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Ironman 70.3 California Oceanside - Triathlon


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Oceanside, California
United States
World Triathlon Corporation
Sunny
Total Time = 5h 22m 55s
Overall Rank = 410/2152+
Age Group = W30-34
Age Group Rank = 6/78
Pre-race routine:

Drove down to Oceanside Friday morning. Checked in, attended athlete briefing, quick Subway lunch, rode my bike (found the bike path, which was a great choice! ended up avoiding the Ironman car traffic on the streets), dropped off the bike then Chris and I drove down to Chula Vista. Plan was to run at the gym once we arrived, but traffic was horrible and took 2 hours to drive. By that point, it was getting late, so figured it was better to rest the legs. Had an early dinner (seafood pasta...wasn't so crazy about the seafood part (dangerous pre-race dinner), but Dad had already made it). Went to bed at about 8:30, probably fell asleep at about 9pm.

Had the best sleep I've had before a HIM. Slept well from 9pm until about 1:30. Alarm was set for 3:30. For the next 2 hours, slept on and off, but mostly on.

Got up, contacts in, sunscreen on, dressed, made breakfast and coffee and prepared my race nutrition. I didn't eat breakfast until 4:30am (3hrs before the race) when we were in the car. Breakfast was cinnamon bagel with peanut butter and honey.

Had no issues getting parked, shuttled to transition and setting up. Opted to bring my own bike pump, which was good since the lines were long. Made some new best friends in transition because of the bike pump. :) Had a banana at about 6:15. Waited for the ports-potties after. Chris got me some coffee because I was a little cold. Drank some water too.
Event warmup:

Went for a short jog at about 6:45. HR monitor wasn't working which wasn't great. :( Turned off my watch, turned it on again and all seemed to be fine.

Put my wetsuit on then went to go line up with my swim wave. Got to see the pros come out and run by in the Swim In chute to transition, so that was pretty fun. Was a bit cold so tried to jump up and down a bit to stay warm.
Swim
  • 33m 14s
  • 2112 yards
  • 01m 34s / 100 yards
Comments:

Made sure to line up at the front of the group at the boat launch. When the wave before us went off, we were allowed into the water and to swim to the deep water starting point. Got in some good strokes. Water was warmer than I was expecting. Right at the start of the race, realized I needed to pee...so that kind of sucked. Went out strong. Tried finding some feet. There was a little action, but it wasn't too bad. I wasn't able to latch onto feet and just kept swimming. I could tell there was a group of 3-4 girls about 10 yds ahead, but I wasn't able to catch on. Was feeling pretty good. First half of the swim was overcast, so sighting was pretty easy. As soon as I hit the turnaround, it felt like someone turned the light switch on. All of a sudden it was sunny...and we were swimming into the sun. Made it difficult to sight and I felt a little disoriented at first. With the fog/overcast in the morning, I went with my clear Speedo Vanquisher googles...maybe should've gone with the tinted ones? Probably wouldn't have made too much of a difference. Ended up sighting more often to make sure I was swimming toward the buoy. At this point I lost sight of the group of girls ahead of me and was just swimming past the slower swimmers from previous waves. When I was about 300 yards from the finish (I could tell I was almost at the finish), I ran into some feet and pulled back for a second. Realized the excess part of watch band was flapping (had come undone), so I tucked it back in. Snuck a quick look at my watch and saw that it read 26:00. Was pretty happy with that. I knew this would be a great swim. :) As I came back in closer to the boat launch, I saw more spectators on my breathing side. Pretty sure I heard Chris yell "Go Jen". Tried looking for him, but saw another guy in an orange jacket and white hat. The smell of boat gas/exhaust at that point was kind of gross. Made a right turn into the boat launch...swam, swam, swam until my hands came close to scraping the ground. Stood up and there were volunteers there to help us stand and unzip. Ran down the Swim In chute. Long run...was running past others who were walking. Pulled my googles and cap off. Slid my right arm out. Had a little trouble with my left because of my watch, but with the long chute, I had plenty of time to finagle it off.
What would you do differently?:

Not have had as much to drink (coffee and water) before the race? Also, could've maybe pushed it a bit harder? I think in anticipation of the rest of the day, I didn't want to go too crazy.
Transition 1
  • 04m 12s
Comments:

Ran down to my spot (long run). Took off my wetsuit and put my Castelli T1 Stealth top on. Based on Chris's photos, I estimate that it took about 30 seconds to put the shirt on which is pretty good and means I gained some time with its aero benefits. Put on my halo, helmet, shoes and bib/race belt on. First time biking with the race bib, but it's a Camp Pendleton requirement. Put on my shoes, grabbed my bike and ran out. Found it pretty easy to run in my bike shoes since the path was carpeted. Mounted my bike and I was off!
What would you do differently?:

Maybe get my wetsuit off a little faster? Looked up the five girls faster than me. Two were closer to 3 minutes, the other three were closer to 4 minutes...so I wasn't incredibly off.
Bike
  • 2h 51m 57s
  • 56 miles
  • 19.54 mile/hr
Comments:

First few miles were pretty congested. There were a lot of turns and with the congestion, meant i couldn't push it too hard...which was fine because I was able to get my HR settled. Wasn't until after mile 8 that I felt like I could push easily and pass people comfortably. Once we were past the short out-and-back turnaround, there were some good straight, flat stretches where I was able to push. Was feeling great. Loved going 20mph. Also loved being on the base. Where else do you see "TANK XING" painted on the roads?!

Once we made a right turn inland, the small rolling hills started. First few were fine. Then I started getting a bit sick of them. Hard on the legs to "start and stop" continually. Stopped at the second aid station to refill my BTA water bottle. Didn't stop/delay for too long. Thought about peeing, but opted not to.

At some point the first major hill came into view. From afar, it looked long and steep. Was an interesting view to see the dots of athletes climbing the hill from a distance. Once I was on the hill, though, it wasn't too bad. There were quite a few people (15ish) who opted to get off their bike and walk up the hill. :( I got in my smallest gear and spun my legs. Didn't need to get out of the saddle...just kept spinning. It was actually a much shorter climb than I had anticipated...about 1 mile/5 minutes.

Then more rollers and then the next big climb...which didn't feel that bad. I think the continual small climbs and rollers were more annoying than the few larger hills. By mile 30-35, I was feeling a tiny bit restless. Legs were still feeling fine, but mentally was getting a bit spent, especially knowing I still had 20 miles to go. I knew that I was close to 40 miles and once I hit 40, I'd be almost done and there'd be no more hills.

Approx. mile 37-38 was the mandatory 25mph zone. Wasn't a big deal. Had to brake and stay inline with others (no passing).

Once it was flat again and heading back into O'side, legs were still feeling good, so I pushed it. I was expecting quite a bit of headwind, but was still able to push ~20mph while holding 150ish HR. Was passing a lot of people here who were probably getting tired on the bike.

Once back closer to transition, I eased up a bit (more turns) and soon enough, I heard and saw Chris. :)

End of the bike had us zigzagging down what used to be the Swim In chute. It was pretty narrow and had these sharp kick outs where the plants/trees were. Thankfully there weren't any cyclists immediately in front of me to slow me down or immediately behind me to rush me. I took my time and made it to the dismount line.

Nutrition – 150g carbs total
4 scoops of Perpeteum Cafe Latte in 1 SBW bottle on the down tube; large sip approx. every 15-20 minutes (108g carbs)
Water every 10ish minutes; I'd guess approx. 32-36 oz total??
2 Vanilla Honey Stinger Waffles; one waffle at 1:00, the other at 2:00 (42g carbs)
2 salt tabs; one at 1:30, the other at 2:30

What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Transition 2
  • 04m 12s
Comments:

I unzipped my T1 Stealth top as I was running with my bike to my transition spot with bike shoes on. Didn't feel like the shoes slowed me down because of the carpeted path. Racked my bike (had to move another girl's helmet which was on my towel...annoying), took off the bike shirt and started putting on my socks. For whatever reason, I decided to sit down to put everything on. Didn't have to put my belt on. Grabbed my hat and ran as I put my hat on. When I hit the end of my transition rack, I saw the port potty was vacant, so decided to go.
What would you do differently?:

Not pee? But I would've needed to pee at some point! My rationale was that it was better not to have to "carry" the extra weight. :)
Run
  • 1h 49m 20s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 08m 21s  min/mile
Comments:

Felt great at the start of the run...as I always do. Though soon realized that my HR wasn't working on my watch. It was acting up on the pre-race WU run...so something must be up. Turning the watch on and off before the race fixed it, but I wasn't about to do that during my run. Oh well. Would have to go by RPE.

Turns out I mentally hate runs along the beach. I prefer runs that have lots of turns to distract you. Not only was this run two loops, but they were also out-and-back loops, which meant I could always see where I was going and where I needed to be. Instead of focusing on where I currently was, I was thinking about how I really wanted to be on the other side of the cones, on my way back to the finish. I much prefer paths where I can only see a few yards ahead and see those "short" goals rather than the large, long goals.

Mile 1 clicked off great. I knew it was faster than I'd probably be holding, so I tried slowing down even though I felt awesome. Slowed down the second mile and was still feeling good. Mile 3 was still feeling okay. Had a GU with caffeine at about mile 3.5/4. Then the slog began. I was dreading the run. Was struggling...especially the thought of running ALL the way back to transition to start the second loop. It seemed so far away!

At first it started with walking the water stops...then at about after an hour, I did my first walk moment...ran again and then would find another excuse to walk...Had my second GU at about mile 7, third GU at around mile 10. At that point, I realized I probably should've been taking some electrolytes as well? At all the aid stations, I only took ice and water.

It was pretty sunny out with absolutely no shade. Though it never felt *too* hot because of the constant breeze. While the run wasn't hilly, it felt hilly because we had to run up ramps that took you from sea level to the pier...then run back down the ramps...and run up other street ramps to take you up to the neighborhood area.

At some point, I knew I wasn't holding a great pace and I pretty much stopped paying attention to my mile paces. With about 3 miles to go, I realized that I could still put in an okay run. Then with 2 miles to go, I realized I could come close to my Boise time. I was looking only at run time and not overall time. The last mile or so, I was determined to keep running and the closer I came to the finish, I felt like the faster I could run because it was almost over.

By the time I was coming toward the chute, there were two other guys in front of me. They were friends so were running together, blocking the path to the finish. They were running more slowly than I wanted, so I said "excuse me" and ran right in between them. When I realized that I had PR-ed my Boise time by 5 seconds, I didn't feel so bad for running past them and kicking it in the last 100 yards.
What would you do differently?:

Probably didn't come into this race with the best run fitness, but maybe even pacing would've helped? Definitely need to figure out what was going on with the HR monitor. Seems like it cut out early on in the bike. Maybe that info would've helped? Either way, I have NO idea how I was able to beat my Boise run time because at Boise, I ran the entire time...whereas here, I walked 3, 4 or maybe even 5 times....

SUNSCREEN OR SUNSLEEVES. Shoulders hurt because they're burnt. I have sleeves, but didn't wear them. Coming from winter weather, I forgot what sunny beaches can do to you. You don't look as cool or serious wearing them. Fast runners aren't out on the course long enough to get burnt and need sleeves right? I also have a serious watch tan and shorts tan...and a weird triangular tan on my inner elbow from how I hold my arms when I run.
Post race
Warm down:

Stretched a tiny bit. Ate some of the food provided, but wasn't really able to stomach much. Sat with Chris as we ate, then walked down to the beach to take a photo. He said my tracking hadn't updated since mile 7 and I knew some people were tracking me, so decided to post on FB to let them know I was done. Of course when the results were finally up, found out I was 6th and only 59 seconds off the podium. Incredibly happy with the results...but wondered where I could've gained those 59 seconds back! :)

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Wasn't an A race so didn't do the complete build I was capable of. Not having HR on the run really sucked. Really happy, though, with the personal results of the race. PR-ed by 5 seconds on a harder course with less of a build.




Last updated: 2015-03-29 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:33:14 | 2112 yards | 01m 34s / 100yards
Age Group: 7/78
Overall: 337/2152+
Performance: Good
Suit: Orca Alpha + DeSoto Neoprene Cap
Course: Out and back. At the turnaround, there was a bit of swell.
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 66F / 19C Current: Medium
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Below average
Waves: Average Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 04:12
Performance: Good
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
02:51:57 | 56 miles | 19.54 mile/hr
Age Group: 10/78
Overall: 459/2152+
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course:
Road:   Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks:
T2
Time: 04:12
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Below average
Jumping off bike Good
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
01:49:20 | 13.1 miles | 08m 21s  min/mile
Age Group: 8/78
Overall: 410/2152+
Performance:
Course: Two out and back loops.
Keeping cool Average Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4

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2015-03-30 12:37 AM


6

Subject: Ironman 70.3 California Oceanside


2015-03-31 9:59 AM
in reply to: #5104593

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Extreme Veteran
909
500100100100100
Westchester, NY
Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 California Oceanside
Great swim time ! Great race time !
Great report !
2015-03-31 10:24 AM
in reply to: #5104593

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Expert
703
500100100
Palm Springs, California
Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 California Oceanside
What a great race!
2015-04-01 2:53 PM
in reply to: Pacific John


6

Subject: RE: Ironman 70.3 California Oceanside
Thanks! It was definitely a fun race. Enjoyed it so much that I'm thinking about signing up for next year!
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