I raced in the Santa Cruz 70.3 Triathlon on Sunday, September 10, 2023. Life has been so busy since school began that this A race now seems like a blip on the radar. In retrospect, it was a tiny oasis of respite where I could relish all the gains from my hard work. This race went as smoothly as I could have hoped. The course was beautiful, the race was well-organized, and I was well-prepared.
It had been 5 years since I had done a long-distance triathlon. During the pandemic, I let myself go. I thought the world was ending, and eating and drinking took priority over working out. I gained 20 pounds. I'm also getting older and the changes associated bring about new challenges, as everyone in my boat is all too familiar with. Despite my hard, consistent efforts to prepare for this race, I was still nervous. I think this is a good thing. It also meant I was excited.
Race day started in the 50s with a few clouds and ended in the 70s with blue skies. The ocean was 60 degrees, and I was glad I had done a short swim the day before to acclimate. I felt calm, but excited in the chute. I placed myself towards the front with the faster swimmers so as to get into the water sooner. This was a brilliant strategy; it still took 40 minutes to get in. Next year, I will seed myself even closer to the front.
There was a harbor seal close to the beach as we ran into the water, curiously watching all 2000 of us weird humans plunge into the water. That was a good omen. I had the fastest swim of my life, benefitting from the pull of a crowd of fast swimmers around me. I swam way faster than in my practice and became quickly hypoxic, gasping for air. I changed my breathing technique to accommodate, breathing every other stroke instead of every three. I then would switch sides every 10 strokes. I was definitely more crooked, and I am still going to practice switching every third since bilateral swimming is more efficient. I guess anything goes on race day. Regardless, the swim was a blast, and I felt hyped the entire time.
I donned my bike jersey in transition, stuffed with food and hopped onto the bike. Spectators chuckled as I stuffed a PB&J into my mouth. I was hungry. The bike went north along the coast to Pigeon Point with spectacular views of the Pacific the entire time. The road was flat to rolling, and luckily, the winds were unusually calm that day with a small but blissful tailwind on the return. I relaxed, ate, drank (peed-on the bike) and enjoyed myself, averaging 17 mph. I had a great bike and didn't feel sore or taxed at all. I think the Marin Century a few weeks prior really helped.
The half marathon was also a beautiful course. This was definitely the hardest part, as my legs were tired but I love running. I had to focus on my breathing and picking my legs up to try to maintain a steady 10 minute mile. The 2 miles of trail in Wilder halfway through was challenging, but I love trails. I was a little frustrated that I felt so taxed but I maintained a steady pace throughout and was able to meet all my goals.
My goals were to be healthy and safe, have fun, and break 7 hours. I finished in 6:20. It was a great race, and I can't wait for my next one!
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