70.3 Oceanside Recap - Overdue Update
Life has been busy and updates have been sparse.
Let's start with 70.3 Oceanside. To sum the race up, it went extremely well! I'm very proud of the effort and the result. The result? 5h 23m on a very challenging course.
The swim was cold and the sunrise was blinding. The time was the same as Indian Wells which was disappointing. Regardless, it's an area for improvement.
The bike was tough. I was a bit too tentative the first 25 miles, I think. The hills were hard, but my training put me in a good place to handle it. The road condition was absolutely brutal. So many people hitting the pavement and gear scattered throughout. Leading into the race I started to get nervous. I was watching videos of pros talking about how it's so difficult and it got to me. Specifically when I heard Taylor Knibb tied the bike course record last year at 2h 18m I was like, dude I am not going to be that fast. Only being 27 mins slower than the women's course record feels like an overall win.
The run was awesome. I ran 1h 55m which is only 4 minutes slower than my best stand alone half-marathon. I went out too hot but was able to settle in and limit the damage. Lot's to improve on in the run but I'm quite proud of the performance.
I nailed my carb intake on the bike. Usually I like my carbs and electrolytes together in bottles. Since it was going to be cooler in the morning, I committed to 30g carbs every 30 minutes and supplement with my bottle. That worked out really well and I think I set myself up for a good run. I did screw up in transition and forgot my electrolytes. So I pounded Mortal every aid station and held off any cramping pretty well.
As I look ahead to my upcoming races Spring Sprint and 70.3 Rockford, I am excited to see what I can do.
The Latest
Ok so the recap is done. Recovery has been going well but my family and I caught a stomach bug that hasn't been too bad but took me out of training for a couple of days. So my recovery has been a little extended by a little bit. I'll get back to it but if I've learned anything in recent years is to rest when your body needs rest.