Parking was easy race morning. They offer a 1.2 and 2.4 mile swim. I am not sure about logistics for the 1.2. For the 2.4 you have a gear bag at the start (which is near the pier- where i parked (although next time I would have parked at harbor near the finish) and they transport it to the finish ( at the harbor)
It is a beach start and we had some surf for sure... I was not "race ready" Siren went off and I leisurely walked into the water, it was cold, really cold. I chose the non-wet suit option, they have both, as I thought it would be a great Ironman prep swim. 2.4 miles non wetsuit, It would have been great LAST week before the water temp dropped. But I was committed. The water was cold. First wave tore off my goggles (duh goggles were out outside of cap) Grabbed goggles, cap off, goggles on and I am still standing in the surf. Pep talk and in I went. Navigating the surf was tough but took my mind off the cold. Swim was wavy and challenging. When I hit the 1/2 way mark I was a bit depressed as I was sure I was nearly done. But I still had 1.2 miles to go. I got my head in the game and went work, focused on strong swimming, sighting and stopped the pity party. I passed a few people and went to work trying to catch as many Orange caps (2.4 milers) as I could.
Once we hit the harbor it warmed up a lot. I was relieved and then started wondering if the warmth was due to the fuel in the harbor.... ditched that thought and kept swimming. This was now like the Oceanside 70.3 finish, Up the ramp and done.
I was definitely cold, a bit disorientated and chattering, Thank you Jim Murph who got my bag and towel. Quick change and I was soon warming up.
The emcee was great encouraging everyone to cheer and help out the people coming in. They had post swim egg and bean breakfast burritos - I was starving and at almost 1/2 of it.... I regretted that BIG time on my long run an hour later, but at the time it was sooo good!
The race had good community feel. Brian Long was all over and supportive, It sold out this year and suspect it will in the future, I don't like paying to swim 1 mile, sort of like a 5K, I want more pain and suffering :) The distance was great and timing perfect.
Manged a 2nd AG finish and a nice TIKI. Grabbed the free shuttle back to the pier and had to muster the mental and physical strength for my last long run. I am not going to lie, it was not fun. I settled in for the 1st hour and was holding my pace and feeling decent and then I died... next 15 min was ok but hard and then the last 30 min was tough. Running out of water and dealing the GI mishap of a breakfast burrito DID NOT help, It was one step at a time. Got to my car, drank 40 oz of water and started to feel human again. I had zero calories on the run due to the burrito distress so was in a depleted state and was feeling sick. Venti iced mocha sounded good and went with full sugar for the much needed calories.
Stopped for an Apple n Greens Smoothie from Jamba... solid food was not happening for me. A blend of apple and strawberry juices, kale, peaches, mangos and bananas and it was delicious! Major work is done!!! Let the taper begin....
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