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A day in my life
So I reached out on Instagram and asked what y’all wanted to see in m blog posts, and you guys definitely delivered! I have so many great ideas now and can’t wait to keep posting more!
One question I got a lot is how do I balance training for triathlons, a full-time job, and social life/boyfriend obligations?
It isn’t always easy! But being a planner definitely helps!
So yeah, I work a full-time job. I really like my job a lot! For those who don’t know, I am in marketing and communications at a global engineering firm. This firm does a lot of work with sustainable infrastructure in industries like water, power, telecom, etc. I’m a big nerd and I LOVE these topics. I actually worked in comms at the US EPA in a water division when I lived in Ohio. I really fell in love with water science when I was there.
In my current job, I do a ton of content writing, so social media posts and I have also done longer form writing, like the water treatment section of our 2022 Water Report!
Anyway, sorry this post is not supposed to be my whole resume LOL. Basically what I’m saying I do work in a job where I sit on a computer all day. I also work from home which saves me some extra time not having to commute or look cute to go into an office. I know some people don’t have these privileges, whether they’re on their feet all day or have super long hours/commutes.
Since I do work from home, I can easily plan my workouts around this. I don’t feel comfortable leaving to do a workout in the middle of a work day because I am usually super busy with. But I do a lot of two-a-day workouts! Usually 2-3 times a week. So on days when I work out in the morning, I wake up at 5:30 and days when I don’t, I wake up at 7 (I start work around 7:30-8). And I work until about 4:30, so working out after work is pretty easy.
I usually get home from my workouts between 7-8 and then either my boyfriend will cook dinner (we live together) so it’s ready when I get home. Or I will whip up something easy when I get back! After dinner, he and I will usually watch an episode of a TV show on the couch and then scroll on our phones until bed. This is the time when I try to respond to IG messages and also come up with ideas for new IG reels. (Also, for those wondering how I have time to do reels… I batch film. So usually once or twice a week during my lunch break, I’ll film like 2-3 reels and have them saved in my drafts to post easily).
As far as weekends go, I do not work out on Fridays. Typically that’s my rest day and time to spend with my boyfriend. On Saturday and Sunday, I get my workouts in pretty early so I can do fun things during the day (or sometimes nothing at all if I want a relaxing weekend!).
On Saturdays I usually ride and then will hit up a grocery store after because we don’t really have a good grocery store near our apartment. Then my BF and I will either go do an activity (go shopping, museum, hike), lay by the pool, or lay on the couch all day. Saturday evenings I try to see friends for dinner or drinks.
On Sunday, I used to also ride, but now I have a coach and have to actually run LOL. Which means Sunday long runs! Typically for a longer run, I’ll drive somewhere nice like the beach. If the weather is nice, I’ll just stay at the beach all day too!
Even though I do take training pretty seriously, I think life is all about balance. Like for example, my boyfriend’s parents are coming into town next week and we have a lot of stuff planned with them so I probably won’t get in as many workouts as usual. Or maybe I’m going camping one weekend and won’t be able to workout at all. I think this is fine every once in a while! In fact, I think a little time off can be beneficial and helps me from burning out. If I spent every second of my life only focused on triathlon training, I think it would be way less fun for me!
Anyway, I understand everyone’s jobs and schedules are very different! But this is just how I prioritize my time to try to manage everything.
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Crotch Conundrums
I get a surprising amount of crotch-related question in my DMs. Mostly from women (thank god lol).
As you can imagine, sitting on a hard bike seat for hours on end is not the most comfortable on your sensitive bits and pieces. I’m here to hopefully guide through the questions you may be too embarrassed to ask!
Bibs & shorts
The first step in your journey to a pain-free crotch is getting a really nice pair of bibs or shorts. What’s the difference between bibs and shorts you may ask? Shorts are simply shorts, but bibs are shorts that have straps that go up over your shoulders. Bibs are much more comfy in my opinion. Since they’re being held up more by your shoulders and not a waistband that cuts into your stomach.
These are bibs 
These are shorts The most important part of the shorts/bibs is the chamois (pronounced shammy). The chamois is thick, almost like foam pad at the bottom of your shorts that protects your ass and crotch. It’s crucial to find a good chamois that works for you, otherwise you’re going to have an angry crotch. Finding the right chamois is personal, and may take some trial and error. But personally, I really like Zoot and Ostroy! (Also, I have discount codes to both sites! Zoot: @la_triathlete and Ostroy: la_triathlete).
Triathlon
When it comes to triathlons, that’s a whole different story. Triathlon kits do have a VERY SMALL chamois in them. But it has to be small so you can still comfortably run in them. I will say, being on the bike for a long time with that little chamois does get pretty uncomfy, but you gotta do what you gotta do. The good news is, during a full Ironman, they actually offer changing tents so you can fully change into a cycling kit and then into running clothes after. I actually did this for both of my fulls because 112 miles is a long time for the crotch and I wanted her to be happy. It did add a couple minutes to my transition time, but well worth it!
Some people have asked me if they could just wear cycling shorts for an entire triathlon. NO. I’m sorry but no. First of all, if you swim in cycling shorts, that chamois is going to absorb so much water, it’ll feel like you’re wearing a full diaper. Also the thought of running in cycling shorts makes my thighs start to chafe just thinking about it. So stick to a good triathlon kit! I will always recommend Zoot for triathlon gear!
Chamois cream
Another tool in my pain-free-crotch collection is chamois cream. This stuff will literally change your life. I don’t do a single ride without it. Basically it’s a very thick cream that you slather all over your nether regions. It works by creating a barrier between your derriere and your shorts to prevent chafing. My favorite brand is Chamois Butt’r and even better, they have a women’s specific kind that won’t throw your pH balance out of whack.
Saddle and bike fit
If all else fails, and you’re still suffering from crotch pain, it could be your bike. Keep in mind, if you’re going out for a 100 mile ride, you’re crotch may hurt a bit towards the end of the ride. That’s normal. But if your experiencing pain every time you ride, that’s not good!
Much like finding the right chamois, finding the right bike saddle can take some trail and error. I recommend getting a proper bike fit and discussing saddle options with the person fitting you. You can get a bike fit at some cycling shops and also through independent bike fitters. A bike fit typically costs around $300 but it’s well worth it! Also, typically bike fitters will make free adjustments for you after the initial fit! So if you don’t like how something feels, go back and talk to them. This includes the saddle! I think most bike shops should have decent return policies that let you try them out and decide if you like them.
Sometimes you still may fail
Sometimes you do everything right. You wear good shorts, slather yourself in chamois cream, you’ve have a great saddle, but something still goes wrong. Maybe you rode too much or maybe you had a weird in-grown hair. Who knows. Sometimes shit happens.
There have been a couple times where my weekly mileage was VERY high and I was taking very few days off. This led to getting a saddle sore. A saddle sore can take many forms (Google it if you want). Sometimes it’s a literal open sore and sometimes it may be more of a bump or boil. It’s imperative that you take time off if you notice something like this happening. Otherwise it’ll just keep getting worse each time you ride and could escalate into and infection. If it doesn’t heal on it’s own, I would recommend seeing a doctor to get it figured out!
Anyway, this advice is just from my personal experience, but I hope it can help someone else out!
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Oceanside 70.3 Race Report
Okay, so yeah. This is long overdue! Like two full months overdue. But, I figure it’s never too late for a good race report right? I mean, someone could be reading this, credit card in hand, trying to decide if they want to drop $500 on 2023 Oceanside or not, and this blog could be the deciding factor.
Yes. The answer is YES. You should absolutely spend $500 on Oceanside 70.3.
Let’s get into it!
Oceanside is like THE quintessential Ironman race. Triathlon literally was invented in SoCal! But if you need more convincing, there’s a beach, an ocean, and palm trees!! If you don’t live locally, go ahead and make this your family vacation too.
Logistics
Okay, so I’ve done this race twice now and I will admit, the first time was a little chaotic. But the second time was smooth sailing! The biggest logistical issues for me were lodging, parking, and walkability. There are some hotels close by the race course but they sell out fast. Also, IDK about you, but I’m poor and I am not trying to drop $600 on a hotel room in downtown Oceanside. I recommend looking for lodging in Carlsbad. It’s a bit further from the race, but MUCH cheaper!
Parking is also a little confusing. The first time I did it, the race people made it seem like it would be impossible to find street parking. They actually hand out free parking passes at check-in. With these passes, there were assigned parking lots pretty far from the start, but there are shuttles that come get you and take you to the start/transition. HOWEVER, this year they ran out of these parking passes so I was mildly panicked about parking. But come race morning, we ended up finding SO much free street parking pretty close to the race! So the free parking pass is a safe option, but DO NOT fret if you don’t get a pass!
And finally, the walkability isn’t great. The start and transition area is one place, but the finish line is about a mile away. This isn’t THAT big of a deal, but just keep in mind that after the race, you’ll have to walk an entire mile back to transition to go get your bike.
Swim
This swim course is fun! It starts on the beach and goes out into the ocean. So getting out of the breaking waves can be a little hard! And maybe a little scary if you aren’t comfy with waves. Both times I’ve done this race the waves weren’t bad at all! But it feels like it can take forever to get out of the break! My biggest advice is when you see a big wave about to break on top of you, just dive under and you’ll be fine!
The swim eventually turns and you go into a protected marina which is SO nice! The waters are super calm in there and spectators can easily watch the swim from above. My biggest complaint is that it kind of smelled like gasoline and dead fish, but it’s a marina soo…..
Bike
OKAY SO. Anyone who knows me, knows I love climbing a good hill! And Oceanside certainly delivers some hills. When I did this race for the first time in October, I had recently gotten new wheels and had a new cassette on my bike. I don’t fully understand how cassettes work, I’m gonna be real with you. BUT here is what I do know: I had an 11/28 for Oceanside on my TT bike when I am used to an 11/34 on my road bike (much better for climbing). So basically I ended up trashing my legs on the hills because I had harder gears and was kind of grinding to climb fast. For the second time doing O-side, I switched my TT to an 11/32 and it was A BREEZE.
The bike course doesn’t start out too hilly. It’s kind of uneventful honestly. I feel like the hills are mainly in the middle part of the course and they’re rollers. BUT eventually you end up at the appropriately named, HELL HILL.
The first time I did the race, I had heard of this hill but I wasn’t sure where it was (because I am an idiot who does not read the athlete guides). I remember I kept going over hills and thinking “hmm maybe that was Hell Hill??” NOPE. Eventually I came around a bend to see Hell Hill mocking me in the distance. This fucker is STEEP. Luckily, you can see from about a mile away, so it gives you plenty of time to shift into your small ring (you’re gonna need to!)
Hell Hill is around a mile long, maybe a little less and it’s like 12-15% the entire way. When I had the bad gearing for my first time, I was standing out of the saddle just absolutely dying trying to get to the top. This year when I did it with the good gearing, it was MUCH better. I passed so many people!! Of course they probably passed me later on on the flat section, but alas.
Anyway. After Hell Hill, there are only a couple more little hills and then a loooooooong flat stretch to the finish. I think this stretch is about 10 miles and it may even be slightly downhill! However, both times I raced it, there was a gnarly headwind so that kind of sucked!
This year, I finished the bike with a time of 2 hours and 37 minutes. This was actually a PR for me! I was so excited considering this course has like 4000 feet of climbing (now I need to do a flat course and see how I can do!).
As far as fueling, I ended up having two bottles of B10 drink mix and then had some sips of plain water throughout. I had maybe 3-4 gels and a few Clif Bloks. I was very happy with my fueling!
Run
So the first time I did this race, I actually wanted to quit on the run. Most people know that the run is not my favorite leg. BUT, since I had grinded so hard on the hills, my legs were spent! I hit mile 5 and my calves were cramping pretty bad and I was so over it. That was the first time I have ever truly considered quitting (but I was just being dramatic).
I was super nervous the same thing would happen during this year’s race. BUT IT DIDN’T! I actually felt great on the run!
This run course is an out and back that you do two times. It’s relatively flat, but there are two AWFUL hills. The first is going up the Oceanside Pier ramp. It’s literally like a 30% grade, but it’s pretty short which is good! Then after that, there is another really short and steep hill. But since you do the course two times, that means 4 pretty shitty hills.
I ran the whole course but I did end up walking those hills. I figured they were so steep that I could literally walk them almost as fast as I could run them. I also walked the aid stations starting at mile 5 or 6.
I started out running around a 7:45 pace which is what I was hoping to hold the whole time. However, I don’t train running as much or as well as I should. Eventually, I slowed to around an 8:30ish pace and settled into that.
The entire run I knew I was going to PR my half Ironman distance by a lot. I kept doing the math to see how slow I could run and still PR (LOL). I usually base this off a 10 minute mile (because it’s easy math). So I would be at like mile 10 and in my head I think “ok, even if I run the next 3 miles at a 10 minute pace I will still PR by 10 minutes.” But, I never really slowed more than a 9 minute mile!!
The run went by very smooth and fast. It’s a great spectator course, so having people cheer you along the whole way is super fun and motivating! I ended up running it in a 1:52 which is my fastest run split ever for a 70.3!
My overall time for Oceanside ended up being 5:08, which was a 14 minute PR!
Final Thoughts
This race is insanely fun. The atmosphere is electric and the course is great! I do think this will probably be an annual event for me, especially because it’s so close to LA!
I would say though, if you hate climbing on your bike or are SUPER new to cycling, I might not suggest this race just because of how hilly the bike course is. I was thinking, if I had still lived in Ohio and was training very few hills and I came to Oceanside to do this race, I probably would have died LOL. But, to each their own! It’s definitely not the hilliest course out of all the Ironman branded races!
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