Jose Ramirez

Race Notes: This was my first Olympic ITU ever. I realized that my training was geared to smaller triathlons so next time I do one, I will pick up endurance training.

Race Notes: This was a last minute entry. I entered it as a workout race for next week's race, the Orange County ITU, my first Olympic ever.

Race Notes: This is my annual birthday triathlon. Due to knee and hip problems and a hectic work schedule, I did not train much for this event. Consequently I switched from the Olympic distance to the sprint. To my surprise my I PR'ed by over 4 minutes and came in 4th in my age group from last year's performance.
Because of my hip and knee injury I did not bike and run as much as I would have liked. I instead focused on my transitions and the swim. I got some much needed tri-bike shoes and practiced the running mount/dismount. Boy did it make a huge difference. My swim was over 2 minutes faster than last year (despite the strong current) and I saved over 3 minutes on my transitions. I did not improve much on the bike as was expected and ran the 5k slower. But despite all this, I came in 4th in my age group.
Overall I always enjoy Strawberry Fields. It is a fast and flat course. Afterwards my family and I headed to Flip Flops Bar and Grill and soaked up some sun at the beach. It was a great way to end my birthday weekend.

Race Notes: My timing was a bit off and had only 1 minute left for my start. I needed to zip up my wetsuit so I try to force it shut by myself. Bad idea. The zipper head came off with such great force that it hit the top of my head. Boy did it hurt. I checked an noticed blood. Thank goodness this was a lake swim since I'm not in the business of attracting sharks. I ended up swimming the 1.5K with an open back.
Other than that I was experiencing some knee and hip pain. I competed with the discomfort and did ok for my 2nd Olympic ever.