Mission Apolo Is Built By Chocolate Milk And Ready For Kona IRONMAN World Championship
The IRONMAN World Championship Built by Chocolate Milk series with Apolo Ohno and last year with Hines Ward, is a true testament to the recovery power of this delicious choco liquid drink and these aging athletes. I enjoyed blogging about their training habits, sports technology and build up to this Big Island event. Unfortunately, our Sports Techie community blog Q &A request to fellow Seattleite Ohno was again denied by the former speed skating world champion so we wish him and teammates, Jen Ator the best come Saturday.
IRONMAN Countdown
Enjoy the final countdown to the IRONMAN World Championship Got Milk video about Mission Apolo below. Watch the second to last episode here:
Mission Apolo Episode 7: The Big Island:
I have never been to Hawaii but many friends on social media post incredible photos on Facebook of island lifestyle and the beauty that surrounds this tropical paradise. A few friends have even finished a triathlon and qualified for the IRONMAN, which are tremendous accomplishments done without the expert training provided to Team Apolo by coach and eight-time IRONMAN(R) World Champion Paula Newby-Fraser .
Flying on an airplane from Los Angeles with fellow IRONMAN participants and then landing on Kona to the joy of the locals and tourists eases any pre-race anxiety that faces these first time rookies as it would sport veterans.
Final training on the island of Kailua-Kona gives them an opportunity to acclimate to the hot weather and fine tune the game plan for race day, something these dedicated Sports Techie competitors have been conditioning their bodies and minds over the last six months. Consuming protein and carbs is essential for providing the necessary fuel for your body to be able to handle the temperatures and calorie drain over the course of an IRONMAN. So is drinking cold chocolate milk while training or racing, in order to replenish electrolytes while providing sustainable and healthy energy, something sugar based recovery drinks cannot compete with.
Family
It is touching to see both athletes spend the week with their family, in particular their Dads. Having a supportive Father is something we have in common. My Dad trained and qualified for the Chicago Marathon until a brain aneurysm struck that almost killed him. Now he regularly rides a rode bike up in the altitude of Bend, OR while in his 70s. He is like a terrific role model like Apolo’s and Jen’s pop is too. Interesting enough, he was a milkman so we grew up drinking lots of milk. My toddler son has drunk nothing but organic milk since he made the transition from a bottle. You could say our family likes milk, and running, biking and swimming, just like IRONMAN athletes. I took him on a swim in our non-heating swimming pool here in Atlanta just last week so he could stay true to his Seattle roots we share with Ohno.
Ator is the Women’s Health Fitness Director. Sharing her feelings about her Daddy giving her confidence to overcome the challenges of the IRONMAN journey was heartfelt. Ohno spent time with his Dad when he arrived. Like any proud parent in 2014, he took some smartphone pictures of his son while training. The empathy shown by Mr. Ohno when he choking up telling the story about Ohno’s gold medal performance and resulting point into the air at the center of the ring in honor of him was special.
Final Preparations
Watching the video showing how racers familiarize themselves with the non-forgiving course over lava rock and in the Pacific Ocean gives us a good idea what the last seven days of physical and mental preparation is all about. I liked checking out the high caliber sports tech products like the race bikes, running shoes and dri-fit apparel, sunglasses, swim wear and training watches.
All the media hype, meet and greets, and interviews surrounding Team Apolo is obviously a distraction but that is why Chocolate Milk pays them to focus when training, or in front of an army of cameras. They both have to drive forward when they hit the “wall” or have to answer a reporters probing question. Ensuring recovery is done by staying true to the nutritional advice from the experts. Spending time with NASA astronauts and pilots, getting down to his skivvies on stage in front of an army of fans, is not easy but being a DWTS contestant and winter Olympic champion provided the kind of challenging experiences Ohno will need to rely on to finish the race.
They’re tapering, healing their bodies and getting their minds prepared for this once in a lifetime event. “Workouts are easy and focused on 10-20 percent recovery, physically and in nutrition,” said Newby-Fraser. A mix of protein, electrolytes and carbs are important to load up on when your training volume decreases making Chocolate Milk an essential part of recovery.
Sports Techie, Once race day arrives there will be no more Skypeing with friends, worrying about work editorial deadlines, or analyzing split times, pace goals and transitional area mechanics. It will be about the now, realizing your true potential and listening to your well–trained body while staying the course.
There’s only one stop left on their Mission Apolo journey – race days 2.4 mike swim, 112 miles of cycling and 26.2 mile run, all in under 17 hours. A life-changing 4:00 a.m. wake up call is just about here.
Thanks to gotchocolatemilk.com for the opportunity to follow another IRONMAN winner. You can be part of the fan experience and encourage Team Apolo at hashtag #missionapolo.
See y’all later in Seattle and here in Atlanta.
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