Ford Ironman 70.3 California - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

I stayed in the back middle for the swim start. I don't remember the start being that brutal. We were pretty nicely spread out. Just a little feet bumping here and there. I stayed a little to the right and tried to be away from everyone else. I am sure I missed out on some great drafting opportunities but I don't like to bump into people in the water. I decided to stay slow steady and calm. I consistently did alternate breathing lifting my head to spot every left breath. I feel my spotting was the best ever. Then out of nowhere came a guy in a light blue cap. He must have been a few waves behind. He sucker punched me in the face!!! Who swims with their hands in a fist??? I swear I thought I was going to come out of the water with a bloody nose. I switched to breast stroke long enough to yell "Mother %$&@*$"! Suck it up. Just keep going. Then I noticed every time I took a look to my left the same girl in my wave was next to me. We were going parallel at the exact same pace for at least a 300 yards. She picked a good spot to round buoys at the turn around and I followed her. Then we were side by side when we came up on a bunch of green caps from the wave ahead of us. I am pretty sure I lost her when we got mixed up with other colors. I finally noticed some floating docks that I remembered being close to the exit. I kept a steady pace and exited the water. I did a easy jog into transition and realized the photo that was taken was of me struggling to pull my arm out of my suit. Oops.

I think I would start more at the front and try to stay in a draft line better. I took the swim too easy but this is just the start of a very long day. What is an extra 3-5 min?

I took the top of my wetsuit, cap and goggles off while running back to my stuff. I was surprised to see most of the bikes still on the rack when I got there. I took off the wetsuit bottoms and had a hard time. I then threw on all the clothing, gloves, helmet, glasses that I had stored on my bike frame. Put on socks and shoes and was ready to go.

BUT WAIT - Should I wear my wind breaker??? Should I wear my wind breaker??? Brain went into total fart! I looked around and no one was leaving with a jacket. They were all in tri top and shorts only. I planned on wearing a jacket. Ugghhh. Then a volunteer came over and woke me up out of my, what must have been a 3 minute day dream about my jacket, "Hey, are you ok? Did you loose something?" "No, no, I just cannot decide if I should take my jacket" Awe, screw it, I lived in Upstate New York for 7 years. If anyone can handle some cold it is me! And I was off sans windbreaker.

Wake the frick up! Just get your gear and go!!!

The bike segment concerned me the most. I was worried about a flat or some other mechanical issues. I also remembered how tired I was on the few 50+ mile rides that I did in training.

The first part I made a point to keep my cadence high and drink a lot of water. I didn't eat for the first 20 minutes. Then around 25 minutes I had my first gu. Then I started sipping perpetulum (concentrated bottle with 6 scoops, approx 750 cal - only ended up drinking 2/3 of the bottle) and alternated that with water. I had the sport drink on my frame and water only in my aero bottle. This was a very welcome last minute tip! I ate and drank whenever I remembered for the first part of the ride. My stomach did start to get bloated and funky so I slowed down a little. As I passed all the bathrooms at the state park I considered stopping but decided to press on. My need to pee ended up going away. I saw a few Inland Inferno folks around the state park but only recognized Mike. Around this time Jan showed up in her bright orange. I think I caught up to her as she was taking a pee break. We crossed paths back and forth throughout the ride. I loved having names on the race numbers. So many riders came passed and say "Nice Job, Candace" It kind of freaked me out at first until I realized how they knew my name.

The first half of the course was very fast for me. I stayed aero as much as I could. I was starting to think I might finish the whole ride in 3 hours. I kept my effort easy to medium because I knew the second half of the course was going to be rough. The marines at the aid stations were FANTASTIC!!! Very motivational and very well organized. The first half of the course was also pretty crowded. A few times race officials were shouting to all of us to spread out. It was tough because we were on a slow incline and were getting closer and closer together but no one had the energy to overtake the one before them. And there were tons of fast riders from the last waves passing all of us. I wasn't benefiting from any drafting but might have been less then 4 full bike lengths back. I was always so scared I would get a penalty.

The course spread out a bit for the green rolling hills. That was fun and scenic. Then we headed for "the wall". This was very intimidating. I didn't have anyone around me so I shouted out loud, "BRING IT ON!!!" I dropped to my granny gear a few seconds early to make sure I wouldn't loose my chain and started spinning. In my easiest gear my cadence was really low. I was pushing hard to get up that hill. A handful of people were walking. I did pass a few people including the guy who was creating a sort of switch back path to zig zag himself up the hill. He looked pretty unstable and I was terrified he was going to tip over right in front of me. I muscled past him. I kept imagining myself mountain biking on a hill in Green Lakes State Park in New York. The hill was short but steep and really got the heart rate pumping. I knew if my heart rate climbed it would easily recover a minute or two after the top. As we were getting close to the top there were some volunteers up there shouting at everyone and ringing their cowbells. You could tell they had been there all day because they were getting loopy. I thanked them and told them I was so glad they were at the top. It was great seeing and hearing them at the top of the hill.

For the rest of the course there were 2 (could be considered 3) steep hills. These too were a pretty serious grade. There were people walking on these as well. In between the hills were some fun down hills. One of which was a 25 mph no passing zone. The best thing about that is, there was no one around me. I was on that section all alone. According to the radar I hit 30 (didn't mean to) my bike computer wasn't set to mph. My brakes starting making a really loud screeching sound and I was hoping they wouldn't die on me. During this back part of the course I saw Mark doing a tech run about a dozen times: driving past me and helping a flat, then passing me and stopping again. It was fun to see him over and over. I also met a guy named Jim on the last hill. I stood up for the end of the hill and he told me to stop it because he was trying to pass me. HA! Little did I know he was going to be my buddy for the rest of the race. The last aid station came and went fast, oops, I really had to pee. This made the last 6 miles into the headwind very uncomfortable. I took sips of water only when my throat dried and I did have one more gu in the last 6 miles. Finally the harbor was in sight. I am pretty sure the top pros were coming in to the finish line as I was heading back to transition.

I did amazingly well with my nutrition and hydration. It is a fine line between having to pee all the time and not being hydrated enough. I would continue to perfect this in all sorts of weather and intensities. I think the key is more bike training. I need to shave an hour off of my bike for next year!

I missed my rack and had to run up and down the asile to find it. Oops.
Just like the last transition, all the bikes were racked. Hmm, this isn't quite ideal for T2. Oh well. I racked my bike, took off my helmet, put on my hat, took off my gloves, off with shoes and on with running shoes. I do like the lock laces. Then I started running. All the volunteers were cheering as I sprinted into the porta pots. That is really the only reason I was running. I had to pee bad!

SUNSCREEN!!! I was so darn salty that I only got it on my face and part of my arms. Bad move.

The change of shoes put a dip in my hip and a glide in my stride. I was sick of the bike shoes. I didn't notice any issues with my legs rebelling. I did a lot of bricks in my training that must have helped. I ran the first 3 miles at a decent jog. I don't know for sure but I guess it would be around 12 min mile.

I saw Tim and the doggies hanging out near the pier and I got to stop and give them a big pet and hug. Along the course I saw Roehl, Richard, Daniel, Phil, Jan, and Rebekah and a few others from IITC. It was fun to see others out on the course and keep my mind from what I was actually doing. I ran the first aid station sipping gatorade, then I ran up the hill to the neighborhood and hit the next aid station. I decided to do a shot block water combo and things got complicated so I started to walk while I ate and drank and dealt with the awesome ice cold sponges. Wow, walking felt really good. I ran again up the next hill and realized that my run was just as fast as the others walking up the hill. Hmm. The turn around seemed really far and I was reading the wrong mile markers and was getting all confused as how far I had run. I decided to mentally split the run into 4 lengths, each turn around would start a new milestone. I walked the aid stations for most of the 2nd length. I did see Tim and the doggies again. The 3rd length was getting painful. I was having a tough time breathing and it was really really hot and muggy. I was concerned I would get dizzy at the finish so I decided to go easy and walk more. I continued to alternate water and gatorade at each station. I dumped a ton of water on my head and back and used the sponges whenever they came up.

I started to become buddies with my walk/ run partners. Jim and I were chatting back and forth with jokes and words of encouragement since the bike ride. There were 2 other girls who I now forget their names that were part of our encouragement group.

When I hit the 10 mile marker I started thinking that there was only a 5K to go. Anyone can do a 5K. The reality of this accomplishment started to set in. Now I just need to start running. And don't pass out. Each step was tough. I have to say this was the longest 5K of my life. All the landmarks that I grew to know and love on the past 3 lengths of the run were coming so slow. I still had so many to pass. I saw Tim and the dogs one more time. I was harassing Jim and a new guy from Chicago for walking. I thought they didn't want look sweaty for the finish. Just then a guy told us we were 1.5 miles from the end. Wow we have gone 68.8 miles!!!

Then I hit the SD Tri Club super dance party going on at the aid station. I took one more sip of gatorade to guarantee some fuel for the finish. I ran through the human tent of all sorts of costumed volunteers and danced to a little Paul Simon as I headed to the last stretch of this race. I was passed by Jim and then Jan and another IITC person along the last stretch but that was fine because my goal was to finish. And I wanted some space for a good photo op a the end. I heard them announce my name and I hit the banner. HOLY CRAP. I DID IT!!!

Run, run, run, run, run. Train for running. Run more than 10 miles during training! Continue core work. Forget the shot blocks for the run.

After the race Jim waited to give me a big sweaty hug. It was great having a new buddy that helped me though the race. I got my medal t-shirt and hat. Then a group of IITC folks said hi (Carla, John, Ellie, Brian). I was amazed I was coherent enough to say a few words. I actually remember saying something about wanting to do it again.

I walked and tried to eat pizza and pretzels. Solid food was really unappealing. I drank water and tried to calm my breathing down. I stretched a little and started to pack up. There were only one or two bikes left in my area. Once I calmed down I found Tim and sat for a while. Once I cooled down I realized it was freezing outside. I didn't bring enough clothes. Burr.

Overall, this was a fantastic experience. I will seriously do this race again. I like the fact that it is early in the season. I also like the venue and the volunteers. I cannot believe I have reached a new level and can now say I have done a 70.3 race! I would like to do the HIM distance again for sure.


Experience, training, technique.


This event was fantastic. I think the massive amount of volunteers working the race with such enthusiasm made such a difference. The swim was sheltered from the surf. The bike course was scenic and challenging. And the run was action packed with spectators and regular beach goers. I felt like a celebrity with everyone shouting my name. I would do this race again!

Special thanks to the Inland Inferno Tri Club, the volunteers at the top of the first steep hill on the bike course, the San Diego Tri Club volunteer party, and finally the tall, skinny, short blond-haired woman standing near mile 10 that was shouting all sorts of encouragement and inspiring words while loosing her voice till the bitter end.