For those unfamiliar with Treasure Island, the island sits in the bay between San Francisco and the East Bay. The Bay Bridge runs from San Francisco across the bay to Oakland. The bridge actually runs through Treasure Island so access to the island is either by the bridge or by ferry service. This island was previously a military base but the base has been decommissioned and is now open to the public. The island is relatively small actually so the bike and run courses will actually be a series of loops around the main area of the island and also onto Yerba Buena Island (an adjacent island).
We were able to practice on the course a few weeks early. The only hiccup on the course is during the bike section. Half of the bike course is flat but has a ton of sharp turns and bad roads through the former base. The other half is up a decently long hill and then down a scary fast descent. And we have to do this loop four times.
One of the biggest worries was the weather. No telling how it would be in November in the SF Bay. Luckily, it turned out great. It was cold and overcast in the early morning. But as the start time approached, things cleared up and it was nice and sunny for the race.
The swim was a water start. Two loops around some buoys. I was slow as usual but it was alright. The water wasn't particularly cold and it was relatively flat.
The bike is where I had some trouble though. The flat sections of the course were pretty bumpy due to some old roads. The hilly section was plenty hilly. One big hill really and then another shorter one on the backside. Between the bumps and the hills, my back was killing me. Especially going through this thing four times. I was so ready to get off my bike. I was uncomfortable from my back and I knew my times were showing it. But there wasn't anything I could do about it at the time. The one saving grace for the bike section was the view. Going up the first hill, there was a terrific view of the SF cityscape. Beautiful.
Happily off the bike, I started my run. My legs were a little twitchy at first but I maintained a moderate pace for the whole thing. Two out and back loops and then through the finish chute. Done in 3:31 which is quite a bit longer than I'd hoped. But since I'd never done the full course before, it was hard to estimate my times. Overall, it seemed like people had been slower than they had expected. The bike section slowed everyone down between the turns and the hills.
I was very happy to be done. I met up with some friends, grabbed some food, and then watched some others finish. I think part of my problem with the race was that my heart wasn't in it. The season started for me in March or so. And between the events of the summer and all of the training, I was ready for the tri season to be over. It had been a long year.
| Swim | 00:43:22 | |
| Transition 1 | 00:02:56 | |
| Bike | 01:44:29 | 14.2 MPH |
| Transition 2 | 00:02:48 | |
| Run | 00:57:47 | 9:19 min/mile |
| Final Time | 03:31:22 |
I can't say I loved the course particularly. There were some nice views on the bike and run. If the weather hadn't been as nice as it was, things would have been miserable. Too much chance with the weather. Hard to say if I'd do it again.