Race Report: Oceanside 70.3 2013

I have been waiting for this day for two years. This was my "A" race. And I knew I wanted to crush it. Race day was here and I was ready.

The last time we did this race there was only transition area, but this year it had two. It didn't change things too much except that the race was now had "clean" transition areas, meaning we had all the gear bags like Ironman.

First we stopped by T2 to drop off our run gear bag. Running shoes, socks, Team Sparkle skirt, Team Sparkle visor, 3 Cliff Shot gels, one granola bar (just in case).

Next we rode our bikes to T1 which was about a mile away. We dropped our bikes and bike gear bag: helmet, sunglasses, 4 Cliff Shot gels, race belt with bib attached, bike shoes. We also had a morning gear bag to drop our clothes after we changed.

Skyler's wave started at 6:53 and mine at 7:30. The pros began at 6:40, so I had plenty of time to get ready. I hit the port-o-pottys and waited around for Skyler to start. Then I put on my wetsuit and watched the swimmers come in. I ate a Honey Stinger and Cliff Shot gel. I grabbed my goggles, race cap, and neoprene cap. I wish I would have brought throw-away socks, as the ground is kinda rocky.

Usually the water feels kinda warm, but when the water hit my face it felt cold. I kept my head above water for about 25 yards over to the start line. The gun went off and I didn't think about the cold anymore. It was a rough start as people were going every which way. I spotted a lot during the swim, but it didn't hamper me. About 12 minutes in, the next wave caught up with me. They were all men and they literally climbed over all of us women. They didn't care.

I hit the turnaround and began swimming back. Much to my delight, I felt faster. Skyler mentioned that it was low tide, so the water would be pushing us in on the way back. He was right and I felt so fast. I was extremely surprised to see the clock when I came out of the water.

Elise Swim 36:49 (1:44 improvement from previous best in 2011)

Skyler Swim 40:46

My transition went fine, or so I thought. I was surprised that it ended up being 6 minutes. I didn't have any dumb mistakes, but then again, it's a long run from swim out to our bikes. Oh well.

Elise T1 6:03

Skyler T1 4:00

Onto the bike. I knew the first 24 miles would be fast and the weather was working to our advantage...mostly. I was going fast, but I felt a sideways wind most of the time. I made it out to Cristianitos with an average speed of about 18mph. Not bad, but I thought it could have been better. I hit the first big hill at mile 28. No problems getting up it. The next 10 miles are pretty uneventful. The wind was in full force and my average mph really started dropping. I needed to keep a 17.2 to keep up with my goals.

Mile 40 is the last big hill and then some fun and fast coasting until about mile 48. Then we head back towards the coast. Most of the time there is a strong headwind, but this time there was a sideways tailwind. Thank goodness! I kept a high cadence gear and still pushed hard. My legs were definitely tired, as this ride was hard. 

The entry to T2 is in a different place than I'm used to. You come down to the boardwalk and take a sharp, quick hill up to the transition area. The hill was a surprise to most and many people dropped their chains as they came around the corner. I hurried up to T2 and saw my friend Julie cheering for me. I didn't expect to see her there so I was so excited!

Elise Bike 3:14:43 (1:20 improvement from previous best in 2011)

Skyler Bike 2:51:06

I started the run and felt pretty good. The run course is a bit different at the beginning and I almost missed the first turn. You have to run down a ramp from the pier and do a short quarter-mile run before you come back and go up the pier ramp. You really need to walk up the ramp because of how steep it is. I started off going too fast. I wanted my first mile to be 9:00 and I really did try to slow myself down, but it ended up being 8:18. The next mile was 8:04. Yikes! I kept that pace until mile 7 when I began to slow down (9:00 pace). I was disappointed that I was slowing down instead of speeding up. I was busy calculating my time to figure out what I needed to do to PR. I really wanted a 1:45 1/2 marathon, but I knew that wasn't going to happen. I found a chatting buddy around mile 9. We ran together for about 2 miles, then I left him. It was nice to have someone to take my mind off the race. That's not actually the best idea because I should be thinking about the race, but at this point I just needed to finish and not let my mind mess with my body.

The finish line was in a different spot than normal. I actually didn't know where it was. Around mile 8 I messed up my watch so I didn't know the exact mileage for the rest of the race. I kept asking people, but they didn't want to seem to share that info...like it was a secret. Anyways, I finally got an answer from someone that there was less than 1/2 mile left. I finally could see the finish line. My calves were tired. My whole body was tired. I should have taken my last gel 20 minutes previous. I always do that! It's like I'm trying to save my gels for something else. Just eat them!

I crossed the finish line and was so happy to be done. I couldn't muster up a jump across the finish line because I was so tired. Maybe that's a good thing.

Elise Run 1:50:37 (2:12 improvement from previous best in 2011)
Skyler Run 1:53:10

Elise Total Time 5:50:20 (4:34 improvement from 2011)
Skyler Total Time 5:31:05

I was happy to see Skyler waiting for me at the finish line. That's always my favorite time is seeing him during and after the race. He was able to finish the race, which I was thrilled about. Skyler had been sick all week and had thrown out his back the week before. He wasn't even sure he was going to race. I'm so proud of him for finishing strong.

I immediately made my way over to the food booth. I was starving. I ate some chocolate chip cookies, potato chips, and coke. But really I couldn't wait to drive to Elizabethan Desserts to get some cupcakes!

I had a faster time with my swim, bike, run, and total time. So I should be happy right? Yes of course! I am definitely happy to PR, but I'm beating myself up a bit for my run. I should have run faster. That's crazy, right? I should be thrilled. I'm too competitive with myself. But to be honest, I am happy. Any improvement should be celebrated! I can't wait to race again next year. I'm kinda sad I have to wait a whole year to do it again.