Ironman Kona 2011: Training 2 Weeks out, and Nathan's Olympic Tri Race Report

I'm giving it a go to pack "a week in review," a race report, the trials and tribulations of the week, and adjusting to life with Andrew...into one post; wish me luck.  If you are reading this, that means I accomplished the feat, but also means you may need to devote a few more minutes to this one, so if you have to pee, pee; hear your stomach growling, grab some cookies; have hot water almost to a boil, pour your cup of tea; or have chocolate chip cookies in the oven, get em out while they are still just slightly undercooked and gooey. Simply, "take care of business";-}  So much to fit into a blog post that has no limits in word count, so beware!

Can you tell which one is my daughter?  She melts me with looks
like that...

Nicest couple, the reason ONE is what it is...the DEANS!

As I start writing this, the countdown says 12 days, 11 hours, and 58 minutes to the canon...yikes it is coming fast...I still feel calm, ready, prepared, focused, but not fresh.  If I can just  wake up from this stupor like I did for Ironman Arizona, I think I am in for one heck of a fun day...that is a big "if," and if I had to guess, Chris will pull it out of me on October 7th and I'll wake up Saturday, October 8 feeling like I did on November 21st, 2010.

Me, Anthony Admire, and Dan Cadriel post Nathans Olympic in front
of the Team Trailer

With the "hard" work behind me, all in all I thought last week would be a breeze...throw in Andrew's birth last Sunday morning, and I couldn't have been more wrong.  Sleep has been stolen from my and especially Jenny's life!  Andrew is the mellowest little guy, giving little "peeps" when he is hungry or wants something, and Jenny has been the "all world" mother that I have always seen her as, scooping him up and calming every need of his--all 7 pounds of him.  Yesterday he passed one week old---it's soo amazing how fast they develop...he's looking around, moving his hands, hearing your voice....ugh, gonna miss 10 days of his early life, and I hope I don't come back and he's saying "mama" already.  Not to mention Sophia, who is really blossoming into this little girl--I notice changes every other day, and it will be hard to not be able to kiss them all every morning, read stories every night, and genuinely enjoy each others company no matter how short I make it due to all this training.  If you are reading this and "thinking" about getting serious about Ironman, make sure the decision is a family one---I got lucky and have an extremely understanding family, otherwise, I would be fed to the dogs or not be racing, it is that simple.  I've even thought about being an IM consultant (jokingly)...helping people in the ways that coaches don't...like communicating with your non-racing spouse, getting family time in, how to do your laundry before it stinks up your closet..you get the idea.  While I still have IMAZ in November, I feel like this journey is coming somewhat to an end---today I actually had the day off from training, and had a sit down dinner with the fam for the first time in forever, did some yard cleanup, searched for my travel bags...it was nice, and of course the entire time I was still thinking about "why am I not training??"  Well, I didn't think that during dinner, because it was just ultra relaxing to just sit with Jenny, Sophia, and Andrew and enjoy a meal, sitting down no less.  Jenny said I look sexy doing yard work, and she never says that when I am training or racing, so I can take a hint.  I'm sure many people I know look at me and think I'm a decent athlete---the REAL reason is I work harder than most, and Jenny supports my drive to "see what I can be."  Without her, I would be single and fast, but with her, I am happily married, loved, have a feeling of completeness, the happiest I have ever been, and fast ;-}  Love you babe, and I'll miss you while I'm gone...the race will be hard, but being away from you guys will be the toughest challenge.

So, of course, back to training (only because that is why you are reading this!).  This past week the hours logged dropped, but the effort/intensity made up for the decrease...every workout was tough and required more than just a "get through it" mentality.  There was "race effort" or harder everywhere in there.  The swims were long, and all free--no more drills, kick sets.  I had a 5200 yd swim, two hour run, a solid trainer session with Z3/Z4 work on tuesday with a run @ faster than aerobic pace, a 4 hour 20 minute ride with 20 minutes of every hour in Z3, and finished the week off with Nathan's Olympic (basically a sprint for 2 hours and a few minutes) ...I'm smiling knowing I survived the week, but some things happened that are going to stick with me through race day (I'll get back to that in a few...).  While I've approached the training as I would a "job," I have to say that this job has been the toughest I have ever had...no joke.  I don't miss days at work, and all the same, no missed workouts.  I'm in that Ironman haze, and I am ready to "wake up" race day and feel good for once already!  I have last weeks workouts on the bottom of the post...if interested!

So, getting back to what is going to stick with me----please pray for Sue Meno.  I can't help but feel like I had something to do with her crash this past saturday as I was on the other side of the road, Carlos was slowing, and it was just a freak accident---both went to the ground, and somehow Sues arm took it the hardest.  Both are dong Kona (hopefully), have been working as hard as I have been.  Sue's wound on her right forearm makes war wounds look like slight abrasions---she needs every minute of every day to heal, so please send her your healing vibes.  Carlos was a little banged up as well, hip issues from what it sounds like, and I am hoping the "3 days" required after anything traumatic treats him well and he starts feeling better today.  Ugh, I grab my forearm hourly just wishing to take the pain away from Sue, and, more importantly, heal that wound so she is great to go on the 8th...so traithlon Gods, if you are reading...MAKE THEM WELL!  If she makes it into the water at 7am, October 8th, she will be the definition of an Ironman.

Super Sue and I before Rio Salado Olympic Tri in the Spring

With that happening on Saturday, I lost the joy to ride on my way home from New River.  I had a few intervals to get in, but I was simply in shock and unable to push past a moderate effort.  I remember almost feeling like I wanted to quit riding a bike after that...Carlos and I were in shock riding back to his car, and I couldn't get what that crash could potentially mean for Sue...add a sore pelvis for Carlos, and my heart sank, and is still there.  Going into the weekend, I had plans to do Nathan's Olympic Triathlon on Sunday, but I basically decided on the ride home to abandon that plan...the Pre-Ironman Injury Ghost was haunting me.  After gathering myself post ride though, I decided I wasn't going to let the Ghost win, and wanted to race to work some of the anger out of me...but I was dead tired.  At 3 pm on Saturday, the race became a "GO" again, and lead to me ingesting "a hippos" amount of food for a late lunch.  My legs were achy sore...but I was determined to race...so here comes the race report (I warned you this was going to be long...pee break time!).

Nathan's Race Report!

2:06:47 (winning time 2:02:08)

1st in 35-39 by 1 Minute

7th Overall

Up at 4am on Sunday, the legs were actually feeling decent...it must have been the 5,000+ calories, that I actually stretched the night before, or simply, that I wanted to get a good feeling going....either way, I was mostly feeling okay about racing, although I was tired!   I slept well, and treated the day as any other "normal" Sunday.  I stepped on the scale, and new I was in good shape...167...I have found that by checking my weight daily and comparing that with how I feel in my workouts gives me great feedback on what weight I feel strong at, and 167 has been that number over the past month.  Any lower, and I run out of steam, and anything higher, well, I have a hard time keeping that weight on right now.   Normal breakfast of 2 servings of steel cut oats, scoop of Ultragen, ground flax seed, almond milk was put down, drove to Tempe, and was in transition decently early tending to my analness revolving around my bike.  I tried (and it worked like a charm) the rubber band technique for the cycling shoes on the bike---I will never sway from that technique.  Minimalistic everywhere else...helmet/Liquid Shot for the bike...shoes with Speedlaces (new orange Nike Lunarracers ;-)/race belt with 2 Powergels pinned to it/sunglasses/watch...that's it.  Probably didn't need the Powergels, but I wanted to get used to them as they are on the IM run courses coming up...ugh.

Mrs Swet in action and happy to be out of
water I think!

Dan and John obviously having some fun

Swim:  23:28   

1st in 35-39 by 2 minutes

10th overall...fastest was 21:05 (Cam Hill of course)

Non-wetsuit swim, used the Torque Pro (courtesy of Chris' connetction with TYR---thanks Chris!).  The eventfulness of the swim was the Wave in front of us---I've been lucky since getting back into the sport to not having had to deal with it with the waves have been set up, but today was not the case.  No pre-race jitters, and actually feeling a bit tired even though I was on the start line--I wondered if I had the energy for this one.   I started on Chris McClurg's heals (great swimmer!), and after hitting his feet 8 times, I knew a hand-breaking kick was going to be deserved, so I separated from him and took a more "inward" line (and not the line I wanted)....mistake number one.  I was doing a slalom course through the yellow caps, every so often peaking over at Chris who was wide right and in the clear on the dowhill course.  The "weave" continued till I hit the steps, gashed my shin, and exited the water feeling good about it, but the "all out" swim I wanted to do was not in play with this one---too scared to wasted what energy I did have I guess. 

T1:  0:56.9

Speed suit off, helmet on (those LG helmets with built-in visors are SAWEET!  I have the SL, but that Vorttice---I have my eye on one of those...).  Flying mount onto the bike, feet right into the shoes, and I was on my way...probably my best planned T1 in a while...finally getting those kinks worked out.

Bike:  1:02:18

6th in 35-39

24th Overall (I gave up almost 6 minutes to the eventual winner and fastest bike split owner..oh well)

I actually felt good on the bike, and may have gone out a little too fast considering my "feeling" of being tired.  About half way through I got the feeling (again!) that running was going to be a total chore and felt I would be lucky to hold anything close to 7 min/mile pace.  I made sure I got my 500 cals of Liquid Shot in, along with a full bottle of water (needed more, but no on course aid on the bike....).  My mouth was bone dry probably from Saturdays long workout and not being able to rehydrate completely--shoulda carried 2 bottles on the bike (minor mistake, #2, and the last one of the day at least).  Otherwise uneventful, taking the corners and passing "gently" to avoid the Ghost.  All in all I was feeling good at this point, and after checking my splits from Rio Salado Olympic, which was the same exact course, and wetsuits were allowed, I was faster on the swim by 15 seconds, and 19 seconds faster here as well---untapered, generally in the dumps energy wise, but 34 seconds faster (Bad-Bad-Good!). 

Off the bike and into T2

T2:  0:43.8

I don't try to have the fastest transitions, but this effort was second fastest of the day---keeping it simple has its benefits!  Flying dismount, shoes were left on the pedals, helmet was off while running to my spot, shoes on, grab number belt, glasses, and watch, and let's see what kind of energy I have left for running...and it doesn't take long to see what that means.

Run:  39:19

1st in 35-39

8th Overall (fastest was 35:14, who came in 2nd overall)

Kevin, Lewis, and Josef on the PRO Podium

So the results kind of show how the run went---I was happy!  I quickly settled into my pace, held it, and just stayed there.  With all of the long distance running lately, 6 miles felt like a breeze..thank the IM training for that!   I hadn't seen anyone in my division all race, but knew they were close--expecting Russ Brandt to pull up next to at any moment.  I took in my Powergel at about mile 2, switched off water and Perform at every aid station (it was hot!), ended up catching Craig McClurg half way through the second lap, and hit the finish chute high fiving my team support crew.  I couldn't have been happier with the run--I felt in control, comfortable, and had "just a bit" left should someone appear on my shoulder, but not more than a 100 yard sprint...at the most.  (Russ, BTW you are not 40, yet!  And then you get to deal with Chris and Bryan ;-)

This works better if we had a corkscrew

Skinny Guy in Middle ;-)

ONE Podium-ers!!!

KEY THINGS TO WORK ON:  well, kind of funny, but those Powergels...I ripped them off the race belt (pinned on), and they leaked in the rear pocket.  Jump in the car, drive home, clean the car out, jump back into the car the next day to go to work and there you go...Powergel all over the work shirt!  Otherwise, I felt great about the way the race went...tired and all, I love racing and my legs held up---I think it is going to take an Ironman to make my leg muscles ache at all this point!  Onwards and upwards!!

To my ONE teammates...you make this Individual sport into a team sport, and I love that about our Team...I had to stop saying hi to all of you because there were so many of us out there!  It was so easy to get distracted looking at everyone on the other side of the road.  Because of the innate competitive nature, you all push me to be the fastest I can be through our training together and our camaraderie...I hope I help you to strive to be the fastest and "most fit" that you can be as well.  This sport is all about seeing what I can do with what I was given, and triathlons is one of those rare ways that we can challenge ourselves.  Keep pushing even through the off-season, build off of this year, and break those limits and set new PR's in 2012!  SOMA's next for y'all, and I plan to come armed with a video camera---you've been warned---it will be a ONE Multisport youtube video...bring your smiles, but don't slow down!  Go fast, have a blast!


I'm leaving on a jet plane this thursday---my excitement is there, but really not feeling nervous.  I'm sure once I ride out onto the Queen K, swim in the ocean, and run in the humidity I will be feeling a bit apprehensive and start to doubt myself, but all systems are GO and I will conquer that beast.  The training is on target, and I am looking forward to this day of breaking the barriers on what I can do with the body I have been given...tons of posts will roll out once I get to Kona...I'll have a GoPro Camera with me, so the video and photo collections will be aplenty for everyone back home to get to enjoy "the experience" I am about to go through---wish me luck!

Mon Sep 19  Bike 34.0 mi 01:30:00 aerobic trainer Tue Sep 20  Swim 5200.0 yd 01:30:00 Nice long set! Pushed for 6x 100's on 1:30...first time through was EZ, end time through it was a bit tougher! Otherwise, endurance/keeping form is GREAT! Wed Sep 21  Bike 61.0 mi 02:30:00 these two workouts were tough! made me feel like I was out of shape...used 240W and 280W for the intervals.  Run 8.8 mi 01:05:00 tough after that bike workout....found the legs easily. Maybe just a bit tired with all the family stuff this week ;-) Thu Sep 22  Run 15.0 mi 01:56:00 I don't know if it was the week catching up to me, or by design after yesterday, but I struggled on this one...not with endurance, but just with feeling athletic. Pace was slower than previous long runs...average HR was up a little from the last long one too (123 today versus 121) Fri Sep 23  Swim 4000.0 yd 01:15:00 Sat Sep 24  Bike 84.0 mi 04:20:00 see email...  Run 2.6 mi 00:20:00 kept it EZ...it was a hot one here. Didn't have the mojo...lost that on the ride mishap... Sun Sep 25  Swim 1500.0 m 00:23:28 sent you an email about the race  Bike 24.6 mi 01:02:18  Run 6.2 mi 00:39:19

LOG Totals Type Distance Duration Avg Pace # Time in Zones Bike 203.6 mi 09:22 21.7 mph 4 Run 32.6 mi 04:00 07:22/mi 4 Swim 10840.4 yd 03:08 01:44/100yd 3 Total Duration: 16:30 11

Escape From Alcatraz Race Report

These looked new 8.1 miles ago...

My shoes are ruined...there are 4 blood stains in my right shoe, 2 in my left...the neon yellow color is now brown---sand, mud.  The blood is from the grains of sand that rubbed holes in my feet; probably from the "quick sand" on Baker Beach where they kept us away from the firm pack at the waters edge.  In the 48 hours leading up to race day, we were wondering if they would even let us swim and/or bike---stormy weather forecasted through the weekend! We witnessed an older gentleman wipe out on his bike--suffering what had to be a broken hip, pretty serious road rash, and probably a mild concussion(broken helmet)...all while riding 3 miles an hour sliding out of control on an old railway in front of Aquatic Cove.   As i write this, we are 2 hours into a 3 hour delay in SFO.  with all of this, the Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon is a "must do" for every triathlete, and the race is worth every bit of headache it may throw your way to get there and back!

Three weeks ago I was lucky enough to get a slot into the race...normally you have to enter the lottery and get drawn, which requires you to plan ahead...the drawing starts September 1st of the preceding year (the race is typically in June).  I needed a race heading into the big Kona block ahead...a 70.3 would have been better, but I just couldn't pass it up.  We flew in friday before the race, stayed at the Argonaut Hotel in Fishermans Wharf (recommend!), and immediately had issues finding food for my picky diet.  I lived on Pro Bars, but fell victim to the Veggie Lasagna at Bocce that night with teammates John and Cyndi Dean, Jory, and Stephen along with Jenny and Sophia (my cheering team!).  Saturday morning John and I went for an EZ run(we did an EZ spin Friday afternoon as well), and Jory and I jumped into the 53 degree water at Aquatic Cove mid morning Saturday in the rain...the big question was...would they shorten/cancel the swim or bike?  People travel from around the world to do this race; THAT would suck if they didn't get the chance to Escape!  Even so, traveling from Phoenix was a large enough hardship that I was a bit bummed, but I told myself that the race was full distance until it was confirmed otherwise---no use getting worked up over un-spilled milk.  Registration was a mud pit, driving the bike course on Saturday actually made me readjust my bike plan to "just stay vertical" with all of the loose gravel, potholes, and the technical side of this course.  This was my fourth Escape, but first time back since 1998 when I was young, dumb, and invincible.  13 years later, I have my responsibilities, the memory of a surgically repaired collarbone from my crash last year, and a realization that this is nothing more than a hobby.

Training leading up to the race was full of intervals---pool workouts were high in distance (4K) and consisted of anything from 800's to 50's---this is a swimmers race no doubt, and I felt Chris prepared me well.  Bike training has been full of everything as well, but being from Scottsdale, I knew the climbs of this course would not be to my advantage.  Run training has not been boring either; intervals were built into my runs (ex. 10 mile run with 2 miles EZ, then 5 x 1 mile hard with 90 second EZ rest, 3 miles warm down).  I felt prepared going in, knowing that the bike would once again be the concern (just how I saw it..).

Sunday morning 4 AM

Mistake #1:  I didn't really think about my breakfast prep, and ended up going against my "protocol," I woke up at 4 and had a Pro Bar, 2 cups of coffee, and 2 Aussie Bites (yikes!).  The last 48 hours of nutrition hadn't gone as planned, so why start now? Geeze.  My raceday breakfast works perfect for me, and here I am breaking the mold.  Even so, I woke up feeling really good...ready to go to batle.  I did taper for this race, and like IMAZ, this is where Chris is amazing (well, every aspect of my Triathlon training is that way as well)....once again, a shout out to him AIMP Coaching.  If you are in my age group DO NOT use Chris ;-}  If you aren't, he is the best coach, period.  Read this entry from one of his "pupils" Steve Fried:  it tells it all... Steve Fried Letter.

 So we rolled out from the Argonaut to transition at 5 am---transition was a grassy, muddy mess!  This race is packed to capacity---more people than an Ironman, with an "every (wo)man for him/herself" mentality----everyone jumps off the boat into the bay near Alcataz inside of a 6 minute window in order to keep some sort structure to the chaos that this "starting line" presents.  Transition was no exception.  After correcting the issues around my spot, I was left with about a 1 foot by 2 foot transition spot---actually, I saw this as good.  Running shoes, number belt, watch, one Gu for the run,bike shoes...that was it.  Helmet on the bars, glasses in the helmet.  I was 2 rows from the "bike out" so I went with the shoes off the pedals (worked perfect). I wasted time handing shoes off to the "swim out" truck (ran barefoot from the swim exit to transition instead as you'll read below...hurts, but not enough to waste 7+ seconds looking for that shoe bag).  I jumped on a bus and was at the boat pier in no time sipping plain old water munching on anything I could find in my bag, which ended up being a Honey Stinger Waffle and half a Powerbar (read: random!).  This was because...

Mistake #2: forgot my Pre-race + EFS (First Endurance) sipping bottle in Transition!  at this point I am basically laughing at myself in stupidity---these races are swim/bike/run, but nutrition (fuel) and psychology are most important aspects to race day for me....duh!

Swim:  28:35  116th overall...pace: 1:05 per 100m!!!! (love that current!!)

The rest of my ONE buddies show up (John, Jory, Jayson, Neal).  We drop our gear bags off before getting on the boat, then take our places and get ready for the plunge.  After maneuvering into position 'A" and  giving Jory some swim tips courtesy of Leishia (thanks Leishia!!!), we are lined up with a clear shot of the jump into the Bay.  The pros are off, then us, and I'm running out the door diving head first, and not looking back.  I highly recommend the dive on this race if you can---the cold water was not an issue, and the adrenaline that comes with the dive was awesome.  I sight off of the lead boat, but take a slightly less aggressive line angling slightly towards shore as the current is pushing us out to the Golden Gate at 6 mph (I used a line inside of the Palace of Fine Arts for the first half, then switched to a more perpendicular line once I realized I was not "in" enough).  Needless to say, this is an advanced swim with 100's of people getting pushed well past the swim exit on this day (see photo below).  I swam alone virtually the entire swim, about 30-50 yards inside of the caravan of boats trying to block people from heading out to sea. At my final "check" about 500 yards from shore, my stress level went up as I thought I was too aggressive, but I hit the beach (it seems like a moving target as the current pushes you by!).  My hands hit the soft sand and I was vertical!  I spotted my sister Inta (yay!) as I ran up the stairs----I escaped again!   Looking at photos and video though, I overshot the swim, losing a decent chunk of time...in the video below, I came in at the same spot most of the pros came in on, just inside the buoy line.  I should have listened to Leishia who is the veteran Alcatraz swimmer!  She swam this prefectly, consequently "chicking" me on the swim...it is just soo hard to aim at the 2 towers in Ghirardelli Square when the St Francis Yacht Club landing is 20+ degrees to the right of it!!  

Can you say overshot???  Geeze that looks like Great White territory

Potts won this race on the swim...the right line made all the difference! (he was 2nd out....)

T1: 5:51

The swim to bike is a 1/2 mile run to transition...I wasn't sure if I was going to grab those shoes or not, but after seeing the bay of bags, I said "screw it" and ran straight through with my wetsuit pulled to my waist.  Half way to transition, my feet start to get "un-numb" and they feel like they are ripped wide open---I get passed by a couple guys in shoes, but also realize I didn't waste time finding those shoes, so I am not stressing about the pace, but may be a good idea would be to wrap tape around your foot pre-race to help with the rough road!  I elected to not have the shoes clipped in for this race...I was in the second row and the trot from my bike to the Bike out was literally 15 feet, so it was a no brainer decision this time.

Bike:  54:39   66th Overall 19.8 mph 


Escape From Alcatraz Bike (Garmin didn't turn off...crappy data file)

Onto the Bike I go...this ride is "Mr Toad's Wild Ride" (from Disneyland as a kid---loved that ride!)...there's tons of climbing, descending, sharp turns while at high speeds---you NEED to drive this course before you race it competitively...you can lose minutes if you are not sure where to decelerate and  accelerate!  Regardless, I knew the bike would be my weakness on this course as we don't have hills like these to train on in Scottsdale...my goal going in was to stay upright---no crashes, no injuries!  I pretty much held my own on the bike, making some passes while getting passed as well...no biggie...stay in the race without risking injury like I said.  Up to Seacliff and the Legion of Honor, down to Ocean Beach, through Golden Gate Park, then re-trace our steps back to the Marina Green---it is a GREAT bike course, with no chance to relax at all.  Chris' notes for this course is to divide the bike into 2 halves...be somewhat conservative on the way out, and hammer the way back, especially the climbs...I used this tactic and it worked like a charm, and ended up playing cat and mouse with a guy on a road bike--he lead the climbs,  then I took over for the downhills and flats---not drafting, but "working together" pacing each other.   This was my first race using an SRM Powermeter and Dura Ace Di2 which was just installed, and both really helped me---SRM with keeping my output under control, and Di2 with on-the-fly shifting---it is just amazing how easy and fast shifting is with Di2...it is instant shifting without any worry of a "bad" shift.  Anyways, it was a beautiful day---our prayers for clear skies was answered!  I did run into an buddy from the good old days, Scott Whitthoff, while on the last climb--he was on the side of the road yelling encouragement---great to see you Scott!  Descents and climbs behind me, I hauled butt back to transition through the only flat section of the course, whizzing by my family in the process who I could hear, but not see in the blur that was the crowd around the transition.  Nutrition wise,  I took in one Gu at the Legion of Honor, and another after reaching Crissy Field, and luckily I had Pre-Race and EFS in my bike bottle---it made up for the lack of my Pre-Game Bottle for sure as I felt great, and my legs were ready to go!  I was feeling really good about the race so far---no major mistakes other than the swim line, and I didn't crush myself on the bike, so I was set up for a good finish.

T2   1:32


I left the bike shoes on the pedals, dismounted, unbuckled and removed my helmet on the way, glasses off, shoes on---oops!  The insole in my shoe bunched up on my right shoe---foot out, reposition the sole, 2nd time was a charm.  Grabbed my number belt, that Gu, and my Garmin...then got moving!

Run 52:23  34th Overall  6:33 pace

Escape From Alcatraz Run---Garmin File

So if the bike is Mr's Toads Wild Ride, this run is it's twin evil brother---made even worse with a few curves thrown in by the course layout and the recent rains leaving the trails a muddy mess.  I left transition fast---sub 6 fast.  Hitting the trail that leads from the street to the path at the west end of the Marina Green, I was greeted by my own personal paparazzi!  There my family was---all with cameras pointed at me----I wanted some high 5's! Sophia was looking right at me (she is usually off playing with something, so this was a treat!  Everyone was there---sisters, parents, Jenny, Fia...this was just awesome to have them there!  I don't think my feet hit the ground for that mile---I was on cloud nine!  The feeling was short lived as I was approaching the stairs leading to the upper trail.  It was nice to see all of the improvements they had made to this section.  I last did this race in 1998, and now the trail leading up was well manicured versus the beat up dirt trail that used to be there when I lived in the Marina from 1995-1999.  I have done this run 100's of times, and it was awesome to be back on my old training grounds (I took it for granted as this run is one of the most beautiful runs I have ever been on).  Up to the bridge, under the bridge, then through the bunkers, life was good.  I had passed maybe 10 people including 3 of the women pros.  As I passed the 3rd woman heading through the bunkers, the trail got nasty...puddles, mud...but thankfully we were pretty much alone and had the trail to ourselves dodge the storm deposits.  As I ended this section, Andy Potts comes flying through with a "locked up lead", then Docherty and Chrabot running together.  This is the coolest thing about this sport---here I am a "hobbyist" on the same course as the pros---name another sport where this is the case!!!!  As I hit the downhill to Baker Beach, I then see 2 time IM World Champion Craig Alexander and let out a big " GO CROWIE!"  He was not in a happy place, but here I was again on the same course as one of my heroes.  Ok, so back to the racing....I hit the beach, and here's the curve ball--they made us run in the deep sand!!  We were slowed to a crawl it seemed like.  I had been running with a guy from the top of the hill..we both let out a chuckle, and burrowed through the "stuff" to the turnaround at the end of Baker Beach.   My shoes filled with sand almost immediately, and this lead to the "holes" in my feet---not just abrasions, holes! Socks would be a good option, but that may have taken me 7+ seconds to put on, so I skip those for every race except 70.3 and IM.  At the turn, I took in my only liquid of the run--2 cups of Cytomax (I think).  As I was running towards the Sand Ladder, I caught up to a good friend Rich Blanco, another AIMPer who just qualified for the second year in a row at IM St George.  He is a stud, and after a tap on the butt and some brief words, we were climbing the sand ladder.  I had more in the tank to pour out on this day, so I ended up leaving Rich on the ladder---I'm sure I was better trained for this race, otherwise Rich would kicked my butt!  I had a "for pride" bet with John Dean on who would do the Sand Ladder faster, but I was feeling really good about the race, so I conserved a bit going up, finishing the sand ladder in 2:25, and taking down JD but 10 seconds ;-} (Can you say "hill repeats"???) With that effort, I was able to run the uphill to the crest, then the true "fun" began.  I entered the bunker section, and it was a sea of athletes coming up the same trail I had covered maybe 15 minutes before---luckily I caught a guy just at the right time, and let him lead through the labyrinth that was the trail back to the Marina Green.  "Left....LEFT...LEFT!!!" we yelled all the way through.  I left him when we hit the final set of stairs back to the road and I was shocked at what I found next...2 guys tied together!  One guy blind, the other a pro triathlete guiding him through the course---AMAZING!  These guys were running like there was no handicap issue there...each of them amazing in what they were doing...the pro telling him how to take the steps, and the blind athlete following him without missing a beat...really, AMAZING!   They swam tied together, they rode on a tandem, and now ran tied together---and they finished just over a minute behind me!  Without the handicap, I ended up passing them through this technical section and was back on flat ground with the path down Crissy Field to go.  At this point, I just drained the tank, careful not to push over the limit.  Pace was sub 6, heart rate right at 160....I was at max speed, max heart rate, and holding on for dear life with the mindset that every second counts.  There was no gap for me to really close as 2 guys were about 30 yards ahead and not giving up much, but I pushed anyways as the finish to this race is one of the best out there.  I left it all out there, and by the time I hit the finish shoot, I was running on fumes.  I heard my cheering section loud and clear as I made the turn onto the grass runway---you guys are awesome!!  I actually almost caught one of the guys ahead, but needed another 1/4 mile to get him...with the way the timing is done, the funny thing was that I actually beat the guy in front of me by 7 seconds as he must have exited the boat before me out of the front exit----that 7 seconds is what gave me second in the 35-39ers...sooo close!  This race chews you up and spits you out---I gave it everything I had and we thrilled with my result---absolutely nothing to complain about!   I met another AIMPer and winner of my age group Ritch Viola (also going to Kona)and chatted with Rich Blanco even though I was probably mumbling in exhaustion---two GREAT guys I look forward to racing with in Kona.

With the race behind me, it was time to visit with my family---we had an afternoon BBQ at my brothers new house---soo good to catch up with everyone!  But too short!  Thank you all for your tremendous support over the years, on this day, and on the coming BIG day in Kona...you guys have put up with me all of these years and I hope my racing makes you proud ;-}

I never realized how much I took living in SF for granted, but after spending a weekend there with Jenny and Sophia and some of my ONE teammates, this race can only be trumped by IM racing--if you know of another race close to this, let me know (well, Wildflower is up there too---that's next on the reunion tour---Jenny?).  Thanks for reading my diary, and I hope it convinces those of you thinking about doing this race that you need to buck up and enter next year!  BTW, there are 3 different Escape from Alcatraz Triathlons---this is the BIG one put on by IMG...www.escapefromalcatraztriathlon.com

Overall Stats:  2:22:57  
Age Group: 2nd out of 264
Overall:  15th Amateur,  44th Overall including Pros


One Happy Triathlete!


Below are various pics from the weekend...

Rich Blanco and I Post Race

Fia and I on the Aquatic Park Pier---Coldie!

John and I on our EZ Friday Ride

Jory and I braving the Rain Saturday moring

John the Jokester on the Sand Ladder

One of the holes in my right foot from sand rubbing--Ouch!

The hole in my right little toe--Double Ouch!

A future runner---look at that form!  No heel striking there!

Me and my amazing family

Approaching my paparazzi!

The One Legged Seagull

Fia and Jenny with Alcatraz in the Background

The clan on the Sand Ladder

View from Baker Beach at the base of the Sand Ladder

The swim exit at St Francis Yacht Club Hipstamatixed

View of the bridge from the Swim Exit

The boys at the Swim Exit

Fia and her cousin Christopher climbing away

High Fives for my Paparazzi

Just finished...

That's what the Sand Ladder looks like from the bottom..

The top of the Sand Ladder---EZ section!

Someone was not happy!

She's Happy now...

Nothing an iPad and headphones can't fix

On the podium with Ritch and Brett