Finish Time: 12:40:45
Swim 1:00:26 / T1 12:57 / Bike 5:58:42 / T2 12:47 / Run 5:15:55
Heck no I’m not doing a Full Ironman……
2024…. At my first bike fitting with Jim Manton
Me: “I just want to work up to some Olympic distance tri’s to stay in shape.”
Jim: “You join a club?”
Me: “Yeah, Pasadena Triathlon Club.”
Jim: “Oh… you’re screwed.” (PG-13 version)
This was the approximate conversation I had with Jim during my first proper bike fit on what, at the time, I thought was my cool road bike with the Redshift Switch Aero setup. Two years later and my first full distance is in the books… clearly this is what Jim meant by “you’re screwed.”
Pasadena Tri Club
I had an absolute blast at IMCA this year, and first off I can’t express enough gratitude toward all the veterans of PTC. Alvin is incredible. To have that amount of knowledge always a Discord message away is something most first timers don’t have. He cares greatly about these events being a team experience, and it makes the race so much more fun and, I have to imagine, less terrifying than it would ever be solo. Lynda’s friendly reminder that she would “kick my ass” if I didn’t finish was also always in the back of my mind on race day ;) Thanks Lynda! Running into her a couple weeks before the race at RBAC and having a nice chat was yet another club benefit I’m so thankful for. Last but certainly not least, Michael N… so much past experience that he was always happy to share.
PTC, you are the best!
Travel
I arrived the Thursday before race day. I left early and stopped for lunch at Dave’s Pumpkin Patch, which is right on the bike course a couple miles north of the Babel Slough section. I wanted to ride that section just to get a feel for how rough it was. Not really that bad at all, just very shaded, so spotting the minor potholes takes a little more vigilance, and it gets a bit narrow toward the end since the berm on the right side is kind of uneven.
After that it was check-in at the Home2 Suites (recommended by Alvin) and getting the car unpacked. The hotel was great: a 10-minute walk to the transition area, and having a small kitchenette in each room is amazing since I’m not a huge fan of eating out before races.
Friday
Alvin organized everyone for a quick shakeout ride on the course Friday morning, followed by the athlete briefing, race check-in, and a walk around Old Town Sacramento for lunch. Then it was off to Erica Knauff’s Facebook-organized pre-race swim. As a first timer I highly recommend this. I did it before my first 70.3 in Oceanside as well (thanks Gary!), and mentally checking off any nerves you might have about the swim course makes such a big difference on race morning. Then back to the hotel, dinner, and feet up.
Saturday
Race bag packing and bike check-in day. This was my first “clean transition” race, and I had pre-packed my morning clothes, bike, run, bike personal needs, and run personal needs bags in some cheap Amazon drawstring bags before the trip to take a little of the stress out of the process. So it was mostly double checking and repacking into the provided IM bags.
A quick once-over of the bike brought one race-stress-induced false alarm. I noticed what I thought was a small bump in the sidewall of my rear tire…. HR spikes ;)… the thought of putting on a new tire crossed my mind…. but luckily I gave it a 2nd and 3rd look before ripping it off the wheel. It was just the bump where the reflective strip comes together on Conti GP 5000 AS tires. I’ve always used these tires and never noticed it before that day. Classic race nerves and overthinking.
Then came heart attack #2. I walked my bike, bike bag, and run bag over to transition. After getting my bike racked, I noticed a goat’s head stuck in my back tire…. Luckily it hadn’t gone in deep enough to cause any damage other than revving up my OCD and making me double check it 5 or 6 times before I left my bike. Looking back, it’s actually nice to get those little freak-out moments out of the way before the race.
Sunday (Race Day)
Race morning was clear and in the low 50’s at the swim start, and it warmed up quickly, hitting the low 80s by early afternoon with a high of 84°F. Official winds in town were light at around 5-8 mph, but out on the open farm roads during the second bike lap it felt like a whole lot more than that ;)
I’m an early kind of person and was up for breakfast (rice cakes with peanut butter, yogurt with banana, some baguette and an espresso) at 3am, and was in transition at 4:30am to double check everything, put my bottles on my bike, and drop my personal needs bags. The rest of us “early birds” from the team got on the bus to the swim start. After a quick restroom stop and a change into our wetsuits, we met up with the rest of the PTC crew.
Then it was off to the swim start to take our positions based on anticipated 2.4-mile swim time. Next time I would line up a bit earlier, as it was pretty packed getting to the 1:20ish area. Two lines merged, which made it pretty congested. No big deal, just some folks pushing, crowding, and jumping the fences, which isn’t really what the brain needs on race morning.
Swim (1:00:26)
Gear: Roka Maverick Comp 3 Wetsuit, Roka R1 (Cobalt Mirror) goggles
Fuel: 50g DIY carb mix bottle and 1 GU before the start
(FYI my DIY carb mix is a 2:1 maltodextrin to fructose blend with sodium citrate, about 50g carbs and 400mg sodium per serving. Way cheaper than the store-bought stuff and it sat well in training.)
Everything they say about this swim is true. Fast and just a whole bunch of fun. You swim slightly upstream for about 100 yards until you turn at the first buoy and head back down river. I took the first turn wide and lined up slightly right of the main pack, between them and the kayaks, and had clean water the whole way. The current is amazing. 2.4 miles in a pool or at Bayshore would be around 1:30 for me, and my plan had me at 1:10’ish with the current. I finished this swim in an even hour. They moved the red buoy at the convergence of the American and Sacramento rivers this year, which made the turn nothing to worry about at all. I stuck with the plan of sighting toward the beach straight across from the American River and had no problem using the current to make the turn. If anything, I actually had to correct back slightly to the left.
The swim exit is really easy to see and navigate to, so no issue there. Don’t plan on running to T1 until you get to the top of the ramp from the river; lots of people walk this section, so I just went with the flow. The coolest part of the swim was hearing the spectators cheering from the bridge above you on the American River, which really boosts morale. The water in the American was also super clear, and it was really fun watching all the vegetation below the surface fly by as the current carried you along… way better scenery than the black line at the bottom of the pool ;)
Bike (5:58:42)
Gear: 2022 Canyon Speedmax CF 8 Disc
Fuel: 73g/hour (50g DIY carb mix + 1 GU)
I used the change tent at T1, which I recommend. It was nice to have a chair, sit, and get everything organized. Wetsuit and swim stuff went back in my bike bag and under my bike on the rack. My T1 was 12:57. A big goal of mine for this race was to come out of both T1 and T2 with a managed heart rate, which is something I haven’t been great at in other races. Usually I’m rushing through transition and starting the bike or run with my HR already through the roof. I knew it was going to be a long day, so a few extra minutes in transition didn’t bother me one bit.
Lap 1 of the bike was very straightforward. There are some tighter lanes and more bike traffic for the first few miles, but then it was easy to settle in and stick to my plan. Being my first full, I wanted to keep the majority of the ride in the top of zone 2 (minus a quick push to pass when needed). The first 56 miles were really pretty uneventful.
On lap 2 the wind picked up for the southbound portion out of town. I tried my best not to focus on speed and just hold my power in upper zone 2. Successful for the most part, but boy, I was for sure cursing the wind by the time I reached the turnaround. The tailwind back to town was a much needed win. I’m not sure what it is about miles 75-80 for me…. always the “dark spot,” even on training rides. I’d learned from training that it would pass, and sure enough it did. Had some cat-and-mouse moments with a couple other athletes on the way back into town, which kept the ride fun, and also crossed paths with En Li from the club quite a few times, which was awesome. Even with the wind, I came in at 5:58, way ahead of the 6:44 I had planned.
My only real flub on the bike was leaving my sunglasses in T1. It really sucked during the headwind on the second lap, but other than that not awful…. An aero helmet with a visor would eliminate this problem… or that’s what I’m telling myself ;)
Run (5:15:55)
Gear: Saucony Hurricane 25s
Fuel: 73g/hour (50g DIY carb mix bottles at the start and run personal needs + GUs to cover the difference), 500mg sodium/hour (SaltStick capsules), and 500-750ml water/hour
T2 was another 12:47. I took my time getting my run gear and personal needs sorted, picked my 4:1 workout on the Garmin, and headed out.
This was the part that terrified me the most in training. It would be my first full marathon distance ever (training or otherwise). I had some issues with shin splints, due to crappy form, midway through training that definitely led to less volume leading up to the race than I would have liked. My longest run before the race was 18 miles. Post taper I was feeling good and had my A/B/C plan all written out; now it was just about sticking to it. I had a workout loaded on my Garmin programmed for 4 minutes run, 1 minute walk, and really wanted to stick to it for at least the first 13 miles since I had no prior experience with how miles 19-26 were going to feel. The goal was to keep my heart rate in zone 2 as much as possible, especially during the last bit of afternoon heat. I know a lot of people go with the walk-the-aid-stations plan, but I stuck to my timing since I was carrying all my own fuel, so I didn’t use the aid stations other than water on the head or into my flask. The run is certainly where I want to improve in future full distance races, but I stuck to my A plan and fueled myself well, and felt pretty good at the end.
The run course itself was pretty easy. The gravel section in the northwestern portion is for sure the lonely area on the second lap. Besides that and the small dirt path sections under a couple bridges in town, it’s very straightforward. Oh, and the cobblestones in Old Town…. It’s short, but I could have done without that ;)
The feeling of turning that last corner onto the carpet and seeing the finish for the first time is pretty special. It goes by really quickly, so future first timers, definitely listen to the advice to slow down and enjoy it.
My goal going in was somewhere between 12:30 and 13:30, and my Plan A on paper was 13:09:36. Crossing the line at 12:40:45 put me right near the fast end of that range, which was beyond what I’d hoped for in my first full.
It’s kind of cliché, but you really do learn a lot about yourself training and racing this distance. Drop your ego and race your own race. Support the other athletes out there, because at some point in the day you’re going to need it too, and it will come back to you. And with a lot of work, you can really surprise yourself with what you’re capable of…. A few years ago I could barely swim 25 yards in the pool ;)
IMCA is a great course for anyone looking to do their first full distance Ironman. I will absolutely be back.
