Vineman 70.3 '08

Where to begin? So much to say about this race, so many emotions, all across the board.

I suppose the most important part: this was a fabulous trip, with fabulous friends. I cannot thank all of my Vineman crew, both racers & supporters, enough. To those who made the journey with me this time, you guys are awesome, and I am so proud of you all. Thank you SO much to our awesome support crew of Angie, Kevin, Jim, Joe, Bob & Nick. You guys rock! And HUGE thanks to my fellow teammates Tessy, June, Patty, Pam, Darwin, Deb & Shannon. What a showing!

To those who had to miss out on this round, to next time! I thank ALL of those of you who helped get me to the start line, which given my past year, was truly the major accomplishment in my book.

Yes, making it to the start line at all was by far the hardest part of my entire race. Sidelined by a season-ending stress fracture late last tri season, I wanted nothing more than to be ready for Vineman 70.3 ’08. After all, I’d been talking this one up since Florida 70.3 ’06! However, the road to recovery proved long, and slow, and is for certain nowhere near its end.

But especially given the volume of training I was able to amass on this path, for this my third half iron but first time to follow a prescribed plan, and very nearly to the letter, I feel blessed that I have at least for once gained an appreciation for the importance of patience & listening closely to my body, all too often sacrificing group training opportunities for the opportunity to train another day. A strategy which for once I can value, for I made it though another day, and yet another, all the way to July 20th, where I knew without a doubt that if I made it into the water, the finish line was going to be one short trip in comparison.

So, this certainly isn’t a woohoo/PR kind of race report. Not that I can be particularly upset with my results. I had a decent race. But I’d be lying if I didn’t say that it fell far short of my expectations, far short of the success I’ve seen in the past, and even some of my highlights this season. CapTex Tri with my 20.7mph 40K bike average and perfectly executed run was a nice start. The Sugar Land Women’s Tri with my sub-hour 12th overall finish and 8:28/mi run splits (last mile at 8 flat) following a Saturday of hard training was definitely a high point too, and gave me the confidence to know that what I’ve been doing this season is certainly not all in vain.

However, little that happened on race day gave me those same warm fuzzy feelings inside. In fact, nothing gave me those warm fuzzy feelings inside race day – I don’t know that I’ve ever been so violently cold for such an extended period of time in my life!

So, as I could babble on & on, I’ll try to stick to the highlights here. Sorry it’s still a novel. Don’t say I didn’t warn ya! Hope those of you who do make it through to the end enjoy the ride. :)


the SWIM ...

At 8:14a, my swim start was nearly 2 hours after the pros and a good hour or so after the bulk of our crew. Most days it was cold waking up in the morning, but by mid morning the fog would burn off, making way for a gorgeous sunny rest of the day. I should have taken a hint when it started drizzling on me while setting up in transition just before Patty ran by to set off on her bike (it was neat, they set it up so they could leave T1 open all morning so those in the later waves could set up and still access their stuff at their leisure… I was pumped though ’cuz I got up & out early to see our first ladies off & got THE BEST rack spot of my AG… go me!).

I think the smartest choice I made that day was to wear my wetsuit. With an air temp hovering around 50, that 70-degree water felt positively warm, and there were at least a few girls in my wave not wearing wetsuits. I decided that if I wasn’t going to overheat in it, the wetsuit could stay. Like I said, smart move.

The gun went off and I found clear water early in the swim, gaining a seemingly untouched path on which I would swear I was off course had it not been so easy to sight, and to tell I was hugging that buoy line well.

They told us in the athlete briefing that if you needed to stand up for any reason, to please move to the right of the course to do so for safety reasons. Well turning the buoys to head back for home, I found one person who for sure missed those instructions, and for which I can’t even feel sorry for the fact that no sooner did he stand up (note ‘he’, which means the poor guy was not from any of the waves immediately preceding mine), but he was flattened like a pancake in the water as a split second after the moment I saw him I had completely run him over. Oops. DON’T STAND UP ON THE BUOY LINE!

31 minutes later I was out of the water & out of my wetsuit. I couldn’t believe the clock. Not that I don’t believe I went that time. For once, the time actually corresponded to something I do repeatedly & mindlessly in the pool and for which I have absolutely no doubt I am capable of sustaining in the open water, wetsuit, sighting, current, or not. And THAT was quite refreshing, as so many of the tri swims of late have been so ‘off’ on their distances that it was really nice to see something that made sense. Especially after I found out that a friend I used to swim with at ASU went 24 minutes in her 1.2K swim at the Napa Half just a month earlier… and she was a sprinter! Way to seriously suck the wind out of my sails. But a 31:03 I’ll take any day. Best swim split over Disney by over a minute.

Now comes the fatal mistake. Believing that today will be just like any other day thus far and remembering the pained tales of how hot, hot, hot it will be on the run, I opt for no arm warmers on the bike. They were in my T1 bag, but after all, I can suck it up for an hour or so until this fog burns off, right? How wrong I was.

*****

the BIKE ...

Start up the hill out of transition and have the gearing down perfect but can’t seem to get clipped in with my blasted left foot, and try as I might, right can’t pedal up it on its own. Thank goodness there weren’t many folks nearby, and especially that I didn’t get a penalty for cursing as I do my best to not fall off my bike midway up when I realize that there is no way I’m going to make it. Start again, get a good pedal stroke or two in, and still can’t seem to clip in the right. More cursing. Somehow again manage to make it off again without falling over, but am now straddling my bike trying to run up the final bit to flatland safety. Seriously annoying. But at least no one who ran the whole hill passed me, and as I stayed upright, we’ll call it a win.

Finally I’m clipped in & off I go. The first 5 miles are just about pancake flat and I’m feeling pretty strong, just cold. I pass June and shout out some woohoos… she looks good.

So glad that Darwin & I drove the course Friday as I know there’s a pretty technical turn just ahead followed by a short but steep incline out of it as we go under River Rd. Too bad I underestimated just how steep and made a poor gearing decision that just about killed me. Again, by some miracle I stayed upright, but at this point I’m not sure if my legs just aren’t there today or what, because I still don’t think that little hill should have torn me up like it did. But oh, well… better prepared for the next one… sure as hell am not going to make that gearing mistake twice. Better to conserve here to have it for the run, even if it means my bike split won’t be all I’d hoped.

The rest of the ride was pretty much cold, cold, and more cold. Where the hell was the sun? Think warm thoughts. It sure is warmer in Houston. Damn, that doesn’t help. And what is it with these hills anyway? They sure don’t look killer, but I’m sure not able to attack like I usually do. What is wrong with my legs? Are they even there? I don’t really feel them.

I never though I’d be praying for the sun to come out or for some brutal steamy heat, but at this point I can’t think of anything else. I’d even take the humidity. I was ready for the worst, and instead it seems we got just about the best, and for that I was completely in shock. And beyond ill-prepared. There was NO way to train for this with Houston summers.

At about 2 hours in, I try to refill my profile bottle with the last of my Infinit to find that the bottle in my cage is still half filled with ice. Crap! At least I’d gotten water at the last bottle handup, and had no trouble taking one at the next up as well. And I’d gotten the calories in, which is what counts. Nutrition was going well.

The last hour or so the wind really started to pick up. Damn that late start time! Nothing killer, but I sure could have done without it. Definitely didn’t help in recouping my bike average on the descent into town following Chalk Hill.

Off the bike in my slowest half split ever. Sure not the 2:57 of Florida in ’06. But oh, well… I’ll take it if I can just bring it home. At least it’s not going to be so hot on this run, right?! Well here I’m unfortunately very right.

*****

the RUN ...

I wheel up to the dismount line and step off my bike to sheer horror when I realize I can hardly feel my feet hitting the ground my legs are so numb. Oh, well. Maybe it will be better when I get my bike shoes off. Everyone runs funky in bike shoes.

Nope. Find my stuff no prob as I’d secured a primo spot on my AG’s rack here too & am not sure whether or not to be pleased that my block of dry ice kept my run bottle on Infinit so nice & cold overnight, but I’m at least in & out in a flash, just covered in goosebumps.

The first couple miles come fairly easily, and though I’m slightly off the pace I wanted to be, I’m feeling very comfortable minus the absence of feeling in my feet.

Oh wait, mile two, here it comes, now it’s like my feet have been asleep all this time & they’re coming alive! Aaahh! Like running on pins & needles! Fortunately that was short lived, as by mile 3 I have finally regained feeling down there. Hoping that the goosebumps will be the next to go.

Nope. Ooh, there’s Shannon coming back, she’s flying! Awesome! We high-five in passing and I keep my eyes peeled for Darwin. Did I miss him? Turns out I did, as the next person I see is Pam, and she is rockin’! So awesome to see her headed for home looking so strong.

Next up is Patty, and she is sailing as well. Everyone looks so much better than I feel. It’s like my heart rate has dropped below a certain point & I’m stuck in this cold & clammy purgatory and nothing I do seems to make me even the least-bit warmer. In fact, the more I try the more my sweat feels like it’s chilling me to the bone. Doesn’t help that there is abundant shade on the course, and not only that, but every interval of sunshine is matched by wide open spaces and a pretty decent cross wind. Normally this would be an absolute blessing, but for me I’m so over it.

I spot Deb, then next Tessy, both smiling & looking great, but after Tessy I’m a little sad. I’m not even to the turnaround yet, and that’s the last I’ll be seeing of anyone from our crew for a good while.

At least mile 6 on La Crema’s property is all out in the open, but slightly protected from the winds. I jog in the grass around the misters they have set up and try rubbing my arms to get rid of the goosebumps. No such luck.

I hit mile 7 to exit the winery & head for home, but I’m feeling rather lost. Nothing seems to be helping make me warm, not even the sun which is definitely out now, just not quite the sauna I’m used to running in. And I don’t feel awful, but I can’t seem to get a jump start to pick it up. The hills that I’ve trained for time & time again seem to be much more fun to walk, which was never a part of my plan. 8/1’s, yes… but I can run up these monsters, so why am I walking again?

But I plod on. Finally I see June… sweet! Not that I ever had any doubt that she’d make it off the bike, but still, it was a fabulous pick-me-up to see her a good 2 miles into her run. Hells, yeah she’s going to finish this one! No bus ride from hell back home here!

My last 2 miles just kind of pass by like the rest of my run. Nothing special, never stopping, just one step at a time closer to the finish.

Finally I’m there and I do try to kick it in a little, but it’s not much. So much for saving something for the run. Kinda hard to do when there’s nothing to save.

*****

But my finish is not deplorable. In fact, it’s really not all that bad. Run was still faster than Florida, though about a minute/mile slower than my finish at the Lone Star Half last year.

Though who am I kidding? Wasn’t just getting the start line big enough? Why did I ever feel like there needed to be more? My ‘worst’ half IM isn’t so bad when only 17 minutes slower than my ‘best’, and on a significantly more challenging course at that.

Of course who doesn’t want more. I know I put in the work. And I’ve managed to make some decent showings this past season at a few races, finally feeling like I’m coming ‘back’. Had a great training camp weekend (thanks again Mandy & Sam!), and was feeling well rested. Even my little 30min warm-up jog in San Francisco on Thurs before the race felt loads better than today… I didn’t even wince at those hills.

So sure I was disappointed. But the one thing I do know is that I’ve got a lot more in me, and thanks to the smart way I’ve trained this season, I will get to see another day, another race.

I also know that this wasn’t all for nothing. Though it can be disheartening to put so much in & get so little out when it counts, the fact is that I’ve seen this happen more times than not. You don’t get to pick & choose when you have your day, it just happens. It’s often when you finally let your body have the rest it deserves that you get to reap the benefits. And this may not be at the end of a seriously rock-solid season of training.

But without that hard-core training, you never get to see the best you are capable of. So back to PT for me, back to continuing the rehab to come back better & stronger (and please-oh-please finally leaner) than before. Hopefully I can get myself healthy enough to finally start running consistently enough to start seeing something respectable at the end of my races. Sub 8:30s at the end of a sprint are only a start.

And I know the best is yet to come for my biking. Even with the new bike & race wheels I’ve yet to ride faster than on my old trusty hunk of metal road bike. Though I know without the new bike I wouldn’t be loving cycling as much as I have this season. I am certainly more comfortable, and usually feel better transitioning to the run.

Bottom line – great race. Would certainly love to do it again, but there’s too many others I’d love to do first, so I don’t see myself going back anytime soon. Very well run, though a lot more low-key than some of the other M-dot races I’ve participated in or witnessed. Fabulous vacation both before & after – got to reunite with some old swim friends at ASU and my friend Mac from Trinity, so it was an incredible week for sure.

Nutrition went great, still lovin’ the Infinit, and couldn’t have asked for better race weather. According to weatherunderground.com, high of the day was only 66, far shy of the average 80’s for this time of year (the previous day it’d been 82) or the 95 I’d been warned it’d crept to in previous races.

Beautiful course… challenging, but definitely very fair. On a good day I know I could PR here, despite the mountains of the run course… loved seeing so many do so & achieve the success they so deserve. WAY TO GO first timers Shannon & June! You guys are the real deal! (But of course we already knew that.) And now you’re HALF IRON(wo)MEN!!!

Spent a good bit in the med tent after the race trying to warm up to no avail. I must have looked like quite a sight… piles of heavy blankets heaped atop me wrapped tightly in a mylar blanket. Volunteers went & fetched my T1 bag, but sadly all it had to help was a dry windbreaker… still better than nothing. Thank goodness for Patty’s dry T-shirt & for Angie for fetching my extra bag from the car!!! Not sure why I got so cold that day, or perhaps more importantly, why it affected me so much. I’d like to think that arm warmers would have saved the day, but guess in the end it really doesn’t matter. Another day I’ll get my day & race the race I know I’ve got in me… or maybe even one I can’t even fathom just yet… that’s the fun part about goals. ;)


So for this race I chose to celebrate my teammates’ successes. We’ll drink to mine another day. I am so proud of all of us out there. We tackled the course like pros, and every single one of you played a major part in getting me out there to that start line, and ultimately the finish. Loved seeing the smiles, and seeing everyone looking so strong. I hope that you all found a bit of confidence and are truly proud of just what you’ve done.

I know I am.




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