It’s rare that I get to watch so many of my athletes compete at one race so I was definitely looking forward to making the trek down to Oceanside for some triathlon fun. Mia was also anticipating the results of the day.
Although we could not make it to the start of the race, our plan was to pick up the action somewhere in the middle of the bike. Having the ability to track each of you on line was priceless as I was able to look up each of your splits. Writing the down the swim times and half way point on the bike allowed me to make predictions of finishing times. With pen and paper in one hand and iphone in the other, both Mia and I anxiously awaited the arrival of our first athlete out on the run course
We scoped out a spot on the course that would allow me to easily communicate with each of you. I think all my years as a cross country coach has me trained to pick spots along the course that do not require me to compete with other spectators who are screaming out names and other encouraging mantras. While the cheers of support can be very encouraging to an athlete, it often eliminates my ability to effectively communicate with all of you.
Each one of you raced new personal bests. I am so happy for you.
Bill
Great bike split. That cadence really has improved, which can definitely help you later on in the race…and it did. Your average cadence for the first 24.5 miles was 93. This is a fantastic improvement in your overall cadence trends. While on the run, the first thing you said is “I’m trying to slow it down”, almost as if my words were haunting you those first few miles. Well, it definitely paid off. Your second half was only 12 seconds per mile slower. Any athlete who can stay within 5-10 seconds off their original pace is being extremely efficient.
Jody
You have come so far from your first half ironman. An 18 minute improvement on the bike and a 44 minute improvement on the run is such an accomplishment. It’s so great to see all of the progress that you have made. Not just these last 6 months, but also these last 5 years. Remember when you started training for your first triathlon? I specifically remember how the whole adventure was such a leap of faith for you. BUT…… look at you now. You have completely transformed yourself into an endurance athlete. Oceanside was your payday!!!! You cashed in all of that hard training
Laura
Well, a personal best is always something to smile about, right? I was especially happy to see time come off of your run. 7 minutes faster is a result of you slowing it down at the beginning of the run. I know it’s so hard to do, but the more you can do this the more it will pay off in the end. This will be exponentially more important at Ironman Canada. We still have one more half ironman to improve this again.
Michelle
With a big emphasis on qualifying for the Boston Marathon a few months ago, we both know that you did not have the time to invest in as much bike training. With that said, you still posted a new personal best and an impressive run split. Your average 8:24 pace is great sign of things to come. As you get stronger on the bike, your run time will improve too. Those last few mile of the run course you were absolutely moving out there.
Tammy Lynn
A new personal best for you too!!!! IN these last 8 months your running has improved so much. It’s no surprise that you took off 24 minutes from your previous half ironman run split. 4 minutes faster on the bike is not too shabby either. When you are posting a 3:03 bike split, every minute you take off is so significant. Great job Tammy Lynn. Arizona Ironman is going to suit your racing strengths perfectly.
Jillian
This year’s finishing time crushed last year’s time by 31 minutes!!! This was also a new personal best for you by 17 minutes. Every time I saw you running, you had this incredible look of confidence. The patience you demonstrated on the run course today will ingrain itself in your memory and come back to reward you in future races. All of your time improvement came from the bike and the run. This is the key to a successful long course race performance. All of your age group competitors should be worried.
Mia and I walked away from the race so happy for what each of you accomplished. We decided to celebrate with pizza and beer. Cheers to all of your hard work.
