Ford Ironman 70.3 California - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

They staggered the waves by three minutes, so there were a lot of bodies on the course, some of them flailing more wildly than others. Didn't manage to take up a good spot for the deep water start and had to wait for slower swimmers ahead to clear out and provide a path. Absorbed an assortment of kicks and wallops from swimmers who either can't see underwater or simply don't care about who they're wailing on. Had some leakage problems with new goggles purchased at the expo, but sorted things out pretty quickly and found open water. Some difficulties sighting on the way back in. Sun was right in my eyes, and I didn't really familiarize myself with the course prior to the start. Even though I was swimming well and enjoying myself, it sorta hit me that my casual approach to the race might come back to haunt me.

Really should have known the course a bit better. Silly to try new googles on race day.

Forgot to bring a towel and had a hell of time pulling on my jersey over a wet torso. Was proud of my speedy jog in from water's edge, but HR felt pretty high as I worked to change into my bike gear. I decided to take my time after that. Have to do better preparing my food for the bike. Looked and felt like a moron trying to stuff my pockets with gels, bars, bloks, etc.

Tough to get organized in such a cramped little space. Barely had room to strip my wetsuit. Need to have a towel next time or wear a jersey under the wetsuit. Might try a bento box to organize my food. I tried to be slow and deliberate, which helped me lower the HR, but I gave time away, too. There must be a happy medium somewhere.

The split time certainly won't wow anyone, but this was a very good ride for me, especially considering how little I've trained on the bike this year. My bike time in Napa last year was a full twenty minutes slower on a very similar course, so I'm definitely pleased to see some progress. Looks like I'm still benefitting from the century training I put in last fall. Could have done even better were it not for two stops (one early to fix my race bib and one later at a port-a-potty).

Nice course with a couple climbs on the back half. Since I don't have a tri bike, I'm at a distinct disadvantage on the flats, but I tend to do okay on the climbs, and that was the case yesterday. Was literally passed by hundreds of riders throughout the day, but I reeled in a few on the hills, too. Think I may have gotten a new nickname in the process. On the one "big" climb, I swung out wide to pass some of the winded riders (including a few who were walking their bikes). One of the race officials posted there, evidently noting the lack of aero bars on my rig and the long-sleeved jersey and the gloves, yelled some encouragement to me: "That's right, Roadie, clean 'em up!" That gave me a nice lift and a bit of a laugh, too, as the "true" roadies who cycle in my area tend to sneer at me for my lack of high-end gear and my low-grade talent.

A good ride all in all. A bit of a head wind coming back down to the beach for the last seven or eight miles, but I paced myself well and maintained a good nutrition regimen. After mile 40, I kept telling myself that the real race was about to begin. Had a little mantra going: Just setting up the run now. Smooth cadence. Relaxed shoulders. Deep, steady breaths.

The bib fiasco (one of the inserts on my race belt tore out leaving the number flapping precariously) was unfortunate. Useless waste of time on the side of the road, but I was worried about incurring a penalty. Must have snagged the race belt in T1 without realizing it. I was definitely humbled by all the speed freaks out there, but maybe I could hold my own against some of them with a TT bike and an aero set-up? Better keep saving.

I can't quite figure this one out. It seemed to me like I took care of matters quickly, but Ironman says I gave away big time once again. Can't remember where the mat was placed so maybe some of the time was spent running my bike to the racks?

I did fine. Swapped my jersey for a clean shirt and ditched tri shorts for a pair of DeSoto running shorts that had pockets pre-loaded with gels and pain cream.

I was extremely wary of the run considering all of the troubles I've had with ITBS this year. Build-up for the LA Marathon (early March) really took a toll on me. Two weeks prior to this race, I couldn't even finish a three mile jog without incurring significant pain. Had thoughts of turning in my chip after the bike and saving myself from the pounding, but I figured I'd give it a try and see what happened.

A perfect scenario for me would have been a 2:10 run split. I figured I was good for ten minute miles even after a challenging ride, so long as the injury didn't rear its head too much. Just keep calm and don't do anything foolish, I tried to tell myself, and you'll run your way through this without aggravating the injury any further. Brought a bottle of HEED with me on the course to make sure I was drinking properly.

Checked my watch at mile 1 and saw that I'd logged a 8:04. WTF? Why do I always leave T2 like a maniac on fire? Settled down a bit after that, but still ran too fast. Hit mile 3 at 28 minutes. Must. Slow. Down.

Next three were paced better. I fell in with a pack of folks who seemed to be running comfortably, and figured I ought to let them set the pace for a while. Got a boost from some of the marine "volunteers" who were on the last little hill just before the halfway turnaround. Checked my watch there to see that I'd logged a 1:02. Still too fast, but better. Figured I had a few minutes cushion now in the event that I hit a bad patch. Still felt confidant in my chances for a 2:10 run. Dropped my empty bottle and headed out for the second loop.

Again with the sun and heat. Tried sponging myself a bit at mile 7 but didn't get much relief. Faced with a hill just before mile 8 I decided to walk a bit. I was beginning to feel dragged out, and my knees were starting to ache. Oddly, the left knee, formerly my "good" knee, hurt worse than my right, which has been the locus of so many problems this year. Rubbed some Biofreeze on the left knee and walked for about two minutes while eating a gel. I could feel that I was getting into a bad patch, so I thought a little recovery was in order. Didn't feel I was putting my goal time in jeopardy at that stage. Instead, I figured that it would do me good to bring the HR down a bit and then dig in for the last five miles.

Well, it didn't. I never felt quite right after mile 8. Don't know if I was just generally out of gas at that point or if the walking had allowed lactic acid to accumulate in my legs, but from mile 9 to the finish I was pretty much a casualty. It wasn't anything acute or intense, just a general feeling that my energy reserves were gone and my cardio-vascular system was no longer amused. Wouldn't call it bonking exactly. I think the technical term is quitting. I just didn't have it in me at that point to keep fighting mentally. Toyed with the idea of eating another gel to to see if a little carb/sugar boost could get me over the hump, but finally decided that it wasn't smart to throw more calories into a body which had given pretty much all it had. anyway, it wasn't a question of fueling at that point, but more of training and prep. Figured I might make myself sick if I tried to take a short-cut.

Lots of walking between miles 10 and 12. It was discouraging to let folks I had passed earlier go on by, but I was happy to know that a big PR was coming my way at the finish. Dug in for the last half mile or so, and actually surprised myself in the final straightaway. Saw a guy ahead of me lumbering and struggling to the tape and figured I had enough left to get around him, so I passed him on the left. Eased up with 40 or so meters left, but then got passed by a woman on my right making her final kick. Normally, I'd have let her go. She'd been out there working her tail off and had the guts to sprint for the finish, so good for her.

But I'd been out there working my tail off, too. It was a race after all, wasn't it? I set my jaw and stretched my gait into a good sprint and overtook her with about ten meters to go. That got a pretty good cheer out of the crowd (other middle-aged bald guys perhaps?) and the announcer made it seem like we were racing for the checkered flag. Was it petty? Maybe. But I was still vaguely impressed with myself for finding one more gear at the end of a long day.

Still having trouble finding my pace at the beginning of longer runs. I went out too fast at the LA Marathon a few weeks back and came in a burning wreck. Really hoped I could run a more disciplined, more controlled half marathon this time around, but I still went out too fast. The walking disappointed me, but I probably did right by my body at that point.

On the upside, my IT Band problem really never reared its head. Hopefully I've turned the corner on that front.

Went directly to the food tent and wolfed down a couple slices of pizza. Sat in the shade and sipped a Sprite, then headed back to the finish to watch for a friend who was coming in behind me.


This was a good showing for me and a major relief. I really hadn't done anything for four weeks prior to the race thanks to my IT Band injury and the muscle damage from the LA Marathon. I'm proud that I showed up, that I didn't pressure myself to do anything unreasonable, and that I found away to get across the finish even when things began to give out in the final stretch. On Friday at the expo, I was walking around wondering "Will I be able to run? Will I be able to finish? Will I have to take months off after this to rest and rehab the injury?" Even though I'm not setting any records or competing for hardware, I got my answers. I spent yesterday looking at trifind.com scouting for other races I can add to the calendar this spring. I love this sport. I hope my body will enable me to participate for many years to come. Congratulations to all who raced.