I am lucky to be here. Consciously and subconsciously, I have been aware of that fact my entire life. I am always observing my surroundings, the people, sounds, touches, and smells of the places I step into, and am constantly shocked and amazed that I am in it all, too. Most of the time I only observe. I don’t stand too close, or reach out too far, unsure that I really belong where I want to most; among my family, competitors, and friends. However, last week’s adventures down south on the 5 freeway cranked up the volume of my everyday amazement to eleven. I felt at home and loved among my family, accepted and respected among my competitors, and welcomed and appreciated among my friends. It was a lot to drink in, my cup is full, and I am ready to share all about it.
Post Pre-Race bike ride with my niece, and head cheerleader, Darby Heim.
On Thursday afternoon I drove down to Oceanside to check into the race, (pick up my bib, etc.,) then ventured southeast a little further to spend two days and nights with my original frenemy/all-time hero, my older sister, Mary, and her family.
Quality time with Poppy Heim.
The chance to settle into their routine, and sleep soundly and securely for the two nights’ leading up to the race were absolutely priceless. Plus, I can’t think of a better, or honestly, more miraculous feeling than knowing that your older sister wants to spend time with you. It’s simply the best.
Post-race photo op with my sister, Mary Heim.
Both Thursday and Friday were bustling with pre-race errands, and tune-up workouts, including a quick, yet raucous swim in the sea, and a hilariously hilly bike ride and run, (Mary lives on top of a hill). But before I knew it, I was awake and driving northwest through drizzly darkness on my way to Oceanside.
Race day had arrived.
Race start. Photo credit: Triathlete magazine.
I chatted with my neighbor in transition, as well as five or six fellow friends racing that I had and hadn’t seen in years, or ever in real life, but here we all were, together, excited for the chance to put our training to the test, and finally RACE!
Swim exit.
The first two sets of waves knocked me around a bit, the northern flowing current felt stronger than it did the day before, not scary, but stronger, so I dove through the waves as solidly as I could, swam west toward the red (turning) buoy, and slid into the current pushing us toward the finish inside the harbor. I stayed mostly on course, (my top priority in open water), except for drifting slightly wide around one orange buoy more than halfway through, but I felt good the entire 1.2 miles, and ran up the boat ramp as quick as I could, stripped off my new comfy wetsuit with ease, and pulled Big Red off the bike rack to make our rendezvous with the bike course.
SWIM: 33:25
Riding out of Transition.
The main goal I set going into the race was to push the bike from start to finish. I have been doing a ton of riding. I knew my fitness was in good form, that I could improve on the time I rode three years ago, 2:46:49, and that I would be able to hang with the strong cyclists. Unfortunately, I would be gauging my effort somewhat recklessly because my five-year-old Pioneer Powermeter sputtered out a few weeks prior, so with zero watts to monitor, I just pedaled with passion fueled ambition.
Early on the bike course.
The course is fun and challenging. I was mainly riding with a bunch of guys through the first half, but once we completed the first big climb back in Camp Pendleton, I rode up to some seriously speedy and badass women. Their calves resembled bricks rather than flesh. It took all the restraint I had not to yell out, “Your legs are amazing!”
Thankfully, I kept my composure, acted like I belonged, and sling-shotted back and forth among those muscly mavens for the next fifteen miles.
There are two or three other decent hills to climb and descend after the monster hill at mile twenty-eight, but the last ten miles or so of the course are a long, flat stretch of road sending us back to the harbor. In years past a tailwind has pushed us back toward town, but this year, it was a headwind.
I couldn’t have been happier.
I ride in the wind ALL THE TIME. So one by one I passed my beefy cohorts, settled into a commanding pace, and rolled into transition a couple minutes faster than I did in 2019, checking the main goal of the day off the list.
BIKE: 2:44:33
Next, I survived the *new* treacherous winding bike path through transition, (a guy actually passed me on the way to the dismount line, which could not have been a dumber/dangerous move), but I slipped on my Hoka Rocket speedster shoes with efficiency, but regrettably decided not to untuck my race top from my shorts, (a tactic that is helpful to keep it in place under a wetsuit), but made reaching for the gel I stashed in my back pocket more challenging than it needed to be.
Running on the strand on lap one, or two?
Nevertheless, I ran out of T2 feeling really good. I was extremely grateful for the lingering overcast, cool conditions, (the run portion is usually hot), and locked into the effort Hillary prescribed. AKA, I usually start running too fast off the bike, and fade later in the race. Therefore, we decided starting at a more sensible pace would be a wiser choice.
Running by my favorite cheers squad! Photo credit: Hillary Biscay.
The run was a paradox of emotions.
I have never had so much fun, (being cheered on by my TeamSFQ teammates all along the course), felt more measured and in control, (my pace was manageable), and gleefully pain-free, (I felt zero strain or niggles from my feet or hamstrings), during any run I’ve ever run in triathlon, but I couldn’t shift into a faster gear over the last few miles, and finished five minutes slower than I did in 2019.
All done.
RUN: 1:40:04
Although I knew my run fitness was not currently where it was back then, making the connection that ran I much slower this year over the last mile was heartbreaking.
Nevertheless, I tried to shake off that disappointment because due to constant updates from Hillary on the course, I was confident I held the third-place position and clutched a podium spot in my age 40-44 group.
Oh, hey there.:) Photo credit: Lynne Fiedler.
I did.
Overall time: 5:07:41
In unsurprising, yet impressive fashion, my friend, teammate, and training partner, Lynne Fiedler, dominated her 60-64 age group all day, and earned another first place finish. Amazing.
Lynne and I post awards ceremony. #hardware Photo credit: Jenn Aronson.
Also, on my walk back to my car after the awards ceremony I ran into my fellow Biscay Coaching teammate and professional triathlete, Sarah Karpinski.
Pro triathlete Sarah Karpinski, and her red-headed teammate.:)
It was so great to catch up with Sarah, as we haven’t seen each other since racing Kona together in 2018. She lives in Washington, DC, so having her travel out west to race Oceanside was a real treat. Sarah has made huge strides since joining the pro ranks in 2019 and watching and cheering on her journey from afar has been a thrill.
The constant “go, go, go” of the previous three days continued as I drove straight from Oceanside to Hillary’s house in Carlsbad where I embraced long and tight hugs from friends and teammates at the kickoff dinner for our first ever TeamSFQ training camp!
The long-awaited reunion hug with my friend and teammate visiting from London, Ontario, Jenn McGill. Photo credit: Kara Turner and Cecily Hunt.
It was so wonderful to spend time with my terrific teammates who traveled to southern California from all over North America for a long weekend full of training and bonding. Mercifully, Hillary reassured me earlier in the week that I could use the workouts as more of a recovery from the race verses an all-out effort like our typical Biscay Coaching training camps, but I was still not positive that my body and mind would rally with enough energy to uphold my upbeat persona over the next three days.
When my alarm went off at 4:45A (after finally dozing off at 4A) the following Sunday morning, I decided that operating a bicycle during our group ride was not the best idea. Next, I texted Hillary to tell her I needed to take the morning off in order to gain some zzz’s, and then hopefully be ready for the swim workout later that afternoon.
A tired, yet present author in the foreground, plus my lane mates and fellow Oceanside finishers, Alex Watt (seated), Jen Sykes (standing), Anna Loney (white cap), and Jessie Kenny (pink cap).
I had faith dunking in the water would wake me up, which it did, but I still didn’t have the bandwidth to string together coherent sentences the entire afternoon. I did manage to receive some excellent stroke instruction from super-swimmer, and SMASH sponsored pro triathlete, Haley Chura, and then stuck around the pool to cheer on my athlete, Kara Turner, as she powered her way through a massive accomplishment, completing her first 10,000-yard swim.
From Left: Our All-Star 10,000 yard finishers, Kara Turner, Jen Dailey, and Lyset Cadena.
I also took that extended time on deck to confide in Hillary a couple of reasons why I didn’t sleep well the night before. I usually dump my post-race anxiety onto Marion, or my sister, Sarah, but since I was alone, Hillary took on that role like the wonderful person, and expert, clear-headed coach she is, and quickly quelled any concerns I had been feeling. **I’ve decided to keep those concerns out of this post, because it all seems silly as time keeps passing, but in essence, yes, I know I had a good race, and I am proud and grateful to be in competitive shape, but there is definite room for improvement.**
My coach, and all-around activity ringleader, Hillary Biscay and yours truly just after finishing the race on Saturday. Photo credit: Meghan Grant.
Blessedly, I slept a handful of hours that night, and woke up on Monday morning refreshed and ready to enjoy some quality time hiking with my teammates up to Potato Chip Rock on Mt. Woodson.
All the TeamSFQ campers charging up to Potato Chip Rock on Mt. Woodson Monday morning.
The only other *mandatory* workout on Monday's agenda was an ocean swim at Moonlight Beach at 2P. However, Hillary did offer the opportunity to swim at her Master’s workout at the YMCA at 12P. Since I was feeling like myself again, and didn’t mind getting pummeled in the chlorine before relaxing in the ocean, I attended the *BONUS* swim, and savored every stroke of it.
*BONUS* swim crew! From left: Haley Chura, Lauren Ellabarger, Maisha Seebeck, Moi, Tracy Alexandra, Kara Turner, Jessie Kenny, and Anna Loney. Photo credit: Hillary Biscay.
I was pretty zonked by the time our afternoon date with Poseidon rolled around, so I opted for the minimal requirement of swimming out and back to the buoy a couple hundred yards offshore. The ocean conditions were rougher than they appeared from the beach, so I was satisfied with completing my mini-swim, and then calling it for the day.
Next up, one final team dinner and fireside bonding session at Hillary’s house.
Stoking up friendships around the fire.
There is nothing quite as magical as a group of like-minded strong women baring their souls around an open flame.
Early Tuesday morning overlooking Lake Calavera trail. Photo credit: Kara Turner.
The final workout of the camp was a trail run/hike at Calavera Lake Trail in Carlsbad. It felt so good to run and chat breezily while enjoying the scenery.
Camp finale Q & A with from left: Alex Watt, Haley Chura, and Hillary Biscay.
And finally, we met one last time at Hillary’s house to indulge in some smoothies and coffee while peppering our favorite pro’s, Alex Watt and Haley Chura, as well as our Biscay Coaching head coach, HPB herself, with questions and guidance about the sport we all congregated in southern California to celebrate, triathlon.
As the morning wound down, and we squeezed our last hugs, and set off on our various journeys back home, I felt renewed, inspired, and grateful to have found such a snug and genuine fit in my place in the world.
The song and video choice today has a very California vibe, I heard it on the drive home on Tuesday, and it is my favorite Katy Perry song. Enjoy.:)