Ironman 70.3 California : Official Thread (Page 2)

Glad you'll be here to guide us first-timers through!

You can ask questions as you pass me by!    Any questions, jsut ask, be glad to answer, or at least makie something up.

It really is a great and classic race

Finally got my bike fully built but I haven't gone on a ride yet.  Excited to say the least!  I've also been swimming a bit and quickly realized I have a lot of room to grow in that dept.  

My main concern is I'm running the NYC Marathon on 11/4 which isn't ideal when doing the 70.3 CA on 3/30.  That leaves me 20 weeks in between the marathon and 70.3 but it will probably be shorter than that with recovery from NYC factored in.

Has anyone done a marathon and 70.3 back-to-back in a fairly short period of time.  This will be my first long tri so that should be taken into consideration.  

I agree with Chris.  I think you'll be fine.  This is my first HIM too.  You will, obviously, have a great running base. So after your marathon you can switch to a bike/swim focus for 20 weeks while maintaining your run fitness, and you'll be golden for Oceanside!

When did this sell out last year?  Does it fill fast?

Also how tough is the course... how does it compare to Muskoka 70.3... I'm looking at the bike course maps and the elevation profiles, it looks like Cali has some long steep climbs but not that many of them compared to Muskoka.  Has any one done both courses? 

http://ironmanmuskoka.com/files/2010/09/Muskoka70.3_BikeElevation_20121.pdf

http://ironmancalifornia.com/files/2010/09/Oceanside70.3_BikeEleva_2012.pdf

I think this would make a nice destination race for a spring vacation and would get me back off my butt this winter... any thoughts?

NVM... just realized it sold out.

Hi all. Question for all those who have done this race:  Ive read a couple of race reports and several people said they got sea-sick during the swim.  Is the water rougher than most OW ocean swims? It is in March..weather typical?....Gimme your feedback on past Oceanside HIM Swim.  please.

I MUST do a 70.3  this year.  Would love for it to be in CA but need it to be before summer...jsut too hard to train with kids out of school... Oceanside would be ideal.   

Well, it's sold out.

That said, the swim is in a protected harbor, but the course goes out to just inside the southern opening, so any south swell is going to be felt on the swim    This year the waves were breaking a good 6-7 feet outside the harbor, the swells coming in were pretty substantial.  But not breaking.  I remember seeing the nav buoy rising up a good 5-6 feet over me off to my right on the way back in.

Depending on your fitness level, you should be fine.  This yr (2012) I ran three (3) full marathons in January/February and went to Oceanside and posted a PR at the HIM distance.  With 20 weeks in between, there is no reason you cannot manage both, provided you can get your training in.

I am signed up again for 2013.  2012 was my first Oceanside experience, and I loved every minute of it (even the misty morning rain was not overly annoying).

I will keep an eye on the thread, and although not an Oceanside expert, will be be happy to answer any questions I can.

The biggest question is typically about the hills on the bike course.  There is one (1) ski-slope type hill about 25 miles into the ride.  It is about a 15-18% grade, and I noticed some people walking their bikes up (but most people conquered it by riding).  If you can train hills, do it!  You will be so glad you did.  The other hill is longer but with a smaller grade.  One thing to remember:  as you head back towards the coast, you will face a head wind which will hinder your progress.  It was not bad this year, but I have read it can be quite challenging, so be prepared to not "coast towards the coast."

I am going to do the 20 week HIM plan. I was torn between that one and the beginner because I was not able to train this summer with some knee problems. I started to get back into the swing of things a few weeks ago so hopefully I can get some base built up when the official plan starts.

I am looking forward to it. Just found a place to stay last week. A lot of places are booked already.

All this talk of plans and starting structured training...  Still seems so far away to me.......

Working on BarryP to see if I can improve on that run that always kills me.  Also would like to race it 15# lighter than last year, which was 30# or so lighter than the year before