Oceanside 70.3 Race Report

(Grab a chair and get comfy, cause this might be kinda long.) 

Left Thursday morning with my questionable travel companion, Nate, who turned out to be awesome. Who wouldn't want to go on a road trip with a nice guy who is a Coach, about to turn Pro, happens to have worked as a bike mechanic, and likes things low-key before a race? Score! 

I was super excited to see my friend, Carlee, as soon as we got to the hotel. She provided plenty of entertainment! Both nights I went to sleep with a smile on my face and had to force myself not to look at her or I would bust up laughing (again) for no apparent reason. She is that cool and funny! 

I was super duper excited to see the ocean! I had not been in a few years and it was my first visit to Oceanside. I had been envisioning myself in a beautiful beach town bathing in warmth and sunshine all winter long. This was going to be the reward for many treadmill runs, trainer rides, and bricks in freezing temperatures. But -alas- it was not to be. I had a hard time finding the ocean with all the clouds and fog and was never once tempted to lie in the sand or even touch the water in a measly 55 degrees. Bummer!  

Friday brought the usual pre-race fun: packet pick-up, expo, me asking the volunteers 1,582 questions, realizing how fit everybody else looks, suddenly feeling very slow and fat, relaxing at the hotel, packing and re-packing race gear.

We took our bikes out for a little ride in the afternoon to check out the Harbor, T1, and ourselves. It might look like it was warm but, turns out, we were underdressed and shivering. That said, I am not a fan of worrying about the weather during a race. It is what it is and you deal with it. I do prefer warm and sunny but I can also handle cold and cloudy. Or so I thought. The saying Pride Comes Before the Fall definitely applies to me...

In the early evening we went back to T2 to drop off our run gear and check out transition. Two things happened: 

1. I was certain I was going to wear socks for the run until I saw a lonely pair of bright blue running shoes next to a vizor. Yikes! I instantly knew that the shoes and vizor must belonged to some very fast girl in my age group. Simple always equals fast! So I left my shoes and stuffed the socks in my pockets.   I knew I was gambling but I was proud of myself for taking a little risk....

2. I ran into Ali Black. Holy smokes! She looked fitter, stronger, and faster than ever! I love that girl and knew I would be in for a treat to race against her!

I have to say it. I am a loser. One of the reasons I was excited for this race was the friends from Utah I was going to see and hang out with. Friday night the ladies all went out for dinner and some fun and I... stayed at the hotel. What's wrong with me? I realized that I shouldn't get upset when people think I am all serious and focused and boring. Because I guess I am! But I have no regrets. Nate and I went to Trader Joe's, ate soup and salad, got our stuff organized, and were ready to go to bed by the time Carlee got back. 

Saturday morning I was ready to get the party started at 2:30am. But I had to lay in bed for another 2 hours until the alarm went off. Lame. 

We rode our bikes down to the Harbor and by the time I got there, I was already shivering. It was cold, dark, and drizzling. Just what I had been hoping for - not! Carlee graciously let me borrow her rain jacket which meant I was now wearing 6 layers. Needless to say that the last thing I wanted to do was jump into the ocean... 

... and then I jumped into the ocean. 

The swim - 32:41

Ugh! What's the deal with my swim? Worst case scenario came true. I basically lost it right after the start. I somehow let the first group go and was in lala-land for the rest of the swim having to remind myself over and over again that this is a race and not a group swim. I could come up with a list of excuses for my poor performance such as: choppy water, first ocean swim ever, high swell, numb hands, yada yada yada. Bottom line is: I sucked. When am I going to (try to) actually race the swim instead of using it as a warm-up for the bike and run? 

T1 - 2:53

No worries. I didn't take a nap or anything. It was just a super long transition area. To my great relief, there were still a few bikes left, which meant I was not dead last out of the water. Phew! 

The Bike - 2:36:37

Wet roads and light rain. Wet and foggy sunglasses. Excited to be on race wheels from Coach again! It was really hard for me to find any sort of rhythm for the first 5 miles. And then the guy right in front of me wipes out and crashes pretty hard which left me even more cautious. I knew I needed to take my sunglasses off because I could not see a darn thing. But where to put them? After trying every nook and cranny on my bike and myself, I finally figured it out: In my bra between my boobs! D'uh! That's where I put pretty much everything that I can't carry in my hands during a race. So convenient...

I know that a lot of athletes (especially girls) were having problems with the cold on the bike. I am surprised and glad to announce that I didn't! I decided to forego any extra clothing on the bike and, despite my freezing before the race, it was the right decision. The temperature was not an issue but the dreary weather definitely was. I was struggling to keep my mind in the right place and wasn't having nearly as much fun on the bike as I usually do. A little sunshine can go a long way...

The course is nothing too exciting until mile 32 when we hit the first of 4 hills. I could not wait to get to those hills! I did not seem to be making up any time on the girls in front of me but I knew I could reel in some of them once we started climbing. And, fortunately, that's exactly what happened. I had not been passed by any girls and was feeling rather strong when I hear: On your right. - Oh. Hey. Nice job, Sarah. It was Ali Black flying by me. And I mean flying. I did not even have time to wonder whether or not I should try to go with her. Or try to keep her in my sight. I blinked once and she was gone! Yikes! I was slightly confused since I knew that she started in the wave ahead of me but, as it turns out, she did not have a very good swim. Well, she definitely was having a very good bike! If someone's going to smash me on the bike, I would want it to be Ali! 

Once I realized that I was not going to bike under 2:35 I got slightly frustrated. Both Coach and I thought that I would have it in me to bike that fast but it just was not happening. Now, looking back, I do have one of the fastest bike splits, so the course must have been harder than we thought. I was enjoying the downhills and the false flat back into town but I was still far from having a blast. Nevertheless: The bike was the highlight of my day. 

T2: 1:42

Another long one. I was thrilled to find out that my bike was the first one on our rack! I didn't want to get my hopes up but I knew then that I must have ridden fairly well. 

The Run: 1:35:17

Steep ramp = not fun

I think if I just posted the pictures and didn't say a word, you could guess pretty accurately how my run went. As you can see: It was not pretty. Not even in the first picture! I was dealing with a few little issues on the run: 

My feet. I basically knew right away that I made a mistake by going sockless. But it was a choice I consciously made and I was going to suck up the consequences! It didn't help that I needed to pee. Badly. I had been trying hard to pee during the last 10 miles of the bike but I just could not get myself to relax enough. It would've been much more convenient to leave wet socks and bike shoes in transition than to run barefoot in wet shoes for 10 miles. Oh well. There was no way I was going to stop and use the port-a-potty.

looks like I am doing ok here

The concrete. Who wants to run 13 miles on concrete? Not me! I am not sure how much of a factor it really was but it certainly didn't feel good. As I am typing this I am icing/heating my right foot because it has been hurting ever since the race. I haven't run in 8 days! Not good. 

The hills. I love hills! But if people tell me that the run course is going to be flat and then it's not, I am not a happy camper. Granted: They changed the run course which used to be flat. So I can't really blame anyone but me. Shoulda looked at the course before the race... Lesson learned. 

it's getting crowded...

My mind. I was clearly my biggest issue out there! I was trying hard and it hurt but I just didn't have what it takes to dig really deep, make myself hurt even more, and go to the bottom of the well. And therein lies the reason for my dissatisfaction with this race. I know that there was more strength within me but I simply couldn't access it. 

what the heck???

I got passed at mile 3. I was really hoping she was not in my AG but her calf said 33. Darn! Then I looked a little further down and saw ... the bright blue shoes I noticed in transition the day before! My inspiration for going sockless! I was able to stick with her for a few miles, mostly because she had to stop twice to adjust her shoe. Turns out her blisters were worse than mine! But then she pulled away and I had to let her go. 

barely moving...

The other girl that passed me was Ali. Of course! She had actually dropped her chain on the last hill and I made it to T2 before her. She didn't just pass me, she blew by me. Just like on the bike. But not without saying a few encouraging words. She said: You look awesome! To which I replied: And you ARE awesome! I love the girls I race with! All of them! Well, at least every single one that I have gotten to know and there are a lot! We are all fierce competitors but we also wish the best for each other and help each other out! Thank you, ladies!

The last 2 miles I was getting really worried that I would miss the finish. I had no clue where it was and I had not seen any signs for it. The last thing I wanted was to run an extra lap! I was so done. The finish chute, which is usually a place to savor the sweet feeling of accomplishment, was just a means to an end: The finish line! This picture sums it up: 

Total Time: 4:49:10

Done and done.

 Does it look like I am having fun? 

I didn't think so...

I am happy with the result! I really am. One of my goals was to qualify for the 70.3 World Championships in Vegas and - a long 5 hours of waiting and 2 roll-down slots later - I did it! I just am disappointed with how I felt during the race. My main goal is always to have fun! I race because I love it and because it is fun. I usually have a blast while I am out there but today, for some reason, I didn't. And I didn't like that feeling. I can't justify spending money and time on something that is ok. It's gotta be better than that! 

The good thing is: 

You live. You learn. 

And I think I learned. Finally. I will tell you what I learned next time because this is clearly getting way too long! Thanks for reading! 

And a big shout out to my sponsor TriSports.com! Thank you!!!

PS: Congrats to all my friends that were racing with me! Loved seeing you all over the course. So excited about so many great performances. Carlee: What a fantastic 70.3 debut! You rock! Nate: I know you can do it! Darn malfunctioning chain! Go get'em next time!