My first triathlon race of the season Oceanside 70.3 in California on April 2nd. All in all it was a great event. The water was cold, but definitely manageable…kinda of like Milton temperatures (for those who have done that race) …59-60 degrees is what they said it was??!! The swim was in the harbour so there was no opportunity to swim there in the days before the race nor on race morning. I did a 15min run to keep warm and get the blood flowing to my muscles. Got my wetsuit on and headed to the start. The pro men started at 6:40 with a chance for a 5min swim before the gun. The pro women had 3min to warm up with our start at 6:43. The good part about this was we swam from the dock ramp to the start and only had a few seconds there before the gun went off. Not much time to think nor get cold! The day ended up being overcast with a very comfortable temperature…I believe it was the mid to high 60’s but very windy. Even at 4am when Brandon and I left for the race, it was super windy, so we knew the rest of the day would be the same! The race director talked about mist and wet roads on the bike course but fortunately the roads were dry when I was on them.
The swim was choppy near the mouth of the harbour fortunately this wasn’t a long section and once along the break wall it was calmer again. You’ll all be happy to know that I swam on feet and hips the whole way…just like I tell you guys! And like you guys I would have liked my swim faster but I am very happy with how I executed it and the energy I saved by drafting.
The transition is super long…you have to run from the swim/bike/run exit down the whole transition and back up again. So it is a ‘fair/even’ distance for everyone.
The bike course is definitely a hilly one! Starts off fairly flat then you get into the hills once you on are the Camp Pendleton base and there are few really good climbs. Nothing like what we have in Ontario! The disappointing part was the strong head winds which robbed us of our speed on the descents! If we have to climb that much then we should get a good downhill, no such luck on this day. The Muskoka 70.3 course has many more hills then this course but they are not as long as the ones in Cali. All in all a good course.
The run course is pleasantly flat, although there is a steep section in the middle of the route to get from the beach up to the road above, only about 10-15sec long but steep and it’s done twice. For my run the sun came out briefly which made it a wonderful temperature (I like it warm), but it was a windy run especially along the coast.
As most of you saw my race report from IM Coeur d’Alene this was another humbling race. This is the most popular half ironman event for the Pro’s as many of them train in California. So the field was ‘stacked’ as the reports say and that was the truth. It was a great experience to race with the ‘fast’ girls and not come last! I got passed but I passed a couple as well…even in the last 1/2 km I passed a girl…yeah for me! As I reflect on my day and each sport I am very pleased with how it went. I executed each very well, felt strong and confident through the whole day. And my nutrition was right on track. Do I wish I went faster, absolutely, but being faster isn’t the only factor! In fact my bike portion was the strongest power I have done in a race and the best overall execution from start to finish but my time was similar to my half split time in an Ironman. What does this mean, it’s a tough course with the hills and the wind specifically. In order to go the time that I did it required more power and effort. This is where it is hard to compare races, different terrain, weather conditions etc.
Every race is about the run, being able to swim efficiently, ride strong but having energy to run well is the ultimate goal. I felt I did this well. I settled into my pace and effort early on and held it to the end. No doubt we fatigue and tire which makes the pace harder to hold and this is where all of the training and pushing that we do comes into play. You gotta fight for it! Using other people ahead of you helps. When I saw the “P” on the girls’ leg in front…it was the perfect ‘carrot’ to get me to finish strong and fight, which I did. She wasn’t too happy…but racing is racing and its not over till you cross that line
Things to think about in your training…
1. What motivates you to push? Can you use your surroundings when the going gets tough (which it always does)?
2. Don’t skip your runs…particularly the ones off the bike! Think like you are in a race and you have put push those last few minutes to catch someone in front!
3. Nutrition…get into the habit of writing down what you took in. Especially for your long rides and runs. This will help you to ‘see’ what you are doing…enough, too little, too much?!
Looking forward to the rest of the season! Keep up your training it’s the foundation for a great race!
Cheers,
Fiona