![]() Swim
Comments: This is my first deep water start. As I have mentioned in other race reports, i don't avoid the crowd because I don't mind the contact. A deep water start is much less hectic that a running start. Almost anticlimactic. I start off with my snail's pace and am quickly left behind anyways. At one point after crossing under the Highway 116 bridge I felt my fingertips brush gravel on the river bottom. This continued on for a few hundred yards. Visibility is such that you can't see the bottom, but its very definitely right there. Slow steady progress up the river and back down. I certainly won't set any records but I will for damned sure finish this, I realize as I corner the far buoys on the second and last lap. I had nighmares about sighting problems during the swim..... never realized. I had nightmareas about tiring during the swim and being unable to finish...... never materialized. I HAVE FINISHED THE SWIM! Piece of cake from here, right? What would you do differently?: I trained only for endurance due to my somewhat short training period for this race. I am a very slow swimmer at 2:10/100 or more. I will focus on speed drills in the upcoming year. ![]() Transition 1
Comments: Lost my bodyglide somewhere in transit. This caused my wetsuit to stick on my wrists and ankles. I didn't attempt to rush the transition. Both of these factor into my somewhat lackluster time. What would you do differently?: Same list of things, besides the obvious, don't forget your bodyglide.... Practice with no socks, get that "strap into shoes while undeway" thing figured out, etc. ![]() Bike
Comments: I went out a bit too tentative on this, I think. I was concerned about conserving my energy. Yeah.... but for WHAT? There is no run. Get after it, Bill, for crying out loud! I wake up to this reality sometime during the second lap and go to work on my speed and cadence. I had trained at distances of up to 100 miles in preparation for this. What's the difference between 100 and 112, right? Well let me tell ya. The last twelve miles takes (mentally) about two and a half times as long as the first 100. To me, the entire race occured during the last twelve miles. I set my sights somewhat arbitrarily on a guy in my age group and ran him down and passed him. He, evidently not being one to surrender, gave chase. Back and forth, he and I traded positions about five times, i'll bet, during that last half hour or so. I found an energy cache somewhere and in a final surge, I passed him for good in the last few miles and finished before him.... YES! Victory is MINE! But then I quickly realized that he wasn't an aquabiker and was going on now to finish the job with a nice brisk marathon.... I'm not worthy.... I'm not worthy...... What would you do differently?: I would train and register for the full event. Also, i would start out harder and maintain a higher effort level throughout. ![]() Post race
Warm down: Stumbled over the finish line, completely spent from the efforts leading to my pyrrhic victory at the end of the bike. Gallows walked over to the food tent and ate everything in sight. What limited your ability to perform faster: Adequate training. Event comments: Wow. I have never worked so hard and felt so hollow at the end. Don't get me wrong, this is in no part due to any lack of organization on behalf of the race director or dissappointment in the event itsself. The race course is gorgeous. This was a supremely well organized and run event on a par with Wildflower. The ambivelence exists in my mind because I started with the Ironman distance guys and hung it up after the bike. It felt to me like quitting. Mind you, not that I was in any kind of physical shape to complete the run, but still..... Completing the aquabike....It's like being elected student body president in your senior year of high school, but only for the summerschool session. I stand in awe of anyone who can go on from where i left off to finish the run. What a staggering accomplishment. I have a new goal. I would like to return here to Sonoma next year trained and ready for the full Vineman event, compete in it and finish it. Last updated: 2007-06-19 12:00 AM
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United States
Vineman Inc
85F / 29C
Sunny
Overall Rank = 38/65
Age Group = 30 - 39
Age Group Rank = 4/7
Vineman Aquabike. In my mind, like the unleaded, decaffienated and non-alchaholic, watered down version of Full Vineman. Swim 2.4 miles, ride 112 miles and then sit back and thank effing god that you are not with those other guys tring to trudge your way through a 26.2 mile run.....
What makes me think I'm ready for an iron distance event of any kind? I have at least one dream per night, every night for the last four weeks..... about not finishing this race, or being late for the start or, get this, getting shot at with sprearguns by my father during the swim just to "toughen me up" for the actual event...... Insane. That's the word that keeps coming into my head. This. Vineman, albeit Aquabike, but still, Vineman, me, insane. Swim 2.4, ride 112, on the precise one year anniversary of my first ever triathlon, insane. Right. A scant sixteen months ago I was a nacho cheese dorito, pizza, and beer quaffing couch dweller who could barely fathom the thought of walking out to the car to get another bag of chips and now I dare to toe the starting line with Ironmen? To say I am a victim of self doubt would be a vast understatement.
Nonetheless, we're going. Spare no expense this time. We're flying up to Northern California. Peedra has been no end of patient with me as I crammed the entirety of my training for this into the six weeks prior. Whereas I would have been just as happy staying at at a Travelodge, I booked a room at a bed and breakfast and even scheduled some time for Peedra at the local spa so she had something to do during the race. Very patient with me, her. My training for this, and believe me I had a LOOONG way to go, peaked at over 20 hours per week. Its as if i haven't seen her at all in the last six weeks.
Flying up, dilemma #1. Get the bike there. Sh*t. Take the bike apart and put it in a bike duffle bag that I borrowed form a friend. This presents a minor point of stress. I need to take apart things I have never taken apart before. I can't help but repeatedly play back a scene from a kitschy 80's "B" movie wherein Michael J Fox has his car repaired and the mechanic hands him the keys to his car and a bag containing all the "leftover parts". Good. Now in addition to all of my other megrims, I have dreams now about my bike not going back together correctly.
We fly up, Southwest, uneventful, save for the part where I watch the baggage handlers fairly hurl the duffle bag containing my bike onto the conveyer belt and into the plane. (I really, really hope that shattering glass sound I heard when my bag hit the belt was my imagination). Rent a car, uneventful. Drive to Forestville, to Case Ranch Inn, uneventful (nice place. I recommend it to anyone who participates in Vineman. Its halfway between the race start and race finish and the inn keeper, Diana, great lady. Sympathetic to the needs of Vineman competitors too...) Upon our arrival, I may have grunted a few words to Peedra and the inn keeper but then went immediately to survey the damage to my bike and attempt to rebuild it.
About an hour later, mission accomplished. Zero spare parts. The bike came out of the bag in the same amount of pieces that it went in evidently.
The day before the race (did I mention Peedra's patience with me?) I swam every yard of the course in the Russian River and drove every inch of the bike route. This took virtually all day.
As a side note, what a wonderfully pleasant swim course this is in the Russian River. Shallow, calm, no current. No pirhanas. No crocodiles. No seamonsters of any kind. Wonderful swim underscored by the knowledge that if you so choose to stand up at any point, the water is likely only waist deep, if even that. I know, i know, water depth makes no difference at all, of course i know. Nonetheless, if this is your first full iron distance open water swim, the knowledge that you are swimming in about 36 inches of water average is a HUGE confidence builder, even if you never do stop.
The package pickup and check-in the day before the race was fine. The pre-race meeting was fine and well organized. All of this is as should be expected from a race that is in its 18th or so year of existence. Lots and lots of practice and it shows. Good. Well organized, clean and efficient.
During the race briefing it was announced that wetsuits would be allowed. Phew, thank god. The water temps in the days leading to the race were flirting with the 78% no wetsuits limit. I was hoping wetsuits would be allowed....... wait... I think....kinda. After all, had I not trained without a wetsuit? What happens if I wear my wetsuit and I get tired sooner from the increased resistence.... wait, what if I can't wear a wetsuit and thus gain no additional floatation advantage... I can't even make up my mind which direction to focus my own self doubt.... dammit!
I am no end of apprehensive about my ability to complete the swim. I've never swam this distance in open water before.
Race day, we wake up late, drive the short distance to the race start. I rack and prepare just in time for the race start.
None. Not really. Just in time delivery of this angst ridden triathlete to transition area and swim start as it turns out.