Kona Bound: IM Tulsa Race Report

Well, here it is. The race report of all race reports! Let's get right to it; I qualified for Kona!!! And, a huge shout out to my bestie and training partner Mitch for his KQ as well! We’ve been in this together for a while now, and I couldn’t be happier to accomplish this with him. Also, a massive thanks to Brent for getting me ready these last 6 months. Preparation was on point.

Incredible surprise from my neighbors and fellow Ironman athletes

Race Morning: 1 word - stressful. Waking up at 3:30 was the earliest start for any race I’ve done. There was a solid line of cars trying to get to the shuttles as we got close. I ended up getting out of the car and walking ½ mile. Shuttles were behind and as I got to T1, they were already calling the pros and 60 minute/faster swimmers to start lining up. I did my best to stay calm and not miss anything with my transition set-up. Once I had everything set, except for pumping my tires, they were calling swimmers 40 minutes slower than my projected swim time. They wouldn’t let us bring our own bike pumps to the swim start, and I knew my latex tubes were probably 20 psi lower than I’d want. I ended up asking an athlete if he knew where the pumps were and he just lent me his. Life saver! Mitch also bumped into me and we hoofed it over to the swim start. Once we got there, we had plenty of time to get our wetsuits on and take a breather before sneaking over to the faster swim lane.

WE are going to Kona!

The Swim (1:02:32 – 119th): My swim was great. It started with a fist bump from Mike Reilly before diving in. Water temp was 67 degrees and perfect for staying cool in the wetsuit. There was a fair amount of bumping in the first half, but things started to spread out after that. It started raining part way, but it barely affected the visibility. At the first orange buoy, I checked my watch and was on track to swim under 65. It had been so long since I swam a 2.4, and the swim felt like it took forever and half. I was very ready to be done and actually looked forward to getting on my bike in the rain. This was my fastest lake swim in a wetsuit, and I think there may have been a slight benefit from a current pulling from the Arkansas River.

T1 (3:39): It was still raining coming out of the swim, and the boat ramp was very steep. My bike was in one of the closer racks, so I had quite a way to run in my clips. They didn’t allow flying mounts, and with how rough the asphalt was, I opted to put my cycling shoes on at my bike. After 150 yards of clickity clack, I was on the bike. Moved up 3 positions in my AG.

Bike (5:11:58 – 75^th): With wet roads and rain, I took the first few miles nice and steady to settle in and get comfortable. The 2 worst sections of the bike were in the first 15 miles, so I focused on getting through them safely. 1 section was steep descents with sharp turns and potholes. The 2^nd was covered in mud from truckers leaving a quarry. Once I made it through that and found some better road, I was ready to dial in. There were only a few short sections on that course where I could more or less shut my mind off and ride. Most of it required a lot of focus and was more mentally taxing than anything. We did have a solid 30 minute break from the rain, and those miles clicked by. It was around mile 80 that I was feeling ready to get off that bike. I remember being pretty miserable and wondered why I do this to myself. Several times I throttled back on the watts and HR just to get some relief, but even so…I was very happy with my split holding 21.5mph.

T2 (2:09): With it raining again as I was coming into transition, I opted to take my flying dismount very slowly. Everything went smoothly and I took my time to make sure: my socks were comfortable, shoes were tight, and nutrition was accounted for. I stepped through my race belt (just like I see the pros do), grabbed my hat/Gu’s and was off.

Wife knew exactly what I needed and when

Run (3:02:53 – 34^th): I took off on that run feeling better than I ever have after the bike. I knew the first 2 miles were net downhill, but it still felt great averaging 6:40s below my target HR. Once the course flattened out, I settled in around 6:50 pace with HR right where I wanted it. I needed a GU very early on, and wasn’t going to be shy about taking them (lesson learned from Haines City). I was feeling great through about 9 miles, and then I remembered just how long a marathon actually takes. I started to bite off smaller pieces and focused on getting back to my family around mile 12. After I passed them and started my 2^nd lap, I was in 5^th place with a 7 minute gap to 4^th. Hoping he would fade, I just stuck to my HR numbers. I hit the first half in 1:30 (net downhill), and hoped I could hold on for a 3:05. This is where I found those dark places. Several times in that 2^nd half, I let off the gas. I kept my HR lower than my limit instead of pressing into it like I should have. My gut was also having issues, and I told myself I’d be fine just running 7:15s to close it out. “I’ll still be under 9:30 with a 3:10 run”. Despite those valleys, I stayed fairly consistent in that low 7:00 range but felt like I may have had more. Once I got to the last turnaround and was heading back, I focused on getting to coach Brent and my family. Brent was first with 5K to go, and he told me what I needed to hear. “Now is NOT the time to let up.” After passing him, he zoomed by me on a scooter and kept at me each time I passed him. That got me to 2 miles left. This is where I saw my dad, and he told me 1s out of 4^th. The last person I saw was my wife. “You know that moment you always talk about? Well THIS IS IT!” That was all I needed to hear in order to close it out. The uphill finish was rough, but none of that mattered. If it's hurting me, it's killing them. I closed in a 7:02 and 6:36 up the climbs. Once I rounded that last corner to the finish, I don’t remember a thing. I had tunnel vision and can't even recall the finish chute. I barely remember hearing Mike Reilly’s voice calling me across the line.

Post race: If I had to look back at my highlight of the entire race, it was grabbing hold of the fence after crossing the line to hold myself up. As I was dangling there catching my breath, I turned back at the finish arch and saw my name with my time. 9:23:10. This was when I had my first breakdown and cried. Once I picked myself up, I grabbed my finisher gear and made my way out. When I saw my dad, he told me I ran my way to 3^rd Age Group and 7^th Overall Amateur in those last 2 miles. This is the 2^nd time I broke down. Everything hit me, and I pretty much knew a Kona slot was earned.

Closing thoughts. I’ve already written more than most of you probably wanted to read, so I want to leave you with this. Know that no goal or dream is too big to achieve. This one required 3 years of consistent training and dedication to reach. Even now I am still processing the race and the accomplishment...so if you have any questions/want more detail PLEASE give me a shout. I’m sure I’ll be talking about this one for a long time.

Thank you to everyone for your love and support that helped me get to this point. I couldn’t have done it without you <3

Thank You!

    IM Tulsa is less than 3 weeks away! I started training for a Kona slot 3 years ago, and I am starting to feel the pressure as race day approaches. But, that’s not what this post is about. This is about everybody in my corner, everyone that has been backing me up. These last few weeks have overwhelmed me with gratitude from my friends and supporters.

My phone blew up while I was racing at Haines City a few weeks back. It took me nearly an hour to get back to everyone that was following along. There were also so many friends that actually read my race report, down to the detail of me throwing salt in my eye. I appreciate all of you, and I will think of everyone following along as I cross each timing mat.

          I also want to truly thank some close friends of mine. You brought me to tears earlier this week with your thoughtfulness, and that’s what led me to write this novel. This Tri-Trunk is one of the kindest gestures I have ever received. Not only will it make life easier packing/transporting my gear to races, it also takes a lot of stress out of the whole process. You already got me started with some stickers, and I plan on adding more and more until the trunk is covered. Each sticker will represent an event, team, sponsor, person, or memory. All these stickers will be memories that I take with me to every race, and they will serve as a reminder that I’m not doing this alone.

          I also borrowed a bike carrying case for my trip to Haines City. When I went to return it after the race, I was told to keep it as a gift for my hard work and effort. Triathlon is not cheap, and a bike case was something that has prevented me from traveling outside the Midwest. Plus, I am going to need for Kona someday! This couple also lent me a Kona finisher medal to hold onto until I have my own. I see it every single day, and it gives me constant motivation to put in the necessary work to earn one.

          Two of my amazing local sponsors are Quad Cities Marathon and J-Works Premier Pressure Washing Services.

I have been fortunate to develop a strong relationship with the local running community and have paced the marathon 3 times so far. The QC marathon has supported me with a new a pair of training shoes each year and they even let me snag a few boxes of nutrition. I love this community, and I’m so happy to have their support.

J Works is owned by a close friend and training partner who raced as a pro for several years. He loves giving back to the community and is so gracious to support me in working toward my goals of qualifying for Kona and eventually racing professionally.

Finally, my triathlon racing team: WATTIE INK. I was honored to join the Elite Team in 2020 when racing was almost non-existent. Despite the Vid, there has been overwhelming support from them virtually through our team page. I also had the chance to meet a few amazing teammates in person. One in particular… (who creeped on me via Strava) became my best friend and training partner. And he just so happened to move within 25 minutes of me within a year of that. Always pushing me to be better and making countless century rides fly by, I couldn’t have asked for a better buddy.

Alright, I think I’ve said enough. If you’ve made it this far, I am truly grateful for you hanging on and celebrating everyone in my corner with me. Someone once said it takes an army, and that’s no joke. ^This is proof enough =)

 

Haines City 70.3 Race Report

 So... I haven’t posted anything yet this year, and I had plenty of time to kill at the airport. So while the race is still fresh in my mind, let’s get a recap:

Haines City was a free race for me thanks to Wattie Ink, and I had by buddy Mitch to travel down here with. It also lined up well in my schedule to get a warmer race in before Ironman Tulsa. Coming from the Midwest, I hadn’t had the opportunity to train in weather warmer than 60 degrees, so the 80’s and humidity shocked the body a bit. I didn’t quite have the race I wanted, but I left it all out there and came away with a solid result and new knowledge.

Pre-Race with my bestie

Pre-Race: We flew down the Friday before the race, and this was the first time I’ve packed my bike. Everything went smooth on that end, and my gear was all ready to go. 
When referencing my place, I’m excluding the pros. 

1000 yard swim at Lucky's before the race

Swim (32:22 – 49th): The swim was not wetsuit legal, so I swam in my QR swim skin. A very interesting swim being an “M” shape, but I thought I handled it well. I started farther back than I would have liked, but athletes were jumping the line to start sooner. I made a fair number of passes and maintained a comfortably hard effort. I was very happy with how I swam even though the results show me 10th in my age group out of the water. 

 

T1 (4:09): I was a little more winded than normal coming up out of the water, and transition was around 1/2 mile. The bike started uphill after the mount line, and my rack was closer to the end of transition. I opted to skip the flying mount and put my shoes on at my bike. After ripping off one of the back straps to pull up my right shoe, I was on my way.

Looking back at the tracker, I jumped up 17 places to 32nd with this transition. 

 

Bike (2:22:07 - 26th): I spent the first 15-20 miles passing quite a few people during the windier section of the bike. From the tracker, I moved up 14 places to 18th during the first 16 miles. On the bike it was hot with the sun out, and we fought a headwind for the first half of the ride. I paid close attention to drinking enough fluid with my 35oz aero bottle and stayed well hydrated. My power was about 10-15 watts lower than my target, so I switched over to perceived effort and HR to gauge how hard to push. I’d say I road smart but ran my HR a little high. I also sprinted by a draft line so they couldn’t grab my wheel, and I may have overcooked it a bit there. Off bike I was sitting in 20th, and my split was 8th for my age group. 

 

T2 (3:07): Another long transition, and a very annoying one with how far I needed to push my bike with flopping shoes. I ended up stopping to pull them off to not risk losing one. Socks and shoes came on quick, and I was off. 

 

Last 1/2 mile I gave it everything

Run (1:25:48 - 23rd): Normally the run is my time to shine, but I was not able to hit the pace I was expecting. I had to slow down considerably to keep my HR in check, and even then, I maintained over 170bpm after mile 1. Without any feedback on race position, I focused on maintaining my effort and stayed on damage control. I hit the aid stations efficiently grabbing around 4 cups per (Water, ice in kit, Gatorade and more ice or dumping water).

My 1 major mishap was shaking my salt without my thumb over the top. So at mile 3, I threw all of my salt into my eye... yeah...

I also heavily bonked miles 8-9, slowing my pace by 40s/mile. After getting a Gu in me (that I should have taken at mile 6), I was back on pace.

With 2 miles to go, I bumped my HR into the 180s and hit a high of 191 at the finish. My run was the 4th fastest for my age group.

 

Wattie Ink Elite Team with some hardware!

Summary: This was my first Ironman event in over a year and a half! The last few races I did were smaller with much less competition, so I was excited to see how I’d stack up. With the venue in Florida, my body was not used to the heat and humidity after training in the Midwest all Winter. I made it a point to spend as much time outside as I could, even eating dinner in the back of our Airbnb.

My swim was very strong, and probably the leg I am the happiest with. Even after decreasing my weekly swim yards from 10,000 to 5-6K, I still held a solid pace of 1:31/100 yards.

I think I handled the bike well despite not being able to hold my goal watts. I switched to racing by feel/HR, but still feel like I overexerted just a little bit by the end.

When I got to the run, I thought I was ready to run down most of the field. After seeing my HR hit 170 on mile 1 at 6:40 pace, I knew I was in trouble. I mostly focused on maintaining the effort and staying on damage control. I had 1 nutritional hiccup, and probably added a minute to my time had I taken my Gu when I needed to.

I finished the last mile strong but was carrying a lot of grit on my face. Overall, I am happy with my 3^rd place Age Group and 8^th Overall Amateur finish. But, I can tell you I am not fully satisfied. The 2 athletes that beat me in my AG also went 1 & 2 overall, and they beat me by 10 minutes. This is tough for me to swallow since I was such a distant 3^rd in a race I thought I could win.

Swimming and 10k PR

A 10k PR and lots of swimming! It’s been a long time since my last post, so I thought a Thanksgiving recap was in order. Since October, I increased my swimming to 20k/week and backed down on cycling/running. So for October and November, I hit 170,000 yards (just shy of 100 miles!)

Before 20k/week when my beard was shorter

To wrap up the month, I decided to put all of my swim fitness to the test. On the last day, I swam a 2.4 mile (4250 yard) TT to cap off that training block. To my surprise, I felt great and finished in 1:00:44 (1:26/100). I rarely swim that long without giving my eyes a break from the goggles, so I did flip on my back to readjust them around halfway. It only cost me a few seconds, but I don’t normally have issues with my open water goggles. All in all, I was pleased with the results (now to fix that efficiency!)

10k

The highlight of my Thanksgiving was definitely this 10k. I originally signed up for a local 5 mile Turkey Trot to remember what it’s like to run fast. After it went virtual, I decided to shoot for a 10k PR since I’ve only raced 1 during an Olympic Tri. My dad was also in town for the race and wanted to set a new 5k PR for himself as well. 

I jogged down to my favorite flat back road to warm up, and my wife and brother met me with the car. After ditching the sweats, I took off with my personal escort. I was hoping to hold 5:40’s, so that was my target off the bat. I didn’t really set a HR cap for myself since I naturally slow down when I’m pushing more than I can sustain. Not gonna lie, I felt pretty smooth out there and hit the first 5k in about 17:14 (18s off my PR). At that point my HR was at 180bpm, but I didn’t feel like I was “struggling” until about 4 miles. I hammered down until the end and posted a 34:42 (5:35/mi). I was very pleased with my splits since the back half was into the wind. Mile splits were: 5:34, 5:37, 5:30, 5:37, 5:38, 5:36. Being my first standalone 10k, I think I prefer this distance over a 5k. 

Pre-5k smiles

After catching my breath, it was my dad’s turn to race his 5k. I wasn’t sure what his exact goal was, but I believed he could hold 8:20 pace. We set out, and I could tell he was pushing it early on. He ended up having a fantastic race and finished in 25:41 (8:16/mi). This was a 1:43 (over 30s/mi) PR from his time 1 year ago! 

As for me what's next, there is less than 6 months until Ironman Tulsa. All of my focus will be on building to peak performance for race day. 

All the best and stay safe! 

USAT Rankings

    It’s been a while since my last post, and I just came across something I found worth sharing. This year has been crazy, and the triathlon world has certainly been impacted. With that being said, many races are now starting back up, so I know this won’t last long. But! As of today, I am ranked #1 in the US in the 25-29 age group! I will forever save this screenshot showing that part way through the season, I was on top.

    Little disclaimer here, USAT dropped the requirements to only include 2 races this year instead of 3. So right now, 2 of my 3 are being counted. I am hoping that my 3^rd race will actually boost my score even more when they add it. But once more races are added for other athletes, the rankings will shift. Regardless, it’s been fun stalking the results to see where I stack up. Moving forward, I still have a lot to accomplish, and I refuse to let cockiness get the better of me in my preparations.

    So what’s next? I’m so glad you asked! Right now, I am focused on maintaining my fitness and keeping my body ready for a high volume block of training after Thanksgiving. Until then, I will: keep all of my runs in Zone 2 (25 mi/week max), limit myself to 1 killer bike workout/week, have a heavy focus on strength training, and swim a ton of yards. For me, a “ton of yards” is hitting 15,000 a week instead of 10,000… Would love to hear how many yards you all swim each week anddd any advice on breaking that 1 hr barrier =) Also, my watch switches from yards to miles after 5,000.

Wasn't sure how many yards I was ending with

    Another piece of exciting news (more exciting than my well timed USAT ranking) is that my dad ran his first marathon! He has put in so much work to get to this point, and I could not be prouder. (I had to Google proud vs. more proud if you were wondering that too). From his first 5k to a freaking marathon, my dad has come an incredibly long way. After tackling these numerous sub goals, he is now ready to take on an Ironman. For me, I am even more driven to take a Kona slot at Ironman Tulsa. If I can get it done this Spring, I can give dad my full support at Madison instead of trying to qualify again. Regardless, 2021 will be an exciting year for my family!

Dad's first marathon complete!

            That’s all for now. Never hesitate to hit me up with questions or if you just want to chat.

Matt

200 Miler Because, Why Not?

Alright… I know I was going to give everyone a break, but this is “technically” not a race report! Even though I raced 5 70.3’s this year (3 virtual, 1 was with dad), I wanted to do something that felt more like a full. So with no races until May, I wanted to really challenge myself. Before taking recovery time then building into Ironman Tulsa, I wanted to ride 200 miles. In training I typically average around 20mph, so that’d put me right at 10 hours (hopefully 170-180W will be enough). Since I finished Madison in 10:00:32, I figured that would fill the void.

All Smiles at 6:30AM

Prep and Planning

I knew it was going to be a long day, so I chose to wear my race kit (it’s the most comfortable thing I own). I started out with 2 Gatorade bottles and my 35 oz aero bottle with water (300 calories). I also took 2 Cliff bars, 10 shot blocks and a Gu (900 calories). I figured this would be enough to get me past halfway before my first stop. My goal was 200 cal/hr, but I had no problem adjusting if I felt like I needed more. I targeted an average watt output of 165 for the first 100 and would increase from there if my legs felt good enough to do so.

 

How’d It Go?

Well it was definitely something. It certainly wasn’t as difficult as an Ironman, but it challenged me in a different way. I was out on the roads by myself for 9+ hours with no reason to keep riding other than internal motivation. That being said, my motivation to push hard was to simply get off my bike sooner. I took 1 potty stop at 40 miles and fuel stops at 120 & 150. Ready for some numbers???

Total Elapsed Time: 10 hours and 17 seconds

Riding Time/Pace: 9 hours and 19 minutes/21.5mph

Average Power: 183W (191 normalized)

Average HR: 137BPM

Elevation Gain: 5000 ft

The Deets:

I started the ride from my house as soon as it was light (6:30am). Luckily there was little traffic during the 3 miles it takes me to leave town, so my pace was good to start. The wind was already blowing at 8mph, and quickly increased to 12+ by 9am.

I needed a potty stop 40 miles into the ride and wasn’t too happy stopping so early. I quickly got back on and wanted to ride until I reached a gas station at mile 120 before pausing again. Any time I was fighting the wind, I threw my watt goal aside and was pushing in the 190-200 range, so my initial average of 165 quickly rose to 180W. I was just starting to run out of fluids as I rolled up to the Casey’s at 120. I refilled my bottles with Gatorade and snagged an extra Cliff Bar.

 

A lot of strange looks at Casey's 

I was at a 21mph average when I left, and I had a beautiful cross-tailwind for a 30 mile stretch south. I average around 26mph with the help, and it almost brought me to 22mph. From miles 120-150 I enjoyed the speed and sitting up whenever I wanted to stretch my sore neck. I got sick of sugar/Gatorade and wished I bought a bottle of water (stupid 3 for $4 deal…). When I got my last chance for aid at 150, I opted to stop 1 last time to refill a bottle with just water to make sure I had enough fluids to get home.

 

From this point on, I had 50 miles of straight headwind to get home. The good news was that the wind weakened in the late afternoon. This made a huge difference when it came to my average speed. I pretty much put my head down and stayed in aero as much as possible as I worked my way home. It wasn’t until mile 170 that my legs really started to bug me and I was struggling to maintain the 180 watts I had been holding. My shoulders and neck had been sore since the Casey’s, but I kept telling myself 30 miles is only 1.5 hrs if I can just hold 20mph. I don’t remember that last bit much, but I just wanted to be done. Ty was kind enough to come pick me up so I wasn’t riding in traffic all disoriented.

 

Would I do this again?

I am writing this a day after I finished, and I’d say yeah… I’d do it again. The effects on my body do feel similar* to an Ironman with my easy swim being challenging. I couldn’t catch my breath and was swimming 10s/100 slower than normal. If I were to ever ride much over 100, I’d want to at least have someone join me for part of it. A little company goes a long way, and it’d help to share the load and relax behind someone’s wheel for short stints. All in all, I’m so happy I set this silly goal for myself and I believe I came out a better and stronger cyclist for it.

 

Multiple athletes have said this, so I don’t know who to quote…but, “If your dreams don’t scare you, they aren’t big enough”. This was something that I thought a lot about, because 200 miles actually scared me a bit. Especially since my longest ride was 120 miles from 3 years ago. So if you take nothing else from my musings, don’t be afraid to challenge yourself. The reward at the end is worth it.

My first Olympic Triathlon

*Trying to keep this one short. Going into this race I wasn’t sure how my body would respond the week after a 70.3, but I welcomed the challenge. This was also my first Olympic, so I was excited to try a new distance. Sorry for the lack of pictures. Dad got to race with me!

Team Wattie Ink got some hardware

Pre-Race: The swim course looked like it was going to be short again. The bike course was quick with only 3 turns, a turnaround and 3 turns back. I didn’t scope out the run course because it was all trail paths.

Swim (20:39 – 6^th): The swim was very warm, so I didn’t bother with my swim skin. I started in the elite wave (maybe 10-15 people?), and it was a washing machine for the first 100 yards. Once we strung out, the swim was simple...2 straight out and backs. I was a little surprised to be 6^th out of the water and probably should have pushed a little harder. My watch only showed 1200 yards at 1:39/100, so the swim was almost 500 yards short.

T1 (0:26 – 1^st): I was the fastest T1 by 5s, so I’ll take that as a little win. I passed 1 person, took my time mounting the bike and used my hands more to get those cycling shoes on.

Bike (0:59:51 – 3^rd): The bike was quick with small rolling hills. I only passed 1 person because apparently 3^rd and 4^th place somehow took a wrong turn. I never saw them until after the turnaround, *but that’s what they get for forming a peloton. The guy even had the nerve to tell me he sucked wheel on the bike since “cycling isn’t his thing”. Sorry, just had to get that out =) I was very impressed with my pace of 24.8mph at 244W, and I kept my HR up averaging 165BPM. One of my personal goals is to hit a 40k in under an hour, so I was right there. Very happy with that split the week after a 70.3.

T2 (0:46 – 5^th): I was going to take a chance and race barefoot knowing I’d blister by mile 3, but 1^st place was way out of range and I didn’t think the extra 10s would cost me 2^nd. So, I rolled my socks on like last race and was on my way.

Run (34:35 – 2^nd): I was getting used to being the fastest runner in previous races, but not today! My plan was to go out at a 6:00 while staying under 170BPM for the first mile. I hit a 5:59 then pushed until my HR climbed to 175. Since 10K is not a distance I am familiar with, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. I ended up averaging 5:46 pace, and with the course 0.2 mi short, my actual* 10k would be around 35:50. I only missed the fastest split by 4s, so I’ll take that as another little win.

Post-Race (1:56:15 – 2^nd): After crossing the finish line in 2^nd place, I had the chance to meet and catch up with Ben Stone. He had been waiting a whole 6 minutes for me to cross, and it was very humbling to have raced against him. 3^rd place came in 3 minutes after me, so the podium was fairly spread out. 

Forgot to take a picture until we got home

Summary: Overall, I was the most disappointed with my swim since I lost the most time (4 minutes). For distances that are shorter, I need to work on pushing my pace more. Also open to suggestions! Transitions were short, and I posted 2 of the fastest splits. The bike course was fast, and I held 24.8mph. My bike was completely stripped down except for my flat kit and single bottle, so that helped as well (lost 2 more minutes). Starting the run, my brother told me I had a 6-minute gap and the guy was the fast. Rather than getting myself down, I set out to run the best 10k I was capable of and secured 2^nd place.

I put together my best race and came up way short. I was prepared and my body recovered, but Ben proved to be in a different league. My biggest takeaway is that, even though I’ve come an incredibly long way, there is still a lot more to do before I can claim my Kona slot.