A MOP age-grouper's report for entertainment... or at least views of Golden Gate Bridge (video at end).
Awake at 3am, had breakfast of banana, Clif Bar and electrolytes. Left the house at 3:30, arrived by 4:10 and there was ample parking near the T1. Got set up @ T1, took the bus to the pier, boarded the Hornblower and the rest was just waiting it out while 2 container ships passed through the channel before the start.
The Swim:
The jump from the boat was OK. Race staff was yelling out to jump, kinda like what you see with airborne troopers in movies. I had my GoPro with me. This isn’t my A race, more like a bucket list thing. So I wanted to have fun, and take video since my wife has NEVER seen me race. After the jump, stuffed the GoPro inside my wetsuit and aimed for the towers. After a while, I didn’t see any swimmers to my right or left, and was a little concerned. But I kept aiming for the towers and swam on. Due to the choppy waters, I was getting a mouthful when I went up to inhale (I inhale to my right). I was thinking of inhaling to my left, but I stayed with my right side since that’s what I do. In the pool, I do bilateral breathing, but always end up one-sided during a race. But then again, I see most pros breathing to one side at races. Swam further on, and I couldn’t see the other swimmers well. I know I’m slow, but was I that slow? Due to the current, wasn’t sure if I should continue aiming for the towers (aquatic park), or aim for the Palace of Fine Arts- lest I end up outside the Golden Gate Bridge. I asked a kayaker volunteer, and he said to aim for the PoFA. Finally reached shore at 43:00
T1 (3:27). It was a slow T1 time, but I was trying to get my GoPro mount stabilized, and then put on my cycling jersey. Wasn’t too concerned about time, since I was more interested in getting video footage. The DIY GoPro mount was weak and the GoPro kept slipping, so ultimately no bike footage.
The Bike:
Went with the road bike after consulting with other teammates (lot's of hills, technical course, damp conditions). I went harder on the bike than my usual 70.3 pace since the bike course was 23 miles. The uphills were a pain, but do-able, and the downhills were fun- except for the areas where the roads were bumpy. Twice, there were cyclists with rocketing water bottles in front of me on bumpy downhill sections. Felt good about the bike overall. (1:25:21)
T2 (1:21)
Put on socks and shoes, grabbed the rest of the stuff (watch, hat, sunglasses, bib, gopro) and put them on while running out of transition.
The Run:
I felt good starting the run, and did the run/walk thing (4:15 run, :45 walk). I lost about 3 minutes at Mile 1 aid station waiting for the bathroom. Needed to go bad. I was thinking of peeing on the run, but decided against it since I’m not going for a podium or PR. In retrospect, I should have drank just 1 bottle for the bike distance, but I drank 1 2/3 bottles instead. Beautiful views throughout the whole run. Every time I saw the coastline or Golen Gate Bridge, I forgot about the pains. Again, really fantastic views throughout the whole race. The last 2 miles after coming up the final stairs was downhill and flat, and I kept a faster pace than normal. I think the recent increase in run training paid off. Nice to be supported by teammates at the finish chute. Now back to IM Santa Cruz 70.3 training, my A race.
Video Report at
Awake at 3am, had breakfast of banana, Clif Bar and electrolytes. Left the house at 3:30, arrived by 4:10 and there was ample parking near the T1. Got set up @ T1, took the bus to the pier, boarded the Hornblower and the rest was just waiting it out while 2 container ships passed through the channel before the start.
The Swim:
The jump from the boat was OK. Race staff was yelling out to jump, kinda like what you see with airborne troopers in movies. I had my GoPro with me. This isn’t my A race, more like a bucket list thing. So I wanted to have fun, and take video since my wife has NEVER seen me race. After the jump, stuffed the GoPro inside my wetsuit and aimed for the towers. After a while, I didn’t see any swimmers to my right or left, and was a little concerned. But I kept aiming for the towers and swam on. Due to the choppy waters, I was getting a mouthful when I went up to inhale (I inhale to my right). I was thinking of inhaling to my left, but I stayed with my right side since that’s what I do. In the pool, I do bilateral breathing, but always end up one-sided during a race. But then again, I see most pros breathing to one side at races. Swam further on, and I couldn’t see the other swimmers well. I know I’m slow, but was I that slow? Due to the current, wasn’t sure if I should continue aiming for the towers (aquatic park), or aim for the Palace of Fine Arts- lest I end up outside the Golden Gate Bridge. I asked a kayaker volunteer, and he said to aim for the PoFA. Finally reached shore at 43:00
T1 (3:27). It was a slow T1 time, but I was trying to get my GoPro mount stabilized, and then put on my cycling jersey. Wasn’t too concerned about time, since I was more interested in getting video footage. The DIY GoPro mount was weak and the GoPro kept slipping, so ultimately no bike footage.
The Bike:
Went with the road bike after consulting with other teammates (lot's of hills, technical course, damp conditions). I went harder on the bike than my usual 70.3 pace since the bike course was 23 miles. The uphills were a pain, but do-able, and the downhills were fun- except for the areas where the roads were bumpy. Twice, there were cyclists with rocketing water bottles in front of me on bumpy downhill sections. Felt good about the bike overall. (1:25:21)
T2 (1:21)
Put on socks and shoes, grabbed the rest of the stuff (watch, hat, sunglasses, bib, gopro) and put them on while running out of transition.
The Run:
I felt good starting the run, and did the run/walk thing (4:15 run, :45 walk). I lost about 3 minutes at Mile 1 aid station waiting for the bathroom. Needed to go bad. I was thinking of peeing on the run, but decided against it since I’m not going for a podium or PR. In retrospect, I should have drank just 1 bottle for the bike distance, but I drank 1 2/3 bottles instead. Beautiful views throughout the whole run. Every time I saw the coastline or Golen Gate Bridge, I forgot about the pains. Again, really fantastic views throughout the whole race. The last 2 miles after coming up the final stairs was downhill and flat, and I kept a faster pace than normal. I think the recent increase in run training paid off. Nice to be supported by teammates at the finish chute. Now back to IM Santa Cruz 70.3 training, my A race.
Video Report at