Overdue Race Reports

The 2007 season is over and it was my busiest year ever. Normally I choose a couple of races at most, but this year I ended up doing three triathlons and two swim races including the third Alcatraz.

My last tri was Pacific Grove Olympic. I do not recommend going to Burningman right before a race. It definitely takes the edge off :-) I didn't train much the week before bman because we were frantically trying to get ready. I did get up and run a few times at bman, which was fun. I saw four other morning runners. I remember one year there was a morning running club, maybe I'll have to start that again. I'd love to organize a Burningman Tri at Pyramid Lake on the Saturday before bman - any one want to help?

Anyway, Pac Grove was beautiful. I would happily do a triathlon there for the opportunity to swim through the kelp in Monterrey Bay with the sea otters and starfish. Unlike any other race I've done, this swim was fantastic because you can see the kelp and seaweed and starfish while you're swimming - like snorkeling on speed. The water is saltier than the bay and a little colder - lots of fun. The course is a little boring - 4 loops for the bike, 3 loops for the run, but you get lots of spectators. I don't think I'll need to do that one again, but it was a lot of fun.

The next weekend on Saturday I did the 1.5 mile swim from Alcatraz again in the South End Rowing Club Alcatraz Invitational. Unfortunately, there was morning fog so not so good for mid-bay sightseeing. However, the water was incredibly calm - nothing like the last two. At times the shore seemed so close, at times so far away. I linked this to how good I was feeling about my stroke, getting hit in the face with waves, etc. My goggles malfunctioned again! So I had seawater in my eyes the whole time. My friend at the finish line told me I looked like I was 80 years old. I'll spare you the closeup picture.

On Sunday, I went to Sebastapol with my friends Mel and Laura for the 35-mi option of the Tour d'Organics. This is a great ride with amazing organic fruit at all the rest stops. I plan to do this every year! Through this ride, I learned about Organic Athlete. I really like this organization - geared toward vegan athletes. I'm also reading Brendan Brazier's books - he's a vegan professional ironman triathlete. I believe that a plant-based diet can lead to improved athletic performance - but for me, becoming vegan will be a slow change.

Next up - Kaiser Permanente Half Marathon in SF in February. I'm going to do it through team in training and raise money for Leukemia and Lymphoma for my 40th birthday in January. That sounds like a good winter endeavor to me!