After another 6 months of training, this year’s first official race is only 2 weeks away – the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon. A race that is well regarded among the most famous triathlons in the world, I was lucky enough to get picked in this year’s lottery to have an opportunity to run this race, which only 30-50% of people who sign up get to do. Part of the draw of this race is a few of the unique features that make it a little different from others – the distance is a bit further than an Olympic distance triathlon with a few twists:
- 5 Mile swim from Alcatraz Island back to shore
- The San Francisco Bay is well known for its cold water (expected to be between 56-58 degrees this year) and its choppy, unpredictable currents
- After the swim, there is a half mile run into transition to “help” you warm up from the cold water
- 18 Mile bike ride
- Containing ~1,500 feet of climbing around San Francisco
- 8 mile run, including the “Sand Ladder”
Since this is a shorter race, the planning portion of the race is quite a bit easier than for a full Ironman- a shorter race requires less nutrition to finish and allows you to get away with a less specific nutrition plan. I also find pacing to be slightly more difficult for these races because the intensity level you can maintain for a 3-hour race is still high, though you obviously can’t sprint the whole thing without falling apart before the end.
With just 2.5 weeks left before race day, my gameplan has been determined – from here on out, I just have a few details to sort out while I taper and get my body ready to give my best effort. Here is my race plan along with what those last few details and thoughts:
Swim: Goal = 42 minutes + 10-minute transition
The water conditions in the bay are notoriously unpredictable, which can have a huge effect on race day times – since I don’t have any control over this, it is not a part of my plan. My goal time is based on my pacing in the pool and past races, which is based on an effort level rather than literal pacing. This allows me to be flexible based on the conditions – I am generally good at conserving energy in the water and because the water will be so cold, I am planning to swim hard in this event.
This water temperature is where most of my non-training focus is going to be on for the next 2 weeks. That includes testing some new cold-water gear and taking as many opportunities as possible to get some cold-water exposure. I opted to test the maximum amount of gear for this portion and to determine how much of it helps keep me warm without disrupting my swimming – the gear includes a full sleeve wetsuit (I have always used sleeveless), a cold-water swim cap, ear plugs, and swim socks. Luckily, Lake Michigan is around the same temperature range as the water in San Francisco right now, so I am planning to swim in Lake Michigan twice over the next couple weeks with all this gear in order to make the determination of what I will wear on race day. Some of it (swim cap, ear plugs), I will also try out in the pool to make sure I am as comfortable as possible with it.
On top of those couple of swims, I am also going to make an additional couple trips to the Lake to get used to the water without any of the warm gear – more exposure to the cold water = better tolerance come race day! This will also include some cold showers and experimentation with an ice bath, the more the merrier when it comes to cold water these next two weeks!
Bike: Goal = 60 min + 5-minute transition
While the bike portion of this race is short, there will be more climbing per mile for these 18 miles than there was during Ironman Wisconsin, which adds a bit of a pacing challenge. My goal for this segment will be like what I did in the Chicago triathlon last year – try to keep an average HR around 160 bpm. This is a hard but controlled pace, which is right around an effort level where I start to work anaerobically, the goal is to stay just under that level.
There are two additional factors to be prepared for – be ready with cold weather gear in case I am having trouble warming up after the swim (it will only be about 60 degrees in SF) and to make sure I get enough nutrition to set me up for a successful run. I am set on cold weather gear from the Ironman last year, which will all come with and be available to wear depending on how I am feeling during the first transition. Like I mentioned, nutrition is simple for this race so my goal here is easy to follow. I will drink 1 water bottle with 1,000 mg of sodium during the bike along with about 60g of carbs.
Run: Goal = 60 min
I have high expectations for the run portion of the race given all the run training I have done over the past few months leading up to the 4x4x48 challenge. This goal would put me at about the same pacing as I did during the Chicago Triathlon last year, but on a longer and hillier course (which includes about 600 feet of climbing). 60 minutes puts me at 7:30 pacing - I plan to start right around this pace during the first 1-2 miles to see if I will have enough energy left to beat this goal, or at least maintain it through the hills and sand ladder on this course.
Not much additional strategy is required beyond that – I have an additional 1,000 mg of sodium that I plan to split between both transitions and finish during the early part of the run as well as another 60g of carbs during the first 5-6 miles. From there, I just have to run hard and finish strong!
These goals add up to 2:57 for the full race. I feel good about that pacing, though I also believe that I have some upside in the swim and both transitions, which means that there is some opportunity for me to beat this goal. Just a handful of preparation left over the next couple weeks before we get after it!