June 6: Coming off my ironman load week where I rode 230 miles in three days including a 30 mile/16 mile brick, I had no idea how I would do in the Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon just 5 days later. Also, this was my third race in a span of one month, needless to say, I had plenty of excuses if things did not go well. Surprisingly, things faired quite well. I finished in 2:29.21, a little over 40 seconds faster from last year, but well off my PR of 2:24 on this course under similar conditions. I snuck in for third place in my age group and got a spot on the podium which is always a nice feeling. Like last year, I chose the wrong line and found myself swimming alone the entire time and having to backtrack along the shore to get back to the yacht club and T1. One good decision I made, however, was to run with my wetsuit and barefoot to T1. Beside some painful steps toward the end on the prickly asphalt, I ended up saving about 30 seconds. Out onto the bike, I felt fairly strong. Two guys in my age group went by me during the first hill climb and their presence woke me up and officially started my "bike race". During one of the climbs, I noticed my rear tire felt slow and thought I might have flatted. The tire never flatted and i just raced on (while putting my bike away after the race, I noticed the rear brakes were rubbing against the rim, I forgot to adjust the brakes after putting my race wheel on, yet another rookie mistake). I tried to stay in contact with them and gradually, I pulled them both back in on the next climb. During the third climb by the Legion of Honor, I dropped one of the guys. The other guy and I traded leads back and forth throughout the rest of the ride. The bike course is full of short steep climbs which suits my riding style pretty well. The only mishap during the ride was when I went off course slightly, due to lack of directions from some marshalls and almost took out another competitor who was following me...maybe a bit too closely? I was never really uncomfortable during the bike and rode strong. Out on the run, I knew I was either first or second in my age group. I really wanted to attack and push the pace the first four miles and then hang on for the last 4 miles. I was fairing well until I got to the beach. I just can't run in sand because I have very little knee lift, I'm all turnover. Also, the sand makes my heartrate soar and I really haven't trained in the higher heart rate zones. The sand ladder did me in. I've never been in so much oxygen debt, I was so dizzy at the top and maxed out, I lost a lot of ground in a very short time. A group of four caught up to me right after the sand ladder. I remained composed and decided to control my breathing and heart rate and start preparing myself for the last 2 miles, which is fairly fast due to a nice tail wind. Gradually, the footsteps behind me became less and less audible and I knew I was flying home to the finish. By the time it started to hurt, I was on the most spectator friendly part of the course and the crowd carried me home, including good friends and fellow triathletes (thanks Kathy, Michelle, Scott, Keith, and Andy). Now it's all about tapering and resting for Ironman Couer d'Alene in three weeks.