Ironman 70.3 Oceanside 2019 – Race Report

Official Time: 05:04:53
1.2 mile Swim: 00:34:52
T1: 00:04:47
56 mile Bike: 02:35:44
T2: 00:02:37
13.1 mile Run: 01:46:55
Overall: 260th of 2,390
35-39 AG: 37th of 277

The Backyard Ironman:
A long time ago (2012), I (literally) stumbled upon Oceanside 70.3. I went for an early Saturday long run, pushing my (then) 6-month-old son in a jogger stroller from my house, down the bike path, and down the coast to Buccaneer park where my wife would meet us for some playground time and breakfast. When I exited the bike path, the Strand was closed off so I just stayed on Pacific Street all the way to the park. I had no idea what event was going on, but other than a few sideways glances from volunteers setting up aid stations, no one seemed to care that I was obliviously running down a road that would soon be filled with athletes. As we ate our breakfast at the Buccaneer Cafe some very fit runners, clad in what looked to me like wrestling singlets, quickly ran by. By the time we realized we were watching pro triathletes compete in an Ironman event, we were deeply enthralled in the excitement and cheered for everyone with a race number. Eating breakfast burritos and watching Ironman racing became an early April tradition for us and no doubt played a part in inspiring my eventual pursuit to become a triathlete myself.

Five years ago, after completing my first Olympic distance Tri, I had the thought that maybe a 70.3 could be something I could participate in – beyond just being a burrito-eating spectator. At the time, it was a very lofty hypothetical, but if I was going to entertain the idea, the only Ironman event I would have any interest in completing was Oceanside 70.3.

The next season I wanted to explore the idea further, but after two early season sprint distance races, I tore a calf muscle on a training run, had to cancel the rest of the races for the season and put the 70.3 idea back on the ‘maybe someday’ shelf. The next year I prepared for and deployed to Afghanistan, so triathlon was altogether put on hold. The following year, while overseas, my desire to do something big and epic and achieve something I could be proud of, cultivated in the combat environment. Having endured the operational tempo, the monotony, being a sailor in an army environment, the ever-present mortal risks for as long as my deployment was (nearly 14 months away from home)… enduring 70 miles became less and less daunting. But, when registration for the next Oceanside 70.3 opened, it was the middle of the night in Kabul and the internet in the base was down again. The race sold out before I could log in and I would have to wait another year.

“So this… 2019… this was going to be my year. I finally get to use my home court advantage… etc. etc.” – I basically had 3+ years of mounting pressure on myself to perform now that I belatedly had the chance. There were definitely some demons to battle before I toed the Harbor Beach start line.

Training had been going really well; I had a great fitness base to build from since 70.3 Indian Wells, I was hitting good numbers, not missing any workouts. However, I was dealing with some pain in the top of my right foot that was not improving. At three weeks out, I was barely able to shuffle from my bed to the bathroom when getting up in the morning and could feel my run stride changing to compensate for the pain. I got X-rays and luckily there were no stress fractures, so I made the very risky decision to try a new running shoe and a local ART sports therapist, both of whom/which I had never tried before, in hopes that it would help resolve the problem – or at least let me get across the finish line.

Around the same time, I got sick with a respiratory thing and had to trade peak-week workouts for bedrest – or my version of bedrest which includes managing household, yard work, family, little league practices and games, etc. but without stress relief of working out. I had to put extra faith in my coach that the work was already done and a very light two-week taper would not diminish performance returns. Luckily the risk and faith all paid off as I felt strong and had minimal pain come race day.

Goals:
I really wanted to execute a sub 5-hour race, but my familiarity with the hills on the bike course and the variables of a beach start, I knew finishing that fast was more of a stretch goal than I gave it credit. So, the goal splits I could live with would be a 35-minute swim, 2:30-2:40 bike and a 1:40-1:45 run. These seemed completely within reach, which relieved some of the self-pressure while leaving the door open to possibly breaking that 5-hour mark.

Swim:
I really looked forward to the beach start. Growing up a bodyboarder, my comfort level in the ocean is pretty high and swimming through the surf would be one of my advantages over less experienced competitors. I headed to the outside to make sure I wasn’t trying to dive under waves and through other swimmers simultaneously. Once past the break, I was still way outside and had to turn north toward the red turn buoy. Once I caught up to other swimmers, the water churn and rolling swells felt significant, but sighting was not terrible until we turned in toward the harbor. At that point, the sun had risen just high enough to compete for line-of-sight with the buoys so I got on other people’s feet, used their draft, and hoped they were headed in the right direction. This was the first race ever where I successfully drafted off of other swimmers and it resulted in bettering my Indian Wells time by over a minute and feeling way more fresh and ready to attack some hills on the bike.

Bike:
I have been looking forward to competing on this bike course for a long time. Smashing hills on my tri bike, especially rolling hills, is kind of my jam. Having been lucky enough to be a part of a recon ride with Camp Pendleton police the last two years, I knew what to expect on the back half of the course (which is closed to bicycles the rest of the year) and could plan my approach and nutrition well. I carried a total of 48 oz of fluid; a 28 oz bottle with a sports drink solution that included 250 calories and 600 mg of sodium and a 20 oz bottle with just water. I also had 4 gels that totaled 500 calories and another 650 mg of sodium, all to be consumed incrementally, but entirely, throughout the 2.5-hour bike ride. I planned not to push too many watts the first half, no matter who came up from behind to challenge my ego, in order to save legs for the arduous series of hills that start at around mile 30, and the final 10 miles that usually face dispiritingly strong headwinds.

The plan seemed to work well for the most part; I put down a respectable bike split without overcooking my legs. The only issue was I had to fend off a small cramp in my right leg with only a mile or two left before reaching transition. But it only slowed me down for a few seconds and did not become a factor again on the run.

Run:
I really wanted a sub 8min/mi half marathon. I was off by two minutes and averaged 8:10min/mi. I had a plan and did what I could to stick to it, but upon reflection now, the plan may need revision for next time. I took a 16oz water bottle with 100 calorie/240mg sodium solution with me out of transition and planned to finish it by the second lap turn around. Then stop at aid stations for water and Redbull as needed on the second half. I also had a couple more gels in my pockets but didn’t think my stomach would handle them well so I stuck with liquids for the run.

For pace, I planned to stay close to an 8:00min/mi pace for the first lap and try to ramp up the pace on the second. The negative split concept has always worked really well for me in training; give my legs a chance to loosen up and find a good rhythm so that I can gradually increase speed via efficiency rather than effort. Plus, the speedier pace on the second lap would help counter the fact that I have to walk through aid stations because I always choke on the water when trying to drink from a cup while running. Now I’m thinking I should learn to drink on the run, it might have saved me two minutes and let me meet my goal.

I started out feeling really good. For the first 4 miles, I continually had to back myself off from a 7:40ish pace. Mile 4 through 7, I stayed right on point with my 8:00ish pace plan. Then I turned down onto the Strand, ditched my empty water bottle as planned, and my pace dropped into the 8:30 range. My legs didn’t feel like they could go much faster – forgivable at this stage of the race, but the mental block I need to work through for next time is the feeling that I need to stop at every single station. I remember thinking that my body was probably not absorbing the fluid anyway so why stop?… but I stopped… and walked… and got a sip of water… 5 times in the final 4-6 miles of the race.

Overall though, I am happy with my performance and I won’t let my self-criticism blind the fact that for my second time completing this distance, and on a challenging course the Pro’s describe as ‘honest’, I put in a very solid effort and am proud of the result I could produce in my own backyard. Plus, I had so much fun feeding off of all the good-vibe support I received from my kids, wife, mother-in-law, PlayTri family, coach, teammates, and friends out on the course. After years of wondering what it would be like to experience finishing Oceanside 70.3, I now know it’s even better than I could imagine. Now I’m gonna go get a breakfast burrito to celebrate.