Oceanside

I am really looking forward to racing in Oceanside this Saturday. This will be my 3rd time at this race, and I really like the course and the venue; it kind of has a home-town feel for me now. I have some moderate expectations for this Saturday: just to beat last year's 5:24 at this race. I feel like I am in decent form, but maybe not rested enough to have a great day, as this is still early in the saeson an I didn't want to take too much time off to taper. But, the fun part will be seeing where I am at early in the season.

I'll drive down Friday afternoon, register at the venue, and then meet some friends for dinner before an early bedtime. It's a real early start, so I'll be up by 4:00 am or so (Carey will LOVE this part of the day) to get in a good breakfast of peanut butter toast, bannanas, and gatorade.

The swim is in the protected Oceanside harbor, and it is a pretty easy swim by all standards: it's a wave start so there's not much wrestling or contact, the protected harbor limits any kind of surge or swell, and way back in is easy for a right side breather (me) as you can watch the wall of the harbor all the way in. The downsides to this swim are that it is COLD and sometimes the sun can right in your eyes out at the turnaround. I hope to swim about 30 minutes.

This photo is from the start of the swim on that rainy 2005 day when I finished my first half iron distance race here. I can't believe I was dumb enough to be one of the guys wearing a sleeveless wetsuit on that cold day...not this year: I'll be full-suited and doubbled-capped.

The bike course is great. After a kooky beginning up out of Oceanside Harbor and across I-5, the fun begins out on the Camp Pendleton Marine Base. The first 25 miles or so will be very fast. This is a flat section heading north along the coast that usually has a tailwind. After reaching the top of the course at Christianitos Road, we'll cross the I-5 again and head inland. This is where the party starts as we reach the base of Mount MotherF-er, as the first climb is known to local Marines. I'll be well-suite to spin up this with my compact front crank and 12-25 gearing. I'll have a laugh at the short-sighted athletes walking their over-geared bikes up this steep hill. After cresting the first climb, a moderate section with a few rollers begins before a few more decent climbs. Once we reach the long air strip, it will be like turning for home to the west and southwest. Typically, this flat and downhill stretch is into a headwind; it will require good form and aerodynamics to ride well. This will be an important part of the race to put up a solid bike split. After 40-45 miles of good cycling, you start to feel some fatigue, and the temptation is to ease off and not battle the headwind. However, the strong cyclist will stay tucked and finish the bike loop strongly. It's fun to glid down the last hill into the Harbor area. I hope to have a decent bike leg, but nothing fancy, about 2:55 would be fine.

After T2, it will be great to run out on to the Oceanside strand for the easy, flat half marathon along the beach and city in Oceanside. Hopefully the sun will be out, and the usual spectators will be having the typical parties, music, and good times. My challenge, as usual, will be to focus on running strongly rather than clowning around too much with the spectators and other competitors. I plan on taking the first 3 miles (the first out section) pretty easy and then up the pace for each for each 3 mile stretch after that. Last year I had a good run split of 1:47. I'd love to match that but, thanks to my linger plantar fasciitis, I'll take anything under 1:50 (particularly if it is pain free!).

With about 5:00 minutes total in transition, I should b in about 5:20 and reach my goal of improving on last year's time. But, I'll be happy to be out in the sun, racing, and enjoying the day. It should be a great one.

To folow the race on Sunday, go to http://www.ironman.com/, click on the race day coverage, and look me up with my race number 259. Thanks for the support.

2009

It's hard to believe that we are already 3 months into 2009...and that I haven't updated this blog since July of last year! While I have been delinquent in updates, my life has never been happier, healthier, or more complete.

After Ironman Coeur D'Alene last year, I had a terrific summer of resting and allowing my body to recover. I stayed active, raced the LA Tri (oly), ran a few 10K races, and worked on my golf game a bit too. And, more important than anything, my personal life is overflowing with happiness!

And now it's time for another season of triathlon. My A event this year will be the Vineman Full Ironman on August 1st up in Sonoma, California. My goal will be to finish in under 11 hours, which will take quite an effort. But I am up for the challenge!

Leading up to the Vineman, I will race two half Iron races: Oceanside on April 4th and Wildflower on May 2nd. I raced both of these last year, and they are favorite venues. I look forward to trying and improving on both of my times from last year. I am also looking into a few local sprint and oly distance races throughout the year.

So, with a week to go before Oceanside, I am feeling excited, fit, and ready for a great year.