat's 3rd trip to Kona and she's (obviously) an incredible triathlete. I'm going along as her sherpa, support staff, training-partner, gopher, information-booth, chef, mechanic, and whatever else she needs that I can possibly even pretend I know how to do. All my friends and teammates who are Ironmen (and Half Ironmen, for that matter) simply amaze me ... and now I'm going to witness the most amazing of the amazing! On top of all that ... it's in what is commonly believed to be one of the most beautiful places on the planet (at least according to everyone I know who has been there and Kodak's 25 Most Beautiful Photos of 2010 - I think 16 of them were from Hawaii).

So how did I meet Pat and luck my way to Kona? It was a total fluke ... or possibly just the Universe doing what it does without bothering to clue me in (I know which I think it is, you're going to have to decide for yourself). Life was good. And then I blinked (it really does happen in a blink, they're not exaggerating about that). One minute I was talking to my Dad with a piece of lemon meringue pie in my hand, and the next  minute he was gone. If you've lost a parent you'll understand how the world instantly becomes a foreign place, and one that it takes some doing to learn how to live in again. I dealt with the surreal-pile-of-things-which-must-be-dealt-with and did the best I could to take care of my Mom. Friends, workouts, training plans, coaching, races - everything - came to an abrupt halt as I was suddenly living at both my parents' house and my own house, driving back and forth almost daily. After many months of watching my world evaporate before my eyes, I realized I needed to get back to doing SOMETHING ... and went off to find a gym or rec center that I could somehow manage to get to while flitting back and forth between the two houses and doing all the things that had to be done. After a visit to a scary and expensive YMCA, and a gorgeous rec center that would take me longer to drive to than my actual workouts would be, I emailed my triathlon training group with a plea for suggestions. Pat answered and told me about her gym, which, no exaggeration, it turned out I could get to in exactly 19 minutes from both my house and my parents'. A place to workout is a minor thing, I realize, but at that moment in time it was as if she tossed me a life preserver (I joined, btw, and am still a member there today). I thanked her and noticing that in the footer of her email was a note about her Pelotonia (a HUGE local cancer research charity ride) fundraising effort, I popped over to her site and gave her a small donation, just as a simple way to let her know I appreciated her taking the time to help a stranger. My pittance, oddly (it was simply the amount I had left in the pot I'd set aside for donations to Pelotonia - I knew tons of people doing it already), was exactly the amount she had left to raise to reach her goal. She, of course, then thanked ME, and explained to me how important this ride was to her: on top of losing several close family members to cancer, she herself was a cancer survivor. And so a friendship was born. We chatted frequently in email: she was trying to qualify for Kona (for the 2nd time, which she did!) and was a HUGE source of motivation for me at a time when I was fresh out; and somehow amidst my ramblings and ceaseless questions she found inspiration too (for the life of me, I still don't know how I was any good to her whatsoever, but she tells me I was and I have to believe her). It wasn't until a year later that we actually met in person ... at another charity ride (Pedal-With-Pete for Cerebral Palsy research) which is now a yearly event for us.

Since then she has helped me in a billion ways: She ran me in at the end of one half marathon, practically dragging me the last 2 miles and miraculously helping me beat my goal that day, was one of my biggest supporters for the Colorado trip (she had far more faith in me than I had in myself for that one), has helped me with nutrition and training in more ways than I can list, and probably above all, just because of who she is and how she lives her life - has simply made me want to be a better person. Somewhere in the midst of all this, the invitation to go to Kona to support her and simply absorb being near the best-of-the-best in the sport came up ... and after a few "Are you sure you want me there?'s" followed by an equal number of "Yes! It would be a huge help to me!'s" it was a done deal. I bought my plane ticket.

Pat qualified for Kona in 2010 but, as it sometimes happens, the racing gods were not on her side. After an unfortunate series of events, several of which couldn't possibly have been predicted or prepared for, she had to make the decision to drop out after about 80 miles on the bike. If she hadn't, she likely would've suffered permanent organ damage and possibly never raced again. I, and everyone who knows her, was infinitely grateful that she stopped racing that day. I think I know (as much as an outsider can know) how painful that decision had to have been for her ... but obviously it was the right one as she's heading back to Kona this year! She's had a fantastic year of training (I can personally vouch for her strength on the bike and in the water - she's left me in the dust enough times) and is healthy and happy and ready to go. (A side note: In case it helps you understand what kind of person she is: that half marathon where she dragged me in to reach my goal time? It was one week after she dropped out of Kona 2010). She's one-of-a-kind. 

I think it was the Universe throwing something at me just to see if I was paying enough attention to actually catch it (it does that, you know ... or, if you don't know, then you might just need to pay slightly MORE attention). I was e-mailing with a bike shop in Kona (3.6 miles up the coast from our condo - easy walking/running distance - Google Earth showed me so) about renting a bike while I'm there (with all the Kona athletes shipping bikes I simply didn't want to ship mine and add to the masses). After a few e-mail exchanges, the person at the bike shop signed his mail: 'Mahalo!'. It was easy enough to guess that meant 'Thanks!' but I compulsively looked it up anyway ... and while I was there, I ran across: 'Hana Hou'. It means 'Encore!' or ... 'Do It Again!'.

So, to venturing Outside the Radius again .... to the 2012 Colorado Pro Tour trip with Lizard Head ... and to Pat, heading back to race in Kona at the Ironman World Championships for the 3rd time ... Hana Hou!

Last night's sunset from the condo's lanai. Yeah. My jaw dropped onto the floor too. *
 (* Had a short layover in Denver. Blazing sunshine. Mountains with a little nip of snow already. Storms forming over the Front Range .... if I weren't heading for something like this I would've run out of the airport and kept on running).

I'll post as many pics of the area, the race and the Pro's as I can find time for - already saw a few running down Alii Drive - trust me, they're really quite easy to pick out! They we're FLYING and breathing roughly as hard as a I do standing still - CRAZY!

Addendum: This is what I left. Sorry guys! 
Another addendum: Lousy picture of the mountains near Denver from the plane ... but still made me grin like a fool. Just a teaser for a few select folks back home - they'll know who they are. 

1 comment:

  1. Should we just pack up your things and forward them to the islands?

    ReplyDelete