HALLOWEEN SHINANIGANS AT IM FLORIDA

FRIDAY MORNING SWIM IN PCB

Panama City Beach!

Here is a short fun clip that we have made over the first day or two !!!

Clearly we have become video addicts. Luke has decided that he is cameraman extraordinaire... I think he is doing a great job. You can tell whenever I hold he thing as all my footage is wobbly. 

M x x x 

MEMPHIS ARRIVES IN FLORIDA

Jimmy and Memphis's Awesome Dolphin Adventure!

The search was long and a little scary but then 

they came. They swam, they dove and they 

thrilled us to no end. Life is AMAZING!

A BIG CHAIN RING & A TREADY ... TWO OF MY FAVORITE THINGS!

It's a little over a week till Ironman Florida and I spent 

one of my last days out on the fabulous Queen K Highway.

Madame Pele sent me on my way with one hell of a 

headwind! It was then off to Pacific Island gym where

I have learnt to LOVE the treadmill. 

p.s. Hey Krisitian ... see how fast my feet are?!?! 96 ... 96!

The Awesome Aquatic Adventures of Jimmy & Memphis

This afternoon we explored Kahaluu Beach (Turtle Beach) with our fabulous new toy. Although shaky (we are working on that) you get the general picture :-) 

Where did everybody go?

The Ironman crowds have gone ... the streets of Kona

are quiet again. Off for a ride on the Queen K out to

the Veterans Memorial

Amanda, Dawn & Luke's Excellent Aquatic Adventure

Early this morning we went for a swim on a Dolphin spotting adventure. 

Unfortunately we didn't see any Dolphins but we did spot a "very groovy 

paddleboarder" :-)

p.s. I promise the video quality will get better! 

New Toy!!!!

Jimmy and I went to Costco last night and treated ourselves to a very cool sparkly new toy! An underwater video camera! Oh my what fun fun fun!

This first clip is taken this morning as we pondered our impending departure from the Big Island of Hawaii! So sad but yet so funny!

More "Underwater" Adventures to come!

Florida Bound!

Well everyone but us and the locals have left the island! Now it's just me and the Queen K. Oh and of course the Pacific Island Fitness center treadmill. 

Today is Tuesday and I am blogging up here on the side of the mountain. Luke and I moved ourselves up to Dawn's house last Tuesday. I have been dominating myself via my training plan by coach Kristian. I have loved every minute of it and am surrounded by the course that I so desperately want to qualify for again (as a pro). I tell you this is how you manage to keep the 2 weeks to go blues away. Train in Kona! 

Somedays I am racing Chrissy, some days it's Jo but everyday I am definitely not drafting ha ha ha. I have done so many Hawi and back rides I think I know this place back to front. Then the wind turns and blows straight in you face for the 2 hours back. You nearly break especially when you look up and think "Heck I don't remember this bit" but then "Bum Crack Hill" comes into view and you know you have made yet another day of torture. Oh wait it is not over yet as the Boss has you running 1.40 hour off the bike. Bugger!

Well all I know is that I am heading to Florida as fit as ever and with more quality running under my belt than I thought possible. 

Race day will come and I plan on putting myself in the hurt box. This year is the year of learning and I am finishing the season off with a bang.

My trusty bike "Valencia" and I are looking for a PB. At the beginning of the year I wanted to do a 3.45 marathon. So far not so good but I plan on keeping my promise to myself. This race is not about podiums or Kona slots... both of course would be nice. Instead it is about knowing that I am headed in the right direction. Knowing that all this hard work is paying off. That in spite of some lack luster results earlier in the year that this is what I am meant to be doing with myself.

Let's be clear though no matter what happens in Florida I will be back next year for round two. This sport is the best. I love it. I love that it is sooooo hard and kicks you in the ass. If there is one thing I like it's a good scrap. I love that not everyone has what it takes to come back time and time again. Luke was born with more talent than I will ever have but he has taught me that no amount of talent will help you unless you work hard. He has proved that hard work is rewarded. He won IM Japan in June. 

I look forward to posting some pre race pics and news as Florida draws closer

Stay tuned 

Memphis

Oh My Lanta!

Luke on the run... GO LUKE GO!

Happy Jac and the World Champ Chrissy!
Kickin' it road side with my home girl SUM!
One of Larry Rosa's amazing photo's of Luke 

Hawaii World Champs is such an amazing race. People can have the best of days or the worst of days but for me I will forever be grateful just to have been here and to be part of it. Even if it was only as a spectator. 

In the shortened version of the day Luke started out well and then had a bad patch but finished like a true pro. Things went all wrong but he fought back and went on to make it all right in the end. For a longer, more detailed version check out his blog www.lukemckenzie.com

For me I got to scoot around with Sum Sum and cheer on all the people that I knew. I was so proud of every one of them. 

I was so inspired and have been continuing on with the hard core Florida training. I have been focusing more than ever so that one day I can get here and race as a pro as well. 

Some major highlights of Hawaii this year were : 

Watching Triple L tear up the women's field and run in super strong for a PB and 5Th place over all...Yay Linsey whoop whoop 5Th in Kona.

Rachel Ross running around in her smokin hot one piece Timex kit.... she was bringing sexy back all day long and brought a 3rd place podium with it. 

Meeting Alex, Blake,Paulina and Julianne for the first time.... I love my team members they are rock stars. However this was the first time we met as I had to miss camp earlier in the year. 

Hanging with the Home Boyz - Tristian , Keithy , Doug and Benji.

Seeing all the people I know racing out there. My voice was gone but I was so friggin proud of them all. 

Lukey crossing the line in spite of having the Kona gods against him all day..... Babe you put this one in the bank... one day you will need to draw on something deep inside to win this race. You will remember that you are a fighter, that you never quit and that to win you must first learn to suffer and be humbled. 

To my Mum and John, thank you so much for coming and seeing what it is I am chasing. I know that even though I was not in the race I am where I belong. I am blessed that you just wanted to be a part of it and that you were there to watch Lukey race as well. Thanks for coming to the party Mumma and drinking way too many Mai X-Tri's with me. It's moments like those that I store for when we don't see each other for so long. You really seem happy in your life and now you get to see why I am so happy too. 

Pete, Vic, Jac, Guy and Summer were there and we all had an awesome time as usual. You guys make Kona so much fun. The only person missing was Adrian and he will be back next year. :) 

Mahalo and stay tuned 

Memphis x 

 

More Kona Pics!

Riding on the Ruckus.

Hop on lets ride!

Let's hope you get here in great shape tomorrow Champ!

Pics from Kona

Jac , Sum Sum and Lukey!

The Beast! 

The Night before!

How friggin exciting. 

Yesterday was a big big day but tomorrow will be epic.  After spending the early am riding hill repeats I got home and changed into my very cool new Team Timex T along with the snazzy new Aussies Flag shoes and headed out the door. First stop was the Powerbar breaky. All the usual suspects were chowing down the beautiful hot treats. Nicole from Powerbar was busy name tagging people as they made a mad charge towards her goodie table. I collected my fetching Memphis tag and got down to the serious business of eating....and talking. I was seated next to Belinda Granger so the talk was thick and fast.

As soon as I had my fill I headed out to the Team Timex brunch. On the way I found a punctured Kyle on the side of the road. I pulled up on the sexy ruckus and offered him a ride. He was brave enough to jump on so we made it to the meeting just in time. But not before breaking into the Fuelbelt house and stashing his bike.

Rachel and I attempted to refain from talking our way through the meeting. She is really quite the resourceful young lady and when she got cold she started wearing her handbag.... mmm ingenious really. After the meeting we jumped back on the ruckus and headed to Lava Java. 

The remainder of my afternoon was spent signing one of my new athletes to an awesome new deal for 2009. This is always such a buzz. I love this sport and I love the industry. Helping people achieve their dreams is just the best.  More on that in the new year. 

In the evening we had a great night and way too many mai tai's at Huggo's for E mans 40th birthday. Happy birthday Super Star!

Now it's Friday night and as I have declared on Facebook "I am so excited I might pee my pants!" 

GOOOOOOOOOOOOO LUKEY!!!!!!!!!

Stay Tuned 

Memphis

 

Nearly Showtime

The prancing has begun and I am loving it.

The stars are out and they are puffy chested and strutting their stuff. Team outfits, personalized custom casual wear and all the trimmings. Bring it on it's showtime. 

All the big names are here and it is getting exciting. All conversations at Lava Java are about who looks good and who is going to win. It is time to predict who is going to break the tape first and everyone is throwing in their 2 cents worth. 

Here is a list of basic do's and do not's.

1. Race Kits are for race day..... bring running shorts people. 

2. If you are here for more than 5 days before the race bring a training helmet please. 

3. Longs socks are for recovery not for bike rides on the Big Island.

4. Smile .... it wont kill you! Not everyone is your direct competitor and does not need the stare down before Friday.

5. Speedo's are not correct shopping attire. They are for swimming only. 

6. Riding on the wrong side of the road does not make you cool.

7. Prancing along Alli Drive during lead up week will not help you when you are running in the Energy Lab on Saturday. 6.40 miles is not your race pace unless your name is Chrissy Wellington.

8. If you are coming from a cooler climate PLEASE wear sunscreen. Burnt skin is not sexy.

9. Riding from Kona to Hawi and back on Wednesday is not advised.

10. These rules are not a joke! 

If you are on the Island don't forget to say hi.

Love Memphis

Kona.... taper for some, training for others!

I decided that since I was not in the race the next best thing would be to be here training for a race. There is nothing like coming to the Big Island with the best athletes in the world to motivate you to train like a crazy person. One day I want to race here as a pro but in the mean time till I get one of those slots I figure I will train like a mad woman with everyone around me. 

Ironman Florida is just a few short weeks away and I am loving the brutal training out here. Also I have my coach here. Both Kristian (The Boss and Tri Specific Main Man) and his wife are racing in the big dance next weekend. Sooooo exciting!

I have had a blast catching up with many of the awesome people that we see during the year. I love that so many different and super talented people come from all around the globe to race in this amazing place. 

Luke is so ready to race. It has been such a great year and we have both learnt so much. This Kona we look forward to helping release the K-Ona shoe line through K-Swiss. Check out the article on Luke's web blog. Erik gets here tomorrow and that's where the fun really gets going. 

If you are in Kona and what to see all the amazing new shoes drop by the expo and I will be there to personally help you with a shoe fitting. Seriously they are off the richter amazing. 

If I am not at the expo I am probably out on the Queen K riding my ass off. Wave and say hi if you see me. 

Take care 

Memphis