June Lake Triathlon July 10, 2010

Sprint - .25 mi Swim | 8 mi Bike | 2.25 mi Run

Sunrise was 5:43am on July 10th, so - no excuses - I had to ride to the race start. The sprint race was scheduled to start at 8:30am, I was staying in a condo 4.5 miles from the transition area and there would be no parking near the race start... so.. up at 5:30 or so, after a leisurely coffee, breakfast, reading, etc, I took off for the race on my bicycle at about 6:45am. The ride to the race start was hilly, so I just took it slow and had a great warm up. I arrived in plenty of time to grab a spot near the bike and run out. The day before the race, I swam in the lake with no wetsuit -- stayed in the water for about 12 minutes and shivered for the next 30 minutes (in the hot sun, no less)... so... conclusion... wear a sleeveless wetsuit, even though the swim would be short. The Olympic Distance course went off at 8:00 am. I did the longer distance in 2008.. whew! A hard course for someone who lives at sea level.. I was glad to be signed up for the Sprint this year.

Our race went off at about 8:35am -- the lead swimmers of the Olympic course had already started to come into the finish.. lots of excitement and lots of crowd cheering and support.. Sprint men went off at 8:30.... then our count down began... to 10 to 1 then boom, the horn blast and the big splash. My swim line was a little crowded for the first minute, but then a path cleared and I was on my way. Steady swim, no hyperventilating, easy sighting .. three turns, and I was in. I should have taken off my wetsuit right at the water, because by the time I got to my bike, the legs had stuck like glue to my calves.. I had a longer transition than I wanted, but soon enough, I was off on the bike. A climb out of the campgrounds, a fast ride through town and then the climb over Northwoods Road, back to the transition area. My ride was fast, just under 30 minutes.. which I felt was a good time. And then... the run.. or hike as it turned out.. How could 2.25 miles feel so long??? Because of the altitude, the hills and the dirt. I finally gave in to hunger and had an Espresso Hammer Gel at about 1.5 miles in.. it helped get me to the finish as #8 woman overall.. and #1 in my age group! 1:03:19.

This race is one of the best there is -- very well supported, great spirit, great volunteers, great raffle prizes and age - group prizes - professionally announced by Whit Raymond -- one of the best - and run by an extraordinary Race Director -- Alana Levin.

Put this race on your calendar, and if you are feeling strong and brave, sign up for the Olympic Distance....

Alcatraz Crossing July 4, 2010

7:15am jump from the east side of the island. Pedro's Happy Fourth of July swim. I don't know how many people there were.. maybe 25? Maybe more. I missed all of the pre-swim briefings because I came too late to find a legal place to park. I ended up parking at the Ghiradelli Garage.. kind of pricey, but I didn't get a ticket.

So, we all piled into the Dauntless, headed out to Alcatraz.. jumped in and swam towards the Jeremiah O'Brien.. the Tide was ebbing pretty darned well by the time we got across. Less thatn 24 minutes to the Break water, then a nice ride into Aquatic Park. a little hang time at the entrance treading water, then we all swam towards the beach. 32 minutes all together... very fun, very fast Fourth of July swim!