2011 Vineman 70.3 Race Report

I am pretty happy with Sunday’s race… all things considered.  Like I said in my last post I wasn’t coming into this race to rested or tapered… or with a lot of mental focus.  The plan was just to go out, go hard, and have fun.  All 3 things accomplished.  The result was actually better than I would have thought I would have had on the day.  Vineman 70.3 always brings out some fast dudes and this year was no different.

I decided to try some new things on race day since in my mind it was just a good practice day for Vegas in september.  First I started with a bit bigger of a breakfast than normal and some more protein in it (i am going to post more about my racing/training nutrition in another post).  And then I the bike I decided to simplify things.  Instead of going with a gel flask, which I always seem to drop, I went with 2 x 21oz bottles with 300 cals in each (a mix 200 cals of EFS liquid shot & 100 cals of EFS drink).  On the run I went back to using clif shot bloks (margarita) which I used last year at steelhead 70.3.

The bigger breakfast probably saved my day because what I tried on the bike didn’t work.  The drink was just a bit too thick and way to sweet for me.  I only ended up taking 1 bottle and a half on the bike (450 cals).  On the run the shot bloks were money.

ok.. the race report.

swim: 28:11

a pretty good swim for me.  the leaders in my wave (33-34, 2nd of 2 waves in my AG) got away pretty quickly but i had clear water and was feeling good.  when we hit the really shallow sections I did a lot of dolphin diving and was catching people doing this.  It was fun and broke up the swim.  When I finished the swim I didn’t know the exact time but I was pretty sure I was sub 30 (thanks to my sick Zoot Prophet wetsuit!) and ready to get on my bike.

bike: 2:21:45

my plan for the bike was just to hammer, go all out, and not worry about the run.  I was pretty confident I could ride under 2:20, but that didn’t happen.  I felt good on the bike and rode hard the entire time, made a lot of passes, didn’t get passed, but still know I have better bike split in me.  it’s a tough course with a lot of rollers, but that’s what I like and think I am best at.  When I hit chalk hill (mile 45ish) I caught my friend Garret at the top.  He’s in my AG and started 8 minutes ahead in the first wave of 30-34.  He is an awesome swimmer and told me that the leader, Craig Spreadbury, had passed a while back and was a ways up the road.  So I kept pushing the pace and I was coming off the bike I saw craig a couple minutes up heading out on the run.  time to work.

run: 1:21:16

I knew I had my work cut out for me.  I raced Craig at oceanside and barely squeaked by him at the end of the race, but I was little closer this time.  I also tried something new on the run.  I usually go out hard and use my garmin to monitor my pace.  At oside and IM texas I went out too hard and ended up suffering at the end of the run.  So I went out conservative and didn’t monitor my pace much, I just ran by feel.  I wanted a negative or even split.  I would check my splits as i ran past the mile markers just to make sure i wasn’t slipping.  I was running ~6:00 miles and it felt easy and controlled.  I was pretty confident that if kept the same effort and pace I would catch Craig somewhere midway through the run.  I finally saw his back on the backside of the winery at about 6.5 miles.  perfect.

i worked my way up to him during the next mile and then sat right behind him recovering a bit and then made the pass at the 8 mile aid station on a hill.  I didn’t go all out but just kept it steady.  I was able to pull away and by mile 10 I was all alone.  This may not have been the smartest thing with the split waves, but I was pretty sure I was in the lead so I put it in cruise control for the final 3 miles.  Don’t get me wrong, I was still working, but not killing myself like usual.  I wasn’t looking for a run PR and was pretty sure that was out of reach and it really didn’t matter to me if I broke 1:20 or not.  I was already happy with the day, not need to bury myself and need more recovery time.

I was pretty successful with even splitting the run.  Maybe I will stop wearing my garmin on the run.

6.6 – 40:59, 6.5 – 40:17

Entire Race: 4:14:27, 1st AG, 3rd Amateur Overall

So to come into this race with an easy mind and not on my best form and get win has pretty stoked for the races to come.  Dirk has me going in the right direction and I can’t wait for Vegas.  the 70.3 distance is hands down my favorite and is going to be my focus or sure.

so this trip is WAY more about fun than the race and we got started right away.  After some proper recovery…

We had an awesome group of people meet us a Ruissian River Brewpub sunday night for plenty of pliny & pizza.

and monday we spent theday  spinning on our bikes around dry creek valley, doing some wine tasting, and then checking out some local bars and restaurants.  More of the same coming up to day and then we have a couple killer riding router\s planned before we headed to Santa Barbara on Friday… for more FUN!