Rebecca Jones, who will compete at a full Ironman in November,
recently finished first at a shorter sprint triathlon
HOLLISTER
Local swimmer/biker/runner Rebecca Jones is more accustomed to full Ironman triathlons, the kind of three-pronged races that include not only an exhaustive amount of training, but also 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of biking and a little more than 26 miles of running.
Yes, she’s accustomed to those type of races.
So for Jones to compete in a considerably shorter sprint triathlon, where stage distances include 700 yards of swimming, 12 miles of biking and 3.5 miles worth of running, well, that should be no sweat, right?
“It was kind of a fluke that I did the race because I don’t do a lot of shorter races,” said Jones, noting the difficulty of sprint triathlons, which although offer shorter distances require a more explosive and faster pace – not something the 45-year-old triathlete is exactly accustomed to dealing with.
But while keeping a positive outlook at the USAT Southwest Regional Sprint Triathlon in Santa Cruz on Aug. 9, Jones finished first for her 45-49 year old age group in one hour, 21 minutes and 45.2 seconds.
It may have been a fluke that she even entered the race, but beating her nearest competitor, Shelly Taylor (1:24:19.5), by nearly three minutes doesn’t appear to have occurred by accident; Jones’ split times after each leg of the race were the most consistent among the 20 or so other competitors within her age group. In fact, Jones’ splits through 700 yards of swimming (13:16.0), 12 miles of biking (36:20.9) and 3.5 miles of running (28.42.0) were each ranked second fastest in the 45-49 year old age group, and easily equaled Jones’ overall first-place finish.
“How ’bout that?” Jones said. “I was more surprised than anybody.”
Jones’ shocked reaction following her victory in Santa Cruz was partly due to the week leading up to the race, when Jones said she felt unmotivated to compete in that weekend’s triathlon. Perhaps as a result of over-training in the previous weeks, and not to mention a hectic work schedule – Jones is a registered nurse in the emergency room at Hazel Hawkins – the Hollister resident of six years cut her normal training schedule considerably in the days before the Santa Cruz sprint.
“Maybe it was a taper, but it was unintended,” she said. “I was burnt out and not motivated and that happens sometimes.
“The race was on Sunday, but even on Wednesday I was not feeling good.”
The lighter training schedule (normally biking approximately 110 miles a week, for example, Jones only biked 30 miles that week) may have actually paid off, though, while Jones found motivation from her mother, who had been urging her to go.
Competing in a considerably shorter sprint triathlon, Jones’ mother said, should be no sweat for an athlete trained to compete in full Ironmans.
“She motivated me to go,” Jones said. “I didn’t train as much that week, but I had fresh legs and I wasn’t overly fatigued.”
While there is another sprint triathlon slated for September in Pleasanton, Jones is also gearing up for the Ford Ironman Arizona, which is scheduled for November in Tempe.
The local triathlete will be building up her training sessions as the weeks progress, working up to two and a half miles of swimming, six hours of biking and three hours of running as the November Ironman nears, and the stage distances drastically increase.
But she’s more accustomed to those type of races anyway.
