Race Report - Vineman 70.3

The day before the race we drove over to Santa Rosa and traffic just plain sucked. It was slow on route 80 the whole way so we got off in Napa and went over on route 12. Vineman Half is a point-to-point race so you have to go to Windsor HS and set up your T2 stuff the day before, so we headed to the HS, I made it through registration and set up my shoes, hat, and gels. Then we went to the hotel in Santa Rosa and had dinner. Nothing fancy before the race - trying to stick to the same routine.

Race morning I wanted to get there fairly early so we could get a parking spot and I could get a spot in transition. You take your bike in the morning and there are ~2000 athletes, so the transition area can get pretty crowded. We got there around 6 and I was in transition by like 6:20 and was setting up when the pro wave started. Lots of big-time pros in this race, especially in the women's field this year. So I got things set up and went down to meet the family so we could watch the pros come out of the water. Pretty cool to see because they do the swim in like 23 minutes. So we saw them come out and then I went to get in line at the port-a-potty. I made it through the line in about 15 minutes and then went back down to the family. One little side note is that I had developed a strange rash around my eye and wasn't sure how my goggles would feel. Well, when I put them on, it didn't feel that bad... and sorry to be on the gross side, but it did pop one of the little blisters of the rash. I knew this wasn't a good sign (more on that later)

About 20 minutes before my wave (at 7:58), I put on my wetsuit. Here are a couple of pre-race pix:







Then I made my way down to the water and they ushered us in for my wave. My AG has a ton of people, so they split us up into like 3-4 waves. I was in the first one. Here's a shot right before the start. I'm the one with my arms up (duh).


Swim:

Then we were off. I wasn't sure where to seed myself this time around. I know I am significantly faster this year than last year, so I went with the outside, just after the first row. I had a few people behind me bump into me and I bumped into a few guys, but overall it wasn't horrible. It thinned out a bit on the way down to the turn-around and for the most part, I was able to find a decent rhythym and just concentrated on my form - mainly not creating drag with my left hand/arm and being smooth with good body position. I have only been breathing on what was my weak side for the last 3 weeks or so, so I a decided to stick with that since it has made me (I think) more efficient. I was sighting about every 6 strokes just to make sure I stayed as straight as possible. This is a very shallow swim and there are times when you can see the bottom, even in the brownish-green river water, so every year when I get to the turnaround, I walk around the bouys. Everyone else pretty much does too. It gave me a chance to look at my watch, which said 17:48. Last year, I made it to the turnaround in 20:xx (can't remember exactly, but I know it was over 20. The swim back is shorter and also faster because of the current, so I knew I'd have a much better swim than the prior years. In '07, it was about 38 minutes and in '08, it was 37 minutes. My return trip was also quite easy. I meandered over towards the center to take as much advantage of the current as I could and just tried to be smooth, long, and steady. About 200 or so yards from the end, I did bump into somebody from a prior wave and knocked my goggles loose. It wasn't a big deal. I fixed them and then headed for the finish. When I stepped up onto the shore, I had 32:11 on my watch. That is about 5 minutes faster than last year! Excellent progress!! I ran down toward my bike and stopped at the entrance to my row to take my wetsuit off. It took a little longer than usual, but I got it off and then I want to get my bike stuff. I put my socks/shoes on, race belt, helmet, stashed my gels and salt tabs in my pocket and took off. They didn't have a separate swim/T1 time, but based on what they had for my combined time (35:49), I guess my T1 was 3:38. About 30 seconds slower than last year, but I was out on my bike about 4.5 minutes ahead.

Swim split: 32:11 (~51/261 in AG)
T1: 3:38

Bike:

The start of the bike course is up the hill away from the river. Some people run up and clip in at the top. I haven't had a problem in years' past, and I knew my gearing on my bike was set up right, so I clipped one foot in at the bottom and headed up the hill without a problem. The first part of this course (about 5 miles) is on a flat and fast road so I got off to a good start. My goal was to average between 210 and 240 watts and push about 260-270 when cruising on flat roads, so I did that for the first few miles and then made the turn out onto Westside. This road is rolling and technical with little hills and curves, but I kept a decent pace and started passing people. Since my wave was a little late, I was passing a ton of people. In fact, on the whole ride, I think I only got passed 3 times by people I didn't see again. And since the other guys in my AG were starting at least 8 minutes behind me, I knew I didn't want to see them. So on I went, passed the tree that had fallen on the course; not good for the folks there when it happened; I believe somebody crashed and broke a collarbone. For me, since my wave was later, I didn't have a problem getting around it. Next was Dry Creek, which is a bigger road and less technical. A few little rollers, but not very hilly. Then you make a right turn and climb up over the ridge. It is not a steep climb so I stayed in my aero bars and was going like 18-19 most of the way up. Got to the top at like 1:14 into my ride and this is close to the halfway point, so I knew I was doing well so far. Legs were feeling good and I kept pushing. Then down the other side and turned south for the 2nd half of the loop. Through Geyserville and got some water at the aid station. I had been doing my perpetuem and water throughout the bike with 2 gels and that seemed to be working out well, so I grabbed some water, filled my aero bottle and ditched the bottle before leaving the aid station. Seemed to go well and I'll probably use a similar strategy in Louisville. After the aid station, there are relatively flat roads for a while and then a few more rollers. My goal was to get to the top of chalk hill at mile 45 in less than 2 hours and so far I was on pace to do that. I got to chalk hill road and kept motoring. I started that climb at like 1:57 or so and finished it in just about 2 minutes. In that two minutes, I think I passed about 20-30 people. It's not that tough of a climb compared to what I'm used to, but it does come at mile 45. I got to the top in like 1:59 I think. Then it's mostly downhill for 11 miles to the end, so I kept my effort up and cruised in for a 2:28 or so. I was very happy with that since last year was a 2:40 and the year before that was a 2:57! Hopped off my bike and started running down the carpet to the transition area. It's kind of a lengthy run and a bit of a log jam, so I tried to get around people as best I could. I made it in and out of transition in about 2.5 minutes. I think it would've been a lot faster if I hadn't got stuck in traffic (see below - that's me with the red circle on my back and #1721).


But nonetheless, I racked my bike, put my shoes and hat on, swapped gels and was off. Here I am leaving on the run. Still feeling pretty darn good about my bike split and ready to tackle the run!


Bike Split: 2:28:49 (avg 230 watts, 22.6 mph, ~22/261 AG)
T2: 2:27


Run:

You can tell from the picture just how sunny it was and it was already getting hot when I started the run. Last year was much cooler, so I knew I'd have to pay more attention to water. My plan was to do water at every aid station with Gatorade at every 3rd. I also had 2 gels with me and was planning on those at like 5-10 minutes into the run and about 50-55 minutes into the run. And finally, I had some endurolytes, too. Last year, I didn't take any until the run and did have some cramps. This year, I did them during the bike, too, and also on the run and so was hoping to avoid the same fate. I think I lost 2-3 minutes last year just to stretch out the cramps.

I started the run pretty strong and was trying to do the same pace that I normally do on my long tempo runs, which seems to be about 6:45-7:00. I had hopes of breaking 1:30 for this half-marathon, but wasn't sure how I could hang on after the hard effort on the bike. I wasn't doing splits per mile, but was watching to see how far under 7:00 I was overall. In the first few miles, I was right around 15 seconds under (total) and was starting to feel pretty good. Passing people left and right. I could tell, I was much better off for this run this time around compared to last year and miles 3-5 came and went relatively quickly. I was sticking to my plan and not having any issues with cramps. As I neared the turnaround at La Crema winery, I noticed a guy who was 37 ahead. I caught him and ran behind him for just a bit. Then I passed him. However, at the next aid station I stopped to grab a drink real quick for just a few seconds and so was forced to pass him again. However, I knew he had already gained 8 minutes on my because he started in the wave behind me. Nonetheless, he was only one of very few guys I saw out there in my age group. I did see one other 35 year old and flew past him on the run with a little surge to make sure he wouldn't try to stay with me. The middle miles felt really good and I think running with these guys gave me a little extra. So I got to mile 10 at 1:09:30 and was 30 seconds under 7 minute pace. I knew I'd have to pick it up to see if I could break 1:30. That meant I needed to do the last 5K in 20:30. I knew it was possible, but when I started going harder I definitely felt the effort of the day. I didn't think I had it in my but tried to keep pushing up the little hills. Miles 11 and 12 were really hard, but I hung on and then gave it most of what I had to finish off the last mile and a tenth. Once I got close, the adrenalin kicked in and I was cruising... feeling those endorphins, I guess. I didn't make 1:30, but I did break 4:40 for the race!!! I was super-happy with that!!! I knew it was possible when I started the day, but you never know how things will unfold. I crossed the line in 4:38:42.8 according to the official time. I didn't get it on my watch because it conveniently wigged out right when I pushed stop at the end.





Run Split: 1:31:36 (~5/261 AG)

Time: 4:38:42
AG - 12/261 finishers
Overall - 54/~1900 finishers

I felt really good about my race. After getting across the line, I doused myself with water and drank a whole other bottle of water. Then I went to find the fam. Seeing your "support crew" after a race is always the best. After all, none of this self-indulgent, crazy addiction would be possible without their support. My wife is a saint when it comes to this.

In summary, my race was about 24 minutes faster than last year, which was about 24 minutes faster than the year before that, so I am making HUGE progress. This year, I really do feel like one of those faster guys that I used to be amazed with from years past and to finish 12th in this very competetive field, I think is a great result. I was just hoping for top 20-25 or so. A few more minutes faster, and I'm looking at top 7-8 in my AG in that race. If I can translate these gains to Lousville, I think I can have a decent day. And remember the mention about my eye, well it turns out it is shingles with a little side dish of staph infection. I am on serious meds right now and no pool for a while. I can still ride and run, though, so I am NOT going to let this mess up my 3-4 week bout of hardcore training for L'ville!! I'm really looking forward to that race!!!