Escape from the Rock - June 24th 2007

Escape from the Rock was my "comeback race" in October 2006 after breaking my third left metatarsal in April that year. I really enjoyed the event then so I was looking forward to giving it another go. However laziness post Escape from Alcatraz, gum surgery and some travel conspired to severely limit my training for the three weeks leading up to the race i.e. no running, one swim, and about 75 minutes of biking. Combine that with Escape from Alcatraz taper week and it amounted to a month of relative inactivity. With that in mind, I told myself I would just "race for fun" and not take it too seriously...I'm not entirely sure when that intent evaporated but it certainly wasn't foremost in my mind as I jostled to find a place in the front row for the deep water start...

Swim: Calm waters, clear blue skies and sunshine greeted us in the Bay and the water didn't seem as cold as last year. However (and here's what makes swimming in The Bay "special"), everyone was about three minutes slower than in 2006. It's the combination of tides, channel currents, rainfall, snow melt, winds etc. that really determine when you reach shore. Sighting in the fog-free air and chop-free brine was fine; Aquatic Park's white paint walls beamed like a beacon in morning light and the lead boat did a good job guiding us back to land.

Run #1 and T1: Not many people passed me during the first run but I think that can be attributed to the relatively low participation rate (more below). I couldn't calm my body down enough to risk gulping a goo so I shot my nutrition plan before it even started. :P

Bike and T2: Oh how I like my spanking "new" bike! I was only overtaken when I was eating (normally it's a lot more frequent than that). While doing so on the last of three laps, I accidentally choked down far more than the desired three salt pills and I forgot to reseal the tube so I lost the remainder during T2, leaving none for the run. (Seven races in and I'm still learning noob stuff...). Eating on this bike course is tough. You have two choices; try it when you're cranking uphill and risk upsetting your insides or when you're careering downhill, trying to overtake folks and screaming "On your left!!" while praying they don't swerve if/when they hear you. I chose the former.

Run #2: My stomach was not happy and this time a bathroom break didn't help. My nutrition screwup on the bike didn't help but I think my gut had forgotten what it felt like to run, given my lack of recent practice. Baker Beach's breeze blew my blues away; I felt much better before and after the "sand ladder" (which brought back memories of my recent Half Dome clambering...) and I managed to catch and pass the lead lady (who happens to be fast and cute). Running remains my weakest link.

After all that I finished about three minutes and thirty seconds faster than 2006; total race time 02:38:38.4. My relative placing is a little skewed as the male competitor numbers were down 30% from 2006. I think there were a few reasons for this

• The popular (and less expensive) San Jose Triathlon was the same day.
• San Jose is a USAT sanctioned event and USAT rankings now require entry in three such events, increased from two in 2006.
• Escape from the Rock was only three weeks after Escape from Alcatraz this year. In 2006 there was a four month gap.

The reduced field size meant the run and bike leg in particular were safer and more enjoyable. I just hope the race's future is not jeopardized as a result.

Results. Official photos.