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!