The tri with a personal best: The Tri Santa Cruz Olympic distance experience
Cowell beach holds a special place in my heart. It’s the same place where I tried out open water swimming for the first time when I landed in California in August 2017. I did my first sprint distance triathlon at Cowell beach on August 13th,2017. I also crossed the finish line of my Ironman 70.3 Santa Cruz at Cowell Beach on September 9th,2018.
This place is indeed lucky. And I say that because today I finished my 6thOlympic distance triathlon here and ended up with my personal best-3:30:46.
Transition set up: Depot park was bustling with athletes. The places were assigned according to our bib numbers. I found mine and began to set up my things. On the towel, I placed my things in the order of swim-bike-run. Out came the wetsuit, the pink swim cap that was assigned to all the women, 2 pairs of goggles, body glide and ear plugs. After which I placed the helmet, biking shoes, gloves, fuel belt and my pair of Roka glasses. The race belt and running shoes followed suit.
It was a rather foggy morning and I hoped and prayed that the sun clears up the mist. Miraculously the sun came out at that moment and I got a positive signal that things would go well. I noticed couple of other fellow Team Asha (the group whom I train with) members-Megha and Maneesha who were also doing the Olympic distance. Gauri, one of the Team Asha volunteers came and body marked us. Chatting with them amicably, I slipped on my wetsuit. We then decided to walk down to the beach to test the waters. On the way, we met some more members from our tribe and wished each other good luck. Most of them were doing the sprint distance.
Testing waters: It was around 7:30 am and we still had time before our wave which was scheduled at 8:10 am. We spotted a few more members from our group who had volunteered for the swim set up including our coaches Rajeev Char and Sumit Jain. I looked at the ocean which appeared calm and unruffled-a contrast to my mind that was ruffled and nervous. Coach Char assured us that it was a beautiful day to swim.
The buoys were in the process of being set up. I decided to get a feel of the water. It wasn’t so bad, I thought as the waves gently touched my feet. Seeing a few more participants enter the water, I decided to do the same. Before I walked deeper, I offered a tiny prayer to the ocean as a mark of respect. The water felt cold this time. I gradually let some inside my wetsuit, just like the what I had learnt at the swim clinic last month. I put my head down and began to swim. I went up and down 4-5 times before I actually felt warmed up.
The misty delay: Other participants streamed in and the beach looked quite resplendent with the sea of pink and green caps. As the announcement about the race briefings were made, the weather suddenly turned moody. The sun disappeared behind a sheet of mist which gradually formed over the waves, giving it quite a mystical appearance. Sure, it did look magical if one were to just be picnicking on the beach. Not if we were swimming and sighting was going to be an issue.
A ten-minute delay was announced and there were speculations if the swim was to be shortened for the Olympic distance. Fortunately, nothing of that sort happened and the event began at 8:15 am starting with the Male Olympic participants.
The swim: The Olympic distance participants had to swim 2 loops of the marked course. Since I had been experiencing the infamous race anxiety lately, especially during a swim, I decided to start at the back of the pack. That way I wouldn’t panic if someone lapped me in the swim. I began swimming my strokes and focused on getting my rhythm. Memories of my 70.3 swim came back to me. The water felt like home and I soon entered my own zone-just like it happens during my runs. I kept sighting the orange buoys at regular intervals and ensured I was on course.
The sight of others pushing their pace didn’t bother me. I focused on my strokes and enjoyed the feel of being amidst the waves. As soon as I finished one loop, I ran on the beach and reached the swim start point to dive into the waters again to complete the second loop. As I crossed the first buoy, I noticed a swarm of green cap male athletes, swimming furiously. It reminded me of the wildebeest stampede in the movie ‘The Lion King’. Feeling amused, I watched them trample all over the water while I just focused on my rhythm. I swam till my hands touched the sand below and then got up to my feet. It was nice to see Coach Char cheering. I looked back to watch out for any waves as it was mentioned in the swim clinic to never show your back to the ocean. I had finished my swim in 38 minutes.
Transition 1: As soon as I got out of my swim, I unzipped my wetsuit till waist down and ran. It was good to hear my name being called out and have fellow athletes cheer for me. Something that I missed while ding events in these last 2 years that I have been in California. I slipped into my shoes which were placed near the flight of steps at the start of the beach and began running towards transition. My feet felt slippery and muddy. So I took off my shoes, held them in my hand and ran barefoot till my bike. It seemed easier that way.
Having gotten out of my wetsuit, I buckled my helmet, wore my bike shoes, slipped on my fuel and race belt. After popping another gu gel, I wheeled by bike towards the area that said mount your bike. I took around 6 minutes.
Riding the wheels on west cliff drive: It was an uphill start literally speaking so I ensured that my bike was on the lowest gear. I started slow, hoping to pick up pace at a later stage. I did not use cleats and had to suffice with my sports shoes instead. The entire bike route was closed for traffic and it was a treat for bikers to enjoy these quaint streets for themselves unlike in other events. Volunteers rang their little bells and cheered us on. Occasionally I’d hear “On your left” which didn’t deter me at all. I wished my fellow participants good luck while I pedaled along happily, basking in the glorious views.
A sheet of grey pasted over the pristine blue pacific was a scintillating sight. It felt like looking inside a postcard that I’d see in a souvenir store. I half wished I had my phone to click a picture but continued pedaling instead. The Olympic distance had to do 4 loops of the course. It may have sounded mundane to me but the views that day more than made up for it. It wasn’t every day that I’d see the fire and ice side to the ocean.
Around the 3rdloop, my hands began to cramp. I paused and took a sip of my Gatorade. Immediately they felt better. I continued biking at a good pace when my hands began to nag me again. Wondering what was happening, I gulped down Gatorade again. Maybe it was because of the cold. Strangely I never experienced this during the training rides. During the last loop, I slowed down. Despite that I still finished in 1:38 which was the fastest on my bike for 40 km. On reaching transition, I was met with hoots and cheers from Team Asha. Feeling charged up I smiled and dismounted my bike.
Transition 2: As I mounted my bike again on the stand, I noticed that I had consumed just half a bottle of Gatorade, unlike my earlier rides where 2 bottles would be finished post a 26-mile road. Besides I’d take a gu gel every 12 miles-something that I didn’t do this time. I kicked myself for being careless about my nutrition on the bike which was essential. I took about 3 minutes in T2.
On the run: As I exited out of depot park, an incline greeted me. Fortunately for me, running up those inclines at the San Francisco half marathon recently held me in good stead. Yes, my legs felt like bricks as as they always do post a good bike session. I survived this one.
I soon found my rhythm and began to enjoy the cascading views. I spotted surfers on the ocean, trying to ride on those waves. The sun was up by now and it was getting quite hot. I poured some water on my head and continued running.
I passed a couple of fellow Team Asha mates -Milind, Megha and Maneesha and called out to them, cheering them on. The best thing about being a part of a group is the ability to cheer your team mates during a race. Just the feel of seeing a familiar face on course is bound to life your spirits. This was something that I was used to with my running community in Mumbai. No doubt, the volunteers would cheer you on, but this was something different.
I soon reached the turnaround point of the run course. Stopping at the aid station, I gulped a gu gel along with some Gatorade. Not sure what that gel contained, but I ended up increasing my pace. I took advantage of some down hills and continued running strong. I could hear the waves crashing on the shores below. Running on this section of west cliff drive brought back memories of my last run leg of the 70.3 event last year. This propelled me to keep going strong while I continued sipping Gatorade throughout.
Around the 9thkm, I saw Coach Char and other Asha folks cheering. Giving them hi fives was such a motivational boost and works like magic. There was a downhill just a few metres away. Using that momentum, I ran strong till the finish line finishing in 65 minutes and was greeted by my husband, daughter and the finishers medal.
I paused my Garmin to see that I had attained a PR: 3:30:46.
It turned out to be a surprise as I didn’t even make an attempt to push in this event, but merely went with the intention of having fun. I realized that the more relaxed I am, the better I perform. I was reminded of the saying: good things come to you when you least expect it.
Good enough to celebrate it holding the Indian flag as a tribute to Independence Day (August 15th)
And good enough to celebrate it with a bottle of Pinot Noir later in the evening.
While triathlon is a solo sport, there are several others who make your journey a memorable and a meaningful one. I thank my mentor cum coach Viv from India who was instrumental in making me a stronger runner and triathlete. Many thanks to Penni for her swim clinic. Big thanks to the coaches of Team Asha-Rajeev, Sumit and Shashi who have always been there for us to answer our queries and boost our morale. Hearty thanks to Team Asha for coming out and cheering for us. Meant a lot.
Many thanks to another mentor cum good friend Ashok Someshwar and the Mumbai road runners' community who have always wished me well. And a big thanks to my partner Amit and daughter for supporting me always.
The journey doesn’t end here and I have lots more to learn and experience with regards to this sport. As I had mentioned in one of my earlier blogs, no matter how many triathlons I do, there will always be this fear towards open water swim and there will always be something new to learn….
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