Background info: 31 years old. Got into triathlon about 3 1/2 years ago. No team or coach. I train around 13-16 hours a week in Livermore California. I have done a handful of oly/sprint triathlons and 2 previous 70.3's (Santa Rosa & Santa Cruz). My main goal for this race was to go 4:19 or faster. My only real complaint about the logistics of this race are the 2 transitions. Much worse for spectating and waking up at 3:30 to get on the shuttle is not very fun in my opinion.
Swim: NO SWIM!! Lame! Since my last 70.3 I raced was Santa Cruz and the swim was shortened (only 800m) I was really hoping for a full 70.3. Nope, this time it was completely cancelled due to fog. I guess it was the safest decision but still bummed it was canceled.
Bike: Since the swim was cancelled this race was going to be a time trial start. They started everyone in group's of 5 with about a 5 second delay between each group. Your start was determined by your bib number and luckily I had a fairly low number (391). I felt bad for all the people in the 3000's. It was going to be a long wait, congested ride, and a hotter run. I went out hard and was passing a lot of people. I then settled into a pace that I thought was good for 56 miles and was by myself for a while. Then this group of about 10-12 passes me all drafting! I kept a legal distance only to watch the officials catch a bunch of them and they had to wait under the penalty tent for 5 min. I heard a lot of complaints about how rough the roads were but honestly didn't think they were that bad. I did the Levi's Gran Fondo in Santa Rosa last year and that ride had some terrible roads. Quite a bit of turns but overall a fast bike course. I finished with a time of 2:19.23.
Run: A two loop course that is almost all flat with a lot of shade. Some areas are a little congested with that many people running and some very tight turns, but overall a nice flat and fast course. Lots of fans and the volunteers were great. Last year I suffered real hard on the last 3 miles so I didn't want to go out too hard. I drank and ate a lot more this year on the bike so I felt much more prepared and confident in the run. My plan was to drink more at the aid stations (didn't stop at an aid station until mile 6 last year) and not go out too hard. I took water, gatoraid, coke, and redbull throughout the entire run. No food or gels. It hurt but was manageable. I think I need to do some longer training runs because the last 3 miles of this race were real tough. I finished with a time of 1:22.30. Ended up 6th in my AG. Bummed I just missed the podium but was still pleased with my bike and run time. Hoping my next half will be a full 70.3!! That's it. Thanks for reading.
Swim: NO SWIM!! Lame! Since my last 70.3 I raced was Santa Cruz and the swim was shortened (only 800m) I was really hoping for a full 70.3. Nope, this time it was completely cancelled due to fog. I guess it was the safest decision but still bummed it was canceled.
Bike: Since the swim was cancelled this race was going to be a time trial start. They started everyone in group's of 5 with about a 5 second delay between each group. Your start was determined by your bib number and luckily I had a fairly low number (391). I felt bad for all the people in the 3000's. It was going to be a long wait, congested ride, and a hotter run. I went out hard and was passing a lot of people. I then settled into a pace that I thought was good for 56 miles and was by myself for a while. Then this group of about 10-12 passes me all drafting! I kept a legal distance only to watch the officials catch a bunch of them and they had to wait under the penalty tent for 5 min. I heard a lot of complaints about how rough the roads were but honestly didn't think they were that bad. I did the Levi's Gran Fondo in Santa Rosa last year and that ride had some terrible roads. Quite a bit of turns but overall a fast bike course. I finished with a time of 2:19.23.
Run: A two loop course that is almost all flat with a lot of shade. Some areas are a little congested with that many people running and some very tight turns, but overall a nice flat and fast course. Lots of fans and the volunteers were great. Last year I suffered real hard on the last 3 miles so I didn't want to go out too hard. I drank and ate a lot more this year on the bike so I felt much more prepared and confident in the run. My plan was to drink more at the aid stations (didn't stop at an aid station until mile 6 last year) and not go out too hard. I took water, gatoraid, coke, and redbull throughout the entire run. No food or gels. It hurt but was manageable. I think I need to do some longer training runs because the last 3 miles of this race were real tough. I finished with a time of 1:22.30. Ended up 6th in my AG. Bummed I just missed the podium but was still pleased with my bike and run time. Hoping my next half will be a full 70.3!! That's it. Thanks for reading.