Ford Ironman 70.3 California : Official Thread (Page 7)

All I care about is the wind.

1857 - Leah Davis

Swam in the cove tonight.  It was still pretty cold (posted temp was 57).  I wore my neoprene hoodie this time, but it doesn't do much to protect the face.  You do get used to it after a little while tho.  I swam a half mile then put on my fins and swam another half with a friend who showed up late.  Temp wasn't bad at all the second time.

Racing on base tomorrow morning - a little runbikerun action!  Going with 90s front and back and will report back on the wind conditions.

Easy-paced preview brick on Sunday, starting at 8 A.M.  We're riding out from the harbor up through base, along the old 101 and Trestles to Christianitos and back before running a loop of the run course.  Ride should be about 40-45 miles and we'll probably average 17-18 mph or so.  There aren't many stops once you get on base and we're not hammering.  It's just a ride to show some first-timers the part of the course that we can see.  Planning to start the run out from transition around 11.

Kate Rosier - 1577!  I'm scared!! 

Thanks guys for the swim/weather updates.  

kate- i am a little scared, too!  but once we get in and moving, it'll be okay.  right???

kimberly tom-1706

I hope we'll be ok.  I know I will be back of the pack . . .  but at least I got off the couch, right?! 

hell yeah and the best part about the swim or at least it is to me. Is getting to the open end of the harbor and actually feeling the swells. They were not big last year but you could feel them and it made it seem like i was on a rollercoaster. IT was one of the funnest part of the whole race for me for real.

Rick Branam 1614

After reading some of the recent thread postings on the water, I thought I would add some comments.

I have completed the Boise 70.3 with 52 degree water and Alcatraz at 59. Honestly 59 is not too cold.

1) Get some earplugs to keep cold water out of inner ears.
2) Get a squid lid
3) Put some vaseline/aquaphor on cheeks and back of hands. It will serve as an insulating layer
4) Get in the water the day before to acclimate your body. A quick 10 min swim will do

here is what i found out last year on the swim. THe morning temp will be 48 or so it will feel cold especially if there is a slight breeze like last year. The water is about 58 or so. I was cold all morning until i put on the wetsuit about 630 for my 7 AM start. We hit the boat ramp and the water felt warmer than the cold air around us. I felt more cold in transition waiting to start the race than in the water.
You have to swim 100 yards or so to the start line and you wait for your time to go. Use this time to stick your face in the water get used to it.
What surprised me was the leg cramps from the cold water. Started about 5 minutes into the swim and didn't stop until i was back on the boat ramp. I just stretched the leg that was cramping by flexing the toes while continuing to swim.

Also if you bring an old pair of shoes you can wear those until you have to take them off to get into the water. You will not see them again though. That way your feet will stay warm longer.

Hey All,

I raced up on base this Saturday and did an easy-paced preview bike/run brick today.

Sat conditions were close to perfect.  There wasn't much cloud cover so it could have been a bit hot later in the day.  We went off in a mass start at 8:30 and were mostly done by 10, so it didn't affect us at all.  I had 90mm race wheels front and back and had no problem staying down in aero the entire race.  Well, except when I had to get up and stand on a few hills.

Today's conditions were better - I would say perfect.  We rode out from the harbor, along the bike course, through base (skipping the out & back at Las Pulgas) and up the bike path along the coast.  Last time I rode through there, the I-5 underpass that connects the old coast highway to Trestles bike path was muddy with a lot of standing water, but it's completely dry now.  It looked like someone had spent some time brushing it out.

I road the road bike today since I didn't want to risk messing up my TT race setup and of course I ended up busting a spoke about 20 miles into the ride.  Fortunately, the Bontrager 5.0s are pretty solid and the wheel stayed relatively true without the spoke.  I was able to ride (albeit gingerly and on pins and needles) all of the way back to the harbor without incident.  Now I'll have to test their 5-year warranty.  I just bought the wheelset in Feb and this is only like the 4th or 5th ride on them.  Weird thing was I wasn't doing anything notable when it snapped.  Just cruising along, half coasting in a small pack of riders.  That's a gut wrenching twang, though.  It hate that sound.

Anyway, the biggest thing to report back is that the beach portion of the run course was completely under water.  The waves were rolling all of the way up to the rocks and we had to backtrack to Pacific St. and take Breakwater Way down to the strand.  Unless the tide dramatically changes in 6 days (we were there around 1:00 P.M.), we won't be running on the sand.

I also remembered that towards the end of the "out" portion of the run, you'll be able to see two American flags up ahead on houses on the right before you can see the actual turnaround.  Last year during the race, they were like beacons for me to look for on the second loop.  This year, I'll be looking for them the first time out.

The other thing to note was the wind.  While it was a non-factor on the bike (at least the portion that we rode) I did notice it on the run - mostly after the turnaround, running back north along the strand.  Today was a relatively mild day and it still felt like a bit of a struggle.  Of course, there will be a lot of foot traffic and it might be different when you can just tuck in behind people.

So all-in-all, the conditions today would have been pretty perfect for racing.  The marine layer pretty much hung around all day.  When we got to the parking lots at 8:30 A.M., the sun was still obscured, so sighting wouldn't have been that much of an issue on the swim.  I would bet that it would have been a bit warm out on the east part of the bike course in the hills, but it was nice and cool for the run at the coastline.  Just a bit of wind.  I'm sure we'll still have to battle the standard headwind as we're riding the last 8-10 mile stretch along Vandegrift towards the I-5 overpass.

Well...that's the local report for this weekend.  Looks like the water temp is going to be somewhere between 57 & 59.  Hope everyone can enjoy their taper.  Safe travels for those making your way out here.

Good luck!

-Mike

#1084 - Miller, John E

Did my last hard brick yesterday + an all out 22 mile sprint ride today with the P3C all Zipp'd up and the ceramic BB freshly serviced.  Feeling great!!!  Let's get it on!!  

Good luck everybody....

Edited by TheWolf 2010-03-21 10:51 PM

Just read the athlete guide. I was wondering about rule 7 under the bike course...."shoes may not be attached to the pedals." What's the deal with this? Are we supposed to put them on and run out of transition? I could have sworn I saw people with them attached to their pedals last year when I was spectating.

Michael Nguyen - 183

last brick workout today.....looking forward to meeting all of you guys on sat...Get'er done...

T-minus 5 more days ! who's ready! Just ran the half today did a personal best. Puttin in a couple more mile swims before I drive down on wednesday.

Im HOPING 50 total miles of bike in the last 6 months will do (yea, fifty miles). Its gonna have to, too late now! Haaahaaa piece of cake right?

Good luck all

I talked with people who did the race last year, this rule was also in place last year but, it was not enforced.  Many have stated that a lot of competitors had their shoes clipped to their bikes.  I also understand that the run out of T1 is almost a 1/4 mile.  I do not relish the thought of running 1/4 mile in bike shoes...

Greetings from San Antone.  Jumping on a plane with my wife on Thursday morning.  All the training is done now so hoping to take in the whole experience (instead of being getting too preoccupied with all the worries for a first time HIMer such as: fueling, whether or not the goggles are tinted enough, using a sleeveless wetsuit, whether or not to use a bento box, how to approach the hills, wind, etc.)  Funny how gripping about these things can sometimes become "the sport within the sport"!

Good luck to all and safe travels.  

Also I wanted to send a shout out to ChrisM.  I just read your blog and am extremely sorry about what has happened last week.  Man, that is truly crushing and I can't imagine having to deal with something like that.  I hope all BTers will keep you in their thoughts....I certainly will.

Just crashed the Durango going to the bank getting ready to head out ot town. Race trip wiped out.

Drive safe everyone, don't get too in a hurry. Keep focused on the task at hand and you'll make it. Unlike me... goodluck to everyone.

Good side of things, nobody hurt. Not injured, so i'll seeya all at Ironman 70.3 Boise.

The run out with the bike isn't that far.  The whole run through T1, including the run from the swim exit to your rack, may be close to 200m since you have to run the whole length of transition and then enter from the back.  The run out with your bike will depend on your rack, but it's really not that bad.

You can probably get away with leaving your shoes on your pedals, but if you're not experienced with it and something happens at the bike mount, it could be trouble.  Over the course of the half-Iron race, I don't think it will make all that much difference if you just put your shoes on at your rack, run out with your bike and safely mount.  There's a pretty significant hill within a half mile of the mount and you'll want to be in your shoes and a low gear, ready to stand.  Might as well just follow the rules.

I'm moderately proficient with getting in and out of my shoes while riding, but I'm just thinking I'll put em on in T1 again.  I'll still get out of em before dismounting and run barefoot through T2 with my bike.

I put em on at my rack in T1 last year and I remember that the run out with my bike was the last time I felt good running during the race.  For some reason, my legs weren't quite as snappy after 56 on the bike :P

Another note: for the Bike In, you have to ride single-file along the harbor side of transition - I think it's the same chute as the wave start corral.  You'll then enter T2 through the back end of the transition area just after dismounting.  So regardless of where you rack, you end up running with your bike for the whole length of transition: "half" during the bike out, from your rack to the bike mount, and the other half from the bike in at the back to your rack).

Just doing minimal stuff as well...light run on Monday, light bike yesterday and a swim today...tonite, going to the Spurs vs. Lakers...no better way to taper than watching other people exercise.  The it's off to San Diego...see you all in the water!