Santa Cruz 70.3 Race Report

I decided to finish up the triathlon season with the Santa Cruz Half Ironman. Overall I finished 5th in my age group and 30th woman overall.  Not a bad way to end the first season in the 25-29 age group. I was a tad nervous to age up but it is a very fun experience to have to push so hard in competition and the finish is that much more rewarding. 

For now I am signing off the triathlon scene to focus on a few more trail runs and a marathon in November. Any more swim and bike is for fun and cross training, woohoo! I don't have any triathlons on the radar jut yet for next year, so feel free to leave a few suggestions. 





Swim

I don't always wear neoprene pantyhose,
 but when I do, I wear Blue Seventy

I absolutely love being the first wave in the swim, a few guys from the next wave caught us but as a whole it was a short span in the washing machine then a wide open course. Really happy with my Blue Seventy Fusion suit, after a short cold shock it warmed right up and didn't let too much water into the sleeves. 

Having the dock at the center of the swim allowed for some easy spotting. Also beneficial because staring out into the vast ocean provides a bit of an existential crisis, which I just don't have time for. I generally try to avoid ocean swims but this one went very well with a  total time just over 40 minutes.

What I do wish I had done differently would be to have some sandals or something waiting. The run to T1 was a third of a mile and part of it was on cobblestones. I neglected to do so thinking it would violate the rules about outside assistance, but there were many lined up at the exit. It turned out OK this time but is good to remember for the future.

Bike

WEEEEEE!!!!

The bike is always my favorite, while this one was marred with small annoyances I still got to climb up in the rank from 32nd to 5th. My handlebar tape decided it didn't want to be there anymore and my gear box kept opening up to say hello. Luckily both of these issues were easy to fix while on the go and were more noisy than anything else. My bento box full of caramel Bonk Breakers stayed shut and that's what matters most!

This course was less hilly than some I have done since coming to the Bay Area but was not without its tough parts. Right at the 20 miles mark as a decent 2 miles climb with the remainder being rolling hills. Best way to handle this kind of course is a power meter. Maintaining as consistent a power output as possible keeps the energy output lower, leaving more to finish the run. Hills will require slightly more to go up but ensure you take the recover time on the downhill when pedaling is not as effective. Using this methodology, I finish up the bike after 2:43 and get ready to run to the finish.

Run

The first photo, with a costume change!

This run felt down right perfect. I PR'd my half marathon time with a 1:45 finish and managed to maintain the 5th place I had gained on the bike. There was some touch and go with a few other runners but I dropped the last one for good with 3 miles to go and just had to hold on to the finish. As a forewarning to anyone considering running this race, the run finishes with a 3/4 mile stretch on the sand and has a two mile stretch of trail running right in the middle. My Bocos might have been a better choice for these stretches but the Distance Elites, as always, held their own. This also might be the first race where I put more Ruby's on after the finish to protect my feet from the sand in my socks!

See you all next year!

Full Vineman Race Report- Wine Goes Well with 140.6 Miles of Racing!

She tracked me down at the finish!

Another 140.6 miles in the books! Vineman was an very well organized local race and provided some beautiful scenery for the 11:49:40 I was out there for. That time got me to first place in my age group (Female 25-29) and fifth overall. Not quite on the overall podium but closer than ever before. Just have to keep trying!

Swim/Slosh Leg

Like a surprise group hot tub

Stepping into 72 degree water when it's only 50 degrees out is absolutely amazing. Nothing else makes me that excited to pop a wetsuit on and hop it! This swim was my first time doing a multiple lap swim which certainly broke up the monotony. Unfortunately, all rivers and lakes are low here right now, so most racers had to run the turnaround in the shallow water. Not much to be done about that and at least everyone had the face the same obstacle, so an even playing field. Ultimately I did a 1:20 swim, which is in line with my Ironman Texas time from last year. I would like to be swimming closer to a 1:10 time, I will let you know when I figure out the secret to that.


Bike Time!

So... I somehow thought this course would be 1,200ft of elevation gain. I really though I had found the race route from MapMyRide and couldn't help but think "1,200ft? Excellent! I am way over prepared for that!"

Pictured: Not 1200 Ft of Elevation Gain.

Imagine my surprise on course when I can't figure out why I am going 2mph slower than expected. I was able to make myself feel better when my Garmin told me I had completed 4,938ft of elevation, but it was a bit discouraging during the race. I just decided to hold my power numbers where they needed to be and the ride would be whatever it ended up being. This gave me a 5:38 bike time, which put me in line with the front running women. As far as I can tell I came off the bike in 7th or 8th place overall.

A few wineries at the back end were offering free tastings for participants, but it seems inappropriate to stop mid race. Maybe next time. For now I will stick with Bonk Breakers and PhD Nutrition during races. 

Newtons make me smile

The Lydia Shuffle

Almost done! The run course was split into three out and back loops. I spent a few miles doing this math in my head (it gets difficult to do at this point) and each loop is about 8.73 miles, and each leg is 4.37 miles, which is totally doable. Running 4 miles is definitely doable. Original plan was to run to each water stop and take a short walk break as I grabbed a drink and snack. However, there's nothing quite like 112 miles on the bike to make a molehill look like a mountain.

The loped course allowed me to see my Big Sexy teammates beast moding it through the course. Congrats to everyone on their great finishes!

Diablo Trails Challenge 50K Race Report

Long time no see!

Lookin' fresh

I know that I just had a post last week but I had some back-to-back races this month! However, these two races were very different beasts. Sunday I ran my very first ultra marathon at the Brazen Racing Mt. Diablo 50K and, while I can't really move today, it was an excellent experience. I finished up 10th overall woman with a time slower than I predicted (7:26:30 and 8 Bonk Breakers later) but rewarding all the same. I went into this race thinking "Well, I have done an Ironman, so I can do this right?" Whole different story, and while the mental play is about the same, this was one of the more physically tolling races I have done. I certainly wished I had some NormaTecs waiting at the finish line!

Brazen Racing really impressed me with how well this race was organized and I cannot thank the volunteers enough! 


To ease the description I broke the course up into a few sections:

 

Newton make trail running shoes to! BOCO!

Section 1: The flattest part

This section I held pretty strongly, only a few uphills worth walking on but mostly kept up a good jog pace and completed the section with a sub 11 min/mile average. That downhill got a little rough with a blister deciding that was a really good time to show up on the end of a toe, but nothing a band aid and some extra Ruby's Lube at the aid station couldn't fix. I spent most of this section with a few other runners making the course a lot less lonely than I expected. 


Section 2: Where I made the most gains

Here I was picking up girls left and right. I set it up as a mental game where I would run to different 'finish lines' and then have a walk break. Very similar to a walk/run marathon plan, but with a whole lot more walking. Regardless this worked really well and I was in the top 5 women but the time I reached the first summit and held on to it until the second. I also got a handful of gummy bears. YUM.

 
Section 3: The technical downhill

Oh boy. Nothing like a rock slide areas followed by an 8 inch wide soft trail with poison oak on both sides to keep you on your toes. I had be pumping myself up for the downhill and seeing this very tricky slow path was a bit of a mental punch. It was here where my overall placing (and age group) dropped down to my final placement.

 

Section 4: The hill I conveniently forgot.

My legs are not happy here, I was waiting for a wide open fire road going downhill at a steady pace. This hill was super rude and just popped up out of nowhere! Luckily I get to the top of this final ascent and know that no matter what I can finish because there's only 6 miles left. I can run 6 miles right? For sure.

Section 5: The final haul

This wasn't the rewarding easy downhill I had wanted but rather six miles of feeling my dead muscles bounce around. I met a rattle snake, named him Jeff and swiftly ran away. I was holding longer run intervals for the last few miles but unfortunately still taking a couple walk breaks to get there. I crossed that finish line and laid down immediately. A lot of runners were much more confident in their footing coming down and this is definitely something I want to work on. I think it's a matter of trusting your eyes and your feet as you get more comfortable on the trails.

 

Notice: I did not pass out.

Overall I learned a lot and already know trail runs are something I would like to see more of in my future. I would definitely make an effort to have taller socks and will be practicing my descents. Can't wait to do another!

HITS Napa 70.3- Kicking of the 2015 Season

Good chance to rock the new Zoca kits!



This race was intended as my opener/warm up race for the 2015 season. My goal was a top ten overall finish and age group win, neither of which happened but I did lay it down and go as fast as I could that day. This course was definitely a lot of fun and it also gave us a good excuse to go to Napa for the weekend! The huge benefit of the HITS race series is they had all four race distances available so both Meg and I got to race in the same weekend and have ourselves a weekend getaway.






Meg starts the swim

Swim:

The swim was beautiful, very clear and clean water with a course oriented away from the sun. A tad on the cold side (mid 50s) but nothing a long sleeved wetsuit can't handle! I rented my wetsuit this time around, as the one I own is short sleeved but the BlueSeventy is peaking my interest. The long sleeve gave me a little extra buoyancy and didn't restrict my swim stroke at all. Swim time came in at 37 minutes, which is a significant improvement over past races but I'd like to be consistently putting out sub 35s some day. Better keep working! Time was still good enough to get me on the bike sitting in the top third.




Bike:

After a bit of a hold up trying to get my wetsuit off (no strippers at this event, strictly family friendly) I was off and away! As most people who follow this blog know, the bike is by far my favorite. This race was no exception, quite hilly but I was able to maintain an average power about the same as my normalized power at 170 watts. Bike time was 3 hours even, which might seem slow compared to my past race times, but did get me a top five bike split.

I broke one of my cardinal rules which is now new gear on race day but this was my first outside ride with my new Cobb Saddle and I have to say, totally worth the risk. Not a single comfort issue all race. In combination with some Ruby's, I was able to focus just on my power output and not worry about other issues.


Always good to start with a "wake up" hill





This course was also a good confidence builder as there were two turnarounds and I was able to keep track of my overall positions. I was sitting at 6th off the bike and ready to go for a podium.

Run:

At first the run was going pretty well, I had a good pace going, was keeping my heart rate under control on the hills, shoved a Bonk Breaker in my face, all that good stuff. Now to come clean, I started feeling some knee pain after a long run about a month ago and this was my first run since then. I taped my knee up during the transition (any tape I had on under the wetsuit was in a soggy pile in transition) and when it stayed on I had no problems.

 

And then I had some problems.

So KT tape is meant to have some time to set before movement, however in transition time, ten minutes isn't going to work. It unfortunately all came off in a ball of sadness at the third water stop and I had trouble from then on out. 7 miles later, I had fallen down to 11th spot overall and third in age group with a total time of 5:48.

What's ahead for me:

I am biting the bullet and going to a sports doctor to get my knee looked at. I am still hoping to compete in the Diablo Trails 50k Challenge this Sunday but also know that no single race is worth a season ending injury so we will se what the doc says and I will keep everyone posted. It is a race I trained very hard for so everyone keep their fingers crossed that I am told to take an aspirin and walk it off.

In the mean time, if I run Sunday, I will be running to support Save Mount Diablo. You can find my donation page here!