Ironman California Oceanside 70.3

The race does not always go as planned.  I will admit, I was a bit worried about this one.  Three weeks before the race I got a nasty case of the crud.  Missed my peak week workouts, and a total of nine days of training.  My return was much lower duration than planned, then I hit taper.  I was able to do the taper workouts, but fatigued much quicker than usual.

I mentally adjusted my plan from go for a PR, to have fun and finish.  If I feel really good halfway through the bike, then ramp it up. 

We had a surge of warm weather hit on Thursday with Santa Ana winds, and that brings heat.  Nearly 90 degrees at the coast, which is like a roasting pan.  Saturday was to be the start of a cooling trend, but you never know if the pattern lingers, then it could be toasty.

Race morning was downright pleasant.  I parked easily, ate my breakfast, pumped my tires and headed toward transition.  Took care of business, and started setting up transition.  I saw some friends, and we chatted.  One of the TCSD members had VIP credentials to be a photographer, so lots of shots were taken. 

With my friend Andrea at the TCSD section of transition.  Photo credit: Marcus Serrano

It really does not take long to set up transition, then the waiting game begins.  Pros start at 6:40, but I don’t start until 7:14.  We get into a queue by wave.  We hear the announcer call the male pros coming out of the water, in an amazing 22 minutes and change.  That is for a 1.2 mile swim!  Do these guys have gills and flippers?  Almost time to get in.  There are sea lions perched up observing us.  That was cool.  We get in and swim to the start.  Makes for a nice warm up.  The water feels good.  An unseasonably warm 67 degrees.  No booties, no extra cap.  The horn sounds and we are off.  Well, I had to yell at the knucklehead in front of me that was lying on his back, then we were off. 

I felt like I had a nice rhythm going in the water and was sighting well.  About 1/3 of a mile in, something bumped my leg and swam under me.  I am 90 percent sure it was a sea lion!  That is the second time that has happened to me.  Too bad he didn’t say jump on, and take me around the course.  I could have beat Andy Potts’ time!   I was sighting well until we turned into the sun.  Ugh!  I knew I was zig-zagging.  My 1.2 mile swim registered as 1.36.  Nice bonus swimming.  Even with that, I could see the finish, turned in, hit the timing mat, and clocked a 38:40 swim.  Not the PR of 34 and change two years ago, but a solid swim.  The biggest difference was two years ago I swam right on the tangents and recorded 1.21 miles.

The first test that I was still less than 100 percent was going through transition.  I walked most of the way instead of keeping a nice trot like I normally do.  Got my wetsuit off, bike shoes, helmet and sunglasses on.  Cruise to start the bike.  Yum!

The sun was out, and bright.  Even with my Rudy Project prescription sunglasses I had to squint a bit.  I start pedaling out of the harbor area.  I always start with my hands on the bull horns and upright to get my breathing regulated.  Then after about a mile or so, I drop aero.  That is exactly what I did.  And I felt okay.  A nice smooth pedal stroke, listening to the hum of the 85 mm wheel on my rear.  Some speedy dudes, and dudettes flew by, I went by some as well.  Most of the bike course is on Camp Pendleton, a USMC facility.  The first part is an area we can, and do ride on training rides, so I know it well.  Short steep hill, levels off, Slight downhill, another hill, killer downhill, and to Los Pulgas street.  Out and back on Los Pulgas, then up through the state park campground.

All is still well.  I’d like to be going faster, but this is where I am right now.

Then we re-enter Camp Pendleton on the back side.  We cannot ride back here except for events.  About 2 miles in is San Mateo hill.  Only about a half mile, but super steep.  At one point I looked at my Garmin.  I was doing 3.3 miles per hour.  Up and over, slight downhill, then more up.  Another summit at mile 37, then a sharp steep downhill known as dead mans curve.  The race has a strict 25 MPH speed limit here.  Going over is an automatic DQ.  Complete with radar guns, and timing mats.  It is a steep descent, and I am pretty confident in my descending, so holding 25 is not easy.  I work the brakes, mostly the front, as if you over-brake your rear you can skid out.  Finishing the final curve I hear BOOM!  Thunk, thunk, thunk.  My front tire blew.  Very scary on a steep descent with a bit of curve left.  As I am shouting expletives I am desperately trying to keep the bike under control.  It tips way left, I somehow recover, and now it is tipping right, another recovery, but it is angling right toward the volunteer tent.  Somehow I get it righted.  I have no idea how I kept the bike upright.  Someone was with me.  I thought I was down three times.  I came to a stop about 100 feet before the end of the controlled area, right at the volunteer tent.

Now for a bit of a vent.  I think the 25 MPH limit is ridiculous.  I have negotiated much trickier descents at greater speed.  Having to use that much brake over-heated my rim causing the blow out.  Grabbing the rim after I stopped it was super-hot.  Watching rider after rider descend I was really convinced that the speed limit is too low!  It would be far less dangerous to go 30-35 and lay off the brakes instead of fighting the bike to hold back.

The guy radioed in right of way for tech support.  Meanwhile my left leg shook for about 10 minutes.  While I had a spare tube, the blow out was so strong it knocked the tire off the bead on tore a hole in the sidewall, so a new tube was useless.  Now the frustration.  Tech support is about 30 minutes out.  40 minutes later they pull up, but they have no wheels or tires, just tubes.  What the heck?  It is easy to carry a tube, we should have those.  Every Ironman I have ever done, I see tech support with spare wheels, they swap ‘em out and trade back after the race.  Tech one calls in, only one of four tech cars have a tire.  1:19 minutes I am back on the road.  Thankful they had one, and the techs were all really nice.  But really, 1:19?  It seemed the tech support was under-geared to me.

If you read my blog on Ironman Arizona, and this sounds somewhat familiar, you are right.  I dropped my chain there, and it bent.  And while it took 45 minutes for tech support to get to me, he had a chain, and got me going.  By the way, he was on a moto, and had several wheels with him too.

I take off, with 18 miles to go on a new tire, and low confidence in my rim.  See, the mechanic noticed the rim took some damage too and he was worried about it.  So he let me go, waited about five minutes then caught me to make sure it was okay.  That was nice, and great service on his part.  It was doing okay, but I was a bit apprehensive.  And if you know me, I was frustrated and angry too.

Once I got going, I pushed it some to try and get some time back.  With some rollers and a head wind, probably not the best idea.  By the time I got off the bike I was pretty cooked.  1:19 minutes of sitting/standing around did not help matters.

Time to run.  I hit the porta john before exiting transition and I am off.  I use a run-walk strategy.  My plan for this race was 30-30.  Although I probably should have gone 30-45 with the missed nine days of training.  That was evident by mile four.  The weather was strange.  It was sunny and felt really hot on the first outbound leg.  It was kicking my arse.  But on the turnaround there was a good breeze, and it was cool, almost chilly, while the sun was still hot.  I kept trying to keep up with my ratio, however, I would often skip a run segment to try and get my heart rate and breathing back under control.

I can tell my run fitness is not only not where I want it, it is not where it was five weeks ago.  So I know that damn cold took a lot out of me.

(Forrest Gump voice) I ran from the harbor to the pier.  Then I kept going....Then I went back..Then I did it again...

Photo credit: Marcus Serrano

I trudge along, and I must give the residents of Pacific Avenue in Oceanside credit, as many where out cheering us on, music blaring.  I don’t care for the area around the pier, as all too often beach goers walk through and onto the run course without looking.  I guess it is just too much area for them to keep the people to the designated cross walks.

Returning to the harbor, and turning around, now almost 8 miles in.  I can feel a hot spot on my left arch.  Oh joy, a blister is coming!   Going through the pier area again, and then up to Pacific Street.  Yes, I said up to.  Oh, did I forget to mention this earlier?  To get from the beach area to Pacific street you need to go up, and nice STEEP ramp.  The quads just love that at this point in the day.  In fact, they like going down that steep ramp even less.  Try trotting down a steep decline with tired quads sometime.  It is a real treat.

Out the the furthest point on the course, the final turn-around, I am now headed for home with about 2.5 miles to go.  I am tired, sore, hot, cranky, out of it, happy, and a zillion other emotions all at the same time.

Here we go, the best part of the finish is it is near the pier, so I don’t have to go back up the ramps!  The Voice of Ironman booms out my name, and another 70.3 is in the books.

Too long, bad break on the tire blow out, but we completed the course.

Overall my slowest of the five 70.3s I have done.  Even without the 1:19 delay.  But without a Personal worst, the Personal Bests would not be as sweet.  A bit disheartening to go over 7 hours (moving time) when my goal is to break 6.  Then again, Take 25 minutes off the bike, and 30 off the run, and I am close.  Both of those are doable. 

I would be remiss if I did not thank all of the volunteers on the course.  Three bike aid stations, lots of aid stations on the run, plenty of nutrition available.  And of course lots of fellow TCSDers shouting support.  I really do enjoy this local race.

That was my day.  My friend Andrea also raced.  She did it last year, and dropped out at mile 43 of the bike.  She wanted to avenge that, she even did the Avengers run.  (See what I did there)?  So she signed up again.  Then had several bouts of the crud this year.  With six weeks to go, she had not trained much and was seriously considering not starting.

I offered and she accepted a six week training program to see how it would go.  I saw her on course go down dead mans curve as I waited.  I caught her toward the end of the bike, and was exiting transition as she entered.  I saw her on all the out/back portions of the run.  And I knew she would finish.  I could see she was sore, and deep in the pain cave, but very determined.  So about 40 minutes after I finished, she came across the line!  Her husband was thrilled, and ran along side her, so really despite my day not going the way I wanted it was a good day, as my friend finished her first 70.3. 

Gear:

Swim:  X-terra wetsuit, Tyr Rx goggles

Bike: Specialized Transition 50-34 crankset, 11-28 cassette, Williams 58-85 wheels

Run: Saucony Kinvara 5 shoes

Next up:  Signed up for Chula Vista double in July and HITS 70.3 in December.  May do some local sprints as well.

Goals:  Get fitness back, drop weight.   Results of summer tri’s not important, just practice.  Get after it at HITS.  Help another friend have a great race at Vineman 70.3., and at HITS 

Superfrog 70.3, 2013

My final race of the year, Superfrog 70.3.  The original half-iron distance race, in its 35^th year.   See the fabulous history of this race here.

 

The race is about 30 minutes from my house at 5:00 AM traffic, so no overnight travel needed.  I pull into the parking lot at 5:30, and relax in the van for a bit.  It will not take long to set up transition, and my wave starts at 7:25.  I figured better to stay off my feet for a few minutes. 

Getting restless, I head over to transition.  I start unpacking my tri-bag.  $*&^t!  That gets a look from a lady setting up her transition.  I realized I left my bottles in the fridge at home.  Which included my 700 calorie bottle of Carbo Pro.  Okay, they do hand-ups on the bike so I can get water and electrolytes.  Checking my bag I see I have two Honey Stinger Waffles, and two packets of Salty Caramel Gu.  Almost enough calories.  I should be okay.  Still annoyed with myself, and I give myself the dumb-ass of the day award. 

The lady that heard me came over and gave me an extra gel too, that got my calories even closer to what I needed.  They would just come in a different form. Thank you, that gel came in handy.

Transition is set up, take care of business, and wait.  About 6:30 I put my wetsuit on.  I wander down to the ocean and look at the waves.  So much better than last year.  We had regular sets of six footers last year.  And while the forecast said one to two, they were about two to four.  I go in to get wet and warm up a bit.  The water feels warm, has to be over 65, which is good for this time of year.   

As I get out the elites/pros/and relays start.  25 minutes to go.  15 minutes to go.  5 minutes to go.  The sun is up, and it is already clear and bright.  The inbound portion of the swim could be tough to site.  I have smoke goggles, but it is bright! 

30 seconds.  GO!  I trot into the water.  When it gets to my shins I start to swim.  Had a few swells to duck, but no issues, and I am past the break.  Now I start catching other swimmers.  Most folks run in faster than me, but I typically swim a bit above the top half of my age group.  Felt like I got to the turn buoy pretty quick.  The first loop was uneventful, I hit the shore; but wait there’s more.  This is a two lap swim.  A 200 yard run down the beach and back in again.  This time the waves seemed a bit bigger.  Got through, but the last one stopped my progress for a second.  Again the swim was pretty tame by triathlon standards, a couple of spots of crowding, a couple of bumps, but for the first time in a while I didn’t get mauled at some point.    It was bright, and sighting was a challenge coming in, but not awful. 

Out of the water, and up the beach in the soft, deep sand, slightly uphill.  Across the timing mat; hit the lap timer on the Garmin.  39:38. Into transition. 

Wetsuit off, cycling shoes on, helmet on, get bike and go.  Out of transition in 2:37. 

The bike course is flat.  If you know San Diego and you want a flat ride, you go to Coronado.  It is the only place to ride with virtually no climbing.  Per Garmin 269 feet of gain over 56 miles.  It doesn’t get any flatter. 

It was breezy, the flags were flapping.  Going north you could feel the resistance.  Going south you could feel some help.  Each of the four laps this feeling increased.  Still without any real climbs speed was pretty consistent.  I tried to control the effort to keeping the lactic acid clear, if I started to feel it, I went one gear easier and upped the cadence.  The crowds along the bike course were about half of what they were last year.  A certain Texan with a few (now expunged) cycling titles raced last year. 

I played tag with a few out there.  I was trying hard to sustain a steady effort, but with the winds, if you got behind a group you would start to go faster as you were protected.  Even tri-legal drafting, staying four bike lengths behind, you get the benefit especially into the wind.  This is a good way to save a bit of energy. 

Final lap ends, into transition and off the bike (2:48:12).  Bike racked, shoes off, helmet off, socks on, running shoes on, hat on, and out of transition. (3:16).   

The run.  Oh the run.  5.5 miles is on the beach.  Roughly 3 out and 2.5 back.  The middle 7.6 is on groomed trail and pavement.  The good news is the tide was out, this meant we could run on the firmer section of the beach; and only had soft sand to and from the water’s edge, and the far turn-around where the force us onto the soft sand for a bit. 

This was a strange run.  I felt pretty good going out.  I was planning on pushing a bit when I got to the pavement section.  The weird part is I feel like I hit a wall about mile 5.  I really struggled especially miles 7-9.  8-9 was my slowest of the day.  When I got back to the beach, I was running better.  As it typical I was getting passed left and right.  When you swim and bike mid-pack and run back of the pack, you get passed.  A lot.  I actually did pass a few on the final stretch coming in.  One last trudge up the soft sand to the road, and about a 300 yard dash to the finish line.  The announcer welcomes me back in.  Not quite, okay, not nearly as cool as having Mike Riley tell me I am an IRONMAN three months ago, but always nice to hear your name blasted out.  Just like that, it was over. (2:40:02 on the run).  Total time 6:13:55.  This was my fourth 70.3  I have improved in time with each one.  6:52 in Austin, 2011.  6:39 last year at Superfrog.  6:25 at Oceanside earlier this year.  Next year at Oceanside the goal is sub-six.  I have the plan.  Let’s see if we can get it done! 

A really cool medal this year, a bit of ice cream, a cookie, a freshly grilled hot dog and a Dr. Pepper.  Feeling better after that, off to transition to pack-up. 

 

 

As I was getting my stuff together I heard the announcer welcome Irina in.  We just met a few weeks ago on a swim, it was her first 70.3 so I went over to say congratulations, met her husband, and went back to pack up.  I needed to get to my phone! 

What is so important about my phone?  We have a small group that does swims on Sunday morning.  Most of us were racing today in different events.   

I see some results from others, and am pleased that Sugarmagnolia did Tiki Swim, her first 2.4 mile open water.  Others had not checked in yet, but everyone did finish their events.  Speedy Ted did Tiki as well, and Andrea did the Tahoe Trifecta (3 days, 3 half marathons)!  My legs ache just thinking about that. 

Overall it was a good way to finish the 2013 race season.  I am happy with my results, and proud of my friends for conquering their events. 

Next on the schedule: California 70.3 Oceanside., well next is a trip to Arizona to volunteer for IMAZ.  And we all know what that means! 

Gear Used: 

Swim:  Blue Seventy Fusion Wetsuit, Tyr Rx smoke goggles, race issued swim cap 

Bike: Specialized Transition Comp, 52-36 mid-compact crankset, 11-28 cassette, Williams 58-85 carbon clinchers. 

Run: Hoka One One Bondi B 

Nutrition: Honey Stinger waffles, Gu (not the planned nutrition, see above) 

You can follow me on Twitter @stevecycles200

The Waiting Is the Hardest Part

I write this from a motel room in Coeur D’Alene, Idaho.  Roughly 131 hours before the start of my first full Ironman.   

The waiting is now the hardest part.  You were right Tom Petty, you were oh so right.  The workouts this week are miniaturized.  Keep the body moving.  Stay injury free, stay healthy, and get good rest and nutrition.  Those are the targets this week. 

I went to the lake today when I got in town.  It’s a big lake!  And very scenic.  Already four large tractor trailers with Ironman logos on them.  Signs up on the roads warning of closures and delays Sunday. 

Saw the local paper.  The front page had a photo of an age-grouper on her bike.  She is a local who has done 18 Ironman’s! 

I guess I must at least look somewhat like a triathlete.  When I checked into the motel the clerk asked if I was here to race!  Since I don’t look like Macca, Pete Jacobs, or Crowie, I’ll take that as a compliment.

Tonight, disgusted by the Blackhawks play I drove the bulk of the bike course.  It is hilly, as advertised; but nothing San Diego hasn’t thrown at me and then some.  I’ll ride part of the course tomorrow, and take a dip in the lake.  Oh heck, I’ll probably run some too.  Actually I will be taking the taper week advice of Jim Vance.  Mini triathlons.   

Heck with all this taper stuff!  Is it Sunday yet?

The lake:

IM California 70.3 Oceanside

If you read my blog, know me, are a friend on Dailymile, Twitter, or Facebook you know my big event this year is Ironman Coeur D’Alene. (IMCdA)  That will be June 23^rd.  I needed to race before that, and I thought IM California 70.3-Oceanside would be ideal.  No travel, plenty of time to recover and not mess with the overall training, so I signed up last year when there were about 100 spots left. 

All of the sudden it was race week.  Early on in the week the weather forecast was a bit dicey.  Chance of rain and wind.  As the week progressed, the forecast improved; although as late as Thursday morning they were still predicting pretty good winds. 

I reminded myself that the weather was out of my control.  I train in all kinds of weather so I would be prepared.  I knew what I would bring, wear, and do if the weather was chilly, cold, rainy, or just plain crappy.  But I was very thankful that we had a day that was just about perfect for racing a triathlon. 

I had my alarm set for 3:20 AM for race morning.  I woke up at 3:18 after a darn good sleep.  How often does that happen?  I got dressed, loaded the van and headed north on I-5.  I got a good parking spot right near T2.   

With a 7:39 start it was too early to eat at home.  I brought my race morning breakfast with me, and ate in the van.  When I was done, I grabbed my run bag and walked over to T2.  I set up my spot, headed back to the van prepped my bike, grabbed my bike bag and morning dry bag and road the mile or so to T1 at the harbor.  I went down to the TCSD racks and set up.  I was pretty much done and ready with almost two hours before my start.  Of course we had to be out of transition when the pros started which was an hour before me! 

Wandering around I exited transition and ran into my friend who was volunteering with water at the T1 entrance.  We chatted, probably for five minutes longer than I should have.  I headed back to my spot, grabbed my wetsuit, and got ready.  As I was tugging and adjusting, I could faintly hear the national anthem.  I knew the pros were about ready to start.  I headed to the corral, found my wave and got into the queue. 

As we crept forward in bare feet on the rough and crumbly asphalt we saw the pros come in as they ran by headed into T1 right next to us.  Defending champion and eventual winner Andy Potts was first out of the water as usual, but I was surprised at how close another pack of four or five were to him.  And a big pack not too far behind that.  With the pros gone, it was a while before the first amateurs started coming through.  Very few of us swim 1.2 miles in 21-22 minutes!   But we would see some, and we kept moving forward as waves went off every three minutes.  Yellow Caps On-Deck!  Gulp, almost show time!

Yellow Caps in the WATER!   Three minutes to get to swim/warm up, get to the start.  Hey!  That water is cold!  I just swam in the bay.  The bay is warmer.  By the time we got into position I heard 30 SECONDS.  Nerves turn to focus.  Calm chaos churning inside.  10 SECONDS.  Okay the water isn’t so cold.  I’ve got this.  Then the unmistakable pitch of an air horn.  Splash, crash, and smash time!  The start of a triathlon;   basically a hockey game with the ice melted.  I was behind two guys who I thought would be faster than me.  Don’t ask me why, I didn’t know them, I was just kind of guessing.  As I kept slapping the guy on the rights foot, I figured it was time to go around.  The guy on the left was almost the same speed, so his foot got slapped too.  It wasn’t intentional guys; the water was too murky to see.  I found a seam and got by.   

Every so often I would come up on a swimmer, and go by.  This kept going on, and the next thing I knew I saw the red buoys.  The red buoys meant it was time to turn.  I was stunned how fast I was there.  But on my alternate breath I looked right and it was open ocean!  Turning for home, this is feeling good! 

The 45-49 year men were split into three waves.  I was in the final set with a name at the end of the alphabet.  I was passing a good amount of blue caps, the wave in front of me.  I was also passing a lot of women.  I didn’t have the cap colors memorized, but that meant I was passing people with at least a nine minute head start.  Wow, am I swimming that well?  I don’t feel like I’m over doing it.  Literally the boat ramp was there!  I was up and out of the water!  I stole a peak at my Garmin as I hit the lap timer.  34:XX  HOLY NO-WAY!  34 and change?  My previous best is 40:52 for the distance.   

Bike time! -I'm toward the back, TCSD kit

Pack the car and go home.  The day has been a success!  But wait, there’s more!  The bike is my favorite part.  Off with the wetsuit, on with the cycling shoes and helmet.  Trot out of T1, mount the bike.  My friend gives me a yell and I am off!  Exited out of the harbor, I’ve done this a whole lot of times, but then through the Del Mar gate, which is usually off-limits to cyclists.  A few turns on parts of the base I am not familiar with, and then behind a bank of stores a turn, I see what looked like a bad crash with at least three bikes and one rider down.  Hope everyone is okay, and we turn on to Vandergrift.  I know this road.   

The next part is on roads I train on, through Camp Pendleton, onto old Highway 101 which is now a dedicated bike path, through a state park, and up past San Onofre’s reactor and Trestles.  I have to tell you I was feeling GOOD!  Yes, as in an all-caps good.  Taking nutrition as needed, riding at 70.3 effort.  The bike course was a bit crowded in places, but overall everything was going well. 

We turn onto Cristianos, and once we get past El Camino Real, we are headed back onto Camp Pendleton.  Only now, this is an area we don’t get to go normally.  I have never ridden back here.  We go through the checkpoint onto base and there it is.  Hill number one:  Not long, maybe a half of a mile.  But oh so steep.  I mean steep.  I saw somewhere between 8-12 competitors walking their bikes up this gnarly little beast.  I will admit, I was grinding in my 36x28 wishing I had a few more gears.  Finally over the top, down a bit, some rollers then up again.  Hill number 2:  This one is a little longer, not as steep, but it hit double digits in gradient at the top.  A big swooping downhill with the race prohibiting passing for safety.  I started to catch the rider in front of me, so I backed off then saw the end of no passing zone sign, and let it rip!  Until Hill number 3.  I am having trouble remembering this one other than it went up, probably wasn’t too bad, but I was ready to stop going uphill.  Oh yeah, and somewhere around the start I dropped my chain.  I promise it was a good shift.  Not on a steep section, light on the pedals.  Needless to say I was furious!  Off the bike, get to the side of the road I got the chain back on quickly.  Apologies to anyone around me that heard me cuss my chain out.  I felt it needed a berating for dropping in a race.  Do I look like Andy Schleck?  Hey chain stay on the bike!  Okay, get over it, and get pedaling!  Up hill, up, up, up; finally over the top, and a great descent.  Not steep, just long at 2-4 percent.  Time to fly! 

Mile 50, at this point the course is mostly flat, a few rollers, we make the turns back toward Oceanside, off the base, past the harbor and to the pier.  I hear Go Tri Club, yeah Go Tri Club, but SLOW DOWN. Oh, there’s the dismount line.  Un-clip, stop, and off the bike, trotting to my rack. 3:02:03. the chain cost me a sub 3 hour bike.  Cuss the chain out all over again.  This time under my breath, nobody else knew the butt chewing I was giving that chain. 

Bike racked, cycling shoes off, helmet off, running hat on, running shoes on.  Sip of Diet Mountain Dew, a little bliss in transition.  Off I go.  Well, a quick duck into Spanky’s commode.  Off on the run course.  Okay, here’s the plan:  Run 1:30, walk :30.  Shooting for 11:30 per minute miles as the ultimate goal.  Honest goal is 12:00/mile. 

Holy cow the start of the run is congested!  I skipped my first two walk breaks only because I was afraid I’d get run over.  Finally I got in the groove and the run opened up a bit, well, there was the whole down the super steep ramp, and back up.

I'm not in this photo, but you can see how steep it is!

 

  After a bit, we were headed south and it was run time.  Two loop course.  I was feeling pretty good.  Notice not great, or an all-caps good.  But still pretty good coming off the bike.  The first 3 plus miles the 1:30/:30 was easy!  That is the goal.  If it’s easy at the start, it should be a challenge in the middle, and real hard, but doable at the end. 

Stay hydrated! I'm in the yellow hat

Getting into the neighborhoods was great.  People were out, cranking up the tunes, it had the atmosphere of a Rock and Roll half marathon!  Exchanged a whole bunch of “Go Tri Clubs” out there, and just keep going.  About halfway through the run walk split got tough.  The second trip on the steep inclines around the pier were a must walk even if it wasn’t time to walk.  I was able to keep the run/walk ratio most of the way.  It got to 1:15/:45 at times, but the biggest hit on my time was when I was running, the pace dropped.  Overall I was having a decent run by my standards.   

The enthusiasm on the run course was incredible.  Heading out of and into the pier area there was a number of groups.  These folks would call you out by name (our names were on our bibs) shout encouragement, ring cow bells.  It really helps to keep you going.  I am thankful I did not have my brains eaten by a zombie!  (Carlsbad HS tent) 

The "Cheer zone" pre-race
 

 

Hey is that the big FINISH inflatable ahead?  No more walk breaks!  We are running it in, fueled by the crowd.  My name is blasted over the public address system, and my third 70.3 is complete! 

Timing chip off, medal around my neck and I meander into the finishers area.  I am congratulated by a fellow tri-clubber, who said nice job and that I was funny out there.  I said thank you, but then as my brain started to work again I wondered what she meant by that.  Funny?  Funny how? (Joe Pesci voice)!  Seriously if it was you please tell me what was so funny, and if it was funny good, or funny tragic and I need to fix something! 
 

Official Stats for the race: 
 

Swim 34:24 –PR

T1 6:34 – It felt faster

Bike 3:02:03

T2 4:43 – Includes visit to Spanky’s

Run 2:37:25 – 70.3 PR (stand-alone half mary PR is 2:26)

Total 6:25:09 –PR 
 

Are you a fellow gear-nerd?  Here is my equipment.  I am not sponsored, sponsors like people that get on podiums!  But I do think about my gear.  If you have questions on anything I use, shoot me a note, I’ll give you my honest assessment both pluses and minuses. 

Swim – Blue Seventy Fusion Wetsuit,

              TYR Rx goggles

              Speedo silicone cap under my race-issued cap (for warmth) 

Bike  - Specialized Transition Comp

            Force mid-compact crankset 52-36

            11-28 cassette

            X-Lab torpedo and rear carrier

            Williams 58-85 carbon clinchers

            Specialized Expert Road Shoes

            Giro Aero helmet 

Run – Saucony Triumph 9 

Clothing – Tri Club San Diego tri-top

                  DeSoto 400 mile bib shorts

                  Throrlo socks! 

Fuel – Carbo Pro 700 calorie bottle on bike, 300 calorie bottle on run

            Fig Newtons (ate 2 on bike)

            Picked up one pack of chomps on run course 

Thanks for reading.  Back to training, I have this 140.6 thing coming up in June.  YIKES!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hodgepodge for 1000 please

As a long time Jeopardy! fan I thought the title was appropriate for this blog since it is not a focused race report, but a training update, and mini-reports on three events.

16 weeks until Iron Man Coeur D’ Alene.  Four weeks until IM California 70.3.  That explains the knot in the stomach.  It is getting close, and it’s getting real. 

Training is going pretty well.  As part of training I’ve done a few events since my last blog. 

I did the 15K San Diego Resolution run.  Since that distance was a bit more than that weeks training called for I took it easy, and was very happy with my overall result.  While far from fast, and still not comfortable with my running, it has improved greatly since taking the running clinic last November.  This was most evident yesterday.  My legs were trashed after a 75 mile bike with moderate hills, and a couple of intervals.  But I was able to do three miles at a pace I have not been able to hold for a 70.3, and did so easily.  I was not gassed at the end, and could have kept going.  This is real progress with running.  I’m doing transition runs twice a week.  There are good arguments both for and against frequent transition runs; but since I really struggled with the run on both of my 70.3s, I am focusing on them for this training sequence and this year’s races. 

I also did the Stagecoach Century.  This starts in Ocotillo, about 80 miles east of San Diego.  Roughly 6,000 feet of gain and it was a cold morning, about 36 degrees.  It never got much above 50, and I stayed in four layers the entire day, finally removing the balaclava 75 miles in.  I treated this as a base building ride, but wanted to give credit to Shadow Tour for putting on a quality event.  Not many cycling events offer chip timing and medals to the finishers; and more than enough aid stations.  With the amount of aid stations I would recommend this to a newbie century rider.  Well done, Shadow Tour. 

I also took part in USAT’s NCC Challenge.  This is a challenge for triathlon clubs around the country to stay active in the traditional off-season.  (There’s an off-season)?  Clubs have a roster of up to 75 participants logging miles.  The miles are weighted, so the efforts are close to even.  1 bike mile equals 1 mile, 1 swim mile equals 10 miles, and 1 run mile equals 3 miles.  I was on Tri Club San Diego’s Team 1, and we came in second out of all tri-clubs, falling well short of DC, but well ahead of all others.  Being on the leader board was fun for me, since I’m not fast and in a race I’m not even close to hitting a podium.  I also finished 12^th of all individuals in my age group, with just over 3,000 weighted miles.  Thanks to my fellow TCSDers with the Facebook posts, and Thao’s cheerleading keeping us going.  Next year we take DC down! 

Now the training gets serious.  Oceanside will be interesting as it is the first time I am doing a 70.3 where it is not my A race.  I don’t get a full taper going in, as the main focus is IMCdA training.  And after Oceanside, that training gets intense!  There will be lots of structure, and defined goals with each workout.   

A special thank you to my wife for putting up with my nuttiness, walking around sore, and falling asleep at 6:45 at night.  And a warning, it's going to get real crazy soon. 

I set up a Training Peaks account a few months ago, and recently went premium so I can use it to plan.  If you haven’t used TP before, and are interested in having good analytics of your training as well as a platform to plan all aspects I highly recommend it. 

That concludes the update.  The next blog should be a race report from Oceanside in about a month.  Until then a whole lot of swim, bike, run, eat, rest, and repeat!  Oh, and somewhere in there work and wifey time.

Year End Review? I think NOT!

I think the band Boston said it best: “Don’t look back.”  So instead of a year-end recap of races and events, let us look forward to 2013.  A big year is planned.  How are we going to get there? 

A big year you say.  What will make 2013 big?  I am signed up for two triathlons so far:  California 70.3 in March.  This will be my third 70.3 race.  It will be the first time a 70.3 is not my A race of the year.  Why?  Because in June, I will attempt to become an Ironman.  Coeur D’Alene, Idaho on June 23^rd.   

After Superfrog 70.3 September 30^th, I had an off-season of sorts in October.  I worked out, but with no plan, and it was a low volume month.  We ramped back up in November and started base-building for 2013.  I added strength training to my regimen to get more durable;  using a tri-specific plan.   That's me on the grueling beach run at Superfrog.

 

 

Biggest challenge to pulling this off?  The run.  Running is by far my weakest event.  I have the most issues with running.  To help, I took a run clinic put on by TCSD coach Brian.  Now I am working on my form and what Brian noticed and pointed out during the session. 

The over-all plan is to continue to ramp up my swimming, which I am very pleased with.  I just finished my second year of swimming, and while I am far from fast, I progressed further than I would have thought at this point.  Next is to hit the bike so hard in training that I can go 112, and get off the bike as fresh as possible.  Finally I just want to get my running to where I can run 2/3 or more of the run.  I know there will be some walk breaks; I am using a Galloway type run/walk for my long runs.   

In the short-term I will be doing the Bumble Bee 5K this week, the resolution run 15K on January 6, and the Stagecoach Century on January 12^th.  From December through February USA Triathlon (USAT) is having their National ChallengeCompetition.  This is tri-clubs throughout the country competing in total miles logged over the three months.  Run and swims are weighted, so regardless of the sport, your efforts are pretty much equal.  This works as an additional motivator and fits well with a big base building plan for 2013. 

So why not a recap of 2012?  Nothing I did this year compares to my wife.  My wife went through six rounds of chemotherapy, 32 sessions of radiation, battles lymphedema and numerous other side effects from cancer treatment.  And at the end of the day, she told cancer to take its ball and go home.  She kicked cancer’s ass!  She's walked a few 5Ks, and has resumed riding her bike!

 

 

I hope all of you had a good 2012, and will have an even better 2013.  Thanks for reading!

Time to Train for IRONMAN

I have completed two triathlons at the 70.3 (half-iron) distance.  As I prepare for the 2013 season, which will include my first attempt at a 140.6; Ironman Coeur d’Alene June 23rd.

This will require some additional training.  As I prepared my training plan, and did research I realized I would need to add two things I had been doing hap-hazardly.  Okay full disclosure, two things I really haven’t done much of at all. 

What could those things be?  If you follow my training on dailymile, you know I swim, bike, and run.  And it is rare for me to miss a workout.  I enjoy the process, and really like swimming, love cycling, and have grown to like running.  So what is missing? 

Some of you are probably screaming at the computer.  Weights and Yoga!!!  Here is the challenge:  I work 40-50 hours a week, I try to spend some time with my wife.  I already have a good workout schedule.  Now, I need to add two yoga sessions, and two weight lifting sessions.  Plus, I’ll be increasing volume of the three sports. 

 

 

 

I think I’ve got this worked out.  My IMCdA training begins this Monday, but I have already started the yoga, and weights.   My schedule will be tight, but it looks doable.  And the weights and yoga should reduce the risk of injury, increasing the chance of a successful race.   

Well the training plan is done, here we go!

 

 

Upcoming Events:

 

October 28: 80's 5K

March 30, 2013 - California 70.3

June 23, 2013 - Ironman Coeur d'Alene

SUPERFROG! 70.3

My second season of triathlons is now complete.  In the two years I have done triathlons, none had the buzz going into the event that this one did.  It started about three weeks ago, when a certain triathlete turned cyclist turned triathlete sent a tweet that said “This looks like fun.”  According to Superfrog, once Lance Armstrong committed to racing, they received an additional 200 entries.  People at work were asking me if I knew about the race Lance was doing.  Me, “Yes, I’m racing.”  Usually met with a blank face and shock.  People outside the sport do not realize we get to race the same day, the same course as the pros.

 

Photo courtesy of Sugarmagnolia 70.

This race would be my second 70.3 I felt like I had built a good training program, and followed it well.  The Chula Vista Challenge showed me I had improved my swimming, and showed I had some nutritional issues, problems dealing with heat.  With a much hotter than normal year for San Diego, I embraced training in the heat and made some changes to my nutrition.  In the final six weeks, I was pleased with my nutrition, and finally starting to see some improvement in my running. 

Tuesday before race day, I took the bike out; mostly to make sure the race wheels were rolling okay, as they require a bit of a brake adjustment, and I’m not much of a wrench.  After the ride, I did a one mile brick run.  As the run ended I felt a twinge in my left calf.  Really?  Five days before the race?  I scrapped my Wednesday short run, and treated the calf twice a day.  I’m not going to kid you; I was worried it would act up early in the run causing a DNF.  KT Tape to the rescue, hope, and pray. 

Race day, it is finally here.  What a glorious morning.  Pull into the parking lot, and I was treated to a bright full moon, the water looked like glass.  I had my TCSD top on, with DeSoto 400 mile bib shorts.  I love these, as the way the chamois sits; I can get on the rivet for a long time.  I drew a pink ribbon on my #458 bib and wrote Angi on it, for my wife who has battled breast cancer this past year.  And while her last scan was clear, and the treatment is done, she is still recovering.  What she has done this year makes her the real endurance athlete.  That has to be harder than the hardest Ironman.  Hang in there wifey!   KT Tape on the left calf.  I head over to transition.  They had reserved spots in transition with our name and bib number.  I like this, no thinking, just set-up.  Bonus, I was right on bike in/out.  The Lance buzz was in full effect.  Hearing little groups chat, 90 percent were talking about Lance in one way or another.  Guy near my spot had the best line.  He hoped there was some guy named Lance that came in last.  Then everyone could say they beat Lance!  Putting the final touches on my transition area I noticed everyone looking over.  It was Lance, surrounded by his entourage headed to his spot. Other people carrying his stuff.  Hey what happened to athletes only in transition?  My friend Sugarmagnolia 70 from dailymile went over and took a photo of Lance getting ready.  This was her first 70.3, and we had practiced ocean entry and exits five or six times during training. 

 

 

Getting close to the time for the pros/elites to start.  Time for me to put on my wet suit. After a stirring rendition of the national anthem, the elites went off, and I went into the water to warm up.  Whoa!  The waves are bigger than I thought.  I swim out past the first set, entry could be a challenge.  And the water feels pretty cold, too. 

About five minutes before the start I saw Sugarmagnolia again, along with Leah from dailymile as well.  Have a good race, and line up.  That was a fast five minutes, boom, go.  Swim, swim, big swell, duck, swim hard, good.  Swim BOOM!  I missed that one and got knocked back.  Regroup, go, and mis-timed another one that wound up being a draw, no progress, but not knocked back.  Finally past the rough stuff and swimming. Make the turn, settle in, and go.  Make the turn heading back to shore and yikes!  My goggles had fogged a bit, and the sun made it impossible to site.  Tried to follow other swimmers, but I’m sure my path was that of a drunken bee.  Hit the shore, and we get to do it again.  This is a two-lap swim!  Took the goggles off and rinsed them quick; then made the walk/jog down to the start and into the water again.  This time, I cruised right through the waves, in fact I remember thinking where are they?  I was right passed the big ones, and headed toward the first turn.  With the sun higher, and the goggles clear, I had no issues coming in either.  Out of the swim and into T1. 

Smooth transition and we are off on the bike.  Ahhh.  Best part of the day.  Get aero, smooth pedal.  I don’t have a power meter, and I’m not a big fan of heart rate since there is a lag in response, so I’ve been training by feel.  For “race pace” over a half-iron course, my objective is to keep the lactic acid clear.  For comparison in a 20 kilometer time trial with no need to run after, I go as hard as I can, and when I’m done the legs are on fire.  Here, you need to be able to run a half-marathon once off the bike.  I focus on a good pedal stroke and if I start to feel the lactic acid creep in, I go into an easier gear and spin it out.  The bike course is about as flat as you can get in Southern California.  Garmin said 371 feet of gain over 56 miles.  Most of that on the small bridge we went over eight times.  As the ride went on the breeze picked up, making for a bit of a headwind going north.  By the third and fourth lap, you could really feel it.  With a four lap course, you get a rhythm of what to expect and when.  What about that Lance guy?  Glad you asked.  At one point, heading south the motorcycles pass me, so I know the leaders should be right behind.  I look down, and see I am going 23.5 MPH.  Then WOOSH!  A Trek Speed Concept with a shirtless dude in a Speedo goes by me like I am standing still.   

The crowds on the bike course were as big as I’ve ever seen in a triathlon.  I wonder why?  The bridge I mentioned was well populated with lots of cameras.  Hard to believe that many people wanted my picture. 

I came into T2, racked the bike and started to get ready for the run.  I heard w Who Hoo go Steve, but had no idea where it came from or if it was for me?  If it was, thank you, I looked around and didn’t recognize anyone.  I felt like if my calf held up I could have a decent run.  Last year when I did the Austin70.3 I came in with severe cramping in my quads.  I felt pretty good getting off the bike here. 

Another smooth transition, I did duck into the port-o-potty before hitting the run course. 

The run course.  Soft sand to the beach, then firm sand for over two miles before pavement/groomed trails, two laps of that, then the final three miles on soft sand/packed sand. 

Here is the plan.  3 minutes of run, 1 minute walk.  A bit of bad luck for all runners at this point, the tide was in, meaning the firm area was mostly under water.  Putting us on the boarder area of firm/soft sand.  The legs would pay for this.

I was able to keep to my plan for almost six miles, then I took it to 2.5/1.5.  After the two laps of trails and pavement we hit the sand again.  Only it wasn’t straight to the beach, we had to go out further on the soft stuff!  Everyone was walking through here, what a slog!  Whatever I had left was crushed through this section.  Every step your feet sink in, it takes tremendous effort just to lift your foot and move it forward.  Finally back to the beach.  The good news, the tide was back out, and we could stay on the firm sand. 

I settled into walking fast at this point.  After getting a bit recovered I went to a one minute run, one minute walk.  This is the best I could do at this point, and finishing the one minute run was a bit taxing, but we did it. 

What about the calf, you ask?  It started balking and feeling really tight by mile two, but it was more of a real stiff bark, not a sharp pain, so I was able to ignore it and go.   

Finally the finish line is in sight.  My second 70.3 in the books.  And a really cool medal. 

So how was Superfrog?  Love assigned transition space, love that proceeds go to wounded seals and families.  Love the tie-in to Livestrong.  The swim was rough, but with a race created by Navy Seals, it is appropriate.  The bike course was boring, four laps on the Silver Strand, but fun to be able to go that fast.  The run course was brutal, again fitting since it was created by seals, but oh so hard.  But the best and biggest props goes to the volunteers.  Very enthusiastic, good job on the hand-ups on the bike course, and great enthusiasm on the run.  Well done! 

One compliant:  Virtually no post race food.  Mediocre oranges, and over-ripe bananas, water, and Cytomax.  I was famished and in need of food.  But I wanted to stay and watch Sugarmagnolia finish.  After sitting for a bit on a bench and in my transition spot, I had to leave; I had the shakes, and needed food.  Proud of my friend for her first 70.3. 

Equipment nerd?  Here is what I used.  Note, I am not sponsored, and this is not an endorsement, just what I use: 

Swim: Xterra Vortex sleeveless wet suit, Speedo smoke goggles.

Bike: Specialized Transition, 53/39 crankset, 11-28 cassette, Williams 58-85 wheel combo, Rudy Project helmet, Shimano Tri shoes

Run: Asics Nimbus 

2012 Tri season is now over.  Next up:  March 30 – Oceanside 70.3, then June 24 IMCDA. 

Well, next up, is a month of do what I want, no formal training.  Then November we begin training for my first full ironman.  Lots of base miles coming soon!

Thanks for reading.  You can follow me an Twitter, I am @stevecycles200