Three-Triathlons-Triathlete, second part of three

You can say Nautica Malibu Triathlon (0.5Mi swim, 18Mi bike, 4Mi run) was my A race. This was my first registration, my goal setting and my main event (to support CHLA). That was not exactly a sprint triathlon, but LA Triathlon was a good rehearsal. My realistic predictions did not allow me to consider a time less than two hours, so my goal was to beat 2:10.

Focused on the race, just on the previous day I realized that it was an awesome party, with the huge number of participants and the presence of celebrities. A plus was Jennifer Lopez competing her first triathlon together with us. And everybody on the CHLA team was excited with the upcoming close race day and the numbers of the fundraising.

Because PCH is closed for the race, parking is difficult and participants have to arrive before 5:30 AM. Another day waking up at 4AM, but this time I had a car available. The number of athletes was impressive, increasing the distractions and traffic in the transition area, but outstanding organization made the whole event run smooth and enjoyable.

It was said the ocean was flat on the previous day, but that was not the exact description for that Sunday. As you can see in the pictures (guess who is in the picture?...), the long arm of Nature was heavy, as I felt on the third wave, when I was thrown back and almost lost my goggles. That slap was enough to turn on the adrenaline and make me faster, after few minutes of recovery in slow pace. On the way back, right before the surf, I saw one of the female coast guards who taught me my second open water swim clinic, and saw my panic attack freezing me and making me hold into her surfboard at 50 yards from the beach. In my dreams she recognized me and was admired of my success. Reaching the sand without other surprises, I did not feel as bad as on the previous week, and was surprised with the time. Official swim time was 22:06.

The dizziness of the previous efforts just hit me when I was removing the wetsuit, and that made my T1 last 3:14.5.

The bike leg was smooth, except for the uphills, and I finished in 01:02:07, with the certainty that I have more work to do to improve my bike skills. It was delightful to have a whole lane of PCH to ride.

T2 presented me with the corridors full of people, some throwing up, some bonking, some watching the movement, and with that was a kind of race within the race to be able to rest my bike and leave for the run. T2 time was 1:33.6.

The run started with abdominal cramps, most likely because of the two gels taken on the bike. But my legs continued running in front of my brain until they both got together at the turning point. It was very rewarding to see so many CHLA team members on the run, and to have all spectators cheering for us. Run time: 33:26.8.

With all the energy dispensed, and most likely because of the friendly wave on the swim start, I finished 02:02:28.4, beating my shy prediction of 2:10, but short of less than 2 hours.

Right after the finish, I felt the damage of two weekends in a roll of competition. Mild nausea did not allow me to replenish carbohydrates, and moderate pain on quads and feet requested prompt rest.

Malibu could have been my A race, but right on the night before LA Triathlon I had registered for Long Beach Triathlon. Do you want to know why? Because that was a shorter course (0.5Mi swim, 11Mi bike, 3Mi run), without the pressure for results in front of a lot of people; because my season probably would end that week (due to work issues for the rest of the year); because I still was on my peak; and (again...) because I still had to fight my fear of the open water swim.

Stubbornness, fear and waves can take you very far...