Santa Barbara, CA
By: Randy Paar
This is my 5th year in a row doing this
race, and there are 3 reasons why it's my favorite triathlon:
1.
The race is in Santa Barbara, bonus!!
2.
The unique distance: 1 mile ocean
swim, 34 mile bike, and a 10 mile run.
3.
Did I mention the race is in beautiful Santa Barbara!!??
If you race, you know that you have A,
B, and a C race, or just "fun" race.
I would say this would be a "fun" race. I was looking for some relaxing time in
cooler temp's, compared to the last 3 months of 100+degree weather in the
desert of Las Vegas. I really focused
this season on Racine 70.3 in July, hoping to qualify for the 70.3 Championship
in Henderson....which, by the way, finishes 3/4 of a mile from my front
door! Alas, the I missed a spot for 70.3
Championship, so time to re-assess and move on.
I had the pleasure of hiring a new
coach, Peaks Coaching Group Coach Phenom-Lisa Colvin Cooper. I've worked with Lisa before, and realize her
attention to detailed training plans, and squeezing the most out of every
session.
So, going into the race, I felt no
pressure-a new coach, and did I mention the race was in beautiful Santa
Barbara??!!
Race day morning. I woke up at 3:55, so I actually slept in 30
minutes longer than I normally do. I
mixed up a Generation UCan shake, with coconut water and a frozen banana, and
had it at 4:30 a/m, 3 hours before my swim wave was scheduled to kick off.
My great support crew and I made the
short drive from Ventura up the coast to Santa Barbara. I arrived at transition at 5:30, and found a
great spot on the bike rack to set up my gear.
Get everything set up, and now time to wait.
Did I mention that I felt no
pressure? Well, that was quickly
shattered. I learned that the swim was
nearly cancelled, as there have been a half-dozen great white shark sightings
in the last 2 weeks. What??!!!!! I guess that was an opportunity to try out
some new swim fitness! I looked out into
the cold water, and now it made sense why the first turn buoy was only 150
meters straight out! Also, there was a
long line of boats set up along the buoy line, which made me feel a bit better.
The race started with the men and women's
elite wave. My wave, the men's 40-44
group, went off at 7:15. A running water
start, and the usual thrashing, kicking, rage-in-the wash machine chaos. After the first turn buoy, the swim settled
into a nice pace, with a comfortable water temp of 64 degrees. I love swimming in the ocean, with a wet
suit. The buoyancy is off the chart!
Finish the swim, fully intact-thank God
for that, and see my girlfriend set up with camera and tri-pod on the
beach. After racing solo for years, I
love the support!!
I located my bike, and head out on a
very challenging and hilly bike course.
Plus, it's raining, and about 60 degrees outside. Hmm, never rains in Vegas, and it's 45
degrees cooler than what I had been riding in.
This was also the first time I was
actually going to race while using a Quarq Power Meter. All the hype about training/racing with a
Power Meter is true. I stayed exactly
where I needed to be. I smiled as
athlete after athlete sprinted out of the saddle over each hill, only to catch
and pass them within the next mile. My
AVG HR was 130, and never exceeded 151.
I felt very comfortable, and had 1 GU gel at mile 20 of the bike. Finished the bike intact, feeling great,
taking in only 100 calories of gel.
T2.
I felt really good after the bike, and wanted to nail the run. My goal was to negative split the run. The first two miles are flat, along the
ocean, and then a 2 mile climb into a neighborhood, before the turn-around at
mile 5.
I picked up a strong looking runner,
right out of T2. I stayed right on his
heels, "drafting" off of a runner.
The first 2 miles clipped by at a 6:58 pace, and felt rather
effortlessly. I wanted to go harder, but
told myself to hold back, and let the second half of the run play it's
course. I had my 2nd gel of the day at
mile 4.5. My running mate and I hit the
turnaround at just over 35 minutes-perfect, exactly what I was hoping for.
I really focused on the last 5
miles. I was able to negative split the
run, and descend each mile, 6-10. I
finished the run with a 68:29 run split, and couldn't have been happier!
Lessons learned:
Swim fast with a reported shark
sighting!
Racing at sea level, and 45 degrees
cooler weather really does help
I only took in 200 calories, and 48 oz.
of fluid-water to be exact.
It does pay to stay within yourself on
the bike-NOT A BIKE RACE ONLY
Training and racing with a Power Meter
is amazing. DO IT.
And, did I mention the race was in
beautiful Santa Barbara??!!
