Traffic in California sucks.
I have known this for a long time but it does not cease to amaze
me. As we got to Napa Valley Thursday
afternoon before race weekend the traffic was absolutely horrible. Napa Valley is quaint and beautiful but
getting there requires patience. Jolynne
and I stopped there on the way to Sonoma County to have lunch and enjoy the
markets that are plentiful in this part of the country. On the way down we also stopped by the Jelly Belly
factory since we thought this would be fun.
It would have been fun except that the line to get a tour was longer
than any amusement park line I have ever seen.
I swear it probably would have taken two hours to get into a tour. Mercifully, the fire alarm went off
(apparently for a real fire) and we had to leave. I wasn’t too heartbroken about this since the
time on my feet would have killed my race but it would have been fun to sample
all those Jelly Bellies.
We decided to make the best of it and went to an olive oil
tasting place nearby. The place was very
small and literally had no wait whatsoever.
We skeptically went inside and ended up having a great experience. The guy conducting the testing was a total
olive oil geek and seemed to know everything there is to know about olive
oil. The different types of oil were
delicious and we walked out with a couple of tasty bottles.
We finally started making our way towards Guerneville
where the race starts and where we had booked a bed and breakfast. To get there we had to take River Road, which
is where the Vineman bike course starts, and were pleased with the beauty of
the area. It was green, shady and plain
old pretty. We stayed at the Rio Nido bed
and breakfast which is about a mile outside of downtown Guerneville. Mind you Guerneville is a one stoplight town
with one big street that runs through it so everything around us was small and
quaint. Rio Nido is well off River Road
literally surrounded by redwood trees.
The place was originally built in the 1800’s and it still has that
old-time charm. The room we had was very
small but we had all the amenities we needed:
Wi-fi, cable TV, hot water, a fridge, and a comfy bed. The breakfast in the main hall was also out
of this world. Applewood smoked bacon
with an awesome spinach quiche and a whole bunch of other yummy selections that
I can’t even remember. The place was
cozy and we really enjoyed it.
The Reception
After settling in we hurried up and made our way to Windsor
for the Vineman Wine and Cheese reception.
We had a horrible time finding the place because in the directions they
failed to mention that the conference hall was part of a big old church. We finally figured it out and got to the
venue. Vineman typically doesn’t have a
prerace gathering like this one but this race was special because it marked the
25th anniversary of the race, making it the oldest continuously
running 140.6 race in the continental United States. That’s right, the race is older than any
Ironman branded 140.6 race in the continental U.S. The race was an Ironman branded race at some
point in its history and it was even a Kona World Championship qualifier but as
Ironman grew it decided to keep control of its own races at the 140.6 distance
and the franchise was cancelled. The
70.3 on practically the same course is still Ironman branded but this is
because Ironman is still franchising 70.3 races to other operating companies
such as Vineman. Suffice it to say that
as far as I’m concerned Vineman is as much or more of an Ironman race that any
of the existing branded options in the U.S.
The reception was very nice. They had wine, which we didn’t
drink, and all types of cheese, which we ate in large quantities. They also gave out commemorative wine glasses
to participants. I got one and Jolynne
got another. I use mine in my office as
a pen holder and the other is being used by Alex (my 17 year old son) as his
favorite cup. At the reception they had a
ton of memorabilia from the 25 years of the race and they had a presentation
and slide show of the history of the race.
It’s pretty amazing how many of the world’s top triathletes have raced
Vineman. They even had a recreation of
the start line from the original 1990 race.
I, of course, took a picture next to the start line. I’m a sucker for tradition and the tradition
and history behind this race is rich.
There are very few triathlons in the U.S. that have a rich
history and tradition. The Kona Ironman
is the granddaddy of them all (world or U.S.).
Beyond Kona I would include Vineman (Full and 70.3), Wildflower
Triathlon (an independent 70.3 triathlon in its 33rd year) and The
Chicago Triathlon (an Olympic distance triathlon also in its 33rd
year) as some of the oldest and most continually successful triathlons in the
U.S. At the reception it was very
apparent that the organizers truly loved the race and cared a lot about this
important milestone. After the race we
went to downtown Windsor and had dinner at KC’s American Kitchen. This was a crazy restaurant located next to
the Windsor Town Green. The small
Windsor downtown area is beautiful and we really enjoyed eating at KC’s. I said it’s crazy because the restaurant has
the most outrageous collection of signs, pictures, and bumper stickers that I
have ever seen. Just looking around the
restaurant was entertaining. The food
was pretty good too.
After dinner we went back to Rio Nido and discovered that we
were truly “in the woods” since the whole area was in pitch darkness. We made our way to our room and settled for the
night. Jolynne was enjoying a relaxing
night while the anticipation of the craziness of the next two days was starting
to dawn on me.
Packet Pickup
The next day we had breakfast and then headed up to Windsor
for packet pickup and setting up T2. The
race packet pickup was incredibly organized and the expo was actually bigger
than what I was expecting. The packet
pickup/T2/Race Finish takes place at Windsor High School. The Vineman Full is combined with a
women’s-only charity half-ironman called Barb’s Race. That race attracts almost as many people as
the Vineman Full. The total number of
participants approached the 2,000 mark.
So the packet pickup line was all the way out of the door of the cafeteria
where they had set up. This is when I
started having a bit of a fit of anxiety.
The temperature was in the mid 80’s but the sun was so bright that
standing out there in line it felt like 100 degrees. I could only think of how brutal it was going
to be out on the run the next. Heck, how
hot it would be out on the bike! Having
barely survived Expedition Man the year before (my first Ironman) I had an
inkling of the sufferfest that heat could induce. I tried to keep thoughts positive and focused
on the fact that so much of the course is in the shade of trees. Positive thinking! Ughhh….
The line for packet pickup took about 20 minutes and it was
fun to chat with fellow participants while waiting, first-timers and veterans
alike. I got my bib, bike, helmet
stickers and my goodie bag with the typical race swag. I got two special needs drop bags, one for
the bike and the other for the run.
These bags are for any special nutrition, clothes, or equipment that I
may need halfway through the run and/or the bike. The bike special needs bag is taken to aid
station #4 (around mile 70) and the run special needs bag is placed in an area
just outside of T2. The plan was to
place a spare tube and a frozen bottle of Infinit drink in the bike bag and a
frozen bottle of Infinit drink in the run bag.
Then the volunteers guide you to another line where you pick up your
race shirt. The race shirt was a short
sleeve technical shirt and I really liked the design.
After packet pickup I went to the mandatory athlete briefing. A really cool feature of this race is the athlete
briefing that takes place in the indoor basketball courts of the high
school. The briefing is mandatory. The meeting was actually very informative and
helpful. This is rare for triathlon
orientation meetings. They went through
specific areas of the course and answered questions. At the end they funneled everybody through
one door for exit.
The reason they funneled everybody through one door is
because this race requires that everybody weigh in the day before the
race. So as you are going out they had 4
volunteers with scales and lists of participants ready to take your weight
before you were allowed to leave. In the
old days of Ironman they did this so that they had a baseline weight for each
participant. They then they would have a
couple of weigh-n checkpoints throughout the race. The rule was that if you lost more than 10%
body-weight you were not allowed to continue.
This actually was and is still standard in many Ultramarathon races. Ironman does not have a weight cutoff rule
anymore and neither does Vineman. The
reason Vineman collects the information is as a point of reference for the
medical volunteers that will be supporting the race. There will be many casualties throughout the
day and not just at the finish line. The
weight baseline is a good indicator of the level of dehydration and overall
stress on the body for participants who need medical assistance. It is interesting that Vineman, a relatively
smaller local race, can afford to do this but the Ironman branded race do
not. One more detail that show the
quality of Vineman.
I then went to the expo tent where they were selling Vineman
gear and was very tempted to buy the 25 Year Celebration jersey. I am glad I didn’t get it because it was
being sold for $75. I got it a couple of
months after the race for $45 and it is one of my favorite jerseys. I did pick up a Vineman visor for about $20
and I really like it. We then headed
back to Guerneville where I did a test bike ride. The test ride was a great idea because even
though it was crowded I was able to work out a few kinks in my setup. I tried to carry an extra tube tied to the
back of my saddlebag and I quickly found out that the tube would not stay put
so that idea was scratched. I also lost
my CO2 cartridge which unscrewed itself from its holder and fell out on the
road. I did recover it and put it on
tight so that it wouldn’t fall.
Everything else worked like a charm and I felt the bike was ready to go.
After all of that we still had the entire afternoon so we
decided to take a trip out to the ocean and up the coast. We had a great time seeing the beautiful
sights of the Pacific Ocean and in one spot we actually took a nice trail down
to a secluded beach. We spent some nice
relaxing time there watching the sun get low in the sky. The whole area around Guerneville and the
coast is absolutely beautiful and I really enjoyed that evening with Jolynne. We finished the day by having dinner (pizza
for me) at the restaurant next to the place where we were staying. It was really cool because the place is
secluded and surrounded by redwoods so it was, once again, a pretty nice and
relaxing time.
I had my obligatory oatmeal the night before a race (helps
clear the plumbing in the AM) and then I did something I have never done before
a race. I shaved my legs. This was the first time I have ever done that
in my life and I chose to do it the night before an Ironman! I broke a cardinal rule of endurance
racing: Do nothing new on race day. Luckily this actually turned out to be
great. The shaved legs gave me a clean
and fast feeling that was refreshing. So
after shaving my legs I talked with Jolynne for a bit while she made fun of my
shaved legs and went to bed around 10pm feeling oddly relaxed.
Race Morning
I woke up at 2:00 am and had two bottles of Ensure. Then I went to bed for 1.5 more hours of
sleep and then woke up at 3:30. I ate a
banana and a bagel and went to bathroom to do my business and get ready. After getting ready I woke up Jolynne and we
got the bike and gear into the car and took off for T1 at Johnson’s Beach. There was already a line of cars on River
Road leading up to T1 and we were wondering where we were going to park. Then we saw that a car turned left into a large
driveway right before the bridge that is closest to the swim start. We decided to follow that car and found a
wide parking area next to the bridge that worked like a charm for us. It was almost half a mile away from
transition but it was in a spot where that had easy access to River Road and it
was right next to the bridge where Jolynne would be taking pictures of the swim
course.
Jolynne and I then walked down to T1 at Johnson’s Beach,
which was pretty darn dark. I need to
remember to bring a head lamp the next time I do this race. Jolynne did her classic move and she put out
a lawn chair close to the swim start. The swim start started filling up very
quickly with triathletes. I set up my
stuff while Jolynne scoped out the area.
I did my ritual of getting my hydration set up on the bike, checking
tire pressure, and laying out the swim stuff and my tri top for the rest of the
race. I decided that I wanted a dry
tri-top for the bike so I placed that with my helmet, sun glasses, etc. I put my wetsuit on up to my waist and I made
my way to the shore. Jolynne took some
pictures of me next to the start-line arch and I dipped my foot in the
water. The water was sooo warm compared
to other triathlons I have done but it was still wetsuit legal. I have never been as relaxed before a
triathlon swim as I was for this one.
Jolynne and I just talked to people and enjoyed seeing all the tiny fish
that would jump on the surface of the calm river. If there was any current it was not apparent
at all. The surface was pretty much
glass.
The Swim
Jolynne set up her lawn chair and I got ready to go. Jolynne took a picture of me at the swim
start and I got in line with my age group for the start of the swim. I got in the water and felt awesome. It was so warm compared to the triathlons I
have done in Utah. I got myself in the
middle of the group and waited. The horn
went off and I started swimming at a relaxed pace. There were tons of people around me but I
didn’t feel too crowded. I was surprised
that the water didn’t feel as shallow as I had expected. I really couldn’t touch bottom until I got to
the turnaround where it was almost impossible to take a stroke without hitting
bottom with my hands. I stood up and
walked the turnaround, which was a bit sketchy because of all the rocks in that
area. I did not enjoy the turnaround and
it definitely slowed me down.
On the way down to the start I could feel it getting very
warm. The sun was coming out over the redwoods
and the whole place looked magical.
However, with the sun came heat and I was starting to feel this as I
swam in my full-body wetsuit. I
definitely could feel a bit of an assist from the very light current once I got
to deeper water. This made me a bit
concerned as to how tired I would be on the trip back on loop 2. I got back to the start with very little effort
and feeling really good so I got myself ready for the “uphill” climb. As I turned around I could feel some of that
assist gone but it really wasn’t at all difficult to get going. By that point I was in a groove and I just
tried to keep rhythm. There was quite a
bit of contact on the second loop with faster swimmers gapping me and the fact
that the river is so narrow. However, I
had been in the river for so long already that the effort and the contact were
just part of the normality of the day.
The turnaround was once again sketchy but expected. The swim to the finish was a thing of
beauty. I felt comfortable and strong. I came out of the water feeling very good and
happy that I took my planned 1.5 hours.
I was not ahead of schedule but I was definitely not behind.
I came out of the water and the wetsuit strippers got to me
really fast. I don’t know what happened
but that wetsuit would not come off my thighs and that volunteer almost picks
me off the ground trying to take the wetsuit off. Once it did I went to transition (T1) and got
my wet tri-top off and then attempted to put a dry one on. This was very hard to do because I was wet
and that stupid tri-top was bunching up.
It took me forever to put it on.
I then put all my gear in the T1 bag provided by the race, got my bike,
grabbed a granola bar and made my way to the hill out of transition.
I heard Jolynne give me a shout out and I saw her at the
sideline on the hill out of T1. She was
videotaping the whole thing and seemed to be cracking up for some reason. After the race I found out why she was
cracking up. I heard that the
recommended technique for that hill on Vineman is to walk your bike up to the
flat and then mount. It seems like not
too many people paid attention to this advice and tried to mount at the bottom
of the hill. This resulted in many
dropped bikes and funny efforts and Jolynne got quite a few of them on her
camera. So, needless to say, T1 was very
entertaining for Jolynne.
The Bike
I finished my granola bar as I walked the bike up the hill
and once up there I mounted without any issues and wound my way out to River
Road. The weather was perfect, crisp but
not cold. I got in the aerobars and took
in some liquid nutrition and then settled in as best I could. This was a bit difficult because there were
so many people out on the course. For
the first five miles I spent half my time out of the aerobars due to the number
of people to navigate around and the hills and turns. I was worried about the turn onto Sunset,
which eventually takes you to Westside road.
The race orientation had stated that this was a very sharp turn and that
every year they had tons ofpeople take the turn too fast and end up in the
blackberry bushes. I was ready for it
but it was still treacherous with so many people trying to hit that tight turn
all at once. I made it and then wound my
way up the very steep hill that takes up to Westside road.
From the course recon I had done I knew that Westside was
slightly uphill and fairly long and bumpy.
The recon was right on and this portion was initially challenging. After a while I got myself into a rhythm and
did the best I could to go fast while keeping to the proper heart rate. It was hard to keep in the aerobars with all
of the ups and downs and passing. It was
also a bit hard to see potholes on the road.
This portion of the Vineman course is known for not having the smoothest
riding conditions and it showed. There were
potholes, ruts and divets. The road
damage wasn’t constant but constant enough that you have to be careful. To complicate matters the sun shines through
the canopy of trees and creates shadows that make it hard to spot some of the
road damage. The road is totally doable
but you have to be careful and it affects the speed at which I felt I could
comfortably go. I did hit a few of those
potholes and I guess on one of those I lost one of my nutrition bottles. I only noticed once I got out from under a
canopy of trees and the sun shone a shadow of my bike on the road. I could see that one of my rear bottles was
gone. This would mean that I would have
to stop at an aid station to refill once my aero bottle and my remaining rear
bottles were depleted. Oh well.
After Westside the road opens up a bit and it really starts
showcasing the incredible beauty of the course.
The vineyards show up in full force on both sides of the road and the
contrast of the sky, the green and the sun make for a spectacle. I felt really good for the first 30 miles or
so even with all of the rolling hills.
That’s the thing about this course that I knew would eventually become
extremely challenging. The course is
pretty much a constant up and down and I knew that eventually this would catch
up with me. As turned on to Chalk Hill
road I got myself ready for the first real test of the day: Chalk Hill. The average grade for the whole road is 5.5%
but for the hill itself is 15% with a climb of about 500 feet. The thing is challenging for sure at mile 40
of the course but it would be horrendously challenging at mile 100 on the
second loop.
I got myself mentally ready and took the first hill on the road
(not Chalk Hill) as a prep for the real thing soon to come. I started hearing people up ahead and I knew
that it was coming. Then I got to it and
the thing went steeeeep. The hill was
lined with people, not “Heartbreak Hill” lined with people but it had the most
spectators I had seen for a long while on the course. They were raucous and had cowbells. All the enthusiasm helped and it allowed me
to power up the hill feeling pretty good.
The hill has three turns and once I made it to the top I changed gears
and got ready for the super-fast downhill.
The other side did not disappoint and I got mega speed and great
recovery.
The rest of that first loop was very nice and controlled. Heat was becoming a factor though. I got back to Windsor and then started a new
section of the course that added the mileage necessary to complete the 112
miles of the bike course. To my delight
and surprise the roads (specifically Eastside) on this side of the course had
been repaved and was buttery-smooth. The
day was getting hotter and hotter and I was very happy to stop at the aid
station at mile 70 or so. That’s where
they had the special needs bags and I picked up a refill of Infinit nutrition
powder which I mixed up and put on the bike.
I also started to pouring water over my head to make sure I could
control my body temperature.
I got back on the bike and continued the second half of the
course. The name of the game from this
point on was to focus on taking in my nutrition, staying cool and controlling
my heart rate. Luckily that strategy was
still netting me above 18 mph average speed so I was happy with the results
thus far. Miles 70 through 100 were
fairly uneventful but around mile 85 or so the fatigue definitely started to
set in. One cool thing about this course
is how much access spectators have to the course if they plan properly and
since I have a wife that is one of the best planners in the world I was able to
see her at multiple points all over the course, which was a huge help. She would show up and surprise me at the most
random points throughout the course and give me a cheer, which helped a ton to
keep my energy up and also made for a lot of good pictures.
I started to see lots of casualties by the side of the road
as I was making my way up to Chalk Hill road for the second time. Some were fatigued and others were just
dealing with mechanical issues. It was
concerning to see so many victims to fatigue because the day would only get
hotter from that point on. And then
there was Chalk Hill. It was a fun
challenge at mile 40 but now as I approached it nearing mile 100 I really had
no clue how I was going to make it up that thing. I finally got to the hill and I went to a low
gear and put my head down. As I did so I
saw permanent markers on the ground that denoted that this was mile 40 and 100,
a testament of the longevity of this course.
The effort to get up the hill was intense. There were more spectators on the hill than
before but unfortunately it didn’t help much.
The type of effort I had to put in to get up that hill was such that it
becomes hard to hear or see anything than what is immediately in front of you
or in this case below you since I had my head down most of the time. I was in the lowest gear and alternating
between standing up and sitting down.
One turn, two turns. I could now
see the top and see that spectators were going crazy and looking crazy. Some of the spectators were in crazy costumes
but I can’t even remember what they were.
I finally made it past the third turn and to the top of the hill. All I could hear were cowbells and people
shouting “way to go!” I did a little
fist pump and prepared myself for the fast downhill. I actually had to hold back on the speed
going downhill because I was so tired and had to be careful not to make a
handling mistake. I got down to flat and
got ready for the last 12 miles of the course.
The heat was now a very real factor. By the time I got to Shiloh Road I was more
than ready for the freaking bike leg to be over. I actually wasn’t all that sure how long the
bike leg had taken me but I knew that it was significantly better than my first
Ironman where I took 7:08 although that included 10 minutes to change a flat. I cruised in towards Windsor High School (T2)
and heard Jolynne shouting out “Wahoo!!! You killed it!” I got to the dismount line and figured I had
taken about 6.5 hours to complete the 112 miles. My goal was to get the bike done in 6:45, so
I was happy with the progress thus far.
I got to the dismount line and walking did not feel as bad as I thought
it would at that point. The only problem
was that from the dismount line to the bike racks was over a tenth of a mile
and it felt like it took forever to get to the racks. It took me a bit to locate my spot which was
frustrating to me but I eventually did.
I took my time racking the bike and putting on my shoes, race number, visor
and handheld bottle of cold Infinit. My
core felt very sore and the heat was just radiating everywhere.
As I made my way toward the T2 exit all I could see was
carnage. People lying on the ground
anywhere they could find shade and people moving around very slowly. I started jogging my way out to the aid
station at the T2 exit and right before I hit the timing mat I realized that I had
left my GPS chip in my bento box on my bike.
I was now wrestling with the decision to go back for it or to just say
screw it and go by time and heart rate only.
I decided to forget about it and just use time and heart rate. A volunteer then offered to give me some ice
and she proceeded to dump ice inside the back of my tri-top. That felt like a shock to the system but it
eventually started feeling heavenly. Then I was on my way…
The Run
I started with a brisk walk out to Windsor Road and decided
to walk all the way to the corner rather than start running so early. My body still has a hard time figuring out
the whole transition from the bike to run in a long course tri and I figured I
would play it conservatively. Tons of
people were passing me all over the place but I held to my strategy. In my first Ironman I made the mistake of
putting up a fairly fast first half and that almost turns into a DNF. I would not make that mistake here,
especially with the challenge of the course and the heat of the day.
The Vineman run course consists of three loops of a 4.37 mile
stretch of roads in Windsor. This means
that each “there-and-back” loop is 8.73 miles and all three loops are 26.2
miles. Some people don’t like this
because it becomes monotonous. I love it
for the same reason the race director loves it.
It made for very well stocked and supported aid stations at every mile
and a course that had a lot of runners in it and a lot of crowd support,
especially in the mile around Windsor High School. Interactions with others is critical in the
last leg of an Ironman where you are hurting the most and this course had
support and people everywhere.
The race keeps track of each loop run by handing out a
wristband every time one got back to Windsor High School. This way you could tell who was in which
loop. This could be very motivating and disheartening
depending on which loop you were running.
The first part of the course is fairly flat and the second mile is
fairly shaded so things started out OK, however the last 2.37 miles out to the
turnaround were very hilly. My approach
was to run the flats, walk the hills and walk the aid stations. I also decided that I would keep a close eye
on my heart rate and if it started going down (sign of bonking) I would take
the salt pills that I brought with me. I
also decided to take Coke early on at the aid stations. Flat Coke is what saved my first Ironman race
and I would start using it early. My
goal for the run was a sub 5-hour marathon and by the look of things it would
be very hard to achieve that.
As I was making my way out to the hills I saw a competitor
that I had seen in many Ironman broadcasts before and who has been an
inspiration to me. I came up upon Harriet
Anderson, a 78 year-old lady who was participating in the Barb’s Race Half
Ironman that was taking place on the same course as Vineman that day. She was jogging along and looking strong
making her way to the Barb’s turnaround point just up ahead. I asked her “Are you Harriet Anderson?” She smiled
and sad “Yes.” I told her I was a fan,
that she was an inspiration to all of us middle-aged athletes and then I wished
her luck. She extended her hand and I
shook it and she smiled and said “Thanks! And good luck to you too.” Talk about a boost to my confidence on this
day. If a 78 year-old can slay the
course the course the way she was slaying this one then I could finish this
thing.
At mile three the steepest of the hills comes up and it is a
doozy. Luckily the hill is mostly in the
shade so at least there is some reprieve from the heat. Once at the top I went back to jogging and
came up on the last aid station where I got some nutrition and made my way to
the turnaround. One leg down, many more
to go. I now started to see many people
puking and I saw an ambulance coming to get somebody off the course. This part of the course was not shaded at all
and it really felt like people were having a very difficult time with the
heat. On the way back I saw a couple of
people from the BegginerTriathlete forum group and I passed one. I knew Tom from the group was probably ahead
of me but as far as I knew I was now ahead of everybody else. The run back to transition was fairly
uneventful. I got to T2 was diverted to
a turnaround chute and given a purple bracelet that signified completion of
loop #1. I was very happy to get that
and to me it signified one more accomplishment in a very long day.
On the way out of transition I once again got some Ice down
my back and I decided that I would be putting ice down my back every other aid
station for the remainder of the run. I
then stopped by the run special needs bag area and refilled with a new cold
bottle of Infinit. I made my way out of
transition jogging and feeling OK but definitely exhausted. By the time I made it two miles into the
second loop I was feeling deep fatigue, which led me to check my heart rate. My heart rate was starting to go down from
the average in the 150’s down to 135.
This immediately told me that I needed to back off and start taking in
electrolytes and salt tabs. I carried
two salt tabs in my handheld bottle and I took them both. I also resolved to drink plenty of Coke at
every aid station for the rest of the course.
It frustrated me to have to walk for a little while but I
knew that if I didn’t I could face a race-ending bonk later on like I had
during my first Ironman (luckily that did not end in a DNF but it almost does). After walking for a while I felt good to jog
to the next aid station where I took plenty of Coke. I immediately started feeling better and my
heart rate started to stabilize. I then
felt pretty good to go back to jogging and I got a second wind. As I made my way back to T2 I couldn’t help
but notice the people with two loop bracelets and felt very envious. With one mile to go to T2 my stupid race belt
came completely undone and I ended up walking quite a bit trying to fix
it. It took me a few minutes but I got
it fixed and continued to jog. Soon
enough I made my way to T2 again and claimed my own 2nd loop
bracelet and made my way out to for the last loop.
The last loop was brutally hot and I was stopping at every
aid station to get ice and dump water over myself. I went to the bathroom at the aid station
closest to the turnaround and then I made my way back for the last 4 miles of
the course. I started thanking all the
volunteers at every aid station and I knew that I had the race in hand. Many, many people were sidelined along the
road and I overheard quite a few conversations of people that were ready to
pull out. The course and the heat was eating
people up but I was feeling like I could continue jogging. I started passing a lot of people but I
realized that my bathroom stop and my issue with the race belt probably cost me
a sub 5 hr. marathon time. I still had a
good shot at a sub 13:30 and I kept focused on that.
The last mile of the course was sooo hard but at the same
time it was awesome because the support from the crowd on the course is loud
and crazy and it just infuses you with energy.
It felt like the whole town turned out to cheer us on and the energy
literally carried me to Windsor road.
I got to Windsor Road and got on the sidewalk leading to the
High School. I literally ran through a
scream tunnel of encouragement. I then
took the last left turn toward the finish line and I started the
celebration. I could hear Jolynne
shouting my name and then I saw the wine barrels that made up the finish line
and the finish line tape that every competitor gets at Vineman. I pumped my fists grabbed the finish line
tape over my head and finished Vineman!
The final time was 13:22:15. Well
under my 13:30 goal. An Ironman once
more!
My final times were as follows: Swim 1:32:18, Bike 6:25:37, Run 5:06:29,
Total 13:22:15. I definitely could have
done better at T1 and there were little things throughout that I could have
done better but overall I was very happy with how the day turned out. At the Finish line I got my Finisher’s medal
and finisher’s shirt. I took a picture
at the Vineman banner and then made my way to the finish line food which was
plentiful. After putting some food into
me I went to the edge of the athlete area to talk to Jolynne who was very happy
for me. The effort of the day then came
crashing down on me and I felt faint.
Jolynne took me to the medical tent where I was able to lie down and get
some help. Luckily I didn’t need to get
an IV but it was nice to lie down and get some hydration in me.
We then very slowly made our way back to the car feeling
very satisfied with the effort and with an awesome race day. Thanks to the Vineman organization for a top
notch experience. The Vineman people
have been putting this race on successfully for 25 years and it shows. I will be back!
Update: Vineman has
been acquired by Ironman. It will be an
Ironman branded race in 2017. I’m
already signed up.
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