Yesterday I started my day with my ritual coffee and banana followed by dry whole wheat waffle before I ran for 30 minutes. The run felt great- easy pace, just waking up the legs and I finished feeling very pleased — my legs feel light and strong.

Mel arrived Tuesday night after an 18 hour day of travel from the east coast. Her clock is all jacked up, so she was ready to get to the pier and swim. Exercise always gets your mind and body back on track. The pier is noticeably more hectic as more and more athletes and their families are arriving by the day. I bumped into a couple folks I knew, chatted for a minute or two and then swam. There are two huge cruise ships anchored off shore and in general, there is a lot more activity in Kailua.

Swam for an easy 20 minutes to loosen up and noticed the water was not as calm as it was the day before. After the swim, we headed to Green Flash… my new favorite local spot for smoothies. They don’t have a website, but I found someone’s blog and they had a nice write-up about Green Flash.

I ordered the Green Flash smoothie and it was amazing. They don’t use any ice in their smoothies… ingredients: papaya, mango, apple juice, spinach and mint. It looked like guacamole… and tasted sweet, healthy and amazing!

We loaded back in the mini van and drove some of the bike course. I did Honu 70.3 last year, so was familiar with the course from the Mauna Lani up to Hawi. However, I had not checked out the first 20+ miles of the Ironman bike course, so this was the time to check it out. Lots of athletes out on the Queen K. I noted a great spot to park the car and tomorrow (Thursday) the plan is to drive there with the bikes and ride from there. There is still a great deal of construction by the bike start, so along with cars, cyclists and pedestrian traffic, I prefer to drive out a little way and get on the highway. I need to get confident with the wind and not distracted by the traffic in town.

We returned back to the Sugar Shack and I hung out with my feet up the rest of the afternoon until my massage at 5:30. My massage therapist Mark in Newport Beach got me hooked up with a colleague and fellow board member of his here in Kona. Pua is local, a nurse, certified in A.R.T and has many other creditentials to her name. She shared with me that she worked on Natasha Badmann and Joanna Lawn earlier that day. The day before, Chris McCormick. Oh my god, I’m in the presence of greatness! We talked about my regular therapy at home, my training, etc… then we got started. Pua’s energy is calming and supportive… immediately I felt protected in her presence and knew I was here for a reason.

Tibetan bells were chanting in the background and I knew from the moment she started, I was being blessed in some way. She educated me on Goddess Pele, Hawaiian goddess of fire and volcanoes. Pua said she wants to give her energy, so accept it, don’t seek it out- just feel it.

My shoulders and neck have always been a nagging problem and after some work, my shoulders dropped a couple inches- no joke. I was on my stomach and she stabilized my scapula and as I did a slow swim stroke, everything started to break up. My left side was worse and then I felt a huge release… like oxygen was pumped into my body. One of my ribs was slightly out of place and it dropped back in. Wow. Mark- we have to do this back in Newport! Pua also used special stones from the Island that were hot and meant to energize my body. As I was lying on my back, eyes closed knowing that the massage was coming to an end; she sang me a traditional Hawaiian song asking for the creators to protect me on Saturday and give me strength. It was absolutely beautiful and truly a special moment and one that I will never forget. I couldn’t understand the words she sang except when I heard her sing my name and I thanked her for the special gift she gave me. I got off the table and Pua said, “Wow, you are energized and glowing”. I relayed to her how special my experience was and that I was appreciative beyond words… I was emotional and started to tear up. Pua said, “It worked, it spoke to your heart “…I’m emotional just writing this as I have been longing for this experience since I was a child and here I am… race day 48 hours away.