You will be hard pressed to find a run course as flat as Oceanside. The course is almost pancake-flat for the first 2 miles of each 6 mile loop, running right along the sandy beaches. From there, it is rolling for the next two miles, but no dramatic changes in elevation.
You run out 3+ miles, and back 3+ miles, on each loop. You have the additional distance being the distance from T2 to the loop, and the loop to the finish line. Depending on the tides, there will be a small portion of sand on the run. Nothing crazy, maybe a 400 meter stretch is all.
You will have an aid station approximately every mile, with the first station coming right when the strand begins. This station is normally manned by the Triathlon Club of San Diego, a rather lively group. If you are wearing anything TCSD, you’ll be cheered on like a rock star! Also, if you have your number with your first name on it, you’ll get a lot of cheers from people calling your name. It may seem small and innate, but when you’re dead tired and motoring on, it’s a big help!
The aid stations will be serving fruit, water, a still to be determined sports drink, Powerbars, cola, and cold sponges for cooling off.
The key to this run is very simple, RHYTHM! If you can maintain rhythm by being relaxed, but quick, you will do very well on this run course. If you run with poor mechanics, with your head down and pounding your feet loudly on the pavement, it will be a long day for you out there.
When you’ve completed the two loops you will head into the finish line area and be greeted to stands full of cheering people. Cross the finish line and smile, strike a pose, whatever you want to remember this moment, because they will be taking a photo of you as you cross.
Here’s a video of the 2008 sprint finish between Andy Potts and Craig Alexander. You can also see the flow of traffic clearly between cyclists finishing, runners starting, and runners finishing...
RACE NUTRITION
Before discussing the post-race information, it’s important to cover the topic of race nutrition. This is always a complex topic which must take into account our individual differences in both taste and ability of our stomachs to handle what we give it.
As you probably know, most of the nutrition during a triathlon of this length takes place on the bike. Figure out approximately how long you will be on the bike, and how long out on the run course. Next, figure out how you will meet your caloric needs based on those estimations of time.
One choice some people opt for is gels during the bike. But why fumble with wrappers and worry about trash and litter? Though you can place a flask in your pocket, or on the bike, they are still small to handle and easy to drop. On the run is a better time to utilize gels and gel packets.
On the bike, most have the ability to hold 3 water bottles, 2 in the frame, and one aero-bottle in the front aerobars. In the aero-bottle it’s probably best to go with strictly water. In the other bottles, store your calories. If the calories spill out of the aero bottle, you’re in trouble.
You can pack one 24 ounce water bottle with the calories you need from your drink mix of choice, and then topped off with water and dissolved. It makes a giant gel-like substance, but easy with your one bottle, and requiring less water than a gel.
Obviously each sip taken from the calorie-packed bottle will need to be followed with a drink of plain water. This you get from the aero-bottle, or other bottle. When approaching an aid station, simply replace or refill the empty bottle.
If you use a clear 24 ounce bottle for calories, you can get visual feedback of how your nutrition intake is going. Since the course is marked in 5 mile increments, you can estimate, or use your odometer on a bike computer. When you hit 14 miles, or the marker for 15 miles, you should look down at the bottle and see that ¼ of it is empty. At 28 miles, or marker 30, half of the bottle is gone, and so on. This is excellent visual feedback, which is obvious and does not require any complex calculations to know if you’re doing things correctly. Positive feedback also boosts your confidence, since you know you are following the plan perfectly. If you are a little off, you can adjust to get back on track. Either way, you’re doing the things you need to do to have a great race.
If you can not store enough calories in one bottle, then you need to come up with some other sources at the aid stations, in order to get what you need. However, this should be minimal and fairly easy. It is good to know what the aid stations have as a contingency plan, should something go awry with your original plan, such as a dropped bottle, spilt contents, upset stomach, etc.
On the run, figure out your plan as well. Taking in a gel at every aid station would NOT be a wise decision. To take a gel at every aid station would give you 1200 calories! OUCH! That’s way too many. Don’t forget that Gatorade has calories in it too, about 50 per 8 ounce cup you consume. (NOTE: The sports drink for the race is still to be determined, so please check and do research prior to the race for caloric count).
Too many calories has negative effects, as your body must send water to the stomach and intestines to break down and attempt to absorb the calories you have consumed. This means pulling water away from the muscles, which need it badly. This is also why liquid calories are great, as they are already partially broken down and easier for the body to absorb. This is why you need to be sure and follow any caloric intake with water, in order to aid the breakdown and absorption process without disturbing the water needed in the muscles.
Whatever you do, DO NOT make race day your first time testing your nutrition plan! PLEASE! Save yourself some hard lessons, (and expensive lessons given the cost of race entry), and learn this stuff in your training. There is still plenty of time to do workouts to see what you can do to tweak the plan. This includes cola on the run. If you’ve never run with flat cola in your stomach, I would not advise doing it on race day for the first time, even though it will be offered.
The nutrition aspect of the race can seem mysterious and a lot to think about, but if you follow this advice, you’ll be able to solve the mystery and make it much easier, not even having to think about it. Less thinking about the peripheral means more focus on going hard and fast!
POST-RACE
When you cross the finish line you will receive your well-deserved finisher’s medal and t-shirt. After receiving these, head over to the white tent. There will be the medical facilities to get treatment for anything you may need, (blisters, etc.) Just past the medical area is the massage therapy area. Get your name on the list for massage, but get in a short cool-down of some sort, such as walking or jogging easy for 10 to 15 minutes, before getting on the massage table.
Once you are feeling better, from the medical help or massage, head down further in the white tents and get yourself some food. They will be serving food from 11 AM to 4 PM. They normally serve pizza, salad, drinks and other goodies.
Later in the day, around 4 PM, the same area for eating in the white tents becomes the awards area. If you finish in the top 10 in your age group, stick around for awards because you get one. If you are anywhere in the top 5, make sure you show up if you want to do Kona. The single spot for an age group has gotten passed down to 5th place before!
If you want to check for results, they tend to be posted in two areas. One is just behind the finish line, on the side of the white tent. The other place is where the awards will be, further down the white tents.
If you are interested in doing a full US Ironman event, stick around for awards even if you didn’t get one! They will offer a certain number of slots at full Ironman events which are already sold out. If there are more people wanting the slots than they have, they hand out the slots according to how well you did in the race, by placement in your age group. If there are more slots available than people wanting them, you can get it by simply being there.
If you want to qualify for the 70.3 World Championships in November, you should also attend the awards. Have your checkbook ready because you must prepay for these events at the awards ceremony. There are no IOU’s with Ironman.
After noon, you will be able to go into the transition area and gather your things. Make sure you still have your wristband and number, because security will not allow you to remove your bike without it.
Finally, if you get a chance, take the time to thank the volunteers. They give up almost an entire day to come out and support you in your endeavors, with the fulfillment of the experience as their only compensation. Quite a gesture on their part.
Best of luck, and remember to be safe and enjoy the day.
