Getting to Hawaii

So, after getting in my masters swim on Wednesday morning and then getting the boys off to school, Cody took me to the airport for my 11:30 am flight to Kona. I need to point out that my sweet husband packed up my bike and was "super dad" while I was off racing in Hawaii. I am so grateful for his support and what a great dad he is. Obviously, without him I would be unable to do these races. I never have to worry about the boys when I'm gone because I know they'll have a blast while I'm gone. And, like always, they did.

After our monster roadtrip to Wildflower and the leg heaviness that ensued, I decided to try compression tights on the plane. I wore these full tights under my velour, juicy sweatpants. This wardrobe information is relevant....more on that later.

I got all checked in and was off to connect in Seattle. After hitting the fish taco spot in the Seattle airport and picking up a book to read at Borders, I was walking through the airport with my backpack on. I noticed that it seemed like a lot of people were staring at me. Do I look that cool? As I walked by an older gentleman with eyes as big as saucers I felt an odd sensation and looked down to catch my velour pants as they were making their way past my knees. NICE. I said something out loud about velour and spandex not being a good combination only to get NO response from the surrounding onlookers. Another classic, Phaedra moment.

The rest of my trip to Kona was uneventful and thankfully, I didn't loose any more clothes. I got into my hotel room at around 9pm. Ah, Hawaii. I unpacked and put my bike together and got into bed around 11pm (that's 2am Spokane time).

I woke up bright and early on Thursday morning, went for a run, got some breakfast, walked to Starbucks and made my way over the the spa for an incredible massage. Here's me, "pre-massage" wearing my spa uniform. I look so well behaved.

After my massage, I went out for a short ride and got registered. I ended up hanging out in my room and ordering room service for dinner and watching "Fools Gold" on tv. Pretty uneventful.

Friday morning started much like Thursday morning and then I headed out for a run that felt great (which was a good sign, no leg heaviness....maybe there is something to these compression tights). After that, I got a short ride in and was pummeled by the wind. I knew there was a very good possibility the wind was going to be brutal on race day. Tough conditions-good experience.

Former Spokane resident, Rick Rubio picked me up at the hotel (thanks Rick!) and we headed over to Hapuna to check our bikes in and go for a short swim in the choppy water.....and yes, the wind was blowing and the current was evident.

After we swam, I found Rachael and Katherine in their bathing suits putting their bikes together.....I think the only reason there weren't a swarm of men around them was because they were hidden off in a secluded spot. I felt like a prairie dog surrounded by gazelles. We ended up meeting for dinner at around 4pm and Paul (Rachaels coach from Lifesport) joined us a little later. It was a relaxing pre-race dinner and I was grateful for the company and all the great information they shared with me. Thanks guys! 3 hours later, I headed back to my room.

4am rolled around quite quickly after waking up a few times to hear the wind howling outside.