Ironman 70.3 Vineman : Official Thread (Page 2)

From the official forum over on active.com:

OFFICIAL 2014 Water Condition Thread

June 18th:

The Temporary Dam has been installed @ Johnsons Beach

* The entire Dam is not contructed so there are some shallow places near the 2nd bridge and 1000 meters up river ... it is swimmable ... once the final pieces fo the Dam are constructed it will be considerably deeper

* Water Temperature at 8am this morning = 70 degree's

http://community.active.com/message/1387517#1387517

Yup! Time to taper down! :D

OFFICIAL 2014 Water Condition Thread

JUNE 30th

* The Dam is fully constructed so water levels are normal

* Water Temperature @ 8am this morning = 73 degree's

Wow, better not overheat if using a fullsuit.

Normal water levels? How deep will the shallowest parts be?

I'll bring my sleeveless, but at that temp I'm likely to just go without a wetsuit.

The shallowest spots will probably be somewhere around 2 feet deep, if it's like it was in 2012. You will, almost guaranteed, have to stand at the turn-around buoy.

Thanks!

Heading up today and the weather predictions are showing it to be in the high 80s around 1pm ish. It's still gonna be hot! hehehe

Heading up tomorrow morning - can't wait! Hoping to make the welcome reception that night.

Heading out in a couple of hours. We are staying in Windsor, about a mile from the finish.

I'm planning on heading down tomorrow morning for the wetsuit demo / practice swim. My wife saw a post on another site where they said the water was around 3 feet deep at the shallow spots, and lots of plant growth in the water near the bridge by the start.

Good luck to all who are racing!

Chris

We're here in Santa Rosa! Anyone know of a local place that can look at my bike quickly? I have to reassemble it and want a mechanic to give it the once over, but I don't want to wait till Saturday.

NorCal bike sport. One of the race sponsors.

How did everyone's races go? Just missed my sub 6hr goal...6:04:15. More heat and hills than I expected on the run. Some wind on the bike. I was one of the later waves to start (at 8:06).

I started an hour earlier than you, and boy was I glad I did. It was definitely hot out there once it hit noon or so. The weather is always a gamble at Vineman. Two days before the race it was a perfect mid-70s, yesterday was mid-80s, and today it's mid-90s at 2 PM.

I had a decent swim (39:28) and a good bike (2:56:26 w/bathroom stop), but my run was bad (as expected). I did something to my right knee a week or two ago, and could not do anything more than a run/walk for the entire race. I ended up with a 2:42:34 half marathon, for my slowest run at any of my HIMs. I was also the lucky recipient of a nice sunburn from the run

I enjoy this race and will most likely be back again next year. Chalk Hill was bigger than I remember, but I know I did less hill training this year than in my previous race year.

Oh I had a tough day.We didn't swim till 8:12. I had gone to the practice swim, thank god, so I knew about all the rocks (beach??). I didn't believe the 2 feet at the turn around till I saw it! Tried to swim but it was just too shallow. I did 37:00. Was hoping for 35:00, but it is what it is!I loved the bike course, especially Westside. That was fun! I had an ave of 19.5 mph but the first hill brought it down to 19. Then I just felt tired. The rough roads did me in. My legs were tired. Chalk Hill wasn't bad but when you're already tired, it finished the job. Managed 2:58. The run? Brutal. I think I took off after what felt like a mile transition at around 12, when people were finishing. Wow, hot and hilly. And I missed spectators. Fortunately I got to pet a dog and a horse, pop some bubble wrap with my feet, and watch the airplanes. And chat with a few folks. That last mile I willed myself to finish and collapsed in a heap after the finish. Overall was 6:02. So close to 6... But I'm proud of myself since I had given all that I could.I'm a bit disappointed they didn't have an onsite mechanic the day before. I ended up paying $30 to Echelon just to get my rear derailleur tweaked. And what's up with no free 5-10 minute massage? I wasn't paying for one! Oh, got locked out of the first meeting at 9:33. So we waited and went in at 9:57. And sat. And sat. What happened to meetings at every 30 min? It didn't start till 10:30. That was annoying bc they were announcing otherwise. Finally it was hoping to get a visor at the finish (I've gotten them at Eman and Longhorn) but no, just a medal. So we got a shirt, cheapo drawstring bag, and rice, one gu, and one packet of pills? A little disappointing.I did love the actual race, and thought it was run smoothly. But missing a few perks to make it special. In any case, I was glad I did it, since it was on my bucket list. Even cried a little at the finish. followed it up with on and out burger--OMG thank goodness we don't have those on the East Coast!

I'm just back from the Vineman and had a fine time...minus that fact that I had a DNF! I got to Chalk Hill on the bike and got cramped big time. My bike split tanked at that point, and while I made it back from the back, the "special combination" of heat and cramps made me decide to forgo the run. It was a tough decision to make, but I've done little training in the heat this year and have run the Vineman before and know that it can get pretty hot on the unshaded run. I have to tell you though, it was a tough decision to make!!

That said, I think this is a great course overall and I look forward to doing it again. I've really not cracked the code on the swim, inasmuch as I still end up finding the really shallow part of the river near the turnaround. I was told this year the river was pretty low compared to others years, but I never really go there thinking I'm going to have a fast swim time.

If you are considering the Vineman Half though and want a very safe swim, this is the place for you! As they say in the Mandatory Safety session on Saturday, "if you have trouble on the swim, just stand up or swim a few yards to the shore and grab a branch". Very safe indeed.

Bike course is my favorite of all time. Coming from the flatlands of Chicago, I know that I need to change my bike training plan for next year's Vineman. Personally, I find the course pretty hilly, and a few are real challenges. I do enjoy the course overall, but make sure you spend some time doing hill rides someplace. But for overall beauty and excellent conditions, I think the bike is fantastic at the Vineman.

I can't comment on the run this year, unfortunately. But overall, I think the run is where the wild card of the heat has the most potential to impact your time. There were a lot of people laid out in the "medical center", which was where packet pickup is on Saturday. I can't say that I was too surprised by that, and honestly wondered if I would have possibly ended up there given that it was about 90 by early afternoon. Even though I take S!Caps for electrolytes, I''mI rethinking my strategy on how much to take. My first experience with serious cramping was at the Air Force marathon about 5 years ago (88 degrees and humid that day), and since then I've taken salt tabs on the really hot days when biking or running.

Anyway, that's my day at the races in Guerneville/Windsor. Was sorry to get the DNF, but felt like I learned a few valuable lessons I thought I'd share. Mostly make sure your training represents the course (most of my bike training this year has been non-hill), and make sure you're ready for the weather, especially if it gets to be high temps.

All the best and good luck on your races this summer/year.

Tom

I'm just back from the Vineman and had a fine time...minus that fact that I had a DNF! I got to Chalk Hill on the bike and got cramped big time. My bike split tanked at that point, and while I made it back from the back, the "special combination" of heat and cramps made me decide to forgo the run. It was a tough decision to make, but I've done little training in the heat this year and have run the Vineman before and know that it can get pretty hot on the unshaded run. I have to tell you though, it was a tough decision to make!!

That said, I think this is a great course overall and I look forward to doing it again. I've really not cracked the code on the swim, inasmuch as I still end up finding the really shallow part of the river near the turnaround. I was told this year the river was pretty low compared to others years, but I never really go there thinking I'm going to have a fast swim time.

If you are considering the Vineman Half though and want a very safe swim, this is the place for you! As they say in the Mandatory Safety session on Saturday, "if you have trouble on the swim, just stand up or swim a few yards to the shore and grab a branch". Very safe indeed.

Bike course is my favorite of all time. Coming from the flatlands of Chicago, I know that I need to change my bike training plan for next year's Vineman. Personally, I find the course pretty hilly, and a few are real challenges. I do enjoy the course overall, but make sure you spend some time doing hill rides someplace. But for overall beauty and excellent conditions, I think the bike is fantastic at the Vineman.

I can't comment on the run this year, unfortunately. But overall, I think the run is where the wild card of the heat has the most potential to impact your time. There were a lot of people laid out in the "medical center", which was where packet pickup is on Saturday. I can't say that I was too surprised by that, and honestly wondered if I would have possibly ended up there given that it was about 90 by early afternoon. Even though I take S!Caps for electrolytes, I''mI rethinking my strategy on how much to take. My first experience with serious cramping was at the Air Force marathon about 5 years ago (88 degrees and humid that day), and since then I've taken salt tabs on the really hot days when biking or running.

Anyway, that's my day at the races in Guerneville/Windsor. Was sorry to get the DNF, but felt like I learned a few valuable lessons I thought I'd share. Mostly make sure your training represents the course (most of my bike training this year has been non-hill), and make sure you're ready for the weather, especially if it gets to be high temps.

All the best and good luck on your races this summer/year.

Tom

 Hi All!

I had a fun time out there.  Of course, I went off at 7:54, so by the time I got out on the run, it was a bit "warm"  But that being said, had a great time.  Missed my PB by 3 minutes, so that was a bit disappointing, but feel good with how I placed overall in the category, as well as how I felt after the race. 

Not sure about the what or the why, but was having a numb foot issue during the run, so had to stop for a few seconds every couple of miles to stretch and get feeling back.  Was it just me, or was it super hot in La Crema?

Found a great Pinot at Ikedas in Auburn from La Crema, so of course I had to buy it.

Headed up to Tahoe that afternoon for more course recon for the week in prep for IM Tahoe.  took about 2 days to be "recovered"

Best of luck to everyone for the rest of the season.

I am glad I got to do this race, and look forward to doing it again someday.

 

Ride your ride, race your race, and keep livin your dreams!

Edited by odanelli 2014-07-21 12:54 PM