Oceanside 70.3

For the past 4 years Mary and I have set our season kick off for Oceanside, Cali.

I simply LOVE this race and location. I mean come on, no matter how your day goes you end up on the beach!

So on Friday morning at 6am we are on the I-10 heading west towards the Pacific Ocean, after fairly uneventful 6 hours we pull in to The Pier over looking the fabulous ocean that I love soooooo much. We run through the registration process (much faster this year), and after a quick pass through the expo we head to our awesome condo actually 50 yards from the beach and 75 yards from T1 and the swim start. This is our 3rd year staying here and it just doesn't get any better than this spot.

Now this year there where some changes to the run course and T2 was actually in a different locale from T1. Meaning that we needed to check in our run bags on friday the day before the race. No big deal a quick unpack and repack job and we are back at T2 to drop off our stuff. From here it is time to eat. A new little place opened up right in the little Oceanside Harbour out our back door. Nice little place and fairly reasonable for the area. Then it is back to the condo to get the remainder of our gear ready for race morning. An hour later we decide it is time to eat again, so off we go back to the Harbour for our traditional pizza restaurant that we have eaten our pre race meal & beer at every year. After polishing off our meal its back to rest a little and an early to bed for the early morning ahead.

RACE DAY****

We are up at 5:15, do our normal pre race routines and head to drop off our bikes and get ready to hit the water. Because it is a wave start I actually start 28 minutes before Mary, so at 7:02 (22 minutes after the pro men's start) the cannon sounds and we are off. I quickly fell into a very nice pace and felt stronger and more confident than I have ever before. I was flying by the earlier waves like they where just standing still, which just helped to build my confidence even more and make me push harder. Once we hit the open part of the ocean we start to see some good waves and current, but I just stayed strong picking people off left and right all the way back to the shore, i jump up and check my watch 31:34, that is my best swim at this event. Yes!!!

Now I have a super long run in transition to my bike, and it has started to rain and only in the 50's (which is chilly for us Arizonians) so I take extra time to put on socks, arm warmers, and to stick a plastic bag down the front off my race kit to block the wind and cold. This results in a shockingly slow T1. but I'm on the bike now, lets see what we can do in the rain on this course. Well not 2 minutes in I hear a horrible noise coming from my bike and get off to figure it out, after a couple minutes I realize someones helmet stick had come off and stuck to my front forks resulting in a loud rubbing on my front tire. Fixed and moving again.

I know the first 24ish miles of this course is very fast so I decide to go with it along the ocean and keep a nice high cadence. During this first hour we pass Tank crossings, sand, ride though a pitch dark tunnel and have several very tight turns a high speed, throw in the rain and this made for several people on the ground. I just wanted to stay upright and get into a groove, which I managed, then we basically make a couple turns and are in the midst of some real climbs. Nothing stupid, but fairly steep and around a mile or so long. This is caused many a biker to get off and walk their bike up the first of the big hills. I actually felt good, and stayed seated and pushed on up, the next 20 miles are basically up and down a few good climbs until we hit mile 45ish where we turn back towards the water and into the sand. Just about this time a guy that I passed on the side of the road with a flat about 10 miles back comes flying past me. At first I am like damn, he is strong, go get it son, but just as i said this I decided to try and go with him as long as possible (staying 4 bike lengths behind him) Instantly my speed went up two miles an hour and I just pushed it thinking he will drop me at any minute here, to my surprise I actually get stronger and stay right with him, with about 3-4 miles to go I go past him and thank him for pushing me, and I hammer all the way into T2. As a result of my Ironman St George training and all the major hills I have been riding I come off feeling really strong and knock off 7 minutes from last years ride. I'll take it.

Now as I enter T2 and try to get ready for the run I realize that my hands are so cold that I can't use my fingers, that makes it very interesting. Lucky for me a volunteer is standing right next to me and helps me get my running shoes on and off I go. This is what I live for baby!! Run time!!!

Now I know I'm a little behind on calories so right out of transition I take a gel and off we go. I start to settle into a few comfortable pace and I am flying by people. Mile one 6:25, perfect, right where I wanted to be. Now the best part of this run course is that it is a two loop out and back, so you get to see all of the pros and all of your friends that are racing at several points if you are in the first few waves, you get to see the pro race play out right in front of you. As I hit mile two here comes the lead male (Andy Potts) with less than a mile to go to the finish. A couple minutes back are #2 & 3, Ritchie Cunningham and Jesse Thomas side by side fighting it out. So awesome, wish I could have watched them sprint it in, but I had my own work to do. All the way out to the turn around I get to see all the pro men smashing themselves for points and $$$. This keeps me distracted for a couple of miles, then I make the turn and get to see everyone on their way out. I yell at a couple friends and high five a couple as well. I am feeling strong and an really clicking the miles off. At this point everything between 6:15 -6:25. At about mile 4 I pick up and run with for a few minutes the lead female pro (Mel Mcquaid), I try to get her to stay with me but she is on her 2nd loop and starting to hurt a bit, so I just pushed on without her. Then I pass the remainder of the pro women places 2-8 or so as the are about 2 miles from the finish for them. As I start my 2nd loop I am looking now for my beautiful wife to be coming the other way, and sure enough boom, Mary, so now my goal is to keep pushing the pace and to catch up with her and encourage her to keep up the great race that she has going. About a mile later I catch up to her, pat her on the ass and tell her to stay focused and not to give up until the finish line. I know at the pace she is running that she has to be hurting and it becomes a mental and physical battle at points to make yourself keep hurting yourself. As I cruise back out to the last turn around I get passed for the first time on the run the entire day, and he is in my age group!!! Oh no you don't, I'm not giving in that easily. I have no real idea where I am at in my age group, but I know I'm not letting this guy run away from me, but he is, I keep upping the pace but he is freaking strong, i tell myself you are just as strong, go get him, don't give up, run like Sally would, balls to the wall until you can't go anymore. I start to see him coming back to me, little by little, This is all i needed, even though he was about 30 seconds up on me, I knew deep in my heart that I would catch him. There goes mile 12, (6:04 mile) , mile 12.5 and he is just about 10 yards in front, I decide to close to him right here and just go by with all I can so he doesn't even have time to respond. Boom, I'm past him and in the last .2 to the finish, I push it with all I have, as hard as I can to the line, he is not catching me at the line, no way!!!! I cross the finish and no one passes me. i quickly turn around to see him finish, and nothing, no one, not another person in sight as far back as I can see. Come to find out this guy was still on his first loop when I was on my second!!!

Damn, I closed with a 5:41 pace for no reason???

I feel so great, I can't believe it. Sure I ready to be done, but my confidence is soaring. I ran so strong to close this race out, and felt like I could have gone for ever!!! I can't wait until Ironman Arizona in Nov. :))))

All that is left now is to get some warm cloths on, eat some chow, and wait at the line to cheer on and congratulate my wife when she finishes with a smoking day and takes 4th in her age group making the awards podium. I am soooooo super excited and proud of her. She dug deep and totally smashed herself. LOVE IT!!!

This was a great training day for our next race (Ironman ST George in 5 weeks), and a great confidence builder for us both, but especially Mary.

Thanks to Focus Cycles for taking care of all of our bike needs, and Endurance Rehab for getting us to the starting and finish lines, and to Triscottsdale for taking such good care of us, what a great group of people, so positive and lots of fun to hang with.

Until next time, Please be safe out there!!!!!!!!