California photos and a race report

The trip started bumpy, when my bike went to Lombardi and came back jury-rigged with a seat that wouldn't fall down, but was drilled into place and rocked back and forth at least 20 degrees while I rode it. Friday in SF was busy, but I was able to get a nap in to make up for the un-sleeping red-eye. I had forgotten how much I love this city.

My brothers showed up in the evening and we went to the Cake show. It hadn't occurred to me that something called the Harmony Festival in northern California might be a little bit hippie. Tom, the youngest of my brothers, looking like a man in need of some Holistic Hooping (read the sign!):

I got a henna tattoo on my wrist. Because when in hippie.. Then it was time for Cake. We are Cake addicts. John McCrea was on fire. He had everyone rolling laughing. And the music was awesome. Me and the brothers:

We stayed at a lovely condo in Cow Hollow courtesy of the Dinsmores just five blocks from the race start. Our attempt at driving the bike course was disastrous, I think we found about 10% of it and almost crashed my brother's truck numerous times during the attempt. So we went out riding to see if we could do better, with me rocking rocking rocking along on my rickety Trek.. 

After a wrong turn I found myself here -- not a bad place to be!

I was lucky enough to catch up with Guinevere, my bff from high school on who lives here in SF. It was so fun to catch up and wander the city and then Berkeley with her.

I slept terribly Saturday night. I don't usually do that before races, it's worn off over time.. but the night was long.

After a seven-minute test swim Saturday that left me with a painfully frozen face that required lots of backstroke, I was nervous about the water. We lucked out, the water temp was 58 degrees this morning and it was sunny and gorgeous out. And once the boat rolled around, the dread washed away and Katherine and I were both excited to race. We found a place to sit on the ferry, and Andy Potts came over and sat down. So we got to pick the mind of the man who regularly wins it.. he pointed us to the best place to start, told us how to sight, and then made me zip him up. Which was scary.. what if I rip Andy Potts's suit and he can't race? I told him it was too much pressure and he told me to shut up and zip. 

We got off the boat fast and no one jumped on us. Katherine and I started together and I hopped on her feet.. and got dropped. The crowd thinned along the diagonal course out to Chrissy Field and it was pretty lonely. A few times Katherine stopped, let me hop back on her feet, checked our line out, and we were off.. I was so grateful for the company. It was so choppy that sometimes my arms would miss water completely in the trough of a wave. And the chop was coming from the right.. which is the only side I can breathe on. Every other breath was a mouthful of bay. 38 minutes later, it was done. I thought we'd be faster, but it turns out even the fastest were slower than usual.. it wasn't an easy swim day. I was so relieved to be out of the water.. hard part over, right?

On the bike course, which was filled with the most climbing I've ever done in a race, I found that I had no legs. There was nothing in them. And this wasn't a place where you could fake it. The eventual amateur winner passed me early and I couldn't go with her, which was highly annoying. I would get to the top of a long hill and start to fly down the back, only to find a 90 degree turn at the bottom. I was moving all over my dumb seat with each pothole, and there were tons of them. I struggled. I was totally a bitch in my head, but I smiled at the spectators, thanked the volunteers, and enjoyed the sights anyway.

Kiet was all over the course (dude, you were running faster than I was riding) and he totally cheered me up. Katherine caught me near the end of the bike and yelled that now we could run together. I knew I was going to need her and was glad to come into T2 just behind her.

She started running a little faster than I thought I had in me and I said so. She told me no, just stay with me, we can do this. We settled in at a tempo pace that I thought I might survive for a 10k.. but this was going to be 8 miles. A mile in, the obstacle course started. We came off the gravel path under the Golden Gate and hit stairs. Tons of them. Up up up we went, and then through a tunnel that was about 4 feet high and rocky. From there on, it was trail running, and hill after hill after hill. I don't know how to trail run, because every time I try it I sprain an ankle in the first mile.. so I was pretty nervous. After the snake pit, they dumped slime on us. OK, not really, but being a road runner, I felt like I was on a reality show fighting for immunity. We were running single file on the trails, but K & I stayed together, pushing each other along. We flew down the path to Baker Beach and ran 1/2 mi in the sand to the turn around. It was so gorgeous coming down the hill that I reminded Katherine to smile, this is so incredible! like a total geek. The sand ladder was longer than expected, and just as evil as promised. At the top we had another big climb on a narrow trail. I suddenly felt good. Real good. I get away from Katherine on the ups, and she catches me on the downs, that's the way it works, so I took off. I got a glimpse of another girl and decided to get her now. I passed on the narrow trail, and glanced back to check on Katherine, only to find her a little further back than expected. At this point I was running all-out, and I knew I could get another girl or two in the last few miles. Since Katherine always always runs me down, I figured if I got them, she would too because no way would she let me run away.. and one was the only girl up in her AG. So I went for her and passed her with a mile to go. Then it was just hold on hold on hold on.. I finished in 2:41 - 3rd amateur. Katherine didn't quite catch the girl I'd thought she would, and finished just under a minute after me, 2nd in her age group and 5th amateur. 

I immediately realized what a bitch I am. She'd waited to swim with me, and I'd ditched her on the run! But I thought I could get her up there for the AG win. She says she's never speaking to me again.. but she was joking. I think. It is kind of quiet around here though.

So after 38 minutes of swimming in the bay, the world's longest T1, 59 minutes of hills with no legs on the bike, and one of the most satisfying runs of my triathlon career, 8 miles of trails and obstacles and hills in 56 minutes, most definitely negative split, I have to say that I loved that race. And it was the hardest race I've ever done. Kona included. Also, I will probably never do it again. Alcatraz? Check.

Now, we eat.

(maybe if I post her bad-ass abs next to my pudgy bloated gut, she'll forgive me?)

Andy won again, of course. 

I love awards ceremonies. And the bloated pudgy? Now hurt a little.. bet you couldn't tell. I definitely drank too much bay water and was sick for a long time after the race.

Podium with the fastest amateur/supermodel that kicked my ass. 

 Peter & I in front of my kind of hippie sign.. which sums up the rest of my year: peace, love and running.