Gulf Coast Triathlon

My Love/Hate Relationship

In my tweets, I indicated that the Gulf Coast Triathlon was one of my favorite races. Funny how time erodes the memory of unpleasant experiences and every time I compete in this event I get reminded of really why I love/hate it.

This past weekend my husband David and I made our way up to Panama City to race the 27th Annual Gulf Coast Triathlon, a 70.3 distance race. This race was our first ½ Ironman experience and done to help prepare us for our first Ironman that takes place on the same course, Ironman Florida. PC has some fond and uncomfortable memories but for some reason keeps drawing us back. This year we came back after a two year break for our 7th go round with this event.

Why do I love this race?

• Good value for your entry fee

• Women go off in the first few waves so no getting pummeled by the dudes

• Its nice to drive to a race

• Beautiful beach with condos within walking distance to transition and the swim start

• Clean and clear water

• Has the potential to be a fast course

• Great race support as the volunteers and aid stations are one of the best I have experienced in my 10 years of racing triathlon

Why do I hate this race?

• The swim…you never know what you are going to get. You might have a calm , pool like swim or you might get battered by waves and drink a boat load of sea water. Then there is the issue of wetsuit, maybe it will be wetsuit legal and then again maybe not.

• The bike... head wind and cross wind plus a crappie road that I pray everytime I come back is fixed….but it’s not!!

• The run…..no shade and St. Andrew’s Park. The park is the back part of the run course and sooooooo boring and hot.

• Last but not least….the heat. Its ALWAYS wicked hot.

So this year, how did it go?

The day before the surf was choppy and water temperature was suggesting a nonwetsuit swim. This brought back bad memories of my first race (2000) as that year it was very rough and it was no wetsuits for those who wanted to race for age group awards. Since I did not care about placing, only finishing, I opted to race in what I call the Wussy Wetsuit category. This year however I was prepared for no wetsuit but dreaded swimming that in the rough conditions. I said a few prayers the night before the race for calm seas and wetsuits, only to have my wetsuit plea answered.

Race morning, I did my usual prerace coffee, Nutter Butter routine, put on the wetsuit and headed to the swim start. The surf was pretty rough so I had a feeling no PR were going to be set in the swim.

Sure enough as the race started the swim was pretty much miserable for me. It was tough getting past the breakers as it was for most folks. Sighting the buoys had to be perfectly timed when on top of a wave which I did not do so well. As such, I drank a good amount of sea water and hoped it would not come back to haunt my GI later. The swim is an out and back rectangle with buoys on the left. On the final turn coming back to shore, sighting was better as you had the condo highrises to stay on track. When I race, I do not look at my swim time, instead I just figure it is what it is and try to get in and out of t1 as quickly as possible and on to the part I love best. The bike.

The bike course is a single lop that is pretty much pancake flat with the exception of a bridge. One would think that would make for a really fast ride but there inevitably will be headwind and crosswinds coming from the Gulf. This year did not disappoint and I was thankful I opted not to use my Zipp disc and instead went with the IM Az set up of the 404/808. I still got pushed with the 808 but overall felt fine with the selection. The bike was pretty boring as going off in the first few waves I passed many of the woman who swam faster than me within the first 20 miles. Lot of the bike was spent on my own wondering if I was in a race. I occasionally got passed by some of the speedy AG men but for the most part held my own even though my hip issue from Kona reared its ugly head. The pain was not as bad as in Kona I think because I did not fight it and I actually got out of the saddle a lot to stretch. Unfortunately for me I was less than satisfied with my bike split and when I did look at my watch before heading out to the run, I knew no PR was in sight this day.

Out to the run, I knew I just had to find some kind of steady pace and work hard to stay hydrated and keep my core body temperature down. The last time I raced here in 2007 I actually found myself in the medical tent needing two IVs because I pushed hard not to get run down after passing some gals in the Park. I did not want a repeat of that experience and quite frankly really did not care about what “place” I was in so I just wanted to “stay steady, stay strong”. I had no qualms about stopping at a majority of the aid stations to refill my water bottle with ice and water. I think I may have even annoyed a few ladies passed on the run as I squirted the ice cold water over my head, clearly they were a victims of the heat. Interestingly enough, the run felt the best of the day even though my time was no where close to a PR.

At the end of the day, I could not belly ache as I did hold my own with only two Masters ladies getting to the line before me ☺ I am happy to report that I did stay out of the medical tent and I even got to go back out on the run course to cheer in my husband, two wonderful new friends and two of my IronClad peeps into the finish.

So during the race I must say I always question why I come back but post race I always find reasons why this race feels so good. This year, the experience was even more fun because Dave and I were fortunate to stay with a wonderful couple Jeff and Gwen ( from Tampa) at the Boardwalk condos. This was their first ½ Ironman so it was tons of fun sharing words of wisdom, race day tips, laugh and relax a bit with them before the race. They both finished with smiles on their faces and already wanting to go the distance again.

Finally I must give a shout out to the athletes I am lucky to coach:

Congratulations to Dan Meyer for his 10th place 45-49 finish and to Rose Laurence who came to scope out the course to get ready to race her first Ironman in Panama City in November. Good job to you both!!!! Also, congrats to Michelle Small for her 1st Place AG at the Sarasota Sharks Tri. I suspect that really cool CupCake Tri top (see previous post photo) made her even faster!!

Finally, a BIG Race WELL ( never say good luck as that is for people who are not prepared) to Karen, Chuck, Erin and Marc racing this weekend at Ironman Florida 70.3 and to Kevin who is racing in the ITU Pan American Championship in Oklahoma City on May 16th!

Until next time, eat well and train smart!

~Jennifer