#IM703Oceanside #WFPBTriathlete #VeganTriathele #AnythingIsPossible
TLDR: It was awesome! Will do it again next year. Best triathlon swim ever. Zero cramps!
Swim: 30:56 > 1:24/100 yards
Bike: 2:44:14 > 20.43 miles/hr
Run: 1:46:12 > 8:07 min/miles
Total: 5:08:08
Goals:
Have an awesome time > Double check!
Finish the event > Check
Do a better time than Arizona, considering it was a harder course > Check
Pre-race: Friday afternoon, I go for a practive swim where the race was going to start the next day. The waves were high (to my taste), but I go in anyway. I swim 100 yards and a big wave falls on me and I had one of those "am I going to die?" moments. That did it for me, after 5mins in the water, my practice swim was over!
Swim: With the previous day's experience in mind, I decide to talk to a lifeguard to gain some quick pro tip on "how to deal with the waves" and he tells to swim under it and so on... Armed with my new knowledge about the wave and it's go time! I run to the water to hit a series of waves (felt like 4 to 5 waves). No problem, thanks lifeguard! The current takes me to the first buoy for a turn, quick sighthing and I open the gas! I felt totally awesome, passing a bunch of people until the end.
T1: What a long transition! I run like a manic :) Wetsuit peeled, helmet on, shoes on, don't forget the bib number! 3:53 T1 and I'm off on the bike.
Bike: What a great bike course!...I mean the views are great, because the road quality suck! I planned on 20.5 mph avg and I executed. It turns out it came at a cost later on the second part of the run :( I enjoyed every bit of ride, going through the military base, the hills, etc... With a better bike fitness, next year I'll totally crush that course!
T2: Felt like a robot running for the first 100 yards LOL, but quick error-free transition and I was off on the run with my unfinished bottle of water in my hand.
Run: Loved it! And what a difference from my 70.3 Arizona run. I did not walk nor stop. I started too fast (as we all do! Duh!) but quickly went back down to 7:30 pace which I wanted to hold. It turns out I could only do 4 miles like this. On the 5th miles, legs said NOOOO! Heart rate was good, no cramps, I did not hit the wall. I just could not turns my legs fast enough. I was most likely paying for pushing too hard on the bike course hills! Lesson learnt.
Overall: I wished my family was with me for this race, I missed them a lot, but I thought of them throughout the event, which gave me extra (mental) strength to reach further. I'll do that race again next year for sure.
Nutrition: I used Precision Hydration and Maurten Gel. No cramps, no stomach issues, did not hit the wall. I will continue to use these products.