Ironman 70.3 Vineman - Triathlon


View Member's Race Log View other race reports
Guerneville, California
United States
Vineman, Inc.
75F / 24C
Sunny
Total Time = 5h 28m 34s
Overall Rank = 568/2155
Age Group = M 45-49
Age Group Rank = 75/226
Pre-race routine:

Woke up and had a quick breakfast of a bagel with PB, a banana and OJ. Arrived into T1 several hours before race start since we had to check in/rack our bikes when we arrived in the morning.
Event warmup:

The swim was in waves starting at 6:30am and my wave was not until 8:12am, so I had a long wait and spent the time chatting with other triathletes. It mas my 2nd time getting into a swim wetsuit (1st one was the day before), so I had plenty of time to make sure I put it on correctly. When our wave was due, went into the water which was at a comfortable temp, swam for a minute and waited for the horn to start.
Swim
  • 35m 32s
  • 1931 meters
  • 01m 50s / 100 meters
Comments:

The swim was fun and not as tough since it was in waves. Still got punched/pulled a number of times, but its part of the experience. It was a nice swim going against the current for the 1st half and then returning with the current. The river was really shallow at some spots and you could walk. I learned that it was equally as fast to walk than to swim by watching others, so I took a couple of small walks. It was my 1st swim with a wetsuit and its incredible the buoyancy and speed improvement that you get.
What would you do differently?:

Swim more to get even faster, but happy overall since this was my fastest swim to date!
Transition 1
  • 03m 56s
Comments:

It was my first race wearing a wetsuit (I'm from Guatemala where water is nice and warm!) and had no major issues exiting the water and pulling the wetsuit off. There was a steep short hill at the beginning of the bike start which I chose to run with the bike next to me and it worked out fine.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Bike
  • 2h 52m 28s
  • 56 miles
  • 19.44 mile/hr
Comments:

Beautiful ride through the Sonoma Wine Country which made it really enjoyable through out most of the distance. I was shooting for a faster time, but there were more rolling hills and a few good climbs that added time to my ride. Since I was travelling with my family, to avoid carrying a big box I rented a bike (Cerverlo R3 Roadbike) and had some issues with the shifters, but overall worked well. I was well hydrated as I really had to go to the bathroom just after the first hydration point. Since I did not see anyone was stopping to water the vines, I had to to wait all the way to the second hydration point to use the porta pottie and lost a few minutes in the process.
What would you do differently?:

Train harder on my bike to be able to go longer at a faster pace without killing myself before the run
Transition 2
  • 05m 4s
Comments:

It was a long run to the bike racks and I did run with my cleats in the spirit of shooting for a good time. However, due to my good hydration on the bike, I need to go again to the porta potties and unfortunately there was a line. I lost another 3 minutes here, other than that the transition went well.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Run
  • 1h 51m 34s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 08m 32s  min/mile
Comments:

This is one of the few times were I felt really good coming off the bike and started running at a faster pace than I had originally planned. It was sunny and getting really hot by the time I started the run (I was one of the last swim waves), but there was a sporadic cool breeze which helped. I felt good for most of the run and was able to keep my pace almost steady for a good finish of 1:51 (my best run in a HIM)
What would you do differently?:

Train more to be able to go even faster. Improve nutrition/hydration at the end as I really felt weak at the end, but was able to push it to the finish line.
Post race
Warm down:

Said hi to mi wife and kids who were outside of the tri finishers corral. Met with a few friends for pictures and sat down for some food and water. Caught up with my family, went to shower, change and then out for beers and wine tasting (well earned and tasted so good!)

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Limited training time for this event along with an international trip to Taiwan the week before which did not help. But overall I felt good and I was able to achieve a new PR of 5:28 (26% percentile in the Overall, 33% in AG) and 13 min less on a tougher course from my previous PR.

Event comments:

Beautiful race through the Sonoma Wine Country, very well organized and with lots of great volunteers. I was travelling with my family and the race was even better than we expected. It is a must do and I plan to do it again sometime in the near future.


Profile Album


Last updated: 2012-11-28 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:35:32 | 1931 meters | 01m 50s / 100meters
Age Group: 69/226
Overall: 596/2155
Performance: Good
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/347264976
Suit: Wetsuit
Course: A 1 loop course in the Russian River
Start type: Wade Plus:
Water temp: 74F / 23C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Good
Waves: Navigation: Average
Rounding: Average
T1
Time: 03:56
Performance: Average
Cap removal: Good Helmet on/
Suit off:
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed:
Biking
02:52:28 | 56 miles | 19.44 mile/hr
Age Group: 103/226
Overall: 709/2155
Performance: Average
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/347264985
Wind: Some
Course: Beautiful one loop course through the wine country of Sonoma County with a good number of small rolling hills and a few good climbs.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Average Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Too much
T2
Time: 05:04
Overall: Good
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike Average
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
01:51:34 | 13.1 miles | 08m 32s  min/mile
Age Group: 60/226
Overall: 556/2155
Performance: Good
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/347264997
Course: Mostly rural roads with a decent number of rolling hills and a few miles of dirt road inside of La Crema Winery
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 5