USTS Oceanside

June 7, 1998
1.5k swim, 40k bike, 10k run
(1mi,25mi,6mi)
 

Results

I felt like I had a great race, but am disappointed by the results.  I'll do better next time. I did take four minutes off of my last 10k run time in a race.  I was hoping to take more time off.

Time: 2:35:34
Place Overall: 266/~1500
Place In Age Group: 54/105
 
Event Time Place In Age Group Place Overall
Swim 22:31 13 (by Collette's Count) ?
Bike 145:14
Run 47:45
 

Pre Race

The race started at 6:45, so I was up at 4 am ready to drive to Oceanside. It was pouring rain all the to the race site and let up just 10 miles before Oceanside.

Swim

While setting up my transition area, they made an announcement.  "The water temperature today is 62...Oh wait, this just in, it is 60 degrees" (The crowd groans). Getting in to "warm up" gave me an ice-cream headache at first. I felt very relaxed on the swim.  I didn't push extra hard, but felt like I had a great swim.  The transition area was at least 1/2 mile from the from the swim.  I took my wetsuit off and had placed a pair of shoes near the swim finish.  I wrapped my wetsuit around my neck and ran hard to my bicycle.  No one passed me on the way to the bike.

Bike

I drove the bike course the weekend before, so that is definitely an advantage.  I felt like I had a good bike leg and didn't get passed by too many people.  There are always bicyclists that pass and I wonder how the heck they go so fast.  Usually there are many more people passing me early in the race, I felt like I held my lead fairly well on the bike.  Once we got to Pendleton on the bike it looked like a big rain cloud had just passed over.  The roads were very wet on the bike course.  I was soaking wet (from water spinning off the tires) after only 10k.  About that time, my bike computer stopped working.  There was a huge hill at the turn around point which I was able to get up and down quickly.

Run

My best 10k ever (without a bike ride before) is 44:45.  I was hoping to at least match that, but my goal is still 42 minutes.  I ran the first mile off the bike in 7:11,  The second one was 7:20.  I passed the third mile mark at 22 minutes.  I think 22 minutes is a PR 5k for me.  By that time my legs were getting very tired.  I was passed by two people in my age group and kept them in site for the fourth mile.  I stopped looking at my watch by that time.  We ran back past the transition area at mile 5.  From there it was 1/2 mile past the finish then a turn around and a straight shot to the finish line (or so I thought).  Once we hit the board walk I started to really push myself.  Halfway to the finish there was someone directing us 50 yards up a hill to turn around and come back down.  That wasn't in the program.  Ouch!.  I was hanging with someone in my age group for the next 1/4 mile, but he was able to hold me off.  My legs were burning bad.

© 1998 W. Wood Harter - All Rights Reserved