Jonathan Goodman's Triathlon, Running, and Biking Event Reviews

Jonathan Goodman's Triathlon, Running, and Biking Event Reviews and Links

2004 Quarry Lakes Sprint Triathlon in Fremont, California.
- This was a small event but with some serious athletes.
- Fremont is just north of San Jose on the east side of San Francisco Bay, within an hour's drive from most of the Bay area.
- Registration was disorganized and slow, but everyone got registered in the end.
- The swim course was well marked and the water on the cool/cold side.
- The bike course was several laps of an out-and-back course on big city streets with lots of sharp turns: not much fun.
- The run was on mostly flat wide gravel jogging trails around the lake.
- It was cool but I raced in short sleeves. There were a few very unseasonal rain drops as the race statred.
- There were plenty of cheerful volunteers, no danger of a wrong turn on the bike or the run, and a few water tables on the run.
- Quarry Lakes is a moderately scenic park at the base of the brown grass hills that run up the east Bay.
- Personal report: This was my first event of the season. I wanted to remind myself what racing was like and test the wetsuit. Immediately at the start of the swim I felt cold and a little scared, disoriented, and even angry -- what was I doing here? I've done lots of open water swimming before, and some in colder water, but never had an alergic emotional reaction like this. And never had 750 meters seemed such a trial.
  On the bike, the sun at least was warm. Pretty soon I realized I had unconsciously started drafting off the guy in front of me, a bad habbit that comes from group riding with non triathletes. I decided I had the energy to pass, kicked around him, and tried to hold a slightly higher pace so as not to be in his way. This settled into the familiar pattern of passing slower riders while being passed by the hotshots. I try to make "on your left" sound friendly, or at least not discouraging, but one strong looking woman seemed annoyed as I go by. She passed me a mile later but didn't hold a pace. I had to ease up to stay out of her slipstream, which was frustrating because I was trying to put in a hard effort. I gave a good kick to pass her and tried hold a pace faster than hers to avoid getting passed and having to slow down again, but she came right around me and forced me to slow again. How was she riding faster behind me than in front? After a few more tries, I gave up and rode easily just out of drafting range, telling myself I could use the extra energy on the run.
  It felt great finally to be on my feet, taking my own pace and droping my bike nemesis for good. Ducks and sea birds made the lakes shimmer in the morning sun. With just two miles to go, it was safe to slip into a higher running gear and have the fun triathlon is supposed to be.
2004 Wildflower Triathlon south of San Jose, California.
2004 Bay to Breakers run in San Francisco.
- This is a huge event, the largest race in the world, with about 70 thousand runners, more than twice as big as the New York Marathon. Come early if you want to start within a few blocks of the line.
- Half the fun is waiting for the start. Bring a stack of corn tortillas to throw in the air, and enjoy.
- There are naked runners of all ages (over 21) and both sexes.
- There is lots of music and other entertainment along the way, but not all of it gets started right away. If you run too fast, you'll miss a lot.
- The crowd was so thick I couldn't run my pace until the last mile or so. Don't get stressed, this is a "fun run". Definitely don't be pushy.
- The route is lovely, particularly the last few miles running down hill through Golden Gate Park.

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