Escape from Alcatraz is one of those bucket-list triathlons that I always heard so much about. But it wasn't until I was in San Fran coincidentally the same weekend as the race last year that I even considered the race. After chatting with coach Jon (5th overall) and my clubmate Ari, it sounded like this race was definitely worth some consideration. And when they moved the race from June to March this year, perfect for IM Lanzarote training, I took that as a sign.
So after getting a lottery spot for this race, Grant has been incorporating training for Alcatraz into my IML training. Training was going well, but over the past couple of weeks life has been chaos...home renos in the new house and getting the condo ready for rental. The move is complete now, but at the expense of sleep and training. A less than ideal way to prep for a race.
We pulled an all nighter to finish the move, missed our 7:30am flight but caught a later flight and arrived about 3pm on Friday. Perfect plan...Liadhan and Eamon had already done the grocery shopping. Good dinner, solid 12 hour sleep, ride down to package pickup, recon the course, salad for lunch, fish for dinner, prep and a 5 hour sleep before our 3:30am wake up. After a light breakfast, Eamon and I rode down to T1 to drop off our gear and grab the shuttle bus to the ferry. Fast forward 2 hours and we were plunging off the edge of the boat into 10c water.
The swim was intense. Very choppy water and cold conditions were enough to throw off my first 7 or 8 minutes to the point where I was swimming with my head above water. I eventually found my rhythm and tried to focus on technique while getting smacked in the face by brackish water. 56 minutes after jumping off the boat I was walking onto the beach...4 minutes past the exit. The next delay came in trying to find my swim-exit bag. I'm not sure where it ended up, so I made the 800m run to T1 barefoot.
T1 was very slow...putting on socks and arm warmers with cold fingers and reduced dexterity make the simplest things look ridiculously difficult. I spent the first few minutes on the bike spinning at high cadence trying to get my legs going again. And as soon as we hit the first hill it ws on. I tried to attack every uphill and downhill (and flat) and managed to make up a lot of the places I'd lost in the bike. Unfortunately the effects of the swim along with the headwind hampered my ride and I finished the 30km ride in a disappointing 1:04. I do continue to be shocked by the complete disregard for safety that some triathletes exhibit on the bike and understand why roadies make fun of triathlete bike handling skills. Seriously people, wake the eff up and pay attention to your surroundings for everyone's safety! Please.
I realized after a sluggish ride my goal time was out the window. I had a decent transition and headed out for a slow first km on the run. All that brackish water sloshing around in my belly was not making for a very comfortable run. A quick pit stop and I was able to pick up my pace...only to be slowed at the first set of stairs. I literally had to walk up the stairs as this part was 2-way traffic and I hit a traffic jam. I've never done a race where my run pace was so dictated by others on the course. No excuses though; I just have to get out the swim faster! The run course itself is gorgeous - pavement, dirt trails, stairs, beach, sand ladder, uphill, downhill. Following a sandy run along the beach, I hit the sand ladder - about 250 steps covered by sand. This was the highlight of my race with a 16th overall in my age group (yes they provide a sand ladder split). Even after a fairly fast ascent I had the energy to maintain a good pace. Once I hit the downhill I picked up the pace and pushed it home.
I crossed the line in 3:27. A much slower day than I had aimed for. Definitely some negatives on the day, but also a few positives to take away. Like making it through the swim and having the mental and physical strength for a strong finish on the run. Overall it was a great race. Eamon and I have spent the last couple of days discussing if we'd throw our names in the lottery agin...I'm still undecided. Today's winery tour wasn't such a tough decision. Congrats to Eamon (we had a bit of a rivalry leading up to the race, perpetuated more by our TCTC club mates) who kicked my butt in the race. And great job to Jorge and Katie from the club too.
So after getting a lottery spot for this race, Grant has been incorporating training for Alcatraz into my IML training. Training was going well, but over the past couple of weeks life has been chaos...home renos in the new house and getting the condo ready for rental. The move is complete now, but at the expense of sleep and training. A less than ideal way to prep for a race.
We pulled an all nighter to finish the move, missed our 7:30am flight but caught a later flight and arrived about 3pm on Friday. Perfect plan...Liadhan and Eamon had already done the grocery shopping. Good dinner, solid 12 hour sleep, ride down to package pickup, recon the course, salad for lunch, fish for dinner, prep and a 5 hour sleep before our 3:30am wake up. After a light breakfast, Eamon and I rode down to T1 to drop off our gear and grab the shuttle bus to the ferry. Fast forward 2 hours and we were plunging off the edge of the boat into 10c water.
The swim was intense. Very choppy water and cold conditions were enough to throw off my first 7 or 8 minutes to the point where I was swimming with my head above water. I eventually found my rhythm and tried to focus on technique while getting smacked in the face by brackish water. 56 minutes after jumping off the boat I was walking onto the beach...4 minutes past the exit. The next delay came in trying to find my swim-exit bag. I'm not sure where it ended up, so I made the 800m run to T1 barefoot.
T1 was very slow...putting on socks and arm warmers with cold fingers and reduced dexterity make the simplest things look ridiculously difficult. I spent the first few minutes on the bike spinning at high cadence trying to get my legs going again. And as soon as we hit the first hill it ws on. I tried to attack every uphill and downhill (and flat) and managed to make up a lot of the places I'd lost in the bike. Unfortunately the effects of the swim along with the headwind hampered my ride and I finished the 30km ride in a disappointing 1:04. I do continue to be shocked by the complete disregard for safety that some triathletes exhibit on the bike and understand why roadies make fun of triathlete bike handling skills. Seriously people, wake the eff up and pay attention to your surroundings for everyone's safety! Please.
I realized after a sluggish ride my goal time was out the window. I had a decent transition and headed out for a slow first km on the run. All that brackish water sloshing around in my belly was not making for a very comfortable run. A quick pit stop and I was able to pick up my pace...only to be slowed at the first set of stairs. I literally had to walk up the stairs as this part was 2-way traffic and I hit a traffic jam. I've never done a race where my run pace was so dictated by others on the course. No excuses though; I just have to get out the swim faster! The run course itself is gorgeous - pavement, dirt trails, stairs, beach, sand ladder, uphill, downhill. Following a sandy run along the beach, I hit the sand ladder - about 250 steps covered by sand. This was the highlight of my race with a 16th overall in my age group (yes they provide a sand ladder split). Even after a fairly fast ascent I had the energy to maintain a good pace. Once I hit the downhill I picked up the pace and pushed it home.
I crossed the line in 3:27. A much slower day than I had aimed for. Definitely some negatives on the day, but also a few positives to take away. Like making it through the swim and having the mental and physical strength for a strong finish on the run. Overall it was a great race. Eamon and I have spent the last couple of days discussing if we'd throw our names in the lottery agin...I'm still undecided. Today's winery tour wasn't such a tough decision. Congrats to Eamon (we had a bit of a rivalry leading up to the race, perpetuated more by our TCTC club mates) who kicked my butt in the race. And great job to Jorge and Katie from the club too.
