KONA IM- 1st few days...

Wow, I am so stoked to be here!

I can first say that I am very grateful to my sponsors- Rachel Cosgrove and the entire Results Fitness Team and Neasi-Weber International for making all of this possible. Thank you so much- I owe it all to you guys for being able to take part in this amazing event.

I have been here for 2 days now and it is just as I imagined Hawaii before- just not as humid as Oahu. So far the weather has been a bit "mild"- I still am drenched in sweat after a 30 min run, but it is "fogged" in because of the volcano. So, maybe some respite in the late afternoon for the run. I have swam every morning in the ocean- which is a site to be seen all in itself. Cameron, a fellow coach of mine, and Lisa, a client, have been swam here and said it is like an aquarium. They are right- you are so distracted by the beautiful fish and wildlife that you forget you are actually swimming. It is pretty cool!

First night- I got in Friday night and was super hungry...so headed to the closest restaurant next to my hotel (Royal Kona Resort- for the first 2 nights). I sat next to some Swiss guys at dinner. They were excited to meet me and ride with me the next day. I was nervous- these guys looked skinny, and really good. (like everyone here). Let me just tell you- everyone here must not be ready for Ironman b/c they are training like crazy people. Everyone here does at least 1 swim, 1 bike, and 1 run. Guaranteed. So, I felt like I need to at least get in this ride with these Swiss guys. Not everyday you get to ride with some Swiss guys...

1st full day- Saturday. I called my mom and the other important people in my life to let them know I survived the flight. I had already met a lot of special people- the locals especially have been nice. I actually stop to smell the roses and say hi to them- and not just ride/run by. I like that. I have been very blessed to be here, and let them know that I am thankful to be on their turf.

So far, I have met:
2 Swiss guys
3 Austrian guys- the 1 guy, 3rd at IM Austria, his coach, and his Physical Therapist (that is a whole other blog in itself...)
1 Hawaiian Security guard-Ron
2 Lottery guys- Nate from Portland, and Graham from Toowoomba, Australia (yes, Toowoomba- a whole other blog in itself...)
Kelly, my Hawaiian hostess at my current hotel- The Royal Sea Cliff.
Alicia- my massage therapist at the Royal Kona Resort
Dick Campbell- Head waiter at Huggos and 7-time IM finisher here at Kona (thanks for the free stuff)
Lots of Germans at my hotel- just met Cornelia Roth, from Regentesselaan, Rijswijk
Guy in Shower from San Fernando Valley
Hawaiian at Farmer's Market- thank you for the Guava
Guys in water from Argentina whom I had an entire conversation with in Spanish
So so so many more...more of which I will talk about later..

So, that is the update for now. I finally have some free wireless, so I am going to take advantage and blog as much as I can. I am good- I feel healthy. Burned the balls of my feet a bit yesterday but I am good now. Will catch up more later...

Hope all is well with you all- thanks for checking in.

Special hi to mom and Tay and my family of Wenrich's...and Results.

Talk soon...off to check into my condo now...