Conference in Boston

Tuesday and Wednesday I attended a conference. It is quite difficult to sit on one spot for 6 hours in a row right after having a nice active vacation for 3 weeks :) But I managed :)

Boston World Trade Center

As it goes with conferences there is a formal banquet - this was on Tuesday. On the first coffee break I met a nice crowd of Spanish entrepreneurs so banquet was whole lot more fun thanks to them. At the end of the second day we attended a short shopping trip :) and had a wonderful dinner at The Cheesecake Factory in city-center. I was in heaven, with all the possible flavors of the godly cheesecakes - they had a whole menu for the cakes! YUMM!

My heaven :D :D

On Thursday I had a wonderful opportunity to visit Massachusetts Medical Device Development Center (M2D2) in Lowell. We were taken there with a bus, once arrived we got a very thorough overview of how the development center (or rather an incubator for medical device startups) was created and how it is built up for entrepreneurs to get their innovations to the market. Next the local entrepreneurs gathered to have lunch with us and gradually each one of them gave an overview of their products, basically they gave their pitch :)

Just to name a few:
Infobionic - they are developing MoMe system with the first product being cardiac arrhythmias detection
206 Ortho - they are developing next generation bone fracture fixation technology where no major surgery is needed
Another one was developing a new kind of needle technology where needle stick injuries would be prevented
One then there were some very specific ones that I can't even start to explain with my own words... like VasoTech for an example :)

All those amazing inventions coming out of there! The way this development center collaborates with University of Massachusetts is another innovation to talk about. There are three departments that work very closely with the development center - engineering, business and medical department. Any market analysis that needs to get done is carried out by the students in business school for an example - this way the students have real life cases to work on as well. Medical facilities have all the needed laboratories and devices available for the experiments and trials that the startups need. It is all just that simple, with some amount of co-operation all the bits and pieces are tied into one full life cycle of product development. Boston area is famous for such settings of course as there are just such great universities around here.

The trip to Lowell was definitely an eye-opener of how university and startup scene can be tied into one whole innovation center.

Boston city view

Getting from Minnesota to Boston - 21.10

Moose and Meely resting from a tiring morning with the kids :)

Got to take a road-trip with all the 4 buns all the way to Duluth :) They are all so cute, they fight for the seats and then of course they can't sit still once in the car. Singing mixed with yelling and talking and fighting and screaming and crying. And there is 4 of them! And they are so adorable :)

I got lucky that I got to the airport nice and early, 2.5hrs before my flight. There were no lines and all was nice and quiet. Although I'm not sure if Duluth airport ever even gets crowded :D It is a tiny place. There is probably 1 flight going to Canada so they call it an international airport. But the airport is nice and they have free wireless!

Ok, but about the check-in. Grrr. My original booking had 2 flights for this day: Duluth-Chicago and then Chicago-Philadelphia. But as my travel plan got changed then the second flight got changed to Chicago-Boston. Should not be a problem right? Well. Guess again. First problem was that the second flight got another booking code, so it was not possible to check me in all the way through. It is a small airport and "they are not trained in for this" was the explanation. So it would have been perhaps possible, but the biggest issue was that the second flight was with another airline :O That is where the problems started - they have no authority. The guy at the check-in desk was really trying, he even called the support line, even that did not help as the answer was "no can do". Unbelievable.

Hello Chicago once again!

So what was the solution? Had to collect my luggage in Chicago and do another full check-in with the other airline once in Chicago. There went my 2.5hrs of layover time. Joys of traveling!

I was so happy once I arrived in Boston. It was a nice surprise to find a full suite when I entered my hotel room :) With a living room, kitchen corner, bathroom (with a nice bath) and a bedroom with a huuuge bed and both rooms had a TV that covered the whole wall :D My week in Boston will be so very nice!

Visiting Nikki in Minnesota

The recovery time from the travels was 15 hours of sleep :D Even the kids running around did not manage to disturb it :) Days here in Nikki's house are very nice and quiet when the kids are in day care - once they are at home then there is lots of energy in the air. Quite a bit of running around and screaming and sometimes crying and playing with the tools and toys and all kinds of other activities. It is fun, the kids are nice and Nikki is doing a good job keeping them lined up :)

Kids getting acquainted with all the Halloween goodies

Before my travels Nikki was asking what I liked to do once in Minnesota - all I wanted was just to spend time with her. I'd be just so glad to go to movies, cook, help with the kids or just go for a walk - as long as we get to chat a way and get updated with our doings.

Daily discipline and timetable is quite strict in this house. Kids go to sleep nice and early, around 7 in the evening, so we have plenty of time to catch up on lost times with a glass of wine and a movie :) Mostly the days go with the same rhythm and logistics is an important part when there are 4 kids to look after.

Saturday morning soccer game

Saturday morning, 19th of October, started with a soccer game for Wyatt and Colten - the oldest boys. They had 2 games at the Y, with all the parents camping out by the field and cheering the kids on - what a sight!

Something I have been graving for all those 2 years - Domino's pizza with cheesy bread. This was one of my requests for food choice :), so we had a nice pepperoni pizza for lunch :) It turns out that nowadays they have only stuffed cheesy bread, both me and Nikki are quite outdated on their menu changes :D

Once the house gets too crowded and noisy it is time for a nice walk outside. Nikki lives out from the city so whichever way one wants to walk there are trees all over and not much traffic on the small roads.

Just like on most days there is a time to play with the kids, in the early evening to the movies we went, just me and Nikki - 3D movie this time, Gravity.

Sunday morning when we all woke up it was snowing. Ended up snowing the whole day :) Kids had the most fun having a snowball fight on the porch - they scraped up the little snow they found and threw the snowballs at each other.

Ryans' parents invited us for lunch in town, yet another meal type that I miss over the years - one of the huuuge breakfasts they cook up for you over here. Hash-browns, pancakes, french toast, omelets, eggs and bacon and biscuit and gravy - oh yum! All this with chocolate milk and lemonade. What else can one soul wish for?

My last day here in Minnesota, yet another packing manic ongoing :) Tomorrow afternoon I fly out from Duluth.

Getting from Hawaii to Minnesota - 16.10

It took me a while to figure out the dress code for the travels. I needed to be at the airport 3 hours before my flight ... but the airport is an open air one so you just have to stay in this heat the whole time. But once you get in the plane it is getting a whole lot colder immediately. So jeans and fleece is needed at once :)

Airport in Kailua-Kona

My flight plan had 2 longer flights of 5 hours and second one almost 4 hours, last one being a red-eye. Once in Chicago there was 4 hour layover - luckily I found free Internet there so the time flew by nice and quick.

Welcome to Chicago!!!

Since it is not allowed to bring any liquids through security, what I do is I carry an empty bottle with me. Once past the security I fill it up with water. It is always such a bugger to fill the bottle using the drinking fountain - finally they have made it easier.. found this in Chicago airport:

I helped to eliminate waste from the 42047th disposable plastic bottle

So glad this cold rain is on the other side of the glass :)

In the afternoon I finally landed in Duluth - after some 20 hours of traveling I finally made it. Had been waiting to see Nikki for the longest time - so very glad to be here!

Welcome to Duluth!!!

Not so happy about the weather forecast as it shows snow for the next four days :) Quite a change from 30C to 0C :D

Had nice lunch in Duluth with Nikki - just the two of us, getting synced with our doings of the past 2 years and the time just flies by. Time to head to Virginia and pick up all the 4 buns from the day care. I get to meet bun #4 - Quinn :) What a nice crowd :)

Hilo and Mauna Kea

Due to the gallons of wine that needed to be consumed last night this morning was a bit difficult one :D We were planning on getting up early and heading out to explore the island - well that did not quite go that easily :) Had a nice breakfast in town around 10 and started to drive to Waimea a bit before noon. Due to the slow morning we ended up making couple of stops on the way :)

The end goal was to get to Mauna Kea to see the sunset from the top. Figured to take a direct road from Waimea, but while looking for the falls we ended up heading towards Hilo - so why not go through the capital while we are heading this way already, we thought this is a good idea. We had heard that there is not much there to see, but we truly did not think that it is quite that run down and boring there. Found one Asian eating place that was decent enough and headed out quickly after having lunch - towards Mauna Kea.

Driving in the clouds towards Mauna Kea

Mauna Kea is the highest peak in Hawaii, the elevation is 4200m from the sea level, and on top of it is an observatory and some NASA telescopes. During clear skies it is very beautiful on top - can see the milky-way and the stars. Getting up to the top is quite a challenge though. The climb starts already on the highway, you get closer and closer towards the clouds and before you notice you are in the fog, climbing on and on.

Once off the highway there is an information point, I'm guessing at about 2500m in altitude, where one gets all the needed information about the observatory and the maps to get to the mountain top. All the cars heading up are stopping there. Amongst maps, there are numerous signs saying you must have a four wheeler to even try to get all the way up there... and it is all on your own risk - bold and clear.

Once we stopped at the information center the car was already making funny smells - probably the clutch was overheated :) It was a relief to notice that everyone's car was smelling the same way if not even more - so, we took the risk and got up there :)

That is how you get all the way up there :)

We were not very lucky with the weather. It was cloudy and raining. Well actually there was hail as it was just below freezing up there.

Observatory on top of Mauna Kea

Driving down went so much quicker :) Reached Kailua-Kona in the darkness about 1.5 hours later.

Starting the drive back down from Mauna Kea

This is my last day here so rest of the evening went for packing my bags :D

Big birthday celebrations - 14.10

Done with the exercises for now

A little change for this morning - running for 40 minutes instead of the exercises. Oh boy how difficult the running can be in this heat. Even 8 am :) Right before lunch time we had agreed a swim lesson for Marilin. Some breathing exercises and drills to get started, breaststroke to be fixed with proper breathing and set she was for now :) Got to do my own workout as well and done we were. This was the last pool visit for me. I'll miss the warm water and tanning while swimming.

At the beginning of the trip it was agreed to celebrate Indrek's birthday on the 14th, meanwhile Bruce (who hosted Marko) offered to hold the party at his place, so we all gathered there by 3pm.

Late birthday celebrations for Indrek, Maarja and Aho

Everybody is so much more relaxed after the race, it is nice to hear the race recaps and all the emotions from the guys. Recovery is going a bit slow, but the emotions are high :)

It ended up being one loooong long evening, from the gathering we moved to Maarja's house and from there we went home where we were sitting up until 4:30 in the morning :)

Bricks of gold and gallons of wine ;)

Day of the banquet - 13.10

Pancakes for breakfast again - it is Sunday after all :) And a slow morning with no exercise is just so pleasant :) Slept for almost 12 hours - nicely rested and happy now.

Made our way to the beach by swimming course and did a quick open water swim. Driving through the town it is amazing of how quickly all the tents and course markings and finish areas and transition areas are picked up. And unfortunately all the buoys on the swimming course are gone as well. Glad that the fish on the bottom are still as entertaining as before :D

It is starting to sink in that we have only few days left here - laid on the beach for an hour or so, just to enjoy the sun one last time. Some rented the boards where you can stand on and paddle your way around. Due to my awful balance I did not have fun on it, but at least I got to try going back and fourth down the beach :)

In the evening there is a banquet for all the athletes and participants and their families. There were long discussions if we should attend or not, but I decided to go. It is the banquet of World Championships and this opportunity does not come along very often so now is the time to use the chance.

Banquet of the champions - Hawaii Ironman 2013

I've attended one other banquet after the race in Florida Ironman - this one here is about 4 times bigger it seems like. The program was quite extensive with local dancers, singers and fire throwers on the stage. Speeches by different officials and Ironman corporation workers were held. Awards ceremony for all age groupers and for PRO's was the last event in the program ... and it took the longest. Meanwhile lots of food and cake of course :) Two and a half hours later the show was over and home we went.

Hawaii Ironman 2013 preparation and the race

Just another beach by the park

The usual morning exercises in the park. By Jane's agitation we are increasing the repetitions - gotta get those muscles a good workout. Considering the amount of food we haul down every day all those workouts are much needed. Back to the food part - at some point for some reason I volunteered to make pancakes, so everybody was waiting for this morning :) Pancakes with peanut butter, jam and butter... yumm!

Just like every other day - another round at the expo and swim practice in the pool for a bit over an hour. I can really feel the push-ups while swimming :)

As this is a little town there are not many places available for shopping. After inquiring the best place to go, we were suggested this store called ROSS. It is a warehouse type store that at the first sight gives you shivers. Once you look around for a bit you start to get the idea as all the clothes are sorted by type - dresses/shirts/shoes etc. There is no sorting by brand or anything so one just has to go through all the hangers to see what is on there. Just lots of work. The other Estonians are spending hours after hours every other day in the store :) It took us about 2 hours of looking around and our shopping limit was reached. Walked out with 6 dresses, 2 pairs of flip-flops and some shorts :)

Rest of the evening was spent preparing for the race tomorrow - making sandwiches, getting communications working (local SIM card for Internet access on the road) and packing the bags.
Let the race day begin - we are ready!

3 Estonians are racing today

We woke up well before sunrise on the race day. PRO start was at 6:30, made our way to the swim start by 5:30 to get good seats. We got warned about having trouble finding seats if we get there any later than that - we barely made it and fought for our seats by the water. As expected the crowd gathered here for watching the race is quite extensive. They got their chairs ready in the dark, camping out and enjoying their breakfast with morning coffee.

Few minutes before PRO start

Age groupers start was exactly at 7 in the morning. Once they were on their way we rushed to Palani road to see the PRO athletes out of the water. Our schedule is quite tight and it took some time to get all the stops and viewing spots figured out.

Waiting for the first bikers to start the bike course

Next stop was at the middle of the biking course, driving through Waimea to Kawaihae crossing. We were rushing all we could but we missed the first bunch of PRO athletes.

Our cheering stop at Kawaihae crossing

Already at ca 65km of the biking course you could see athletes having trouble with the heat. Meanwhile the age groupers arrived in big packs - giving a lot of cheering opportunities for us. After an hour or so the PRO's started returning and then the age groupers as well. On the way back it was 130km mark, every once in a while we'd see some athlete walking by who has quit the race. Once all the Estonians have passed the second time we move on.

Waiting for Indrek (either one)

Next we rushed to Palani road to see the running course. Oh the heat is getting bad, it is difficult to even just stand around by the road. At the refreshment points the athletes try to gather as much ice as possible to cool themselves down. Ice goes everywhere - inside the suit, pants and on top of the head under the cap. Apparently this time the weather is cooler than usual, the sun is not blazing and it is cloudy. I could not imagine what it would be like if the sun would be out.

Marko is nicely moving towards Energy Lab

Many athletes are walking, many have cramps, many have foggy eyes, many are struggling. We are so relieved to see all the Estonians moving on nicely. Indrek T just keeps smiling and waving at every spot we see him.

Indrek K running towards Energy Lab

It is difficult to get updates when standing by the road. Local SIM card helped only up to the point while my phone battery lasted. Once the athletes were running there were no more updates for us.

Indrek T coming from refreshment area

I bought many Estonian flags with me, it was agreed that I'd find a spot to hand them out before the finish line. What a great fun it was to cheer all the finishers on and spotting the Estonians passing by. Later we found out that they were all doing a nice dance at the finish line :) What a relief to see Marko and both Indrek's happily finishing the race!

Here are race day photos taken by Aho - Google+
Finish line videos Ironman Kona Live (Marko at 25:45, Indrek T at 1:38:04 and Indrek K at 1:54:02)
More photos here: Variety of images - GoPro Ironman World Championships

All in all the day was very tiring, in the evening my legs were hurting, back was hurting. Tried to get enough water in during the day to avoid the head ache from the sun, I guess managed good with that. Got home dead tired and fell asleep around 9 in the evening already. No energy to go to town for seeing the last finishers.

Underpants run

Just another morning run ;)

There is no getting bored in Kailua-Kona during Ironman week :) At 8 in the morning, in city center, hundreds of people gathered for a morning run - in their underwear! Called underpants run, it is a tradition taking place for years already. The run itself is quite short, perhaps a kilometer if even that, but everyone who participates is in their underwear :) We gathered to watch the show and cheer on everybody participating, also a group of Estonians :D

The whole event was quite a bit fun as everybody had made an effort to look nice in their underwear. People were wearing all sorts of costumes and hats and flags and all kinds of different additions.

Underpants run 2013

More photos can be seen here: underpants run photos in Facebook , in Triathlon Competitor

After the run we all gathered to a park close by for morning exercises - yes we found another piece of grass :) to lay on. What a luxury to lay in the sun right next to rolling waves, enjoy the heat and the view while doing abs. Everybody seemed quite happy about the short practice and it was quickly followed by a swim.

Heading for a swim after the exercises

Mostly the shore is just lava rock, sandy beaches are quite tiny, perhaps 20-40 meters or so. I can't even imagine if those are natural or are those tiny beaches man-made. One of the tiny beaches by Alii drive:

Quick run by the condominiums, breakfast, hour at the beach, quick round in town at the expo again and then on to a barbecue at Klampe house :) Program consisted of a video shoot too - Marko and other Indrek came as well to say few words to the ones back home who will gather to follow the race.

Trying out the seat :)

It took us quite a while to set the room ready. Once all the flags were up we were quite satisfied with the result though :)

Press conference in action

Rest of the evening was spent on the terrace, grilling, eating, talking and just having another relaxed evening. The air is so very warm as well as the occasional breeze that appears. Nights on the terrace are very very enjoyable... except, yes there is always and except unfortunately, huge just huuuge roaches appear :( They run around on the floor and make their way into the rooms as well. Kids had quite a bit of fun chasing them around and landing cups on top of them (so they are secured and won't run across my toes). The smallest kid, perhaps few months over one year, is quite confused as she is not fast enough to catch them :)

Enjoying the vacation and the sun

Good morning! It was staring at me from the ceiling above my bed :)

Wednesday, 9th of October, started with another round of morning exercises. One of the few places you find grass around here is a golf course. Our housing is situated basically in the middle of a golf course. So we figured we could lay on the corner of their grass while doing our exercises. It is 8 in the morning, sun is already burning like no other, we are nicely laying our towels on the grass and are starting with exercises. This fun lasts about 30 minutes and then a very upset lady drives by and makes us leave the grass :( Finished the exercises on the porch, gotta find another piece of grass tomorrow I guess.

Another breed of gecko's - this one can change the color as well (the green ones can't)

Before heading to town we laid in the sun by the local pool area. It is just so conveniently located around the corner from our place... although 1 hours is about the maximum time one can do it :) To the town we went. With all the athletes arriving and also spectators arriving the town has transformed quite a bit. Eating places are full, there is live music in most of the pubs, beaches are not empty anymore and of course there is more traffic and parking is becoming quite impossible.

Alii drive is the main street in the town. Most of the restaurants and small shops as well as hotels and condominium areas are on this road. It runs right next to the shore, there are numerous little white sanded beaches after every few blocks. Every day there are new flags and tents of yet another sports store/equipment provider appearing by the road. The closer you get to the city center the more those colorful flags pop up. Expo is being set up in few parking lots by the local market. Another big tent with Ironman merchandise is located by the hotel that stands next to the swimming start area at the end of Alii drive.

We spent few hours looking around in the expo and walking through the tents on Alii drive, popping into the little stores on the way as well. New swimming suit that looks like a bikini (very much needed in order to get most sun while swimming outside) and new running shoes bought, we had nice Mexican lunch and then open water swim on the Ironman course.

Managing with the heat here gets easier every day. Drinking plenty of water and not doing any quick movements is the key :) During night time having the fans on helps a lot (there is no AC in the house), no covers are needed, just a sheet is quite enough. While exercising, especially during running, the skin is immediately pressing water out in streams. It is like being in the sauna :)

Sunset from our terrace

Waimea, Kailua-Kona and the Parade of Nations

Just the other day we got in the car in the morning and it showed 24C for the temperature. We agreed that it is cold outside :) Car heat was cranked up as we headed to town. Apparently Hawaii has one of the steadiest climates on Earth, there is not much fluctuation during the year and even during the day and night. Weather has been warm (usually ca28-30C during the day) no matter if the sun is out or not. Past couple of nights it has been raining which made the humidity higher, and I guess also the mornings a bit cooler than usual. Today it was normal hot day and night again :) And in few days it should get even a bit warmer!

night time statistics ...

... and day time to compare :)

Besides the stable weather - there are many different climates on the Big Island, truly. On Sunday we were invited over to Ilmar and her wife's home. They live by Waimea, up in the hill, 800m in altitude. And guess what? It is about 5 degrees cooler there! How incredibly nice for a change - like summer in Estonia :) The house is located on a steep hill which allows for a wonderful view from the porch of the house. We had nice grill and local food barbecue, got to know their neighbors who came to visit and just had a good time. Plans for the race day got made - where to follow the race and how to move between swim/bike/run courses, where to take photos and how the finish line logistics should take place.

view from the top of the hill

As the evening rolled around we were all eager to get back down for the warmer weather :) Not many of us realized that it will be cooler up in 800m so we did not bring any extra clothes. As the sun was setting we could not get in the cars fast enough - it was really chilly! It is amazing how fast one gets used to the nice hot weather and not having to wear anything other than shorts and a T-shirt (if even that ;) ).

lava fields and holes/caves by Queen K highway

On Monday, it was a true vacation day :) Slow morning, swimming at a local pool for an hour, nice long lunch in town and then lying outside in the sun. Reading, napping, writing, staring at the sunset - the usual vacation activities you know :) The town we are staying at and where the race takes place is called Kailua-Kona. Nice town by the ocean, on the west coast of the Big Island. Capital town Hilo is located on the other coast and is bigger than Kailua-Kona. With the Ironman approaching it seems that half of the world has come to visit Kailua-Kona :) Atmosphere is great, tents and flags are being set up on the main road in town, there is live music on the streets at night and many many athletes moving around. It is this huge sports festival lasting for days and days on end. I guess at some point the main road will be closed for traffic even.

Ironman events schedule - so pretty much our schedule :)

Somehow we managed to have 2 hours of workout done by noon on Tuesday. 8am was general conditioning workout and then swimming at a local pool again. My foot is hurting a bit so no running for a while. On days like this it seems that we are at a training camp instead of a vacation :) But it is nice to get in shape so I don't mind one bit.

beach by the pier in downtown

We spent about an hour on a beach by the pier before the big Ironman Parade of Nations started. There was a truck all decorated in blue-black-white and prepared with Marko's photos, Estonian flags were pulled out and ready we were. The parade started from one end of the town and ran for about a kilometer or so through the main street, ending at Ironman Expo site. All nations participating at Ironman World Championships this Saturday were represented - country name and the flag were walked down the street with the participants and fans walking along. As we heard then last year Estonia was not represented and did not participate at the parade - well this year we had quite a nice crowd together. We were all wearing team shirts (thank you Indrek for the idea and organizing the shirts) and also Estonian flags. There were many spectators cheering by the road sides, announcements took place at least on 4 spots during the distance where they informed of which country is approaching and how many athletes are participating from this country.

Estonian delegation at the Ironman Parade of Nations

Tomorrow we have the plan to visit the Expo in town and to do another (but shorter) open water swim.