Vineman IRONMAN 70.3 - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

Great swim. I did well and came out somewhere near the middle of the pack, 122/242. I was swerving trying to avoid running over the wave that started before ours, but still swam well. Had fun from the moment I got in the water.

Train more, and start closer to the midline, I lost a good bit of time starting outside and working my way toward the midline.

Good transition, but messed up by not having Garmin 305 running while swimming, so lost thirty seconds doing that before I took off.

Start Garmin prior to going in the water

Great ride, but I felt the back issues creeping as I hammered up Chalk Hill, and starting on the downslope I spent 90% of my time out of the saddle trying to get the back stretched.

Thanks to living in Santa Barbara I was well prepared for the hills, the guys that blew past me on the flats got blown past on the hills which I am very happy about. I was still having fun 2/3 of the way up chalk hill, so I know that my hill training is good, but will be better.

I had a bad crash that threw my training for a loop, however more race pace over distance rides would have cured the back issues, I think

Fast as I am capable, but at this time I knew there was trouble ahead with the back, but I kept moving until........

nothing in T2, damn near perfect

My back became useless as I hit mile marker 2, I literally could not hold my upper body up. When I leaned down to stretch I had to go to a knee and use an armo to lift my upper body over my hips and then stand. It was just pitiful, I was hardly working at all to move, but could go no faster. The up hills were the worst, because they cause you to lean forward a bit.

At mile 4 I was lying on my back trying to stretch when an angel stopped and gave me some aleve and something to help with cramps. Ufortunatly that didn't kick in until mile 11, but after that I ran a sub 7:30 pace the last two miles.


Do more longer rides in aero at race pace to get my back prepared for that effort. My legs were almost as fresh as when I woke up that morning, but couldn't use them because of my back issues.

But when I lost a month of training to my wreck a while back I told my wife and buddies that I would consider it a sucessful race if I could have a smile on my face at the finish, and I was smiling like a puppy with two peters!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ate like a pig then napped on the bus on the way back to my truck at the swim start. Then met my buddy who was working run station 2 with his two daughters and we headed to his house so I could shower, ice bath, and eat before making the seven hour drive home last night.


Back issues 100%, I could have busted out a sub 5hr time had I not had the back issues, however am ok with that. I learned a valuable lesson and will take it to heart, and next year at Wildflower and here again I will do what I am capable of.


Awesome race, I doubt there is anything out there run better with better people, and I will be back again next year. But this was my first tri, so what the hell do I know?