Vineman Ironman 70.3 - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Guerneville, California
United States
Vineman, Inc.
65F / 18C
Overcast
Total Time = 5h 26m 28s
Overall Rank = 434/1196
Age Group = M30-34
Age Group Rank = 96/240
Pre-race routine:

Transition here did not close in the morning and I was not scheduled to start until 7:58am so I had no need to be there at 5:30 when transition opened. I woke up about 5:30 with plans to leave the B&B at 6:30 to get to the start at 6:45.

I filled a water bottle with 4 scoops of Perpetuem and also ate a piece of toast. Got my bike and my transition bag and rode the 3 miles to the start.
Event warmup:

3 mile bike ride from the B&B to the start. Other than that, nothing.
Swim
  • 38m 4s
  • 1931 meters
  • 01m 58s / 100 meters
Comments:

This was a great swim for me. I was expecting to be done somewhere around 40 or 42 minutes so coming in at 38 was a huge surprise. I was able to get into a rhythm quickly. I begain breathing every other stroke from the start rather than trying to go every third as in past races. I was also able to get some space and only took one minor kick to the face. I grabbed feet where I could and was able to avoid getting into too much traffic.

The center of the course was super shallow and people were actually getting up and walking right down the bouy line. Pretty annoying as I was swimming right on line. I had to dodge some of these walkers and was cut off at least once by one of them. Somehow that just doesn't seem fair. It's a swim, not a wade. If you need to stand for rest or safety, fine, stand in the neutral area between the out and back bouys. But people should not be allowed to advance down the course if they're not swimming.
What would you do differently?:

nothing.
Transition 1
  • 03m 36s
Comments:

This was a slow transition because we had to bag up our stuff so it could be transported to Windsor where T2 and the finish were located.

I was so excited about my swim time, I was talking to Robin the entire way up to my bike rack and forgot to start stripping the wetsuit. Then, the transition area was so rocky, I actually sat down to brush off my feet and put on my socks. I was sitting there saying to myself "Your one of those people who sits in transition...it's a race. Get up and hurry." But I figured having rockless shoes was better than the alternative.
What would you do differently?:

not sit. get the wetsuit off quicker.
Bike
  • 2h 53m 5s
  • 56 miles
  • 19.41 mile/hr
Comments:

The bike was pretty good. Almost as soon as I got onto the bike in the race, i noticed that I had reattached the stem off center. This had the effect of making me twist slightly to me left the entire ride. Not ideal, but not a gmae-breaker as I was relatively comfortable during the ride.

The distance seemed slightly longer than the Longhorn last year even though the longhorn ride was actually 57 miles rather than 56. I think this was because of the early hills and the slower pace to start. The first half of the Longhorn is fairly flat and fast.

I paced myself well on the bike. The temperature was so cool that my toes and ankles were cold in the wind. I did stop once to use the port-can because the race rules said we'd be DQ'ed if we peed on the side of the road and I wasn't about to pee on myself. I'm racing, but I'm not going to medal so I'll just stop for a minute.

By the time I got off the bike, I was ready to run, so I take that to mean my effort was on pace for what I wanted. I would have liked to go a bit faster on average, but I have only been riding once a week so I think the lack of training hurt me.
What would you do differently?:

Train more for the bike and check the equipment better before the race.
Transition 2
  • 03m 17s
Comments:

Another long transition chute so the time was poor. I also chose to put on fresh socks here which I think was a good move considering the cold toes and the rocky T1. I didn't want to get blisters or rocks in my shoes that I would tolerate on shorter runs.

Fairly quick in the transition area. I did lose my film case full of salt tabs somewhere near the end of the ride or the run into T2. With the split transition areas, I didn't have my normal salt tab waiting for me on my towel. Luckily, it wasn't hot so cramping wasn't as significant an issue.

Note to self - change socks at T2 for longer runs.
What would you do differently?:

Find a better way to hold onto salt tabs. 2 70.3 races...2 lost stores of tablets.

Run
  • 1h 48m 24s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 08m 16s  min/mile
Comments:

So the run leg is begging to be my best on a consistent basis. My time here was great. I started to cramp around mile 4 and slowed my pace from 8 per to about 8.5 per mile. I had no salt tabs to I thought I would try coke since they were passing it out and I had heard it works. Well, sure enough, it got me through. I grabbed Gatorade and Coke at the middle aid stations for electrolytes and carbs. I got past the cramping and started to feel great around Mile 6 as we ran through the La Crema Winery. The way back I kept drinking at every other station to make sure I kept the cramping at bay. I didn't feel it again until I turned up the pace at mile 12.

I did stop for a second bathroom break around mile 5. This let me pee and gave my legs one minute to fight off the fatigue.

I passed a lot of folks on the run and kept a close watch on my splits. I was slower by a few seconds a mile between 8 and 12, but I finished strong. I knew with about 3 to go that I'd finish inside of 5'30". I knew then, based on how I felt, it was going to be a great race.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing except try to hold onto my salt tabs.
Post race
Warm down:

None. I saw Robin in the finishing chute and looked for her as soon as I got my chip off. Walked through the photo for hire booth, grabbed my medal and water and that was it. A couple Veggie burgers later and a really bad tasting bottle of Function Water Drink and I was ready for some Coffee!!!

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Maybe a lack of training on the bike, but other than that, I beat my goals and really felt good. The weather was probably a really big factor in keeping me fast.

Event comments:

Great race. Would definitely do it again.




Last updated: 2008-07-24 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:38:04 | 1931 meters | 01m 58s / 100meters
Age Group: 166/240
Overall: 791/1196
Performance: Good
Suit: sleeveless blue seventy
Course: river swim with pretty much straight out and back. lots of bouys was very helpful for sighting.
Start type: Deep Water Plus:
Water temp: 70F / 21C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Average
Waves: Average Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 03:36
Performance: Below average
Cap removal: Below average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? No Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: Yes
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
02:53:05 | 56 miles | 19.41 mile/hr
Age Group: 119/240
Overall: 525/1196
Performance: Average
Wind: Some
Course: The course had nice rolling hills, some steeper climbs that were relatively short and one significant climb up Chalk Hill at mile 45. About 350 feet rise. After that, it was pretty much downhill for a nice finish.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 03:17
Overall: Average
Riding w/ feet on shoes Average
Jumping off bike Bad
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Average
Running
01:48:24 | 13.1 miles | 08m 16s  min/mile
Age Group: 71/240
Overall: 365/1196
Performance: Good
Course: Rolling hills, one significant climb on the way out. Out and back course. Well marked with ample aid stations.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
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: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 4