Vineman 70.3 - Didn't get it right and I don't know why
Our definition of a good race is a solid run off of a well executed bike. Given that definition, Vineman 70.3 did not go well for me.
I had done the work going into the race, fine tuned my bike fit, tapered appropriately, and I was confident I would do well.
Pre Race – Up at 4:15, and had my breakfast of a Promax bar and Perpetuem. 600 Calories total. Finished by 4:45. Got to the transition area about 6:20 for a 7:34 start (my sister started at 7:16, so we went pretty early. It was nice to not have to rush – had no problem finding a place to rack my bike. Continued to sip water right up until the swim start. One gel about 10 minutes before the start.
Swim – As others have mentioned, walked a few times when I couldn’t help but scrape my fingers on the bottom, but that was OK. It seemed to me like I was going straighter than I had in years past, and I felt very comfortable in the water (I have been doing 1-2 open water swims per week to get used to swimming with a wetsuit again). I expected to stand up at the end of the swim and see that I had been faster than my 43 minute goal time, but in fact I was 4 minutes slower. Not sure why. Maybe I was goofing off and didn’t realize it. Maybe a little more current than in years past. Maybe I didn’t actually swim straighter than usual and ended up swimming further. Who knows (I do know I should have started swim workouts a little earlier since I’m not a very fast swimmer).
T1 – T1 was a little slower than I would like, but other than having a little trouble getting my wetsuit off, it was pretty uneventful. Started up my Garmin, and headed out of transition about 5 minutes later than expected, but figuring I’d make that up on the run since I would execute my bike so well.
Bike – Based on my 181 FTP and my 77% execution target, my gears were 132, 139 (goal watts), 146, and 153. Started out slow. As those of you who did the race know, there is a short steep hill at just over 5 miles (tops out at 12%). I knew that I wouldn’t be able to keep my watts low at that point, so I kept them way low – finishing the fist 20 minutes with a NP of 120. After this point, my NP for the first half of the course (which is rolling hills and one long climb that bring you to the high point on the course) was 136. A little below my goal watts, but not too bad. However, my VI was 1.13. I don’t know how bad that is for that course, but it is way higher than Vince and Scott reported – but I’m a lot slower, don’t know if that makes a difference. For the second half of the course my NP was only 127 with a VI of 1.14. There is a lot more downhill on the second half, and the one real climb of the race (according to my Garmin, it’s .79 miles in length and tops out at 10%). I had less trouble than normal, so either I’m fitter, or I was rested after an hour at 127 watts. Overall, NP was 133 (6 watts less than my goal), and VI was 1.14. Total time was 3:14, which was the fastest bike I’ve had since 2004). Since I didn’t have power until February, I have no idea how my power numbers compare to any of the other times I’ve done Vineman, but average HR was a little lower than normal at 142. I took in about 650 calories, and drank about 80 oz of water.
T2 – I’d taken a bio break at the last aid station on the bike, so T2 was quick and uneventful.
Run – I don’t have a lot to say about the run, except that it didn’t go well. I think I did execute the bike well. Although, my VI was so high that maybe I did ruin my run on the bike. Maybe it was the heat (my polar measured the temperature at 98 when I finished, as compared to 85 the last time I had a good run in 2008 – I think that’s actually about 10 degrees higher than the official temperature, but I’m sure the measurements are consistent from year to year). Maybe it was my weight (about 7 pounds higher than 2008). Maybe it was the hills – I hadn’t trained on hills as there are none convenient to my house. I have a foot pod for my Polar, so I don’t think I started off too fast. I think I was properly hydrated and fed. Took in 3-4 oz of Gatorade or Coke at each aid station, plus about 24 oz of water per hour. My stomach felt fine the whole time. Whatever it was, I ended up walking quite a bit – especially up any hill steep enough to roll a marble down. I did come down with a low grade sinus infection about 4 days prior to the race, but I felt fine, so I doubt that was it.
Any suggestions would be appreciated. I’ve got one more HIM at the end of September, and I’d like that one to go better.
Congratulations to all of you that did have a good race on Sunday!!!
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Comments
Bob -
Also curious what your average cadence on bike ended up? As you know, if you were smashing the pedals at a lower cadence this could contribute to a tougher run.
Ideally, you want to get off the bike and carry a 'similar' cadence into the run - at least that is my understanding and what I have been trying to do. I average ~95 on the bike and I generally am about 90-95 on the run. Of course, it will vary person to person but, 14% below what I would think you should be shooting for at a minimum; 90 as your bike cadence.
How did you feel as far as the nutrition went?
How did you arrive at your goal for the run? What races/tests was it based on and what were the conditions for those?
The heat was a huge factor.
I personally ride a lower cadence on the flats then pick up the cadence in the last 4-5 miles to help with run turnover. Not sure it was a factor for you or not as some like to grind and run well. Wellington is someone that comes to mind but she is a freak of nature.
Vince
I'm sure the heat factor is different for everyone; for me, at 98F, I'd be running at least 90 sec/mile slower *when I'm running*. If I try to run faster than that, I will have to walk more than I want at aid stations, and eventually break down altogether sooner or later.
Sounds like a brutal day, sun and heat-wise.
As Al suggested, the heat made it a tough day, although still 8-10 degrees cooler than last year (even though my Polar said 98 at the finish line, I suspect the official temperature was 8-10 degrees cooler than that). It probably was a lot better for those that finished earlier.
Goal pace setting - I set my pace based on my VDOT. I used the resources on the site to find my marathon pace - I used that as my goal pace, and 30 seconds more for the first 3 miles. It was a lot cooler when I did my vdot (78 on my polar). I thought I'd be OK, but I probably should have adjusted my goal pace when it turned out to be hot. I'm not sure what kind of adjustment to make - I probably need to experiment to really understand how I react to the heat (maybe even do testing in the heat).
Cadence - I'll work on the cadence, but I suspect that my average was low due to the amount of uphill. I slow down pretty quick when I get to a hill, even with a compact crank and 25 tooth cassette. I think if I lost some weight, I'd do better.
Nutrition - I think my nutrition was fine. ~200 calories/hour on the bike, a little less on the run. Kept well hydrated the whole time. Stomach felt fine.
12-27 cassette with that compact will help tremendously along with improving your BMI.
Vince