Race 3: 2008 Sandman Triathlon

Date: August 3rd 2008
Distance: .75 Mile Swim, 13 Mile Bike, 4 Mile Run

Until this point, my two current races were off road triathlons, making use of my mountain bike both times. This race however would be my first of many races to take place entirely on paved roads. I could have used my mountain bike for this race, but I wanted to really be able to sink my teeth into triathlons, so I decided to spring for a new, entry level road bike. After much research and window shopping, I ended up with a Fuji Newest 3.0. Purchased shortly after my race in June, I had a little under 2 months of time to be able to get used to the handling and shifting required by road bikes. But to assume that was the only new challenge I was going to face in this next race, you would be sorely mistaken, quite like how I would be that morning.

The swim in the Sandman takes place at Seacliff state beach in Aptos, California. This would be my first ocean / salt water swim, and at .75 miles, would also be my longest swim. This is a bad combination of 'new'. I have been working on my distance swimming in the pool, but if you have ever swam in the Pacific Ocean in northern California, you know that this is no pool. That morning, the water was cold, waves were choppy, and there was a small amount of morning fog that made the orange boys you needed to swim around seem much farther than they actually were. Against every feeling I had in my body, I entered the water at 8 am that morning with the rest of the male athletes competing that year.

Not so happy about the swim

It seemed like 10,000 needles were stabbing my body and face within seconds of entering the water. The temperature alone causing my heart rate to jump up, and gasping for air was made difficult by the waves pushing you back towards the shore. If this sounds like a nightmare, it's because it was. This was still the most frightening swim I have ever done in my athletic career, and I hope it remains that way. It wasn't until about the last 3rd of the swim when I was able to relax, and that is probably because I was finally headed back to shore. I can still remember finally being able to touch the bottom of the ocean floor, stand up, and walk the rest of the way to mount my bike, and continue on with the race on dry land.

Swim over, Bike Begins

I'm not sure what happened to my brain, but all I can remember about this bike ride was up hill. It seemed like every time I made a turn, I had to climb another hill. There were very few flat parts on this ride, with what seemed like less downhills, which of course impossible seeing as how I ended up back at seacliff state beach after 17 miles of biking.

4 miles of running I was ready for, 4 miles of running on a beach I was not. This was an entirely new experience for me. If you have ever tried to run on sand, you know exactly what I am talking about. The way the sand works your calves and takes away about 20 - 30 percent of your energy from each stride takes its toll. I made every effort to run the whole thing, made harder while running though the camp grounds past the smells of fresh bbq being cooked near by, but my efforts would be thwarted about 2.5 miles in where I was forced to walk for about 5 or 6 minutes to catch my breath and give my calves a much needed break. Nevertheless, I ran the rest of the race and finished with a respectable time of 2 hours, 1 minute and 47 seconds.

Reflecting back on my race, I decided that I really did enjoy the challenge, even with the terrifying swim. I vowed that day to return the next year to better my time.

Running slowly, but hard to the finish

Links:

Website: http://www.sandman-triathlon.com/
Official Results: http://www.scsla.org/sandman/results_2008.html