Congrats on making it to the "The Big Island"!

      Congratulations to several of our local Charlotteans for making it to The Hawaii World Championships this year!  What a great privilege and reward for hard work! When you make it to the Big Dance something comes alive in you. The excitement, the nervousness, the planning, the tapering... where do you begin and where does it stop?? Entering Kona perfectly prepared requires careful planning, a calm day to day wit, and a willingness to stick to "YOUR" plan. Truth of the matter is, there are 100 ways to peak for Hawaii, just ask 100 different people :)!  Pre Race week is filled with athletes flexing their shaved legs, comparing training logs, and filling your ear with how many long rides they put in.... ho hum...  Attention Athletes! Best approach is a humble attitude about what will happen for you on race day. That means throwing time predictions out the window.  Trust me, The Big Island has a way of deciding what's best for you!  Whether that means a 30 mph headwind or welcomed cloud cover during the marathon, take it All in stride! Every Racer will experience the same, but You will handle it better by not having expectations. (in a finish time) . Keep that quiet confidence in how you prepared yourself and take that and only that to the start line! 
       All this being said, preparation/training is your best chance to success in finishing Hawaii in front of your competitior!  how then??  Well, that depends on who you are. Are you a Weekend Warrior, 20 yrs old, 60 yrs old, Single, Married, Unemployed,  a Workaholic???  If your answer is yes, then the answer is "Use your time wisely!"  That means, long rides, long runs, strength work (my favorite), rest, and nutrition... maybe a little swimming too would be good!  The Mileage for each person will differ but max it out 4 weeks from Race day! This particular week should become your peak week, 100 % of what you were able to put in, with 28 days to go.... 3 weeks out 75 % of mileage, 2 weeks 50% of mileage, and Race week.. close to 25%.  However keep in mind, these last 4 weeks don't get any easier in my book!  Depends on what's easy to you, because Intensity (not easy to me) does climb as you put the icing on the cake. You'll move yourself to the front of the pack!  These last 4 weeks used properly either "Breaks your Race" or "Makes your Race".... and that finish time you're not thinking about :)   Be Wise!  Don't push the mileage envelop too close to Oct 8th!  Strength and Speed in the final weeks will make giant steps in the economy of your swim stroke, pedal stroke, and stride!  All the best!  Later, I'll try to share my thoughts on Race Day and some things to keep in mind... hopefully it will help for what it's worth....   Jamey