The Run

After the race I sort of slept (the crappy kind of sleep you get post-race), but was up early to head to the Merchandise tent by 8a to wait in line for finisher gear, as it opened at 9a. I wasn’t even planning on going as I already got several things before the race….but not being able to sleep plus post-race emotions got me in line, lol. They opened a little early and I managed to not buy too much but got a few more things (jacket, long sleeved shirt, tank) that had ‘finisher’ on it. I hope they still fit when I’m not in race shape in a few weeks, lol.

That afternoon we headed to my parents resort to spend the afternoon with them since I didn’t see them much after the race and I had hardly spent much time with my sister and her husband except for Thursday morning. We ate lunch and hung out at their pool and then they got ready for their flight that night. Then I headed to a friend’s rental house to have dinner with a group from Saint Louis that came to cheer as well as the two other ladies that raced from STL. I was still pretty exhausted from the race and not having slept much but was thrilled to be included, especially since I hadn’t seen some of the people from the group in a few years, so it was great to go and catch up.

Monday I woke up with a sore throat and felt pretty crummy, but had chalked it up to post-race fatigue and figured it was just part of feeling run down from the race. I rallied and finished packing, we headed to Volcanoes National park and then were back at the airport around 5p to get ready for our trip back to STL. I was ready to go back home, sleep in my own bed, but also couldn’t believe how quickly it felt like the trip went by. However I still felt crummy traveling back, not sleeping much on the flights and wore a mask to hopefully keep others around me from getting whatever I had.

When we made it home Tuesday afternoon I had a surge of energy to unpack, start laundry, reassemble my bike…. and then crashed at 5p. I slept until 7p, was up for an hour and then slept from 8p to 8a. Woah, I was tired. However I felt even more terrible Wednesday morning and went to Urgent Care where I tested positive for COVID. Oh boy. Even though my symptoms started Monday usually they show up 5 days after being infected, so I had caught it well before then which meant I had raced with COVID and probably explained why my power on the bike was non-existent and why the run was a struggle.

Recovery has taken a while, between post-race, travel and sickness but am finally back to swimming, biking and running, all short and easy though. Reflecting on the race experience, I am so glad I got to participate and see what this race was all about. I see why people love this race and everything that comes along with it being on the island, and how special it feels – in fact it felt magical. This trip and experience is at the top of my list of best trips ever right now 🙂

So that’s really a wrap on my 2023 season, I am so grateful I made it to the Kona start line healthy and able to race, just getting there was a huge deal, so finishing it was icing on the cake. I also wanted to say that I couldn’t have gotten across that finish line without the support of all of my family, friends and coach as it takes a village! Months (well years) of work and sacrifice and without all of their support it wouldn’t have been possible.