Vineman Ironman 70.3 - Triathlon1/2 Ironman


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Guerneville, California
United States
Vineman, Inc.
85F / 29C
Sunny
Total Time = 5h 34m 4s
Overall Rank = 423/2100
Age Group = 40-44
Age Group Rank = 87/247
Pre-race routine:

I had a late start (7:58), so I got up at 4:30, ate some granola/yogurt mix, and went back to sleep until 6:00. Ate a bagel, felt stressed and tired and couldn't eat any more. I had water and carb loaded all week, I was trusting that preloaded stores would suffice. They did.
Event warmup:

We were told not to enter T1 early if we had a later start (Race started at 6:30). I went down at 7:10 only to find the place packed and no place to rack my bike. I guess I was the only one who took that advice. Finally squeaked in between two nice people and ran to bathroom. Got in a fast line. Got back, organized T1, put on cap right when we got called into the water. Nervous, but but ready. No warm up--I wanted to use whatever I had in the race.
Swim
  • 37m 35s
  • 1931 meters
  • 01m 57s / 100 meters
Comments:

Great swim for me. This is my worst event, and I had my fastest time ever. 8 minutes between waves was perfect. More people than any race I've ever been in, but I had clean water the whole time. I stayed against the bank both ways so sighting was easy, even if I swam a little farther. Couldn't have been happier--and that calmed me down.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing
Transition 1
  • 04m 39s
Comments:

This was long!Long run to the bike. Sand and rocks. Lots of people and bikes. Very crowded. I had to sit down and towel off all the sand before I could get shoes on. Then it was a long run with the bike. But, I was so happy with my swim I didn't care.
What would you do differently?:

Get a better bike position. Have water to pour on feet for dirt.
Bike
  • 2h 47m 19s
  • 56 miles
  • 20.08 mile/hr
Comments:

Mile 5-15 was very technical, but actually not as bad on the bike as it appeared in the car. At mile 15 my derailer broke so I rode 41 miles on the lower sprocket. This cost me time on many hills, but probably saved my legs a bit for the run. I was spinning a lot--must have looked a bit comical at times. My chain also fell off once when I was trying to force the sprocket change.
What would you do differently?:

It was a good race. It was a new bike--I was not quite used to it. I found out after the race all I needed to do was tighten an allen nut on the shifters--oops, that probably cost me 15-20 minutes on the bike.
Transition 2
  • 04m 23s
Comments:

Okay--my time was terrible. I usually average 1:30 on t2, but I had a long run with the bike, a long run out, and I had to pee--so I waited in line for the outhouse. I also shot the breeze briefly with another racer.eOh well. I was ahaed of my goal, even with my problems.
What would you do differently?:

I wish I had biked the course ahead of time, but this was not possible this trip. Also, perhaps not drink so much on the bike? Actually, I wasn't rushing--I wanted the run to be good.
Run
  • 1h 59m 47s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 09m 08s  min/mile
Comments:

I had only done 1 70.3 before (good swim, great bike--terrible run. I threw up and overheated in 100 degree weather). I just wanted to run as long as possible, not overheat and try for under 2 hours. I said to myself no walking until the turn around. I walked in the aid stations just long enough to drink and get ice. At mile 7 I started to get hot. At mile 10 I was done. I tried to a new strategy--run 2 minutes, walk 30 seconds. At mile 12 this turned into run 2, walk 1. Still, I finished strong and under 2 hours!
What would you do differently?:

I was happy. I wish I could have made myself run the whole time ( I could have saved 15 minutes), but I just couldn't. I also had a hip injury that started hurting in mile 2, but I pushed it along. All things considered, I was very pleased.
Post race
Warm down:

Drank water, poured water on my head, stretched a little, went to the hotel to take a shower, went wine tasting. I did nothing at the race site--just wanted my wife to start enjoying her vacation. Great dinner in Heladsburg.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Transitions, bike problems, hip issues, lots of people in the way on most parts of the race, especially transitions.

Event comments:

I had all kinds of doubts about the race--bike too technical, rough and dangerous, run too hilly, swim starts made little sense. When the race started, it all played out perfectly. The people who organize this race really knew what they were doing. I repent of my skeptism and give them a 10! I also was happy with my pre-race nutrition, water and taper plan. I think I can go under 5 hours next year with a good training season.




Last updated: 2010-02-11 12:00 AM
Swimming
00:37:35 | 1931 meters | 01m 57s / 100meters
Age Group: 0/247
Overall: 840/2100
Performance: Good
Suit: Full Wetsuit
Course: Down and back on a river. Seven feet deep at max--hit bottom with hand several times
Start type: Deep Water Plus: Waves
Water temp: 75F / 24C Current: Low
200M Perf. Good Remainder: Good
Breathing: Good Drafting: Bad
Waves: Average Navigation: Good
Rounding: Good
T1
Time: 04:39
Performance: Bad
Cap removal: Average Helmet on/
Suit off:
No
Wetsuit stuck? Yes Run with bike: Yes
Jump on bike: No
Getting up to speed: Good
Biking
02:47:19 | 56 miles | 20.08 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/247
Overall: 461/2100
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: Ususally my best event by far. I was nervous when I drove the course the day before. It looked hilly and technical--lots of corners and bad roads.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence: 95
Turns: Average Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
T2
Time: 04:23
Overall: Bad
Riding w/ feet on shoes
Jumping off bike
Running with bike Good
Racking bike Good
Shoe and helmet removal Good
Running
01:59:47 | 13.1 miles | 09m 08s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/247
Overall: 0/2100
Performance: Good
Course: Hilly--It was up and down. There were no bad hills, but very little flat! There was a little shade.
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
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:
Race evaluation [1-5] 5