No, my post-Hawaii jet lag is not so bad that I’ve forgotten the days of the week. I decided to mix things up a bit this week and post my TYR Swim Set of the Week on Tuesday!!

This week’s TYR Swim Set of the Week is courtesy of another Dynamo Multisport super coach and good friend, Brent Pease.

In addition to writing killer swim, bike, and run workouts, Brent works as the Outreach Manager at all3sports.com.  He also races, both individually, and with his younger brother Kyle, who has CP.

The Pease Brothers finishing Ironman Wisconsin last month. Two weeks later Brent raced Ironman Lake Tahoe. And this weekend they’re running the Marine Corp Marathon. Talk about a full schedule! WOW!!

Want to read more about Brent and Kyle? Check out their website and blog. Want to go swimming? Check out this BP special swim set!! Happy Tuesday!!

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I think Hillary Biscay is one of the coolest people alive, and that’s why I got my sore, tired, sunburnt, dehydrated self out of bed early Sunday morning and met Hillary and friend Michelle at the Kona pier to swim the Ultraman course. Smashfest Ambassador extraordinare, Anabel captured the scene quite nicely:

The pier looked very different than the craziness of the Ironman start just 24 hours earlier, and I looked like I was really wishing there was a coffee boat along the Ultraman route!

Hillary is racing the Ultraman World Championship next month and the three day affair goes something like this:

Day 1: 10k swim, 90 mile bike

Day 2: 171.4 mile bike

Day 3: 52.4 mile run

Yes, Ultraman is a whole new level of crazy!

Hillary is actually the Ultraman swim course record holder and Michelle is another super swimmer (she even wears Swedish Goggles), so I thought with some good drafting I might be able to make it through the 10k swim.

WRONG. Just 20 minutes in we were swimming over a reef and a swirling current left me crazy sea sick. I wished Hillary and Michelle my best and headed back toward shore, thankful for the company of Inside Triathlon Editor Kim McDonald. Once back at Dig Me Beach I was doubled over, dry heaving on the same sand I had victoriously charged up the morning before. You win Madam Pele. You win.

VERY Happy to be back on dry land! Thanks for pic Kim! (And for keeping me going!)

Since I’m pretty sure no one wants to replicate that workout, this week’s TYR Swim Set of the Week comes courtesy of Coach Shanks. I haven’t tried it out yet, but I’m sure it’s a great one! Let me know if you like it and I’ll be sure to pass along the good news to Shanks!

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Gone are the days of Mountain Dew in my water bottles. Another exciting Big Island happening was officially joining the Osmo Nutrition team!

Stacy Sims and Lisa Hunt – two of the AMAZING women behind Osmo Nutrition

How it Happened

Since “going pro” this year, Coach and I have been tinkering with my nutrition strategies and trying to make it a little more “professional.” As someone who has struggled with lots of stomach issues in past races, this was a pretty big deal and took some time. Around late March we settled on using Osmo Pre-Load before races, and Osmo Active Hydration during races and training. Eventually I started drinking Osmo Acute Recovery after big training sessions as well.

Within no time, I was hooked. And the results followed. The biggest impact came on the run as  I saw huge drops in both my half and full marathon times. Better hydration and fewer port-a-potty stops meant faster running!

An opportunity to share my love for Osmo on the Kona run course via water bottles at the Pro Aid Stations led to a full on partnership, and I could not be more excited. Especially as Osmo rolls out their new women’s hydration line. Over the years I’ve casually researched women’s carbohydrate metabolism during endurance events, eventually giving up, frustrated with how little I found. When Osmo launched Osmo Nutrition for Women, I was overcome with gratitude and relief. FINALLY, someone was acknowledging that women need something different! And not just a low-calorie alternative. They lay out the science in a series of  super easy to follow videos that are definitely worth a watch.

A Sweet Osmo Deal!

Now through the end of October Osmo is running a great deal on their Active Hydration products. Order any two Osmo products, and they’ll send you a tub of Active Hydration FREE!

Go online, shop, put at least three products in your cart  (one must be Active Hydration), enter onetwofree at checkout and enjoy better workouts with better hydration!

New Wednesday Blog Series!

To show my love for Osmo I’m starting a new Wednesday blog series. Osmo is all about hydration, and being a former swimmer, I happen to LOVE the water! I thought it would be fun to share pictures of different bodies of water, oceans, pools, water bottles – anything goes! Have a good pic you’d like to share? Send it my way! I’m calling the series Osmo Water Pic Wednesday.

This week I still have Kona on the brain, so naturally, this week’s Osmo Water Pic Wednesday is of my favorite swimming hole, Kailua Bay. The official start of the Ironman World Championship and just steps away from the finish, it’s a special place for me and countless others. I’m back in Atlanta now, recovering and planning my next adventure, but you can be sure Kailua Bay is never too far from my thoughts. Lots of great memories here, and hopefully many more visits to come!

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Every trip to Kona is special and this year was no exception. The big difference was lining up with the pros. A more subtle difference was getting to race with my friend Betty, who had been my original inspiration to do an Ironman back in 2009.

Betty at pre-race registration. We play paparazzi for each other!

I’ll have a full race recap posted soon, but in the meantime, here are a few highlights!

1. I won the swim!

As Herbert pointed out in my Slowtwitch interview, it’s ok to celebrate the small victories! The swim was a little crazy with what felt like the entire women’s pro field hanging right on my feet.

I knew they were there, but I felt good and confident with my pace, so I just tried to keep the train chugging along! The tight group made for an interesting T1 and crowded first few miles of the bike, and getting to be a part of that definitely got me thinking about future race strategies. But for now, I will just enjoy knowing I led the women’s race at the Ironman World Championship for more than 53 minutes!

2. The Cheers!

I was seriously overwhelmed by the on-course support this year. The GREEN Dynamo shirts were EVERYWHERE. Not to mention Coach Matthew sharing some words of wisdom on the run course that seemed to magically make my legs start working again. (How do good coaches always know just what to say?!) Hillary and her most fashionably dressed SMASH crew were all over the course and I even a few  cheers from Ironman CEO, Andrew Messick! (He knew my name?! What?!?!) The “Go Haley” cheers coupled with some seriously powerful vibes coming from the mainland got me across the finish line. Thank you to everyone who cheered, tweeted, facebooked, texted, and called. Hopefully I get the opportunity to thank you in person because you mean SO much to me!

3. I Finished!

Finishing is never something to be taken for granted in Ironman. There’s a lot that can go wrong in a 10 hour race day, and while last Saturday definitely had it’s down moments, it ended with me running down Ali’i Drive, high fiving, and crossing the greatest finish line in sports for the fifth time. And for that experience, I am extremely grateful. Madam Pele never fails to teach me a lesson, and you can be sure I’ll be using the knowledge I picked up on this year’s journey when I return! Mahalo and Aloha Hawaii!

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