Escape From Alcatraz - TriathlonOlympic

I really enjoyed the swim, but simply sighted too aggressively and ended up too far down the shore. The weekend before I did a 1.6-mile OWS in 37 minutes, so I was disappointed in the extra time that error tacked on. Otherwise, I felt my stroke/pace were consistent, I stayed calm, and was happy I took time to enjoy the amazing views! I certainly saw many, many caps much further down the beach, though, so it could have been worse. I'm really glad I did NOT wait inside the ferry, but hung out near the doors/outside on the deck...it kept me much cooler. Plus I got to chat with Andy Potts for a good 10 minutes! Awesome.

Sight off the apartment buildings and/or Ft. Mason longer. I was instructed to "use the dome to bring me home" after I could see both towers of the GG bridge, and it sent me way out of the way.

Well, I had tied my pre-transition bag a certain way to ensure easy opening...then got to transition and saw it had been re-tied by someone. Boo! So I needed help from one of the volunteers to open it, which took some time. There also weren't enough wetsuit strippers, so I had to wait there as well. I felt great on the run to the transition area (guess swim/run bricks do pay off, lol) as it is a bit of a haul. Was sort of disheartening to see almost all of the bikes gone by the time I arrived, due to my very sub-par swim, so at that point I decided to stop "racing" and just enjoy the experience.

Maybe color/decorate my transition bag to make it easier to spot. And not be so hard on myself when things don't go to plan.

I decided to just take it slow and be safe, since I didn't know the course and am not the most comfortable on downhills. I did promise myself that I would NOT get off my bike and walk any hills, as I saw many people doing. The course is pretty technical and it seemed like every downhill ended in a turn, so I rode the brakes a lot. Also, didn't really hit my groove until around mile 10...clearly I'm a long-course girl.

Practice downhills and cornering more. It would have been great to get there a few days early and ride the course. Judging by how great I felt on the run, I could have probably pushed the hills a little harder, too.

Mine was one of the last bikes in on my rack, and the other folks hadn't left me much room, so it took a bit of finagling around some huge backpacks in order to rack. Everything else went pretty smoothly. Usually I clip on my race belt in T1, but I didn't do that this time, and therefore initially left without my race number. Oops! Remembered it at the end of my row, thankfully.

Be more aggressive with other people's stuff. Haha. If I don't put my belt on before the bike, be sure to leave it inside my hat or somewhere else I can't miss it. And quick laces on my run shoes.

I felt AWESOME on this run. I started passing people almost immediately, and was hardly passed at all! i had planned to walk many of the hills, but I kept surprising myself by running up one after another! My only walk breaks were stairs, one hill, and a brief interval in the sand. I caught a great surge of energy in the last half mile or so, and had so much fun crossing the finish line with a strong kick! I came into this race fearing I hadn't run enough hills, but having done a lot more interval/track work than in past seasons...I think the speed sessions helped me tremendously! Also, did I mention how GORGEOUS this run is? Absolutely breathtaking.

I could have pushed the pace on the flats and downhills, because at the end of the race I felt like I could have done the whole course again. :) Otherwise I was sooo happy to hold sub-10 pace on a very hilly course.

Stuffing my face in the Equinox VIP tent. ;) I got a brief chair massage, and stretched/foam rolled after I showered that afternoon.


The main limiter was being unfamiliar with the course. The tricky swim sighting and the technical downhills on the bike were the 2 biggest time sucks. Since this is SUCH an unusual race, I feel like there isn't much else I could have done to prepare, short of moving to SF and training on the course. I'm certain if I do this race again, my time will be much improved, simply because I know how it all fits together. I got the best advice from a woman I met in NYC: "This is not a race, this is an event." When I wasn't in race-mindset and was taking the time to enjoy the scenery and experience, it was truly an awesome event.


If I am lucky enough to do this race again, I will jump at the chance. It is truly special.