Full Vineman Triathlon : Official Thread (Page 2)

nerdjock - 2011-12-13 10:19 AM I've heard good things about the brown dogs from Slayer 

Really?  He must have been talking about my wife.  I'm kicking his rear in run volume right now and it doesn't look like he is enjoying it! 

I think Clif Bloks are just as good.  I prefer either. 

Name:  Christina

Location: Glenwood Springs, CO

First Ironman (if no, how many): Yes! 

Why did you sign up?: I've been wanting to do a full ever since my first Half in 2010. A skiing knee injury stopped me last year, but bring it on this year! I picked this one for it's location near a good friend from college and for a neat mini vacation.

What questions do you have:   How is the bike course and the water temp? Also what hotels are recommended?

What is your goal?:  Cross the finish line!

Where is everyone staying or thinking about staying?

We will be in Santa Rosa for Friday and Saturday, and on the coast for the rest of the trip.

And along those lines - any restaurant recommendations?  Where is a good place to eat/drink beer after the race?  (Assuming all goes well that day.)

Just got registered so I'll be back for a second year.  Here's a little race report from last year... happy to answer any questions I can.  Thanks, and look forward to seeing you guys there...

http://www.trinottobefat.com/2011/08/full-vineman-2011-race-report.html

Thanks for the race report.  It's one of the best I've ever read.

+2 on being prepared for cooler temps in the later evening.  All I'd read about before last year was how scorching hot it was.  I did not even bring a jacket.  Luckily, the night before the race after dinner, the fog came in early and it got really cold.  Found a sporting goods store and bought a long sleeve pullover for my special needs bag.  I would have froze without it.

Couple other things I thought about.  In T1, they let you hand your wetsuit/googles to someone over the fence.  Was really handy to just toss my stuff to my wife instead of stuffing it into a bag.

I almost missed the bike special needs bag area.  Make sure you know where it is (near mile 58).  What caught me was that it was on a downhill stretch so was moving pretty fast.  Blew right by it.  I stopped and a volunteer (bless them) ran my bag to me so I wouldn't have to turn around and ride back.

We are starting to think about plane tickets.  When are most of you planning to arrive? We are thinking Wednesday night. 

Are you flying into Oakland?  San Francisco?  Sacramento?

Thanks!

We are flying from Atlanta to San Francisco, and getting a rental car. 

I can't believe we are almost 5 months out.  I need to sit down and pull the training plan together.

Finally pulled the trigger on this race. We're arriving on Thursday and plan to stay until Tuesday.  

Name: Jessica

Location: San Diego, CA

First Ironman (if no, how many):  This will be my second, I did IMAZ in 2009.

Why did you sign up: I did Barb's race (the women's half iron distance) last year and really enjoyed the course. I considered doing the full event last year but wasn't properly trained. I'm in 2012.

What is your goal? I would love to beat my Arizona time (13:54) and develop my running more.

What is the best way to do this?  Overall volume, consistency, or long runs?

I'm hoping to get more run volume in. For my last Ironman I ran 3-4 times a week (1-2 short, 1 medium, 1 long).  I would like to go 1 short, 2 medium, and 1 long, then maybe add another run day.

My short runs are off the bike once a week, I could toss in another one as a mid week brick. Thanks for the advice.

I was talking with a buddy yesterday who has done Vineman.  His advice for the bike was to stick with the non-shady parts of the road because the shady parts have roots poking the pavement up.  Good to know!

I like the short brick runs.  They feel like "free" runs.

Name:  Christian

Location: Irvine, CA

First Ironman (if no, how many):  This will be my first! New to triathlon in 2012.

Why did you sign up?: I told myself I'd do at least one before I turned 30 and Location, Location, Location.

What questions do you have: Is peeing while on the bike bad etiquette?

What is your goal?:  To Finish and enjoy the journey. Trying not to put a time # on it, but something around 10 hours would be kind of sexy.