Then there was Deuces 2012 and the race from hell. Actually every big event in 2012 kind of sucked and all for different reasons. I'm not going to beat that dead horse on this post.
This year, 2013, I just wanted to have successful races. Tinkerbell could not have been more amazing and while Deuces was still a pain in the ass, I felt accomplished for going back and finishing it in better form.
The icing on the cake for 2013 was to go back to San Diego and race at sea level on flat course. I wanted to experience it all without pressure but knowing that I was trained and capable.
I missed out on SDIT because it happened back in June and I wasn't in position to travel to San Diego and I had signed up for Deuces. Deuces is much more family friendly for traveling. My other option was TriRock San Diego in September. This whole event looked totally amazing. Fast, flat, zero elevation with a protected ocean swim. The "rock" part also sounded like a lot of fun with live bands and spectator/party support.
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| The view of the swim course and transition are from our hotel room. |
And this is how it all played out.
The swim: Oh Lord what a swim. We waited about 20 minutes for the tide to come in while we stood around for way too long in our wetsuits. I'm a desert dweller and know nothing about tides but it seems like that is something fairly predictable. Anyway, I was in second wave so we stood by and watched the first way head out to the start. The start was actually about 100 yards out in the water. As the racers were headed out into the water, a sea lion popped its head right out of the water to check us all out. We must have looked like a herd of lunatics in our wetsuits and rainbow array of swim caps. It was cool to see wildlife out there but I just didn't want to think about being out there with anything else. Please just let the water be cloudy.
My wave was headed into the water as soon as the first wave set off. We quickly clamored into the water but the volunteers were very concerned that we be careful stepping into the water as the tide was still low (?) and the rocks were closer than they liked. Again, I know nothing about water so a moment of panic overtook me and launched myself into the water. I'm certain it looked like a really bizarre belly flop. I was scared to let me head drop under the surface. I tried my best to recover and then set off toward the start.
I barely made it to a point in the crowd where I felt confident enough to hold my own and the starting horn went off. What the heck?? I just took off. The buoys seemed so very far away but I just put my head down, kept counting, and tried to remember to enjoy the experience. The course was supposed to be some sort of a backwards "L" shape. The stretch out to the farther buoy (before we turned for the longer stretch) was very uneventful and I even took a moment to think about how nice it was to be swimming at sea level where I felt my lungs refill with every breath. And then we turned...
We turned right into a current. I had no idea what was going on. The whole desert dweller dilemma. I tried keep the buoys in sight but I was struggling to keep track of them. The athlete guide said there was be a buoy every 100m but there were not that many. I saw the first one I had to clear but then I just couldn't keep track of the course. I decided to try to stay parallel with shore and I thought I was successful for a bit but wasn't making much progress. I passed the 700 m buoy and decided to just check my watch, it was at 23 minutes. That was a seriously long 700 m but I had in my head that because of the currents and sighting and sheer distance (the course looking overwhelming large), I probably wouldn't make it out in less than 40 minutes. Now, there was a problem, the next buoy I could see what not in the right place. I was trying to make sure that I was always around other swimmers and heading in their general direction. This was working but I could not see where we were supposed to go so I started to head for the next buoy I could see. I probably swam a good 5 minutes towards that buoy before a guy on the surf board came up next to me and pointed me in the opposite direction. The only words that came out my mouth were "good gracious, I'm heading the wrong way." But off I went in the "correct" direction. I managed to get punched in the head and generally clobbered by some aggressive men around this far turn and then I headed back toward the next buoy. Next issue. This buoy keeps moving. No joke, I am watching it float farther and farther away. I seriously considered cutting the course until I hear this lifeguard yell, "keep the buoy to your right," to which I responded, "why does it keep moving?" and his reply, "there currents out pulling them around" What the??
I literally had to punch the buoy to get it from going right over me as I turned the corner. As I punched it, I felt the undeniable stabbing pain of a muscle cramp in my right calf muscles. I could not move my lower leg. I start doggy paddling over the surf board dude who I was just talking to before the buoy and tell him I have a cramp in my leg to which he replies, "you can only hold on for 10 seconds" to which I reply, "what if I can't move my leg" and he says "try to loosen up best you can". I was a bit ticked off. If someone was out there having a panic attack would they tell them to move in 10 seconds or quit? For goodness sake, it isn't like I was competing to win the thing or looking for a free ride. By this point, I just wanted to be done. I massaged my calf out so that the stabbing pain eased and pushed on the surf board. For a good time later I just used my arms and let my leg drag behind me. I was able to kick to the swim finish. I've read a few complaints from people (and heard first hand grumbles) that the swim was significantly longer than the 1500 m advertised. I know it felt like it took forever. My swim time was 46 minutes which was a lifetime compared to the distance at Deuces where I finished in 35 minutes. Apparently the buoy I couldn't find had actually broken free and had to be towed back to it's place. Maybe it is just the nature of swimming in the ocean. Who knows.
The bike:
I took my sweet time in T1. I was feeling the effects of the current, and being hungry, and took a minute to get my bearings and slam down a gel. Then I was off on the bike. The only issue was that I forgot to take off one of my clip covers which made for a quite a scene at the mount line. I apologized to the little kid that I may have cussed in front of. I hope his parent's heard me say sorry.
It wasn't the best bike course. The route took us on to the Navy Base San Diego. It would have been cool to look at the big ships but it was dangerous to take your eyes off the road for too long. There were train tracks with an ambulance stationed nearby (never a good sign) and tons of bumps, manholes, turns and other hazards. Luckily I went into this event just for the experience so I just sat back and tried to enjoy it all. I was the Good Morning Girl as I tried to acknowledge and thank all the volunteers on the course. I had a good time. About half way through the second of two laps I started to feel really nauseous. So I downed my energy gel and settled back in.
The run:
The run turned out well but could have been a total disaster. I took my sweet time getting out of T2. My legs were jello but not terrible. I was very concerned that my calf was not going to cooperate after seizing up in the water. It turned out to be a non-issue. My real issue was that I forgot my gels. Because of the late water start, my nutrition plan was all sorts of screwed up. I took a gel right as I got on the bike and then in the last quarter of the bike to fight back nausea. Now, I was going to try to run 6.2 miles on nothing. I was miserable after a mile and fought my way through the first of two 3-miles loops. By the time hit the turn around I knew I was in trouble if I didn't find some calories. I had a plan. I stopped at a make-shift fan supported aid station and hauled down a couple of orange slices. I started to feel better. About half a mile later I hit the official aid station and drank some nasty but remarkably delicious TYR fluid. I also managed to fight down a powergel. I had to force myself to keep it down but after a few tentative steps I was off. The rest of the run felt more and more powerful and consistent. I came into the finishing chute, choked back some gratitude tears and finished strong.
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| My cool body marking tattoos and racing bling. |
Overall, I had a good time. The weekend was fun as I got to go to the San Diego Zoo after the race and then had a delicious fish dinner. I love weekend getaways with friends.
I probably won't do this event again anytime soon. I am quite disappointed in the course and lack of music. It wasn't what I had expected. I am happy with my race performance and proud that I've finally erased the disappointing performances from last year.
I'm taking some time off from tri training and working on getting stronger and (hopefully) fitter. I want to get back out there but I want more of a physical advantage.
