Race Recap #6: Santa Cruz Triathlon

And that’s a wrap!  Today I put a close to my first year of swimbikerunning, and I couldn’t have asked for a better ending.  The Santa Cruz Triathlon is an awesome local Olympic distance race.  It’s totally non-profit and the proceeds are donated to local high school and college athletic programs, who in turn provide countless volunteers!  Seriously, there were volunteers all over the course, more people helping with body marking and in transition than I’ve seen at any event, and every single person was excited and seemed pretty stoked to be there.

I was lucky enough to have my dad in town for the race to Sherpa and play paparazzi, plus my buddy Bo came down for moral support!!  And Coach was in town for the race and brought along superstar Iron(wo)man Sonja!  Great crew all around for my last race.

Now, I’m not going to lie, after AG Nationals, I wanted to race once more in 2013 to qualify for 2014 Nationals.  Today was not my day for that, but it absolutely solidified that I am truly in love with swimbikerunning, and am so excited for what 2014 has in store!  And with that, here’s how race day went down.

Pre-Race

It’s a 40 minute drive from my house to Santa Cruz…I planned to get up at 4:45, leave by 5:30.  Well, I couldn’t sleep for the life of me, but snoozed my first few alarms and didn’t roll out of bed until 5:14.  Whoops!  I still made it to transition with plenty of empty slots, time to drink my Osmo Pre-load and to do a quick warm-up jog.  Then it was time to head down to the swim start…seriously forever away from transition!

Swim:  29:40

This was an ocean swim…my first ever!  It started on the beach in front of the boardwalk, which required a decent hike in the sand.  On the way, I found Coach Muddy, Coach Barbara, and Sonia, and got an awesome pep talk!  Knowing how cold the water is in Santa Cruz, I took advantage of my later wave and adjusted to the freezing cold water.  My Xterra Vortex kept my body warm, but putting my face in the water felt like putting it in a bowl of snow!  So cold!

Getting tips from the pro!!

It was a running start, so we lined up on the beach and I got some sighting tips from Sonia in the corral.  Then it was off to drink the ocean.  Once I dove in, I totally adapted to the cold, but the taste of salt water was definitely new and I am NOT a fan.  Yuck.  The swim course went around the Santa Cruz pier, and once I got to the back side on my way back, I felt like I was on a treadmill.  I’m not used to swimming with a current…so apparently this is something that I need to work on before March of next year.

Swim exit was all the way around the pier...and there was a seal barking under the pier!!

T1: 5:29 – seriously!!

Longest transition ever.  Even longer than Wildflower.  From the sand to T1, it was at least a quarter mile if not more.  I definitely should have brought a pair of shoes down to the sand…my feet were frozen from the swim and felt ever single bump or edge of the pavement on the way.

Bike: 1:18:39

The bike course was absolutely beautiful, running along Highway 1 with views of the ocean for the majority of the ride.  Definitely wish that I had my camera.  This is the same route that I rode on the 4^th of July, but the weather was sunny and beautiful today!  It was hilly, but I pushed myself and tried to keep my legs hurting just enough.  I was a little bummed during the ride because I thought I’d be able to set a new PR…just one of those things that I have to keep reminding myself, that every course is different and I can’t expect to have the same results on a different course.

T2: 1:17

Nothing special here…just in an out.

Run: 52:13

Yikes…so the run is not as flat as advertised, and my calves continued to give me problems.  I started out running with another 30-34 woman, but within one mile, she had left me in her dust.  I was a bit down and just trucking along, watching my pace creep slower and slower.  I just kept repeating to myself that “the mind goes first” and my body could push harder, but I was having a tough time pushing harder. 

But my Coach is absolutely amazing.  He was out one his bike along the run course and saw me struggling around mile 4.5.  He called out some pointers to fix my form so that I would relax and run easier.  Then he rode alongside for the last bit of the race with words of encouragement, and really helped me dig deep.  He knew exactly what to say to get me motivated, and made me smile and laugh along the way.  I passed my run buddy from the beginning of the leg, and beat out one more girl in my age group before the finish. 

Total Time: 2:47:18

8^th Age Group

All in all, this was a great way to end my season.  Completely solidified that I have the best coach around and I am extremely grateful to be navigating this sport with his help.  Racing with Sonia was a total inspiration and I can’t wait to track her as she kicks some ass in Kona.  I am beyond thankful to be part of the FNS family, and especially lucky to have a friend like Bo come out for moral support.  And last but not least, thank so my dad for being my chauffeur, Sherpa, and awesome cheerleader today.

Special thanks to ProAnox for keeping me firing on all cylinders and recovering at top speed, to Osmo Nutrition for keeping me super hydrated, and to FNS Training Center for keeping my body Fit and Flowing and emotionally supported throughout the season.

Next up...a well deserved recovery week, then I've set my sights on a long overdue marathon PR at the CIM marathon in December!  Happy Training!