Kim Loeffler Racing

Week 1 in Kona

I can’t believe I’ve been in Kona for a week already.  Where does the time go!  The week totally flew by.  I flew out last Wednesday with my mom and early this week Brian and his family, Kelly and Tanja all arrived.  I have a great support crew this year! 

I got in some good training sessions on the course.  Last weekend, I drove up to Waikaloa and ride up to Hawi and back.  I was surprised how windy it was out there! Being so light, the winds can really push me around, so ideal for me would be light winds on the bike and hot and sunny for the run.  However this is Hawaii, so I’m sure we will get all that and more!  The following day, I drove out to the energy lab with my water girl (mom!) for my weekly long run (1 hour ha!) I  threw in some tempo efforts and felt great.  Check out my new race shoes in the photo below.  I call them my ABA’s (American Bad Ass shoes).   They’re seriously the perfect race shoe.  Anyone who saw my feet after Kona last year and then after LP this year would attest to that!  What a difference!  

It feels so good to be here healthy and relaxed and just ready to go out race and give it my all.  I’m so relaxed this year.  My theme is just to race for the love of the sport and be grateful that I am healthy and able to live this wonderful lifestyle.  This was my attitude in 2005, when I finished 8th.  Sure, I had the goal of breaking into the top 10 like everyone else, but I felt so fit and I was just so excited to race and test myself against the best athletes in the world.  I came to Kona last year so angry and frustrated.  I was angry that in 06, I had a stomach bug and had a horrible race, I was angry that I separated my shoulder and missed Lake Placid and 2 months of racing and I was angry that I arrived in Kona with a leg injury (later to find out it was a femoral stress fracture).  This year, I am just trying to focus on all the positive experiences that I’ve had, not just this year but over the course of the past 7 years.  Always remembering why I am here in Kona, what drew me here back in 2000 and why I come back every year. I’ll give it my all on Saturday and as long as I do that, I will be happy when I cross the finish line.  I’m living my dream.