The water was very cold, but I didn't feel it until I started swimming and my face began to hurt. Fortunately this only lasted a hundred yards or so. I was able to settle into my rhythm pretty well, but sighting was an issue, especially after the 2nd or 3rd buoy. Coming back, the fog was hanging pretty low and the sun lit it up so I couldn't really see anything. When I couldn't see the buoy I just followed others, but I ended up going slightly off course a few times, and saw others struggling as well. I felt fine during the swim and tried to keep a moderate effort level, since trying to swim faster (for me) doesn't result in actually swimming faster. I came out of the water and ran up the stairs, which were right there because of the high water level.

Nothing, I always say I need to work on my swimming, and maybe one of these days I'll actually start doing it.

The rack was pretty empty by the time I got there, because I was in the last olympic wave and I was racked next to a bunch of collegiate athletes who were in early waves (and probably also because I'm a slow swimmer). I had plenty of room to do my thing - wetsuit the rest of the way off, shoes, helmet, sunglasses, bike off the rack, then off to the mount line.

Nothing I can think of.

I have a new bike that's still in the cable-stretching period, so I've been keeping close tabs on my rear derailer. Having noticed on my short Saturday ride that a minor adjustment was in order, I adjusted it after taking my bike out of the car, cycling through the gears several times, satisfied that all was well. Well, something wasn't quite right - I experienced several ghost shifts, had trouble catching some gears, and had to concentrate on my shifting rather than my pace. I think I went too hard at some points and too easy at others, but I passed a lot of people and it wasn't the worst ride ever. I got a side cramp, which was frustrating. Gatorade wasn't sounding good so I picked up a water bottle at the aid station, which I normally don't do for a race this short. Fortunately the cramp worked itself out. The course was wet and muddy in some places, especially on Hi Mountain Rd and the last stretch coming back into transition. The climb before the turnaround is pretty nasty - short, but super steep. Many people were walking their bikes. I managed to avoid this, but ended up climbing out of my saddle, gasping for breath at the top. It reminded me of the 3 sisters at Silverman. Coming back into transition I started to pay attention to my watch, since my goal was to break 3 hours.

Adjust my derailer the day before instead of in the dark parking lot on race morning.

When I racked my bike, my handlebar lever got stuck in the fence, and I spent a few seconds messing with it before I realized that I was wasting time. I was at about 2:05 into the race and needed to get going if I was going to break 3 hours. After that it was all business - shoes off, shoes on, visor, and race belt on the way out of transition.

Not be clumsy and not waste time! But overall it was an ok transition.

Once I realized I was going to have to go under 55 for my 10k to break 3 hours, I knew I would be cutting it close. It took me a few minutes to settle into my rhythm, and it took about a mile to regain feeling in my feet, which were seriously numb after the bike ride. Once the course went off the paved road, it was a mess, mud and puddles everywhere. I settled into a good pace, manageable but hard. I've been doing more hills and trails in my training and I'm really starting to see some benefits. I felt strong throughout the run, and up until the last 10 minutes I thought I would make my sub-3 hour goal. However, most of the last half-mile was uphill, and I started to feel a twinge in one of my hamstrings. Wildflower is in 5 weeks and I figured it wasn't worth risking it for a final push, so I backed off a bit on my pace and crossed the finish line a bit behind my (somewhat arbitrary) goal time, but feeling good.

Nothing - I'm feeling good about this run, except for the slightly disturbing hamstring issue.

Walked around, had some pizza, checked results, talked with another CCTC member. After that I had to make a beeline for home to shower, and then work - until 3:30 in the morning. It was a long night!


My bike issue - plus I have a feeling it contributed to what happened with my hamstring later in the race.


This race gets better each year I do it and as a Cal Poly alum I enjoy supporting the team. This was my first race in my new age group and overall I'm satisfied with the results. My last three AG finishes have been 4/5/4. I'm getting close - hopefully this is my year!