Sandman Triathlon, 2023

I raced the Sandman Triathlon this past Sunday, in gorgeous Aptos, California. Aptos is a small, coastal town, south of Santa Cruz. I love this grass-roots, no frills, down-to-earth atmosphere of the Sandman. This was my fourth year, and as expected, the race did not disappoint. 

The ocean was a 0.75 mile ocean swim around the cement ship at Seacliff Beach. Typically, water is in the 50s (Farenheit) but Hurricane Hilary had brought an upwelling of warm water, increasing the temp to a balmy 63. The water was actually inviting when I waded in, bracing for the usual shock of the icy water. I can't believe I thought 63 degrees was was warm! Guess those open water swims with the Water Dogs at Cowell's Beach in Santa Cruz has been paying off! I started fast and then settled in after 500 yds. The morning fog made it difficult to sight but I used the cement ship to sight and was pleased with nailing straight lines. I shaved :20/100 yds off my base pace compared to my last race. Maybe all this swimming and practicing drills is finally paying off! 

The bike was 13 scenic miles through the neighborhoods of Los Aptos, paralleling the coast. This year, due to construction, the route had been changed to a coastal out-and-back. In previous years, the route curved inward through farms, vineyards and beautiful vistas. The previous route was also very curvy and more hilly. I needed my road bike for previous years but this year's course had several opportunities for aero bars. I regretted not having Torch for this ride. I enjoyed the bike course, nonetheless, and found the several up-and-downs fun and challenging. The only thing that would have made it better are some volunteers at the turn-around. I missed it and biked a few extra miles before realizing I needed to turn around. Bonus miles!

The 4 mile run course is entirely on the sand of the beach between Seacliff and New Brighton beaches (out-and-back). It's challenging but fun. I pretend it's a trail obstacle course, slow down, and enjoy a great workout. I was happy the run course this year offered plenty of hard-packed sand, unlike last year, where weather conditions temporarily replaced the sand with rocks (the "Rockman"). I navigated piles of sea weed, rocks, driftwood, and people, which was actually pretty fun. My mind was occupied with where to place my feet so the time flew. In addition, the stunning Pacific Ocean was marvelous to watch. Seals popped their head out of the water from time-to-time, sea birds hovered and dove to catch fish, and the rhythmic moving of the water was hypnotizing. I love the Sandman, but my absolute favorite part of the race is the run, which of course is the namesake of this race. 

I had a fantastic time, got a great workout, and shaved 10 minutes off last year's time. Maybe all this working out is paying off!

First Week of School and Well-Timed Recovery Week

 I can't believe another year has passed. August always feels like the beginning of a new year for me since I'm a teacher. What a difference! I love the fitness I've built but the first week of school really got me, even though I've been doing it for 11 years. I was exhausted. Luckily, it was a recovery week, but I hadn't planned on 3 rest days in a row. It happens. My watch indicated that I walk 3-5 miles a day on campus! No wonder my lower back and feet hurt (I'm also standing all day). Anyway, I'm not proud of my crash and burn but I needed the rest.

Today, I felt much better after sleeping all day Saturday. I took the rode bike (Pandora) up King's for a 23 mile ride (2,000 feet of climbing), and I felt fantastic. Great workout. I'm feeling like myself again. I can't believe Santa Cruz 70.3 is in 3 weeks! I'm feeling good. I have a 3-week taper left. This week, I will do all the regular workouts but shorten the distance a bit and focus on speed. I have a sprint triathlon on Sunday (Sandman Tri in Aptos) that I'm super excited about. Should be fun.

Training Tips for Me to Remember:

• Rest days and recovery weeks are important too.
• Swim: 3 times a week really lets me see gains. Keep it up!
• Bike: Focus on pulling up with the hamstrings, as well as pushing down. Pedaling in circles makes a huge difference!
• Run: 3 times a week is necessary to maintain. Track workouts once a week are amazing for strength. Strength workouts 2x a week prevent injury. Trails are amazing. Note: Don't run barefoot, even on sand. I don't have the biomechanics for it!

Highlights from my Summer:

So many and most are exercising outdoors. In addition to joining the Silicon Valley Tri Club, Redwood Half Marathon in Oakland Hills, Marin Century with Alan, and swimming in Santa Cruz, I've posted some pics of Juneau and I at Fort Funston during our final week of summer. We did a mellow 4-mile run (she did more), and I picked up trash and collected some feathers. We went on a week day so very few people and not much traffic. It was heaven!

Redwood Trail Half-Marathon

On Saturday (8/12/23), I ran the Redwood Trail Half Marathon, hosted by Coastal Trail Runs, in the redwoods of Oakland Hills. It was a wonderful experience. Although it is August, the weather was perfect, sunny and 70s. The trails were cooly shaded by redwoods, oaks and eucalyptus. I rarely get to explore trails in the East Bay so it was a real treat to run on interesting, new trails. We shared the trail with other hikers, dogs, and mountain bikers, but everyone was relaxed and polite. In addition, the trails were not that crowded, even though we started at the late-ish hour of 8 am (did I just say that?). Having both a dog and a mountain bike, I made a mental note to return more often. 

I had been worried about my left ankle. I think I've developed some tendonitis from rolling it on trails too many times. After a beach run with Juneau, the pain was flaring up again. My A race this year is coming up on September 10 (Ironman 70.3 Santa Cruz). The goal of this half marathon was to build endurance and strength for my upcoming race. My training has been heavy lately, as I push through this final "build" period of my training before tapering. My legs were still tired as a result of the Mt. Tam Century last weekend. Of course, that was kind of the point since running on tired legs will simulate my race conditions. 

The start of the race was crowded but informal and relaxed. Many were running much longer distances than me (up to 50k). My goals were to a) not get injured, b) have a positive experience, and c) get a good workout. I started slowly, walking briskly on the crowded trail. The crowd thinned out quickly, and I began jogging, carefully darting around those with a slower pace. The race started with significant downhill for the first several miles, so I was much slower than others as I carefully negotiated roots, rocks, and washouts. Listening to my body, I took it slow for about the first two miles, until I could warm up. I enjoyed some of the short uphills that appeared (those Tri Club run workouts with hill repeats are paying off!). When the trail leveled out for several miles in the middle, I settled into a comfortable base pace and enjoyed the views. 

Unfortunately, what goes down must go up when you are running in a loop. The last several miles were uphill with the steepest one about mile 8. I was forced to walk and bend forward, swinging my arms to pull myself up the hill. Eventually, the grade of the hill eased, and I could jog again. I felt strong and steady as I pushed myself to run up the final hills. The end came all too quickly. I was not fast, but I felt fresh and strong, and I maintained a steady pace the entire time. 

Bonus: I saw the biggest garter snake I've ever seen cross the path just before me at mile 10! It was at least 3 feet long, fat and happily slithering across the trail with a bright yellow stripe running down its side. 

I also saw an osprey sitting on top of a post by the 92 Bridge, overlooking the Bay. (Large raptor with black back and wings and a white breast.

Mt. Tam Marin Century

 I rode the Mt. Tam Marin Century Saturday (Aug. 5). I didn't think I could do it. It had been 5 years since I had ridden my bike that far. And it was almost 9,000 feet of climbing. My longest ride had only been 68 miles with 5,000 feet of climbing. Was I ready? I knew I had done these before, but that was a long time ago. The only memories I retained was how much pain and suffering was involved. But I had decided if I could do a century, I could do the Santa Cruz 70.3 bike portion more confidently. 

We started before 7 am. Anxiety made it easy to rise early, eat, and ride in silence for 90 minutes to Novato. What had I signed up for? It was cold at the beginning and everything was covered in a dense, wet blanket of tule fog. I started off with a full jersey of electrolytes and food, donning a thin windbreaker, arm warmers, and headband, only to remove them fifteen minutes later. Even though the temperature started at 54 degrees, it quickly rose. Soon the fog rolled away and the sun heated exposed sections of Mt. Tam to mid 70s. 

The first 8 miles were the worst for me. I felt sluggish, and everyone and their grandma was zipping by me. I'm not a speedy person, and I take a long time to warm-up. I'm also a slow climber, and the bulk of the climbing arrived immediately. Having a riding partner was immensely helpful. We focused on the first aid station, about 30 miles in, which seemed to take forever to reach. We stopped, and I ate excitedly-I was hungry! I immediately felt better, and by the time we reached the next aid station at mile 42, I was finally feeling warmed up.

We formed a mini paceline  along the windy flats on Highway 1; there was a mild southbound headwind. I enjoyed our tour of Marin County as we wound around Mt. Tam,  Nicasio Reservoir, Stinson Beach, Olema, Marshall and Point Reyes. I couldn't believe how much I was enjoying myself. I had worried about a lot more pain and suffering. The final 3-mile climb up Marshall was my favorite because I still felt good, and I just settled into my well-practiced base pace. I was not fast, but I got a great workout, and I enjoyed myself as well. 

“There is freedom waiting for you,
On the breezes of the sky,
And you ask "What if I fall?"
Oh but my darling,
What if you fly?”
― Erin Hanson

-Stafford Lake Park (Novato. Start/finish).

-Nicasio Reservoir (I loved the bagpipes!)

-morning tule fog moving west around Mt. Tam

-We did it! Time to eat!

More Pics!