Subject: Vineman 70.3 RR (really long) By: Patrick B.
Written on: Monday July 18, 2011 Message: The Vineman 70.3 took place on July 17, 2011. I
had been training very well and at the start of
June I thought that breaking 6 hours would be
possible. In fact, I was even dreaming that I
could break 5:45 with a really really good race.
June, unfortunately, was a bad training month for
me. Because of various events from trips to
general malaise, I just didn't get in all the
workouts on the plan. I arrived in California
with the hope of breaking 6 hours, but thinking
anything under 6:30 would be good.
We
arrived in California on Friday. I had shipped my
bike and was charged with putting it pack together
again. I was fairly certain that I would mess
something up. After a lot of grease on my hands
and clothes, a few choice words and a couple of
moments of panic, the bike was in one piece.
Hopefully it will work. I took it out to check
that the brakes and gearing worked at the very
least on friday night, just around the parking
lot, everything checked out. I went to sleep that
night wondering what I would do if a pedal fell
off during the ride.
Saturday we went to
the mandatory race meeting. Men were told that
they must have their torso's covered. Women,
apparently, didn't need this restriction. We were
told about a dozen times that there was a sharp
turn at mile 5 and to slow down. DW mentions to
me that I do, indeed, need to slow down for this
turn.
I do a 10 minute swim in the river,
a 10 minute bike around the hotel and then a 10
mile run. Dinner at Johnny Garlic's with some
friends who were also doing the race and then it
is time for bed.
I woke up around 4:15.
I went out into the lobby, had a bagel with peanut
butter and grabbed a yogurt and banana. Ate the
banana on the way to the race site and then ate
the yogurt at the race site. We watched the pros
go off and then I had about an hour before my
wave. I did a quick jog to warm up and then
stretched.
As I make my way down to the
water I see DW who looks panicked and relieved at
the same time. Apparently, my wave is in the
water warming up. I go out and swim about 50
yards or so and then start to tread water.
Ironically, this is probably the only place in the
river where we can't stand. I hear the horn and
I'm off. I swim out and am going at a pretty good
pace. One time on the way out I realize that I
have taken a wrong turn and am about 20 feet off
course. I get back into line and keep swimming.
In one or 2 places my hand hit the ground so I
stood up and sort of dove/lunged forward to keep
swimming. At the turn around I stood up and
walked around the buoy. As I make my way back
down to the finish, (it was an out and back
course) I can really feel the current pushing me
along. I feel good, but something is odd. I look
up to see that I am off course again and almost
swimming in the reeds. That is unfortunate, but
it's not odd, there is something else. As I go
back into the course and get run over by someone
who is just flying from the wave behind me, I
figure out what is wrong - I'm not gasping for
air. This is great as my entire mantra was to
save myself for the run, but as a few more from
the wave behind me pass, I decide I must be going
painfully slow. I see the finish and get out of
the water. As I run into transition, DW is
yelling that I am doing great. I figure my swim
is somewhere in the mid 40s, I ask her if she
knows what my time was and she yells - sub 40. I
hurry through transition with a little extra pep
in the step as I begin to think I could throw a
good number out there. I feel really good as I
get on the bike.
Swim time:
39:07
The Bike - Save your legs for the
run. Save your legs for the run. I go out on the
bike course and start to compute the time. I
figure I spent about 5 minutes in the transition
area, so I figure I'm at about 45 minutes total.
A 3:15 bike and a 2 hour run puts me under 6. I'm
not sure I can put those 2 efforts together, but I
am bolstered by the fact that I am on track. I
use my computer to break the ride into 5 mile
intervals and make sure that I keep the cadence at
90. The first 5 mile I take a drink of gatorade.
I have a new bottle holder system with 2 bottles
behind the seat. I reach back, grab a gatorade
and take a swig. I try to place it back and there
is a problem. I should have practiced this. I am
having a very difficult time trying to figure this
out! I finally get it back in and start to think
that I may have screwed up. I'm not sure I can
keep reaching back. I have a water in the front
to take with gels and salt tablets, but I may be
done with gatorade. I make the turn at mile 5 and
they weren't kidding, it is really really sharp.
I am passing a lot of people on the bike, but I am
keep the pace easy and relaxed. Mile 10 comes up
and I have a gel with some water. Mile 15 and I
go for the gatorade again, this time, no problem
getting it out or putting it back in. The course
was rolling hills through the vineyards. The view
was pretty, but I was looking at the road directly
in front of me for the most part. My nutrition
plan was gatorade on 5, 15, 25, 35, 45, 52.5 and
55. Gel at 10, 30 and 50. Salt tablets at 20 and
40. The bike course was pretty uneventful. I saw
an older lady who I chatted with before the race,
I said hi to here and she said hi back and then I
went by. One guy in this green suit came flying
by and was withing 6 inches of my bike. No
warning, no "on the left." This really
perturbed me. On the next hill I passed, him and
said "on your left" as is the courteous
thing to do. He comes flying by me on the
downhill again and once again, comes close and
gives no warning. We get to an uphill again and I
pass him again. Because I think this guy is a
moron, I hammer on the downhill and straightaway
and leave the guy in my dust. I hammered through
that quarter mile section, I think I averaged
about 25 on the flat area. That guy was now in my
rearview for the rest of the race. At about mile
50 I decide to look at the total time I've been on
this bike. I don't remember the number, but I
think it was around 2:40. I start to try and
figure out what time I could get on the bike.
Could I break 3? I decide to not hammer it, save
your legs for the run. I get to the dismount and
run my bike through to the racked area. I see DW
again who says "you're killing it." I
am racking my bike and she asks how I'm feeling.
I tell her good. She says "well then hurry
up and finish so we can drink some wine!"
This draws some laughter from the
crowd.
Bike time: 2:57
Run: As
I run out of the transition area, I start my
gamin. My goal here is to start slow, keep the
heart rate in check and push at the end. I'm
hoping to do the 1st half in 9 minute miles and
the 2nd fast. With that in mind, I switch the
screen so that the only display is the heart rate.
That way, if I'm running over 9 minute miles, I
won't push it. Just keep the heart rate at 155 or
below. I run the first mile and the garmin beeps,
I look down to see 8:30. I think about slowing
down, but my heart rate is only 152. I keep on
moving. My next mile is 8:19 with a heart rate of
153. My legs feel good, my breathing is normal.
I think a 2 hour half will get me close to 5:45.
This could be a really good number. But I know
this course is hilly and if I blow up, it's all
over. Mile 3 comes by with 8:38. I am taking a
gatorade and water mix at each mile marker. I
decide I will have a gel at mile 4. Salt at mile
6 and another gel at 8, and then a salt at 10.
Mile 4 comes and it's at 8:44 with a 153 hr, a
little slow, but it was a big hill in there. Gel
is down and the stomach feels good. I am now
focused on getting to mile 6 for some salt. Mile
5 comes, water and gatorade and a 8:33 with 154
hr. I realize I have never even come close to
running this much on the half ironman run portion.
I get to mile 6 with a 8:42 and have some salt,
at this point we go through the La Crema winery.
I run by some grapes and chat with a guy about
beer after the race and the absurdity of offering
light beer to people at the end of these things.
I exit the winery at mile 7 (8:37, 155), grab some
water and gatorade and its out to mile 8 for a
another gel. The sun has now broken and it is
starting to heat up. I hope that I can hold up in
the heat. Mile 8 shows up and I grab a gel out of
my back. I notice it is covered in salt. At that
point I realize that my salt tablets have
disintegrated (mile 8 8:44 156). I take the gel
and head to mile 9. At this point, I think I can
keep my heart rate at 160 for the rest of the way.
Mile 9 has a big hill and as I am running up it,
I notice that a lot of people are walking, and
that I am passing a lot of people. This is an odd
experience for me, to say the least. I see the
mile 9 sign soon than I expected and it lifts me
up (8:49 157). I am thinking if I get to mile 10,
I could race the 5K and may throw a really good
number. Maybe that 5:45 is possible. I run to
mile 10 at 8:57 with a 156 hr. I am still taking
gatorade and water at each station, but now I'm
dumbing water on my head as well. I start into my
11th mile, and my watch loses its signal. I no
longer have a pace guide. Just the actual time.
I run along and see a couple of people and we chat
for a minute about food, naps, wine and beer. I
leave them behind as I trudge to the 11 mile
marker. I am feeling really tired, but I am going
to run this whole thing. I know have only the
time of day as an indicator. I look down and
think that I could finish at 1:20 pm. I started
at 7:42. I do the calculation in my head and I
think it would 5:40. That can't be right, My
clock and there clock are obviously not
synchronized. I get to the 12 mile marker and I
start to kick. I'm not sure anyone around me
would have noticed the increased speed, but I sure
feel it. As I get to the final quarter mile, I
really push it. I am start passing even more
people as we head to the finish line. I pass a
guy with about 200 yds to go and there is nothing
between me and the finish line. Then I notice
that 2 volunteers are spreading a banner across
the finish line for me to run through. I run as
fast as I possibly could and raise my hands as I
run through the finishing tape.
Run
Time: 1:53:xx
I see DW and she tells me I
did great. I think I probably got pretty close to
a 5:45. Unfortunately, I don't think I had quite
enough to get there, but sub 6 is great. She
tells me, I think you broke 5:40. I think she's
crazy, but then she looks it up on the i-pad and
says 5:37. I'm blown away by this result. Not in
my wildest did I think I could do that.
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