6/9 - 6/15/2014

This weeks focus was my first big Vineman prep and experimentation day on thursday. The race will be far beyond anything I have ever done before and I planned a few days into the calendar this month to put in huge efforts and simulate some of the demands I know I will experience on the day. Nutrition, pacing and some of the mental and physical challenges late in the day were some of the things I just felt like I needed to play around with before actually having to do it in a race.

I started the day early with breakfast at 5am and then riding to swim practice. I put in 5,000 yds in the pool and it was a solid group swimming well so I actually put up some fast times in the water that surprised me, but that might have just been the double VERVE espresso I had with breakfast :) Jumping out of the pool I noticed that there was a big group of women warming up on the deck that I did not recognize and as I passed by I started noticing a lot of 'Cal Swimming' gear and all of a sudden I realized what that might mean. Sure enough Missy Franklin was right there just rolling her shoulders like she wasn't one of the most decorated swimmers in the world! What a way to start the day!

I rode back to my house and got my things together quickly to get on the bike. I had hoped that getting on the coast early might allow me to avoid some of the winds that regularly sweep down the coast and can make riding north downright miserable. The weather was not following its usual pattern though and within the first thirty minutes I was having to push a big gear to keep the pace up. I took what inland detours I could but the Hwy 1 is pretty isolated and eventually just had to resign myself to looking at the clock and counting off the minutes until I got to turn around. When I got too frustrated I would stop for a second to take pictures.

The marine layer kept the temperature down which I was grateful for as I battled the wind heading north. The 2.5 hour mark got me to La Honda where I turned around. Even with a huge amount of work ahead of you being at the half way mark is always reassuring, my fueling strategy had been holding up well and I was putting up good numbers. If you have never ridden south on the central coast in the summer time it is something I highly recommend. The scenery is enough of a reason on it's own but the prevailing winds are going south and having them at your back make speeds possible that it makes you feel superhuman. There are not too many feelings like spinning your legs comfortably and cruising along at 35 mph under your own power. The fog finally broke around the 3 hr mark and I stopped in at Pigeon Point Lighthouse to get some water.

The last hour and a half were fast but hard. The effort thus far was settling into my legs and they were hurting. I knew it was going to be a hard day and my main focus was just keeping fuel and liquid going in and not letting my mind acquiesce and telling myself I was just going to do what I had committed to. It didn't matter if it was good or pretty but I needed to do it.

It felt good coming back into town and got a little caffeine in the last fifteen minutes to make the transition smooth. I tried not to take too long getting my stuff together and got out with all my gear within a reasonable amount of time. It was my first time running with a belt, which was one of the things I wanted to test out and once I got the flasks positioned right it was more comfortable than I had expected. I kept looking at my watch and was running faster than I expected but felt comfortable and just listened to my respiration, trying to keep my effort consistent and controlled. I picked a slightly hilly route for my run because my plan was to run for 2 hours and less distance didn't matter that much to me. The first 45 minutes were great! I was running really well and my legs didn't feel too tight or tired at all. My stomach started to grumble a little near the hour mark and I diverted my route a little to make a pit stop at a friends house. I think I may have stopped a little too long as it was hard to get going again after that. I felt more sluggish and from there I was headed mostly uphill so it just got worse. The highest elevation in the route came at about an hour and fifteen minutes and I stopped again to fill up on water and catch my breath. By that point I really felt wrecked and I had to wait a while for my body to be ready to get moving again. A few miles of downhill felt good but then once I was running on flat terrain again I started to struggle. I headed towards home and told myself that if I felt good I could add on a loop but by the last mile I was just holding on so I cut it a little short at an hour and forty five minutes but with an average pace that exceeded my expectations.

I stumbled into my apartment, got some cold water and went out onto the deck to sit in the shade and let the breeze cool my skin. I have never been that wrecked and the feeling is hard to describe...but now I know. My body did not feel normal again for hours but after some food and keeping cool for the afternoon the soreness and exhaustion were not as bad as I had anticipated they would be.

I learned a lot from the day and my physical performance across all three disciplines were very encouraging. It was a really good experience and my confidence about being able to handle the distance has been boosted significantly. I may do another big day later in the month with a slightly different format but this was the hardest day of training I have ever done in my life thus far.

Swim 16,500 yds
Bike 13 hrs
Run 36 mi

ESCAPE Race Report 2014

What a day...ESCAPE from Alcatraz is a brutally tough but amazing event in so many unique ways and it never fails to take me on a roller-coaster of all existing human emotions while punishing me physically on every possible level. My team is based in San Francisco and I have many friends and family there too so being able to connect with so many people I don't get to see very often makes for such a special day.

I was not feeling all that well the week leading up to ESCAPE...sleep had been illusive and poor choices of food and beverage consumption had me feeling run down and achy. The worst part about not having a good pre-race week is that my mind starts to grind on me, I expect the race not to go well and I start to question my motivations and my abilities. As per usual I did not get much sleep the night before the race so I was feeling pretty groggy in the morning. After a long week I honestly considered just going back to bed but for whatever reason I didn't. In past years at this event I have run out of time in the morning so this year I did absolutely everything possible the night before so after getting down to the race and setting up I actually had time to go back to the car and warm up for a bit before catching a shuttle to the ferry.

I was on the boat earlier than usual so I found a quiet corner and curled up to keep warm. Somehow even my coffee had failed to wake me up which for me is not a good sign but I nibbled on some sweet chews and focused on people-watching to keep me distracted. Of all the things that are great about ESCAPE, no one ever mentions people-people watching on the boat ride out to the island. There is everything from the ultra-masculine tower of muscles using stretch cords aggressively in the middle of the crowd to warm up his huge lats, to the travel weathered adventurer from the midwest who got in through the lottery staring out the window with a look that is half awe and half 'why in the world did I decide to do this?' In the same room there are olympic medalists and Ironman world champions as well as people who are shaking because they have never swum in the ocean and land looks impossibly far away.

With a couple of minutes to go we filed out onto the ledge of the ferry and climbed the rail to await the start. Hanging off the edge of the ferry with a cold breeze in your face, staring out across the choppy bay towards a finish which you can not see is a daunting way to start a race, but I had good friends on either side of me and I just told myself that all my worrying didn't matter any more because there is no turning back at that point.

The horn went off and I got a good clean entry. I had solid early sight lines so I got started positioning myself and waited for the powerhouse swimmers to come by. The lead group came up on my left and I got in behind them hoping to stick around long enough to get close enough to shore to only have to sight the finish. Unfortunately the water was pretty choppy and for some reason I was zigzagging all over the place and I quickly found myself alone. Another small group came by and they were swimming more my speed so I tried tucking in with them but again swells would roll through and I would find myself way off to one side or another. It is always very disorienting getting tossed around in the cold water and not being able to see where you are going and eventually I gave in to the frustration and just tried to churn it out on my own for a while. There is always a moment during the swim in from Alcatraz where I question why in the world I am out there getting my ass kicked by the competition and the elements, this was it. Eventually my goggles got too fogged up and I could not see anyone around so I stopped momentarily and swished them out. It was a good thing I did because I had been swimming in the wrong direction and I was way off course, with a long line of people swimming away from me towards the exit. I got back on track and reeled in a couple of people on the way to the beach.

The swim exit went well and I got off towards T1. My legs felt tight and I could not get going as fast as I wanted but looking ahead the gaps to some of the stronger guys were smaller than in years past and that was very encouraging. I got to my bike and out of transition quickly with several collegiate athletes and some of my teammates nearby. Having people of a similar speed nearby to push you helps a lot so after a smooth jump onto the bike I set my sights down the road. With riders at good intervals I had a lot of people to chase and I set about pulling people back...I caught and passed two people before the first climb and I could see two more collegiate guys up the road less than a minute ahead. I pushed a big gear on the flats and spun up the hills catching two more people on the climb to the Legion of Honor. It was really windy up on the hill and the descent down onto the great highway was a little scary. The ocean air was blowing straight in from the side right and it was challenging just to stay upright let alone in the correct lane but I could tell it was worrying the other guys more than me and I passed two more people on the way into the park. On the way back I had the lead woman up the road to chase and I caught her at the base of the returning climb. The hills in this race are always really painful and some of them are fairly steep...by the last roller I was feeling like my quads were going to explode. I didn't know whether I had overdone it or not but the clock doesn't care so I put my head down and pushed a big gear back to transition to give my lungs a quick break.

Photo by Ken Rakestraw

Cold and tired I hit T2 and got changed as quickly as possible. Grabbing all my stuff I turned around and headed back out the way I had come in and after running out the 'bike-in' volunteers started yelling "WRONG WAY!!" My brain snapped back on and I quickly turned around laughed saying "Oh yeah! I knew that sorry guys!" My little detour lost me two positions but not by much and it was good motivation to have some people just up the road to chase. I got settled into a good pace on the flat two mile section that opens up the run. I wasn't gaining on the people ahead of me but I knew I was running fast and just tried to stay motivated. Some friends were out on the course and were shouting that we were in the top ten which was great news and that boosted my spirits significantly. I hit the base of the steps feeling good and got into a rhythm taking one then two at a time. I tried not to look up the stairs too far and just focused on what was right in front of me. One guy passed me on the stairs but he was a teammate and I gave him some encouragement, telling him that there were guys not far ahead that he cold catch. Cresting the stairs I pushed my legs to get back up to speed and got a good response, though I was exhausted, and I ran solidly through the trails on the upper bluffs. I let my legs loosen up down the descent to the beach, getting a little respite for my lungs and letting gravity do the work. I hit the beach and was relieved to find that the sand was packed much better than in years past and it was possible to actually run instead of slogging through the sand for the out and back. I passed one person on the beach and saw that I was within a minute of some really strong guys with a decent gap on the next parson chasing me. I hit the sand ladder, where in previous years trying to run a little had completely crushed what was left of my aerobic engine, so just let myself walk it. Back up on the bluffs I passed my friends screaming encouragement again and I finally felt like the finish was within reach. 

A quick and safe descent of the stairs brought me within two miles of the finish but cheers from the aid station were for two people. I knew Andrew Bauer had been about a minute back at the turn-around but had he really made up that much time? He had put up an incredible performance earlier this year at the Oakland Half-Marathon so I knew it was possible and with just over a mile to go I gave a glance back to se he was within fifteen seconds. When the finish line is close and your body is screaming for any amount of respite, the hardest thing to muster is more effort but I knew we were on the cusp of a top ten. I gritted my teeth and dug for that extra gear, pouring all the fuel on the fire that I could handle. Another glance back with half a mile to go brought relief as Andrew had faded and I would not have to endure the indescribable pain of a sprint finish. 

I eased up in the final chute and slapped a few familiar hands reaching over the barriers crossing the line completely wrecked but in an excellent time for me and a top-ten finish overall! Within striking distance of some guys that are renowned in the sport, this was a great result for me and the fact that it comes at the end of a bad week, a tough month and an awful last year makes it all the more sweet. Hanging with my friends and family after the race in such a beautiful place capped the whole experience off and after a tough day of ups and downs I was so glad that I did not quit, that I got out of bed in the morning and despite battling the course and my frustrations I pushed on.