The irony of commitment is that it's deeply liberating - in work, in play, in love. The act frees you from the tyranny of your internal critic, from the fear that likes to dress itself up and parade around as rational hesitation. To commit is to remove your head as the barrier to your life - Anne Morriss -
Today is my last day of “vacation.” I’ve been between work and school for the past 8 weeks, but tomorrow my official school duties start with two full days of orientation. On Monday classes will begin and I anticipate my life will become more busy than it has been in many, many years. I have 36 hours of class and clinical per week (including 8am to 8pm class on Tuesdays), plus I have to manage to fit in training, eating and sleeping. Oy veh!
To celebrate my last vacation day I did my favorite run. It is a trail run through the Presidio and it also happens to be the Escape from Alcatraz run course. I have only been running for a few years, but I will say without a doubt that this is the most beautiful run I’ve ever done. Plus, the weather today was just perfect. Bright sun, slight breeze, mid-60’s. Perfect.
I parked and started my run at Marina Green, right next to Fort Mason. Amazing views of Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge.
The first mile or so is along Marina Green and the Embarcadaro. Then you pass the Palace of Fin Arts (the round dome) and make your way onto the gravel path through Crissy Field, also known as the Golden Gate Promenade or the Bay Trail.
Every time I see palm trees I smile. I still can’t believe I live in California!
Mile 2 brings you past the Warming Hut Park Store and Café. I’ve never been inside but I think they sell snacks and souvenirs. There are also nice public restrooms and drinking fountains here.
Just past the Warming Hut you make a left and head up your first set of (many) stairs.
Once you are at the top of your first set of stairs and switch backs you are rewarded with more amazing views.
The trail flattens for a bit and runs along the Historic Batteries.
Through a tunnel. The exit is very low so don’t forget to duck!
The views never end. Continue up a steep grade and then under the Golden Gate Bridge.
After passing under the bridge just follow all the signs towards Baker Beach.
Baker Beach is beautiful and mostly empty. Just watch out because it also happens to be a nude beach. I had the pleasure of seeing not one, but two, very old naked men today. Don’t worry, I didn’t take a picture.
Once you are on the beach make a right and head towards the Golden Gate Bridge. In the race we actually had to go left for awhile and then loop around, but I generally skip the extra beach running.
Keep an eye along the shore for the infamous Sand Ladder.
The first 200 steps or so are very steep. My strategy here is always to “walk with purpose.” I find it is impossible (and probably a little dangerous) to try to run.
I took this photo looking back down when I was about half way up.
Finally the ladder ends and you meet up with the road. Now you hang a left and head back along the same path.
This is another set of stairs of an abandoned military building that you run through.
Back through the tunnel.
Down the stairs.
Pass the Warming Hut and run back towards the city on the Golden Gate Promenade.
The total run from Marina Green is 7.5 miles. About 4 miles is a flat run along the Golden Gate Promenade and the other 3.5 miles is a crazy fun twist of stairs, single track trails, the beach and the tunnel. If you are ever in the city you must make time for this run. Let me know and I will happily be your tour guide!
This is a long report... The short version: It was fun, Swim was odd, Bike was hilly, Run was awesome! I escaped! I won't blame you if you decide to just scroll through and look at pics instead. Don't miss the swim video. It's awesome!
Thank you all for your sunshine dances! It worked and the rain stayed away on race morning!
Pre-Race
On Friday night we joined up with a bunch of members from our new club, Golden Gate Tri Club, for a pot luck. It was nice to meet more people and get some last minute race tips. The view was pretty spectacular too!
On Saturday we headed down to the expo for packet pick-up and attend a 'mandatory race meeting.' Part of packet pick-up included signing 3 different waivers!
We walked around the expo and then attended the 1pm 'mandatory athlete meeting.' I have to say that the meeting was a complete waste of time. First, there was no check-in so it wasn't really mandatory. Second, they covered a lot of basic stuff like reminders about eating on the bike, being careful on downhills, etc. But, they didn't cover much of the details specific to this event. There are many things I learned on race day that would have been helpful for the meeting.
Race Swag: Issue of Inside Triathlon Magazine, tech t-shirt, bag, towel, etc.
We headed home, prepped all our race gear, ate a yummy pasta dinner and then went to bed, at 7:55pm. Oh the exciting life of a triathlete.
Race Morning
It was a good thing we went to bed early since the alarm was set for 3am, but we were both awake at 2:30am so we just got up then. I had an english muffin with PB&J and a cup of coffee. It was still 5 hours before the start of the race so I planned to have a CLIF bar around 5 and then some sport beans before the swim start.
We only live about 3 miles from the race site, but because we had to park, set up our gear in transition, take a bus to the ferry and then board the ferry we wanted to make sure we had enough time. We arrived at Marina Green at about 3:45 and had no problem parking. We set up our gear and then at about 4:45 we loaded a bus to go to the ferry.
The ride to the ferry at Pier 3 was about 10 minutes. At the ferry dock we picked up our timing chips, got our body marking and pulled on our wetsuits. They had a table with water set up and a whole bank of porta potties. Around 5:30 they let the athletes board the ferry. We waited around outside a bit because I expected the boat would be cold and wet, but we decided to finally just board. When we got on the boat I was surprised to find it was very nice and much warmer than being outside. They had signs up for different age groups, so we found the line that divided our two age groups and hung out there. After a long wait we finally departed for Alcatraz around 7am. It was finally starting!
The Swim: 1.5 Mile Alcatraz Crossing
32:02 / 10 of 40 Age Group
While I am usually super comfortable with the swim, I was nervous for this event. Jumping off the ferry, 52 degree water, no buoys (only sighting on shore landmarks), currents, sharks... The website said that we would go in waives by age group, but when we started it was just a mad rush to the door. There was no enforcement of age group starts at all. Had I known this I would have started with Sam, but I left him to move to my age group area.
In no time at all it was my turn to jump. I held my goggles on my face and watched for the swimmer in front of me to surface. As soon as I had a clear spot I jumped it and prayed that my goggles would stay on and nobody would jump on me. I am happy to report success in both areas :) The water was 52 degrees but it really didn't feel that cold at all! I would have guessed it was in the high 50's. It must have been all the adrenaline...
I tried to stopped and did breaststroke on three occasions in an attempt to a) take in the amazing views and b) pee. I saw the views but I was unsuccessful at peeing... EverymanTri posted this awesome video! This dude filmed his time on the boat and his entire swim! It is only 6 minutes and a very fun video to watch!
*Sighting*
Someone told me the currents were very strong on race morning and that because I was a good swimmer it would be good to sight on the Palace of Fine Arts (the big round dome). I decided to go with that and luckily it was very easy to see. Unfortunately I did not realize that the beach was right in front of the Palace of Fine Arts so I picked the most aggressive swim sighting. I'm a decent swimmer, but I'm no Andy Potts... As I got closer to shore and figured out where the beach was I realized my mistake and attempted to correct by veering straight across. My swim route probably looked something like the orange line on the map. The last little segment was me fighting the current to swim across to the beach. Luckily I didn't over shoot the beach and have to swim completely against the current (or get out and run back to the beach).
At the time I felt pretty good about my swim. In hindsight my times were not that great. I've been slacking on my swim since it is my strongest sport, but I'm refocused now and hitting the pool big time (by Friday I'll have 13,500 yards for the week - not counting the race)! I'm looking forward to doing another crossing to see if I can improve, although it really is all relative to the currents so it's impossible to compare races.
T1
9:26 / 16 of 40 Age Group
T1 included running off the beach, finding your transition bag, taking off the wetsuit, putting on shoes and running a half mile to transition. The run actually felt good and was a nice chance to warm up after the swim. We were highly encouraged to take the time to remove our wetsuits at the swim exit and to bring extra shoes for the run. I did both and I'm glad I did. The pros don't wear shoes but they pay for it the next day when their feet are all messed up.
The Bike: 18 Miles
1:08:39 / 15.6 mph average / 11 of 40 Age Group
The bike is an 18 mile course that goes along the shore and through Golden Gate Park. It is both hilly and full of turns. While we were on the boat getting ready for the swim I remembered that I forgot to engage my front breaks when I put my front tire on at the race site. I hoped I would remember to do it in transition, but I wasn't even a mile in and realized I had forgotten to do it. I managed to reach down while riding and engage the break. Phew. I would not want to do that course without all of my breaks in working order!
It is a beautiful course, although I must admit I spent most of my time watching the road and other cyclist and I didn't have much time to take in the views. I am a scardy-cat on the downhills so I was ride the breaks and stay very conservative. I did a lot of bunny hopping with people - I would pass on the uphills and then those same people would pass me on the downhills. My max speed was 30.8mph and I know that was actually during a false (down) flat in Golden Gate Park and not on one of the downhills.
I ate a pack of PowerBar Energy Blasts during the ride and that worked perfectly. I took them out of the package and put them in my bento box before the race. They are easy to eat and not sticky like GU Chomps or CLIF shots.
The best part of the bike was when I was at about mile 15 and the bike course goes along the run course. It is along an uphill and at this moment Andy Potts was running up the same hill. Because we were all slowly climbing the hill we were able to watch him on the run. He was running uphill nearly as fast as we were riding. The views of the bay behind him were incredible. It was surreal. Definitely my favorite and most memorable part of this race.
T2
2:38 / 16 of 40 Age Group
I was happy to have the bike over with and get started on the run! My rack was right next to the the bike in/out so I was happy I didn't have to run much in my bike shoes. Rack bike, switch shoes, grab Garmin and watch strap, hat and sports beans...
The Run: 8 Miles
1:10:21 / 9 of 40 Age Group
Run Splits: 8:07, 9:12, 9:52,9:24, 11:25 (beach and sand ladder), 8:50, 8:01, ?? (best 5:57 min/mile)
I love this run. I think it is the most beautiful and exciting run I have done in my life. If you ever come to San Francisco you must do this run! The views are breath taking, the run is challenging and interesting, I really can't tell you how much I love it!
With that said, as much as I love this run it isn't exactly race friendly. It is full of stairs, twists and turns and single track trails. Since it is an out and back you have people flying by you go downhill while you are going uphill. There are many points where it is impossible to pass because the trail is just too narrow. Plus, when you are racing you really can't take in the amazing views because you are focused on the run, watching out for other racers, etc.
If you do this race I think it is a huge advantage to do the run course ahead of time because it is so technical. You don't want to be surprised by the all the stairs, the steep hills, the sandladder, etc.
Andy Potts passed me on his way back, about a mile from the finish line. A minute or so behind him were runners 2 & 3 and they were fighting for the number 2 spot. I think it was an exciting finish! The lead woman passed me about 2 miles from the finish. As you can tell, this course is a great place to rub shoulders with the pros!
During mile 2 I was passed by one woman from Stanford in my age group. She was being paced by a dude on a bike. That really pissed me off... I think that is cheating, however I don't know if is actually against the rules - do you know? I tried to stay with her but I lost her. She finished about 3 minutes ahead of me. I'm happy she didn't place in her age group.
I was wearing my Asphalt Green tri top and I got a ton of shout outs for "Go AG" or "Go Asphalt Green!" I couldn't believe the amount of support there was for a club from the other side of the country. It was really fun and definitely gave me an extra push!
At mile 4 you hit the beach where you have a mile run on the beach and then the 400 step sand ladder.
The sandladder has it's own timing within the run. I ranked 5 of 40 in my age group for the sand ladder with a time of 3:15. I didn't run, but I walked with purpose and passed several people. Most tips recommend using the ropes along the side but I stayed in the middle and focused on stepping on the wood rungs (instead of in the sand). It was hard to start running again after walking up the ladder.
My face is this picture says it all... I look like I want to kill someone or throw up...
After the sandladder there is one more long uphill and then it's mostly downhill and flat. I tried to let go a bit on the downhills and fave fun. My Garmin says my "best speed" during every mile was sub 7 minutes. I don't know how accurate that is, but it wouldn't surprise me that I was going that fast on some downhills.
I had not seen anyone else in my age group since the Stanford chic, but after the sandladder I passed two more women in my AG.
With a mile left to go a girl in my AG passed me. I was hurting but I wanted to stay with her so I picked it up a notch. She heard me latch on and kept looking over her shoulder at me. I looked at my Garmin and I was running around a 7:40/mile. Oh shit. In the pic below we are both running hard! (Much thanks to the Golden Gate Tri Club for their awesome cheer station! They loved us even though we were wearing AG gear).
I held onto her for another 100 yards or so but I just couldn't keep with it. Finally I let her go. After the finish we shook hands and thanked each other for that extra push.
Final3:03:05
9 of 40 Age Group
Final race thoughts...
This was a fun race and I'm glad I can check it off my bucket list. I've talked to a lot of people and many will say it is their favorite race ever. It was challenging, fun and the views are great, but I wouldn't say it's "the best race ever." I don't think I will do this race again. I don't want to be a debbie-downer, but here are some of the reasons:
1. The race fee is $400. That is a crazy amount to spend on an olympic-ish distance race.
2. Even though we lived 3 miles from the race we had to be up 5 hours before the start. Insane. Additionally, most of the time was spent just standing around.
3. The views are amazing, but you really can't appreciate much when you are racing. The bike course was closed to traffic and there were many volunteers and police officers, but with that many cyclists on a technical course you really had to watch where you were going. Ditto for the run.
4. There was a lot of misinformation or lack of information on the website. The website said that the buses left transition by age group (the reason we got there so early), but that was not the case. The website said the swim waives were dictated by age group but was also not true. The athlete meeting was 'mandatory' but nobody checked your name off a list (and it wasn't helpful).
5. Not a big deal, but there were no bathrooms near the finish. Remember how I couldn't pee during the swim, while I held it for the entire race. In order to get to a bathroom after the race I had to walk out of the finisher's area and through crowds of people.
Again, despite those quirks, it was still a fun race and I'm glad to have done it and checked it off my list.
