One of my most memorable moments here was when I first came to the island in 1990. The plane stops on the tarmac and you step out and down the airplane stairs on to the hot asphalt. It was very hot. That is what I remember most. But ever since then I have not had the same experience. It just has not felt as hot as the first time. Today as I arrived back in Kona it was again not that hot. In fact it was rather cool. Main reason was the Vog which stands for Volcanic Smog. The sun does not shine as strong as it looks like it is overcast. Remember the Beijing smog during the Olympics. Well it is similar. It is not a good thing if you have respiratory issues. In fact it is not good for anyone really.

The Vog is created by Volcanic gasses from one of the Big Island Volcanoes. The winds usually push the Vog to the Kona side of the island. A lady here at the Condo says that if you drive away from Kona you will be able to see the blue sky. The Vog affects Kailua Kona the most apparently.

Like during any overcast day the Vog sort of changes the mood of everything. But Kona seemed a little down to me. I did not see as many bikers and runners as usual but maybe is just the mood and the fact that it is still early. I am sure that will change soon as more and more athletes arrive. The race is still a week away.

Mark and I went for a 40 minute run down Alii Drive. That was fun as always. He is good at slowing down and keeping form. I on the other hand have to pick it up : - )

Tonight we went to dinner in town and to the grocery store for some essentials. Anytime you go anywhere with Mark you have to be prepared to stop for chats, pictures and autographs. That is the price of fame for winning this race 6 times I suppose

We saw Nina Kraft at the grocery store. Remember her? We have not really heard much about her but she can always be a contender. She is out of the limelight which is good for this race. I think she is good for top 3.

Well I got to get to bed as I have to swim some of our athletes at 7 AM for a swim and then have a chat about the swim and how to handle it.

Aloha and Mahalo