MAN I can eat soooo much more food than I could a few months ago!!!  Pumped up my running recently.  I have done a full marathon in the past thirty hours.  Not to mention 50 miles on the bike and about six miles in the canoe.  After the Marathon I need to concentrate on building up my swimming ability and technique.

The bad news...going to the dentist today brought forth the evidence of a few minor cavities.  Hmmmm.

I can't wait to volunteer for Honu Ironman 70.3 with Waikoloa Canoe Club this weekend!!!  I hope everyone has a GREAT RACE!!  Let's see how the wind is going to affect the northwest side of the island.  Weather hasn't been the greatest lately. 

Please join us for free pupus at Waikoloa Grill 'n Bar tomorrow night for HAPPY HOURS from 3:30 to 5:30...or you can come in and enjoy a Pastrami rueben or Philly Cheese Steak for lunch from 10:00 a.m. to 2 p.m..

Mahalo

I am about to go for a run.  Trying to find some dirt roads and run about fifteen miles today.  Two hours is my target.  The wind is howling so I hope it cools me off because its a hot one today!!

I have been watching old IRONMAN World Championship videos over the past few days.  I definitely have an addictive personality.  I am just glad that it is for a good cause!!   

Please, I can't stress enough that if you support what it is that I am doing, please donate through my fundraiser to the Spondylitis Association of America

Thanks,
Helgi

http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2010/06/timex-ironman-gps-global-trainer-first.html

Here is a review on the new Timex IRONMAN GPS Global Trainer.  I am thinking about this one, but others tell me to stick with the Garmin....hmmmmm

I wonder what I should do.

On another note, I ran about 14 miles through a crazy baron lava field with a bunch of mountain goats today.  The footing was compromised for most of my run, but it was a lot of fun!!

Connected via mobile

This is so cool.  I can post with an app for NY android phone!!!

Yeah!!  I have an app for that!! Haha

Tomorrow is my assessment by my new coach Rick Rubio!  I am super stoked!!

One can only dream to the best of his or her ability. Mind over matter. Quick response from listening to your body and making a consistent effort on concentrating on your diet and health in general, or at the very least, not giving up to a disease that can be managed. Confidence is a requirement. I believe that each and every one of us that has Ankylosing Spondylitis, should "Reach another two inches." A MOVEMENT to make TNF Blockers like ENBREL more easy to come by financially. We need to reach out between the public and the power to make this as well-known of a dream as it ought to be!

I am talking to you Amgen and Pfizer! Let's work together! Help us spread the word about ENBREL and get some funding from the government to make these medications cheaper.

Spondylitis Association of America: You guys are here too!!
Let's stick together

Thank you for reading!

Second thoughts?? No way!!!

Today is Tuesday May 22nd.  I have been through some emotional peaks and valleys since I have started this whole "Road to IRONMAN" thing.  I am always told that I need to calm my jets by my friends and family.  Maybe I really need to take heed with these goals.  If I am not careful, I may burn out early and not attain my goals.  I can't let that happen.

Saturday morning, up at 4:30 a.m. after a long night at work.  I bike to Kona where our canoe club was competing.  I get halfway there and the glass from the people throwing bottles out their window slices my tire and pops my tube.  I couldn't get the stupid hand pump to compress air, so I was a dead duck.  Luckily, one of my teammates stopped to pick me up when they saw me on the side of the road.  Thanks Chris!  So we get to the pier ( which is where the start of the IRONMAN is by the way), and the pump starts to work.  Changed my flat, but I didn't skim the tire to get rid of the glass shard( rookie mistake).  I get bored waiting around for our race, which was at the end of the day, so I bike up Ali'i drive and up the Keauhou hill to the highway.  I took the hill down and luckily didn't get the second flat until I went over a crazy bump on Kuakini Hwy, heading back towards the pier.  So I had to patch the second tube and keep adding air until I made it to the bike shop and got two new tubes.  Then I made it back to the Regatta and still had to wait for our race, in which we didn't get last place, but we had horrible timing.  After the race, I hopped right onto my bike and rode all the way back to Waikoloa to go straight to work.  About 100 miles biked Saturday. 

Sunday morning I woke up at 4:30 and rode to Kona.  It was such a beautiful ride, watching the sun come up.  There was barely any wind.  I rode to the Old Airport, where I parked my bike and within five minutes, I was running a half marathon time trial practice run with the Queen K Tri Club.  I didn't know I would be running with professional triathletes and even IRONMAN winners.  It was an awesome experience, but it really made me think that I must focus better on my training in order to perform on a higher level.  I completed the 13.1 miles in just under 2 hours and was completely dead after the race.  I had to take a nap before work.  Some of these pros did it in about 1 hour and 15 minutes.  It really put a damper on my confidence. 

I think that the moral of the story for my weekend is that I need to expect to be at the lower bracket of athletes before I can get to the top.  I need the proper training and training technique in order to be competitive at a level that fits my level of training.  I have decided to get a coach and record my workouts and together we will see how I can be more efficient.  I only have one month left before race day.

Today was the Bike Works run from the Queen's Shops.  We went to Kua Bay and it was beautiful.  On the way back, Grant and I did interval training and it really helped my performance.  When we got back to the shop, four of us went on a nice <10K run where we also did interval training.  It fealt good to push hard and then not so hard but still hard.  I think it gave us the opportunity to really expand our lungs and get the most out of our breathing and endurance.  Thanks for the workout guys.

Until next time,
Helgi Olafson

Today is Thursday.  I have had a pretty good week in training.  Our canoe club team won 1st place in our division for the 9 mile race!!!  It was a fun day down at Kawaihae Harbor with all of the other canoe clubs.  It sucks that I had to work afterwards, but hey that is the life that I chose.  

Our first Regatta  of the season is in Kona this Saturday.  It's a quarter-mile race. That should be great, too.  I plan on riding back from Kona as soon as the race is done so I can make it to work before dinner service.  

So on Monday I woke up with a sore throat.  Usually I don't get sick, but due to my Ankylosing Spondylitis, and more importantly, the TNF blocker that I take, if I do get sick, its usually pretty bad.  I didn't think much of it so I went for a huge run down the Fire Road to Puako from Waikoloa Village off of Hulu.  Then, feeling great, I shot south down the Queen Ka'ahumanu Highway to Waikoloa Road and back up the hill.  I fealt awesome and did the run in 1 hour 45 min.  It was between 15 and 16 miles.  The next morning before doing the Costco run for the restaurant ( yes, it's the smart thing to do for small business here on the island),  I rode with the Bike Works crew for their Tuesday morning community ride from the Waikoloa Bike Works at the Queen's Shops.  That was a great 40-45 mile ride with breathtaking views of the South Kohala Coast.  Then it was time for a quick nap before our Tuesday evening paddling practice.  Yesterday I got the juice to go out to Kona and back before work.  I had a great 60 mile ride and made very good time in about 2.5 hours.  That is when it hit me.  I started to feel very under the weather, and I had to complete my shift at work so I could get some theraflu in me and crash out for the night and hope for a better day(today), which is kind of the case, but we will see how it plays out.  

This training is really making a difference in my stamina, endurance, and physical strength and productivity as an athlete, but it also takes up a lot of time and can take a toll on your health if you are not careful.  I'll be back at it tomorrow for sure!!

-H 

Well,

Today is Friday and I feel great.  My back is "STRONG like BULL!"  I had a forty mile bike ride yesterday.  The wind on the Big Island is weird!!  It completely changed direction from one day to the next.  I kind of like the extra push that it requires to get through it.  But there is nothing mor fun when you have the wind at your back and you are just flying...IN THE ZONE!! 

Work was decent last night.  It seems that my new Pork Cutlet Marsala is a winner with the diners at Waikoloa Grill 'n Bar.  May is usually a slow month so hopefully we can bring in some business with this new "Summer Fare" menu. 

I am up to $590 of my $5000 goal to raise awareness for Ankylosing Spondylitis by June 24th, 2012.  The fundraiser has only been posted for 3 days!!  If you haven't checked it out yet, please click on "My Charitable Life" at the top of this blog. 

I also have nade a few big contacts over the past coupl of days in the AS world.  Elin Aslanyan of the Spondylitis Association of America has been a wonderful help in giving me the advice to get this thing off of the ground.  I have also made some contacts with major groups where I will be able to share and publish my story and hopefully inspire others with AS around the world.  Life is good!!

Just enough time for a ten mile run before what will hopefully be a busy night at work. 

Tomorrow is the first long distance race of the season at Kawaihae.  6 guys in one canoe for 9 miles nonstop.  Let's do it WAIKOLOA!!! 

-H

Welcome to my blog!!

5/9/2012

Hello everyone!!  This is my first post.  Man is there evr a crazy wind up in Waikoloa Village today.  Yesterday I had a nice 50 mile bike ride with some new friends from Bike Works Beach and Sports down in the Waikoloa Beach Resort.  It was a fun "community ride" and I won a pair of bike socks for completing our route as the closest biker to 10:15 a.m.

Later, after bringing the guys at the shop some of our new lunch items from Waikoloa Grill 'n Bar, I got my road bike body geometry fit for maximum performance.  I then proceeded to ride up the hill 6 miles against the gnarly Waikoloa wind. 

Then I came home and set up my Crowdrise fundraiser and did some networking before our tuesday evening paddling practice, which was awesome!!  I tackled the wind three times in one day.  Made it my B$#%^!! 

Anyway,  I just recieved my first donation this morning from an author from California for $250, which goes to the Spondylitis Association of America.  I am on a mission to raise over $5000 by the day of the Kona Marathon, when I will run the 26 mile race.

Today I am running down through Hulu to the fire road that comes out on the Queen K highway at Puako, where I will turn left and run to work.  I will shower at the beach before going in.  It's hot and I WILL SWEAT!!!

Tonight we roll out our summer fare menu.  Come join us to celebrate!!