Debugging My Kona: Heat, a Concussion and My Longest IRONMAN Ever

Jill expected somewhere between 10:40 and 11:40 at Kona this year. She finished in 13:14. In this episode she treats herself like any athlete she coaches, going back through the data to separate the conditions, the mistakes and the residual effects of an August 8 crash that totaled her bike and left her with a concussion.

In this episode:

• The August crash: a tubeless tire coming off a hookless rim at nearly 50 mph, the injuries, and a compressed return to training
• Why she pulled out of the 70.3 World Championship in Nice to focus on Kona
• Race morning: the corral water bottle that ended up in the checked bag
• The swim: mixed men's and women's start waves, the five sections of the course, and 6–12 foot swells
• T1: a crowded shared tent, a missing face shield and three minutes lost to calf sleeves that wouldn't go over wet feet
• The bike: power in high zone 3 and low zone 4 while heart rate stayed in zone 2, and why that gap isn't sustainable
• Mile 70: putting her feet down and the pitcher of ice that changed the next ten miles
• Mile 90: flagging down a course marshal for an ice-cold bottle of water
• Wind on the Queen K and to Hawi, and the "slowness penalty" for later bike starters
• Heat strain vs. hyponatremia vs. too many electrolytes, and what her sweat testing says
• What to watch for on a hot race: sweat on your forearms, whether you're peeing on the bike, and signs of confusion
• The run: humidity on Ali'i Drive, the Palani climb, the Queen K "air conditioning," the Energy Lab after sunset and a surprise sprint at the finish line
• Racing after a concussion: what she expected, what she didn't account for, and giving yourself grace

Jill is a certified USAT, USCA and ESCI coach, not a doctor. Nothing in this episode is medical advice.

Next up: runDisney Wine & Dine and IRONMAN Florida.

Be Fierce Multisport is opening a 4,300 sq ft training space in Exton, PA around Thanksgiving, with a gym for triathletes, cyclists and marathoners, a bike shop and a bike fitting studio.

Links:

• Coaching and bike fit consultations: fierce.li/coffeechat
• Be Fierce Multisport: befiercemultisport.com
• Instagram: @thetrimom, @befiercemultisport, Be Fierce & Tri Podcast

If you are training for a Triathlon or Run event of any distance from your first 10k to your first full IRONMAN and beyond, connect with Jill to talk about how to take your performance to the next level! Jill is the Head Coach and owner of Be Fierce Multisport is a full time, professional coach and works with athletes of all skill levels.

We also specialize in training for runDisney race, as Jill is an avid runDisney fan with 7 Dopey finishes and nearly 100 Disney races under her legs - she knows the courses and how to train for them!

Click here to schedule a consultation

Tired of cycling in your basement alone? Peloton and Zwift has gotten old? Try live online group cycling with Be Fierce Multisport - now in Beta and accepting founding members!

Join our virtual group cycling beta at 👉 https://fierce.li/cycling

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