THE MYTHS

• Sharks everywhere, and they chum the waters before the swim
• If your name isn't Ian Thorpe, you won't make it
• They have attorneys on hand to complete your Last Will and Testament before you jump
• The jump from the boat is at least 50 feet high
• Deadly cold waters, you die within 5 minutes if lucky enough not to get crushed by the icebergs
• If you don't make it to the beach by yourself, you will get swept through the Golden Gate
• No one ever escaped from Alcatraz

• Sharks are sissies! There ARE sharks in the bay, but they're small bottom feeders, more like useless catfish than carnivores. There has NEVER been a shark attack inside the gate since my club the South End Rowing Club started swimming in the bay in 1873. Yes, that's almost 130 years of NO shark attacks!
• Water will be 59-62 F on race day, and even if you have not been swimming in cold water before, a full wetsuit and a neoprene hood will more than make it tolerable. Cold, but tolerable.
• It feels cold for a few minutes, especially the face, hands, and feet, but your body adapts in a few minutes and that initial shock wears off so you are able to swim comfortably. Silicon earplugs will also help keep you feeling warm by blocking the cold water from inside your ear. Try them out before race day at Aquatic Park.
• Waves can NOT be predicted by the tides, wind, or other items. I've swam on identical weather and tide days and had flat water as well as 2-3 foot whitecaps that kick the crap out of you (but I still made it). Be aware this often means a higher arm recovery to clear the waves and breathing that keeps the cresting waves out of your face (alternate side or exaggerated).
• The race is planned so that you are swimming with an ebb tide, that is water moving east to west out of the bay. This will help push you toward your swim exit at Yacht Harbor which is west of the jump. Try to get an understanding of what the tides will be doing at the time of the race. Some info can be found at http://squall.sfsu.edu/courses/geol102/ex6.html.
• You CAN NOT swim a straight line to the swim exit, you WILL have to correct by swimming more to swimmer's left. Stay in the middle of the pack with swimmers on both sides and you'll be just fine. This is what you have to watch - Find a straight line between the jump and exit (you can find the exit when you're in the water by looking for the big brown dome with a bump on the top, the Palace of Fine Arts, as this is almost perfectly in line with the exit and much higher and easier to see than Yacht Harbor), point 15-20 degrees to the left for the first half of the swim, then readjust as necessary. Without more practice, that alone will put you ahead of 50% of the swimmers.
• Tell your spouse or significant other not to worry, No one has ever been "lost" during the swim. The pilot coverage is fantastic, and they WILL be there to help out if needed.

• Get as much information as you can about where to head while you are swimming. Always err to the left side of the finish to avoid overshooting -you do not want to try to fight the current to get back to the finish.
• Watch the GGTC email list for pre-race test swim results - the tides and conditions will be reported and will give you an idea what to expect on race day.
• Come out and swim in Aquatic Park Thursday nights with Pedro Ordenes - he gives great ideas on sighting for the race.
• Take a swim clinic with Pedro Ordenes - it's worth the money and gives you a sense of what you will be aiming for and when to head there
• Bring a bottle of WATER with you to drink from on the boat. It will be hot inside the boat, and you should be hydrating anyway. It you lose the bottle, no big deal.
• Wear your wetsuit (up to the waist) on the bus (body glide yourself on shore and leave it behind), hold your bottle and swim caps, goggles, and earplugs in a bag, and wear throw-away socks on your feet. You won't have to change on the boat, and you won't have to pick up your stuff later. Body glide or PAM can be borrowed if extra is required while waiting.
• During the swim, wear your goggles under your colored swim cap. They are harder to knock off if someone accidentally swims over you or bumps you.
• Get in the boat line EARLY to get on the boat early and relax
• When you jump off the boat it is going to be COLD and quite a shock. It is every time. Just realize that the initial sensation will go away soon. Keep your head about you and immediately take a few strokes to get away from the boat and the possibility of the next person jumping in on top of you.
• Place your hand gently over your goggles when jumping in to hold them onto your face.
• Stay on course, Stay on course, Stay on course (took 10 minutes off my time on this simple task!) When you first jump in you feel the adrenaline rush, stay calm, get into your relaxed swim stroke, breathe, relax, get into your stroke, relax, breathe (see the Mantra?). I think there is an initial "holy $!!#$!##" for the first timer (and even second timer..) and then the rush of fear, disorientation and more fear. However, you are fine just relax, swim your stroke, and stay on course. If you stay focused on your stroke, breathe, relax, focus on navigation the other negative thoughts will disappear. Once you get out take a minute to enjoy the scenery from out in the middle of the bay. There is a very specific feeling of exhilaration that I have only experienced from the middle of the bay.
• Don't be greedy, the current is stronger than you think. Be more conservative at the beginning you can always correct at the end.
• Never have oatmeal for breakfast!!! I jumped off first with the pros and swallowed a bunch of bay water. I learned the hard way that oatmeal+saltwater makes Metamucil.
• The harder you try, the slower you go. Relax.
• Swim in Aquatic Park a few times before the race. Wear a neoprene cap. Enjoy the unique view of the city from the middle of the bay. Expect the field to spread out a lot more than other triathlons, as people fan out in different directions. It can be difficult to find someone to draft behind. Have a plan for landmarks to sight.
• On the boat trip to Alcatraz, look back to get your bearings and what landmarks you are going to sight on.
• Warm up with some yoga stretches before getting in. Swim like mad for the first 15-20 minutes to get over the strongest currents. Relax. Have fun. Pray that there is no fog! Jump in as close to your wave start as possible (I lost 5 minutes last year since I was upstairs and hanging out with Rachel and Laura Cuda!)
• Make sure to aim way to the left of where you are planning to end up because of the current - start by heading towards Fort Mason and adjust as you swim.
• Listen to Pedro for sighting directions, relax and enjoy the swim, make sure to take a few seconds to enjoy the view from the water.
• Elongate your stroke and keep your elbows high, like you are always swimming over a barrel.
• The "shortest distance between two points is not a straight line" in this event. The swim course rewards those who are patient.
• Find Pedro and talk to him about the currents the morning of the race - follow his instructions.
• Slower swimmers - Yes, you want most of the people on your right side while swimming, but you STILL will want people to your left, because there will be a few who don't have a clue where they are going, are overly conservative, or just can't swim straight. You are smart to keep 1/2 or 2/3 of the swimmers to your right for the first 1/2 of the swim to get you across the channel, as many of them will overshoot the exit and be in real trouble.
• There will be times when you are wondering if you are headed in the right direction. Take a second and verify you are on the path you set for yourself. A few seconds taken several times during the swim to make sure you are headed in the right direction might save you several minutes at the end trying to swim in to the beach against the current.
• Slower swimmers - Start sighting on Fort Mason's big green tree area, it's easy to see, and is a perfect S to SW path to start with for the first 1/3. If you feel you are making good ground, and wish to be a bit more aggressive, sight on the Ft Mason Buildings (three or four of them, yellow and easy to spot)
• After 1/2 way through the swim, relax your angle and start heading more West. A good and visible landmark is the Palace of Fine Arts (The big brown dome, as it is nearly in line with the finish, and will take you right home) - If you cross the channel extra fast, stay a minimum of 200 yards off shore, preferably 250 to stay in the faster moving waters and avoid any minor eddys that may be spinning around.
• Once you are about 150-100 yards from the swim exit, swim perpendicular to the coast and the combination of tides and your swimming will take you right in. This may NOT be possible with other swimmers angling in, but the point is to stay away from the coast until you have to.
• The swim exit beach/stairs are about 50 feet wide. DO NOT come in on the very left (east) end, as there are boulders, and you can easily slip and hit your knee.

• There's no shame in walking the sand ladder - even the pros do it at some point.
• The run course is an out and back so remember all the hills you climbed will be downhills on the way back - and vice versus!
• Practice hills and stairs before the race or the course will crush you. It would be a mistake to only train on flats before Alcatraz
• Get used to running in sand for the Baker Beach portion
• Expect some head/tail winds on race day.
• Practice running on the beach and the sand ladder.
• Take it easy on the sand ladder, save some energy for a strong finish.
• Shorten your stride down to conserve energy.
• On the beach, run down by the packed sand, much easier there... run all the way down to opposite the sand ladder instead of cutting across, it seems like a longer way to run but I've seen people lose minutes off their time struggling in the loose sand.
• I always look forward to the sand ladder as an opportunity to slow down and use different muscles after running on the beach. Run the bottom and top of the sand ladder. Walk the middle part where the sand is deeper and it's just as fast as running.
• It's difficult to pass on the narrow trails in the Presidio, so relax and make up time elsewhere.
• Always start off slower than you think you will run after you've transitioned from the bike. This will keep your heart rate low, allow your body to get used to running. You can pick it up later in the race. Get into your groove and have fun. Personally, I walk the uphills. I can't really run them any faster and find it saves me some energy. Drink and eat!!
• Do not run the sand ladder - get into a rhythm and keep climbing. And the flat across Marina Green feels longer than you expect, so just enjoy it as you will be done soon!
• Go to M2's sandladder workout pre-Alcatraz.
• Get out there and run it! The sand ladder hurts in training and will hurt even more on race day.
• Put your hands on your quads and pace yourself up the sandladder, else use the hand rails and pull - anyway to get you up that thing?!

• Heading out of transition, you'll proceed in the same direction as the beginning of the bike. By now some of the more curious San Franciscans have dragged themselves from bed and made their way down to the finish area, so you should have a crowd to cheer you along. If the weather is sunny and the air is warming up, you'll probably have a headwind and some recreational joggers, families, dogs, small children, strollers, and small, flightless waterfowl to contend with on the path that winds along the bay next to Crissy Field. If these obstacles are paying attention, they'll hopefully get out of your way, but if not, let them know you're coming with some shouts of "on your left!" as you pick your way through the masses. Note: shouting has absolutely no affect on dogs and small children, who would prefer to dart into your path much like squirrels.
• The run passes the length of Baker Beach and back again, after a turnaround marked at the far end of the beach by various sponsor banners flapping in the wind. Make a mental note to economically thank these generous supporters, for they have brought you such exhilaration and the intense feelings of strength and grace that you are now experiencing. Try to choke down some electrolyte beverage or water as you pass the aid station at the turnaround.
• When you arrive back at the end of the beach where you entered but a few short minutes before, you are now confronted with the iron test of man and womanhood, the test you have read about and perhaps practiced in the weeks before, the evil and insidious and utterly loathed purveyors of pain....
• The Sand Steps. Yes, it's all true what you've heard. They steal small children in the night, they are ugly and deviant and particularly vile. They alone are responsible for the collapse of about 34 dot coms. But you are Strong and Within Your Target Heartrate, and you aren't going to take it anymore. So get up there and climb, like you've never climbed before! Grab a fistful of rope and haul yourself up any way you can! If someone's in your way, push them to the side! I mean encourage them and keep going! Try your best to plant your feet on the solid wooden planks that serve as the foundation for the stairs, and if you can see no wooden planks, step in the footsteps of those who have gone before you, for they have compacted the sand and now you don't have to.
• The dreaded sand steps are long and arduous but, despite what your lungs and quads are telling you, you will make it to the top. Once you do, pat yourself on the back, for they are one of the most difficult sections of racing in all of triathlon. Now you are burning for home, the sun is shining, and the pain is nearly over. The uphill continues after the sand steps, but not for long and soon you are coming back down the Coastal Trail the same way you went out. With tired legs and a mental focus bordering on mush, it is particularly important to concentrate on your footing as you descend - you've come too far to let a mental lapse result in a fall or an injury.
• Let your stride length increase as you come down the trail, and remember to breathe to flush out that carbon dioxide. Stairs can be tricky coming downhill on tuckered legs. Remember to duck your head going through the aforementioned tunnel, and smile to the thronging Golden Gate tourists who have no idea what the heck you are doing running around out there, despite the hovering helicopter and race numbers.
• Rounding the final bend, the finish line is now in sight, so open up the engines and power through the timing mats! Hopefully modern technology doesn't fail you and the beep of your ChampionChip welcomes you home. Congratulations, you're now an official Escapee. Go find Robin Williams and throw your arms around him; I hear he particularly enjoys that.