Oceanside Race Report

I was all signed up for Callifornia 70.3 approximately a year ago.  Turns out that several (approx. 20) people from ONE Multisport were signed up and it was going to be a fun destination race for many of us.  Oceanside is approximately a 6.5-7 hour car ride for us in the Scottsdale, AZ area.  So I teamed up with Klas and Lisa and their daughter, Dallas, and off we went.  They had VRBO'd a 2 bdrm house that was within walking distance to T2 - perfect!  I love staying in a house prior to a race for many reasons and luckily for me Klas and Lisa were on the same page.  We were able to cook and early dinner (thank you Lisa) including a heaping plate chicken, pasta and bread.  Then after dinner we relaxed in the living area watching DVD's of past Kona races while we packed our transition bags and made some small talk.  After that it was off to bed nice and early for a good nights sleep. Unfortunately for me, I didn't sleep well for some reason.  I think I was concerned about the cool temperatures and cold ocean swim.  But nonetheless, the alarm went off early and we were in motion - getting dressed, checking our transition bags a second time - then I went out for about a 15-20 minute light job.  I love the feeling in the air on race morning.  Plenty of people were on their way to transition and there was definately a 'buzz' out there while I ran by.  The temperatures were not bad, so I was relieved to know that.  I got home had a good size breakfast and felt ready to go. 
  In my mind I knew this was not going to be a one of my faster races because I have been doing longer rides and runs and not specifically focused on speed.  But I felt good and prepared.  This was a race for me to get reacquainted with racing, nutrition, transitions and have fun with my teammates.  I would classify this as a 'B' race for me - just getting me set up for the big one - IMTX.
As it turns out my wave didn't start until 7:45 - over an hour after the PRO's start.  Fortunately for us, they let us stay in the transition area and we were able to watch the PRO's come out of the water and get T1 set up and have some small talk while waiting for our start.  As I got to the ramp I was able to dip my toes into the water - Yep, just as advertised.... Chilly.  I had heard it was somewhere between 55-58 degrees.  As we tread water at the start line, the horn blows and my 2012 Triathlon Season is under way. 
Swim  33:54
It is an ocean swim in the harbor and then you turn the corner and swim out in the unprotected water - Wow, was it rough at this point.  After the race there was a lot of talk about how rough that part of the swim was.  Not a lot of contact - but starting as late as my wave did, there were a lot of different colored caps out there that started ahead of us.  Having to swim around and in between that many people can certainly slow you down.  I am not a strong swimmer, so don't read that wrong.  Although, after having swam 4 days a week all winter I was hoping to improve at least a little as compared to last year.  As I exited the water, I was not able to tell any improvement based on the clock, but I felt a lot more relaxed.  This swim time is certainly nothing to brag about but I figured that I didn't lose a lot of time to the top 20 in my age group.  The run to transition was quite long and on numb feet,  it hurt!
My T1 was miserable - mostly due to the fact that I was still undecided whether I was going to wear arm warmers or not and weather I would wear my vest or not.  So, I put the arm warmers on, and then took them off.  Then I decided to put them on again - while I was conversing with those that were arriving around me - sort of taking a poll.  Ultimately, I decided to wear the arm warmers and not the vest.  This turned out to be a good decision in the end.  Even if it did take me 4:45 to decide ;)
Bike: 2:41:44
The bike has always been an issue for me.  But my goal today was to focus on nutrition (250 calories/hr) and being consistant.  I didn't want to put in a lot of effort early and fade at the end like I usually do.  This was time to practice for Ironman riding.  This bike course was no joke.  At mile 28 the climbing started.  Wow, serious climbs.  If you want a bike course with a challenge, this course would be my suggestion.  Several folks were walking their bikes up this first hill.  Then there is a decent later that is a NO pass zone and speed is monitored by a radar and you can be DQ'd if you exceed 25 mph.  My plan was to ride this course about 15-20 watts more then I would ride IM - I stuck to that pretty well.  I was relieved to know that I was capable of not getting caught up in racing and stick to my plan.  At mile 38 I got passed by teammate Dan Cadriel, and a mile later teammate Carlos Mendoza caught me - from the wave behind me! But I was good and controlled and didn't let that bother me - that was not why I was here.  I guess I'm maturing as a triathlete?!  I was able to nail my nutrition as planned, even though I had lost a bottle off the back at some point on the course.  I was able to pick up calories on the course to finish up and as it came time to dismount I really had to use the porta john - So, I hung my bike, changed my shoes and found the restroom.  Ahhh, perfect!  As I'm in there, I started wondering about my Garmin 405 that I run with.  I don't remember seeing it in my bag - so I didn't go back for it because I thought I had left it in my room that morning.  SHOOT!  After the race I found it in my bag!
Run: 1:30:45
Off onto the run course - I was excited for this part.  I always like to PR when I run so this was going to be no different.  I was not holding anything back on the run.  As you exit T2 you run about 50 yds and you are suppose to do a 180 and head out to the pier.  'Suppose to' are the key words!  I missed that piece of the course review... So, I continued straight with the rest of the folks around me, not  knowing I just missed 1.5 miles of the course.  Shortly thereafter, I saw mile market 3 and I wondered what was going on.  Couldn't figure out how the markers could be that far off.  Later, I reach the turn around and head back toward the crowd and I see Dan and Carlos - behind me.  Now I know something is wrong but I'm still not sure what.   Eventually I get to that part where you were to do the 180 turn around and I realize that I  must have missed that - now I have all kinds of thoughts going through my head:  1) Do I stop and get off the course and DNF or 2) Can I try and add that mileage back into the course at the end of the run?  Either way, now I'm not chasing Dan and Carlos - I'm running on my own and not really knowing the mileage that I'm at so I have no idea what pace I'm running.  As I complete the second loop I decide to go back out and complete the last 1.5 mile loop and come back and finish - I wanted to make it legitimate as best as I could and if the course officials wanted to DQ me that was up to them.  I felt great on the run, never faded (I don't think) and I was able to take about 200 cal of gel each hour.  I finished strong and much to my surprise I was able to PR my run - by over 4 minutes!
When the race was over I went and talked to the timing official and explained what had happened and he looked up my time and saw that I crossed every mat and he was satisified that I ran the complete course.  Nothing more needed to be done.  In the end, I actually ran about another 30-45 seconds further to get back up the ramp and to the turn around point.  I was good with that.  I had a good day.  And as far as those controversial arm warmers - I was very glad I wore them on the bike as they accumulated much of the runny nose that was going on out there.  I even left them on for the run.  Good call, even though it took me nearly 5 minutes to decide whether or not to wear them at all.
In the end I finished 20th in my AG - not fabulous but it was great for some of the lessons I learned - which was exactly why I was there.  I hope I am able to retain this information for the next 6 weeks and recall it when I am riding around Houston - Lesson:  Don't get caught up in racing in the first half of the bike.  Go easy and hit your nutrition!
Overall:  The sun never came out, it was overcast all day with some wet roads and occassional mist, however, it was not very windy and for that I am thankful.  There was a lot of Orange on the course - ONE Multisport was well represented out there.  It is always fun for me to see familiar faces on the course - and on the side cheering.  I had a great time and I would not hesitate doing this race again.  The only drawback is that its so early in the year and if it was not for IMTX I don't know if I would be ready this early.  Now the real question is 'Am I ready for Ironman Texas?'  I still  have 5 weeks until I will find out that answer.  But I felt good about things coming off this race.