Oceanside 70.3 Race Recap

The first race of the season was a success! There were things I could have done better and there were things I'm quite happy with. Overall I'm pleased with my performance and I have a clear view of what I need to work on. My main goal going into this race was to not hammer the bike so hard that I couldn't run. After Orangeman last year, I realized just how long and horrendous of a suffer-fest 13.1 miles could be and I didn't want to repeat that death march. Maybe death march sounds extreme, but I can tell you I came off the bike in Orangeman feeling like a hero and promptly turned to dog poo within the first mile of the run. It sucked and I vowed never again.

We arrived just right on time - too early and I'm standing around freezing and getting hyper. Too late and I'm rushed and forgetting stuff. We had just enough time to set up, say hello to people, go to the bathroom and get ready. I was really happy to see so many teammates there (racing and cheering), a few good friends, our coach and of course, Adam! Even though I have always tended to be a solo person, race day (and long workouts) are easier when the strength of many is pooled together. The race itself is made up of a network of other athletes, volunteers, friends, support, and human togetherness, even in the times when you are completely alone. It's that group that can float you through the hard parts and pull you upward, forward, and onward. I was particularly happy to see my old skydiving buddy Leon who I haven't seen in ages! It's such a trip that I've become reconnected with two friends from skydiving in triathlon! Small world!!

Adam + I pre-race

The Swim (1.2mi - 0:42:52 ugh! slow!)

This was my first swim-start race and I wasn't sure what to expect. Since Jilli and I swim about the same pace, I lined up with her towards the middle-front. When the horn sounded, we took off. I was expecting a lot of contact, but not for so long. It felt like the group stayed together in a frenzy of kicking and slapping for a long, long time. Every time I tried to surge, I hit someone else and people were swimming on top of me as well. I think in the future I will start off to the side and swim faster and a little further to break free from the melee a little bit then cut in around the side. I knew I wasn't swimming as fast as I needed to hit my goal time and finally just settled into a steady rhythm for the rest of the swim. Once we got out of the harbor there were some big rollers. I was a bit surprised, but there were enough feet to follow and the buoys were really easy to spot so I didn't let it bother me too much. I had no clue where I was in the pack of girls, so I swam in harder to the exit ramp. I was happy to see my buddy Ray (volunteer) the minute I got out but super bummed with my time. My average pace was 2:15/100y which absolutely bums me out since my recent open water swims have been more in the 2:00/100y range. 

Lessons Learned: Next time I will try a different starting position and maybe really practice swimming hard for the first 500 yards or so to get away from the pack. I also want to practice running out of the water so that transitions runs aren't so disorienting. 

T1 (0:05:26)

There was a short run and STILL this ended up being over FIVE minutes? What the heck was I doing?! I saw that Jillian was behind me by a minute or so and wanted to get out of T1 right behind her. Then I got to my stuff and...time slowed down. I put my arm warmers on since it was drizzly, I ate half a gel since I was starving and I hustled to throw all my stuff in the swim bag. I saw Jillian take off and knew my chance of staying with her was gone! Super disappointed. 

Lessons Learned: I don't need arm warmers. I don't get cold in races. I need to minimize the choices I have in transition. No gloves, no arm warmers, just bike, helmet, shoes, glasses. 

The Bike (03:18:18)

The hardest thing I did in this race was to let everyone ride past me in the first 30 miles. My race plan had heart rate guidelines and in order to stay in tempo I had to get my heart rate down first. I like to hammer the bike but I knew (and my coach knew) that would mean a bad run. So I settled in, tuned everyone else out and convinced myself I was just warming up for the run. I was a little worried about the first steep hill on my new tri bike, but it went just fine! After that I knew the rest of the bike was a walk in the park and I picked it up a bit. The new bike felt great. The roads were pretty slick due to the drizzle and fog, but all the downhills were on pretty good roads so there wasn't a lot to avoid. I came in to T2 and new I was going to miss my 6:00:00 best case scenario finish. My average speed was pretty low for me, but I was focused on the run, not the bike. I know I can ride my bike fast (and particularly my new bike) but I kept the run as my goal and didn't let it get me down.

Lessons Learned: I think I could have gone harder than I did and still had a good run. I was a bit nervous on my new bike and had never run off riding it, so I took it a little easy. All in all it meant a good run, but I know I could have hit it harder than I did without sacrificing the run.

T2 (0:03:53)

SO awesome that they take your bike and handle all your stuff for you in transition! This was my first Ironman race and they really do take care of you for the money you spend. Since I knew I missed my big "aim for the stars" goal, I took the time to be comfortable and go pee. 

Lessons Learned: Learn to pee on the bike. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Seriously. I feel like a bad triathlete!

The Run (02:08:23)

I knew from the moment my feet hit the pavement that I was GOOD to go. My coach had told me I could bump up my speed a little bit if it felt too slow, which turned out to be good advice. I kept slowing down and slowing down until I felt like I was shuffling. I was still running just under a 10:00/mi so I tried to hold it there. Again, I watched hordes of people run past me and took a deep breath and relaxed and let them go by. This was my race and my run, not theirs. Once I came back by the Team FC cheering section around mile 6.5 I knew I had the run. I felt like I could have kept running 9:50-10:00 forever. It was the first time in my life in a race that I've felt this way and I couldn't believe it was at the end of a half ironman. I picked up the pace from there and kept pushing as much as I could. The last mile and a half were a little bit difficult as my feet were sore from the concrete, but I kept pushing myself as much as I could and happily crossed the finish line. My average pace was 9:48/mi which makes me REALLY happy. A few years ago, my goal was to run a half-marathon in 10:00/mi average pace, doing so at the end of a half ironman was really cool.

Lessons Learned: Having a good run was well worth a slower bike! Many of the people that hustled past me in miles 1-3 were walking the rest of the way. Some of the people that hammered the bike walked up every single hill and I jogged by them, knowing their pain (and also chuckling, suckers). Nothing is better for me than a good run and I feel like I finally nailed it. I never, ever, ever want to have to walk /suffer on the run again!

Total Time: 6:19:25
Yes, about 19:25 over my best case scenario goal, but I'm still happy. I had a good run, a safe bike and I know I can swim harder than that. For my second race, I'm still learning and I'm proud of my results.

All in all, racing is such an amazing experience. From the crowds, volunteers, teammates, strangers, there's something 100% wonderful about the whole thing.  I feel so fortunate to have so many supportive people in my life. I'm not sure how I got so lucky, but I'm grateful every day! Seeing everyone on the course racing and friends cheering made the day really special. I've got one more month to go until St. Croix (which will hand my ass to me), but I'm ready to attack the next month of training and give it all I've got! On a side note, the race itself was GREAT, I'll definitely register again.