Vineman 70.3 Race Report
I previewed the run course the prior week with my wife and 2 of the kids while doing some wine tasting. Not too many but I had to entice my bride down to the wine country somehow. I knew my run was undertrained in regards to distance/durability so anything longer than 8 miles was going to be tough regardless of the course. The course isn't anything more difficult than what I train on all the time but I saw that miles 5-13 were largely more Sunny than the first 4 miles, which were in tree cover.
Swim
I got to the venue at 6:15 am with a 7:58 start. I didn't feel good for more than half the swim with difficulty getting into a feel or rhythm. I stood and walked a bit as it was so shallow that I was scraping the bottom so much, walking was faster. On the home stretch I saw someone from the wave behind me blowing past me like I was standing still. I tried to duck into his draft but he dropped me in 2 strokes. Someone else came by and did the same thing. How anyone swims that fast is beyond me. That was amazing.
Time: 36:xx
T1 was uneventful other than I handed my wetsuit to my wife and stole a kiss before the bike.
Bike
My stomach was bloated and I didn't feel good on the bike for quite some time. I was weak feeling and felt like throwing up. My goal wattage was 245 watts. The first 19 miles my normative wattage was 189. Somewhere after mile 20 I was able to apply torque and my second half of the bike was 22.54 mph. Overall I ended up with a norm wattage of 235 and avg speed of 21.5 mph.
I didn't get to draft (legally) anyone but did play hop scotch over many miles off and on with 2 guys. 1 of the guys got fed up with me passing him on the flats and downhills, while he passed me on the climbs that he hammered. He blew up about mile 50 and was barely moving when I went by at 26 mph+. I only had 1 guy from a group behind me pass me and stay away on the bike. He was in a Timex jersey with a disc and likely was far more talented than I could ever hope for...especially at my BMI.
I did have a "natural break" issue about mile 40 that was consuming my thoughts. I kept my fiber intake down but somehow my body didn't believe me. While I didn't suffer "an accident" it was only because I was working diligently to keep it that way. I may have been able to find my 245 normative wattage goal had it not been for this distraction. VI was 1.03
T2 was over 7 mins with an extended time in the porta potty. See final paragraph in bike section
Run
Let's just say, as stated earlier, that running is not my thing. I loathe it. While I have finished 5 open marathons in the past, 3 of which were in Maui, I just have lost the loving feelin for the run. I was quite the studly runner as a young man but it was because of my BMI and love of basketball. Neither serve me well at 43 y/o. My former sub-5 mile pace and ability to dunk a basketball is nowhere to be found.
I ran my first 3 miles at 9:20ish pace to let my stomach settle. It was hot with a "real feel" of about 90 degrees at the start of the 1/2 mary. At mile 3 aide station I was reaching for a Gatorade and got a forearm shiv from some 30 something behind me as he was running to save the world, or secure a Clearwater spot. Either way I was pissed at the lack of civility. For a second I thought I'd hunt that guy down. That moment passed very, very quickly when I saw his stride...and that he was about 6' 6" tall.
Stomach was an issue with the Gatorade and heat so it was ice under the cap, water on my back and in my belly and keep moving. After mile 8 it became a walk, run issue. This wasn't unexpected as my run training has lacked tremendously. I did run my last mile in the 8 min/mile range which was a painfest.
2:17ish
5:37:xx total time.
This was 10 mins slower than my best BUT I'm 15 lbs heavier and didn't train my run. My swim is equal to my best plus 1 min and my bike was a PR especially considering I couldn't get moving the first 19 miles.
All in all I'm happy with the result as I essentially got what I trained for and nothing more. Amongst the guys I train with I'm always the caboose and continue to be so as they all break 5 hours now and my friend Stephanie Bruins was 4:5x in this race for her PR.
On another note: I met and spoke with Chris Lieto. He was in a hurry but seems like a quality guy. He blistered the bike @ 26.25 mph then threw down 5:45's to win in 3:55. The pros had a non-wetsuit swim and the fastest were 25:44. Amazing!
Vince
Comments
nice job, Vince!!! great splits in the heat.
Dude, you whooped me! Stellar job!
I just kept trying to move forward. Coming down that hill from LaCrema I was running straight in my head but veering to the left. It was hotter than I trained for. Looked for a Tri bike transport kit with huge calves out there.
Vince
@David...not sure what was up with my stomach. I don't drink lots of Gatorade in the morning normally. That might be the issue as it upset my stomach on the run also every time I drank it.
I use carbopro.
Vince