Race 16: 2010 San Franciso Triathlon at Treasure Island

Date: July 10th 2010
Distance: 1.5k Swim, 40k Bike, 10k Run

This would be my 3rd attempt at the Treasure Island triathlon, and I headed into it with 2 goals in mind. I wanted to destroy the bike, and I wanted a sub 3 hour race. The sub 3 hours was something to keep in mind while I was pushing on the bike. I needed the run to be a decent one, even with a fast bike.

The swim started in deep water in the east end of the treasure island boat docks. At first, I struggled to keep straight lines like I almost always do, but after the pack had already left me behind and I started on my second loop, I made a mental switch from keeping form and positioning in the water, and focused on the swim buoys, and something clicked. I was able to keep all 3 lines in the triangular swim course relatively straight with only a small amount of my forward speed lost. A small price to pay to make the course straight lines.

I exited the water with some more confidence than usual. The cold water didn't even really get to me, and I was more ready than ever to head out onto the bike. I made sure to set my pace at the beginning and headed out strong. The course was the usual 6 laps around treasure island, and I had to ride a little more cautiously as some of the slower riders were joining the course, but I was able to keep my speed up close to 20 MPH on the flat roads. I had my personal best for the bike ride at 1 hour, 17 minutes and 34 seconds. I thought maybe this could lead to an even faster time than silicon valley a month ago.

The run started out smooth, but I could already feel how the fast bike affected me right from the start, and 2 miles in, I collapsed. My strides became shorter, my heart beating to fast for my lungs to keep up, and I had to start walking. I only walked for about 5 minutes before I picked the pace right back up and ran the rest of the course to finish 10 minutes below my 3 hour goal time. 2 out of 2 goals accomplished.

Links:

Website:http://www.tricalifornia.com/index.cfm/SF2012-main.htm
Official Results: http://raceresults.eternaltiming.com/index.cfm/20100710_San_Francisco_Triathlon_Treasure_Island.htm?Fuseaction=Results&Class=Olympic+Individual~M25-29