2012 Ironman Vineman 70.3

2012 Ironman Vineman 70.3

2012 Ironman Vineman 70.3- July 15^th, 2012

Windsor, CA

RACE TOTALS

Swim 1.2mi- 34:46 (1:48 per 100m)

Bike 56mi- 2:54:11 (19.29mph avg.)

Run  13.1mi-1:53:47 (8:41 per mile avg.)

Vineman was my mid-season race. It is a very popular race, it sells out in minutes. I learned the hard way because I registered late and had to be put on the waitlist for a few months. Luckily I made it in. 2,500 athletes ended up competing. It is in Windsor, CA in Sonoma County aka Wine Country. It is a beautiful race and the swim is in the Russian River and the bike and run courses take you along several vineyards! My teammate/friend VINNY was nice enough to let me stay at a nearby campground with him and his daughter and friend, and he even let me borrow a tent! Thanks Vinny! This is my CASTLE! haha

Okay so I am not going to lie. I didn’t have the best training coming into the race. But I felt like I could perform well and the course was not hard. It is probably one of the easier courses on the Ironman 70.3 circuit. I had high expectations but come race day, I felt flat. My legs felt heavy halfway through the bike.

RACE DAY EVE DINNER: Lasagna and a few slices of pizza. GU Electrolyte brew

Race Day Breakfast- 4:15am Plain bagel with 1 tbsp of peanut butter, Gu energy gel, banana, and a cup of black coffee (Approx. 550 calories)

6:00am Arrived at transition. Sipping on 1 scoop of GU electrolyte brew (50 calories)

8:00am  GU gel (100 cal)

8:14am RACE START Wave 15

SWIM 1.2 miles- The swim is a simple out and back in a nice 72degree water. It actually felt quite warm. I positioned myself near the center and right when the gun went off I started sprinting with the rest of the group. I lost ground to the front pack and dropped back, right around the time I got kicked in the mouth. A quarter of the way I started hyperventilating and becoming short of breath. This usually happens to me for some reason. I felt very comfortable and ready for the swim but it still happened to me. So I had to relax a bit and doggy paddle for a minute to slow my breathing down. I felt a little better and started my freestyle stroke again but with a slower turnover. A minute later I was good to go, felt ready, so I picked up my pace and caught up to the guys that passed me when I was having my moment. Just when I got relaxed and into a better stroke, I began to feel HOT! Man I would have loved to take the wetsuit off. I felt myself sweating in my wetsuit LOL. It was very uncomfortable. Not the end of the world, but anyways, I got to the turnaround point which was shallow enough where I walked and dolphin dove for about a minute. Then I just said to myself, just swim. So I got back into a nice rhythm and I took that all the way home to the swim finish.

 SWIM TOTAL: 34:46

T1 (Swim to Bike transition) – 3:21

I ran to my rack spot and found it quickly. Getting better at stripping my wetsuit while putting on my helmet simultaneously. Threw on my bib # and stuffed the wetsuit into the swim bag. Only downfall was when I unracked my bike, my GU gels that I taped to the frame fell off. So I just picked it up and threw it in my jersey. Not a bad T1, it was faster than my last race.

BIKE (56 miles)

Right out of transition there is a slight uphill. When the pros went through it, they ran their bikes up the hill and then mounted, instead of mounting before the hill and climbing up. I decided to run up the hill like the pros. Why not do what they do? Right?! So I ran up the hill and hopped on the bike and began my 56 miles journey. I took a GU gel and spun at a nice easy pace. My legs felt pretty great so I felt I was ready to pick up the pace. I was riding well, but my heart rate was super high. It was in the mid to high 160s. Which is way too high for the bike. I found two very good looking 30yr old females to pace off of for the first half of the bike. I was not complaining about that view : ) My heart rate was still sky high though. I believe I hit the halfway point at 1hr 20 minutes. I was on pace for a bike split I wanted. Suddenly my legs went. They began to feel heavy and my heart rate lowered. I just couldn’t push with any more power. The girls left me by now…darn. Yes, I got CHICKED. Anyways, this is the way I felt all the way to the bike finish. I actually biked my way to 10^th in my AG.

Bike Nutrition 4 GU energy gels chased with water (400 cals) ), 1 bottle electrolyte brew (150 cal) + some gatorade

Bike Total 2:54:11 (19.29 mph avg.)

T2 (Bike to Run transition) – 3:57

Ugly ugly ugly T2. Legs feeling like cement, heart rate off the charts. I didn’t have elastic laces so I had to tie my shoes. Planned on using the transition bathroom but there was a person already waiting.  I stood there for 15 seconds and just said “screw it”.

RUN (13.1 miles)

This is where it gets ugly. I know that I am capable of running a sub 1:35 half marathon. But with the legs and heart rate I brought to the course today would not cut it. My right foot was experiencing numbness. I believe I tied my shoe too tight. Newtons are not supposed to be tied tight. Other than that, I started cramping at mile 2. Yes mile 2! When that happened, I knew it was gonna be a long run. I knew if I pushed any harder I would be forced to walk. So I kept a steady 9 minute mile pace. At this point I realized I wasn’t gonna have the race I wanted. I just wanted to finish the run without walking. So as I was running a nice easy pace, it gave me the opportunity to sight see (beautiful run course through the vineyards) and send off words of encouragement to those passing me and to those that I was passing. I actually really enjoyed being able to encourage the racers that were hurting bad and were forced to walk. I offered salt tablets to walkers and a few Gus.

Here is where it gets fun. At about mile 8 there is a turn around where you can see runners in front of you or behind you. My teammate Vinny was in front of me and we high fived as we crossed each other. It was great seeing him and it motivated me to pick up my pace and catch up to my friend. I started running 8:15-8:30 miles. At around mile 10 I caught up to Vinny and he just left an aid station. I picked up an ice water and threw it on his back haha! I caught up to my friend and we started running together. I wasn’t going to PR or win my Age Group so I wanted to keep running with him. It was Vinny’s first half Ironman and he was on the verge of hitting a sub 6 hour race! With 3 miles to go, I looked at my watch and I knew if we made it to the finish in under 30 minutes then he would hit that sub 6! The pace we were running at was a 9:45minute mile. We did that until the last mile where we picked up the pace to a 9:15. As we were nearing the finish line, about 100 yards away Vinny goes “AHHH IM CRAMPING!!!” He pushed through and fought those cramps all the way down the finish chute to achieve his sub 6 hour half ironman! His final official time was 5:58. I may not have had the race I wanted, but pushing Vinny to hit that goal and to cross the finish line with him beats a podium finish anyday. At the end of the day, we race because we love what we do.

As for my performance. I believe it was a lack of fitness. For Ironman CA I followed a structured training plan. This race I didn’t. I still felt well enough to where I felt like I could put up a good result. But training never lies. So for as of right now, I am ready to be more focused in my training.

RUN Nutrition- I didn’t care. I was hungry so I just ate Chomps and drank cola and water.

RUN TOTAL- 1:53:47 (8:41 per mile avg.)

RACE TOTAL- 5:30:02

10^th Age Group

575 out of 2468

Lessons Learned

Training never lies

Elastic quick tie laces and don’t tie shoes too tight

Upcoming training

I am gearing up for the big one. Ironman ARIZONA. So I will be completing a few 100+ mile bike rides, long hill work, long runs.

STILL GOTTA EARN THE HARDWARE BABY!!!

NEXT RACES

My main focus is IRONMAN ARIZONA. But I am going to race some short distance races and use as race rehearsals and use it as speed work. Long Beach Tri, LA Tri, Playa Del Ray Tri, Newport Tri, and maybe squeeze in Orangeman aquabike, we’ll see what my coaches say! 

SPECIAL THANK YOU, to VINNY! Thanks Vinny for your hospitality and being a great teammate!

2012 Ironman CA 70.3 Oceanside

Ironman California 70.3 Oceanside March 31, 2012

Oceanside, CA

Race Totals

SWIM: 36:09 (1:54 per 100m)

BIKE: 2:55:33 (19.14 mph avg.) 

RUN: 1:39:22 (7:35 per mile avg.)

This is the big race I have been training for. It is my second Half-Ironman (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run). But my first one with proper training under my belt. So I really didn’t know what to expect. As far as goals, my main goal was to be under 6 hours. But for each discipline, my goals were to be around a 35 minute swim, a 3 hour bike, and a 1:45 run. I met all of those so I am very pleased with my results. It was a fun packed weekend because I raced with a triathlon team named Nopal Velo Tri club. We had around two dozen athletes and friends with us. Great teamwork and support.

PRE RACE

This race is a popular event. It draws in over 2000 athletes every year, and many top pros come to race. The forecast was mid 50s with light rain. The water temp was 58 degrees. So race conditions were not ideal, very cold. You can't control the weather but other than that, Oceanside is a great place to have a big race. 

RACE DAY EVE DINNER: ROSINAS ITALIAN RESTAURANT- Spaghetti with meatballs and sausage. Glass of water.

Race Day Breakfast- 3:45am Plain bagel with 1 tbsp of peanut butter, Gu energy gel, banana, and a cup of black coffee (Approx. 550 calories)

6:00am Arrived at transition. Sipping on 1 scoop of GU electrolyte brew (50 calories)

6:59am Race Start WAVE 7

Arriving at T1 to set up

Note: I did not warm up or even stretch. Well, since I was ALMOST late to my swim start, I guess my warm up would be me running in panic down the swim chute and navigating my way through hundreds of other people. When I got to my swim start, they were already at the boat ramp. That is exactly where we jump in to swim to the in water swim start. With no time to waste, they were already swimming into the water. I thought that it was the actual start of the race so I thought to myself “Darn, I’m in the back of the group so I gotta fight my way to the front”. So yeah, I’m glad I made the start but would rather have done some kind of warm up and stretching.

Swim (1.2 miles)

The gun went off and I just said GO! In the 3 triathlons I have done, I hyperventilated and had to take a little break and slow my breathing down. Usually that happens from the cold water, or if you are extremely nervous (or both). Swimming in open water with hundreds of people is scary. You can’t simulate that in training, only experience will give you more comfort. Well, I guess I am getting more experienced because I felt pretty good and didn’t have to rest. Just like any swim start, I got kicked and punched in the face. Football is a contact sport, but the swim start of a triathlon is like a UFC match in the water. At one point I swam over some guy and he must have been flutter kicking like he was drowning because it felt like Floyd Mayweather was throwing blows to my stomach like he does to a heavy bag! I did find some open spots where I got into a nice rhythm but at the halfway point it started to get pretty choppy and there were some nice sized waves we have to swim through. Three quarters into the swim I hit a buoy and swallowed a full gulp of water. That was delightful. Nearing towards the end of the swim you can see a long line of spectators surrounding the harbor and that got me in the zone to finish the swim hard. I started kicking more to activate my legs to get ready to bike, that helped a lot. I finished and hit the boat ramp being greeted by all of the spectators.

Swim Total 36:09

Part of the swim course in the harbor

Just finished the swim, on the way to my bike                  

T1 (Swim to Bike Transition)- 4:51

It was a decent run from the end of the swim to the north end of T1 but I still need to tighten up my T1 time. I took my time making sure I didn’t forget anything. I will feel more confident in my preparation next time and I will move more swiftly.

Bike (56 miles)

I mounted my bike and rode on top of my shoes, hit a straightaway out of T1 and strapped my shoes on while riding. I am getting better at that. The first few miles I just took it easy to let the body get used to being in a different position and to let the blood flow get to my legs. I waited until about 15 minutes to allow my heart rate to go down so I can absorb some nutrition better. The bike course was cool. It goes from the shore of Oceanside up the coast into Camp Pendleton. I saw a lot of Military Personell in uniform and saw some cool stuff around the base. It was a wet and cold bike ride. Misty and overcast is not a good combination. My toes were numb the whole time. My arms were frozen and it was tough to reach around to the back of my shirt pocket for energy gels. But, the first half of the bike went fast. Then, the hills came. There were a few tough, steep hills that took some serious climbing effort and then some rolling hills. The downhills were fun, I hit 40 mph at one point. At somewhere about ¾ of the ride I caught up to someone wearing the same jersey as me, it was my teammate Octavio. From that point on we rode together and passed one another a few times before Octavio led both of us to T2. It was good motivation to stick with a teammate at the end of a long bike ride like that. Thanks Octavio! Throughout the whole bike ride I felt good. My legs were not cramping or showing any major signs of fatigue. I met my 3 hour goal and my final bike split was 2:55:33. When I dismounted my bike I was greeted by another teammate ZIYA! Who managed to get a good shot of me going into T2! Now, time to run.

Bike Nutrition One GU Energy Gel every 30 minutes chased w/ water (500), two bottles of GU electrolyte brew (300)

Bike Total 2:55:33 (19.14 mph avg.)

The bike course

T2 (Bike to run transition)- 2:20

I had a good, quick transition…but after drinking 3 bottles of fluid on the bike meant a full bladder, which resulted in a trip to the bathroom. I hit the portable bathrooms in the transition area which took AT LEAST 30 seconds.

Off the bike, time to run.

RUN (13.1 miles)

Coming off the cold bike, my toes were numb as I mentioned before. I think it took about a mile to get the feeling back in my feet. Just like every bike/run brick workout, I always want to take the first mile or two to get my legs under me and transition from cyclist to runner. But the funny thing is I felt like I was doing that, but my first mile was actually one of my fastest miles. My main goal was not to cramp early in the run. So I focused on good form and breathing and to take in nutrition at the right times. The run course was great because there were spectators EVERYWHERE. The energy was great, they really supported all the athletes.  It was two laps on the strand of Oceanside, right on the shore. The loops and turns on the course were nice because on the out and backs, you can see who is behind you on the run and I got to see several of my teammates and we would reach across the center divider for a quick high five or a point or thumbs up. That was really cool. There were a few steep hills that were challenging and I didn’t attack those too hard because I knew I had to do them again on the 2^nd lap.  About halfway into the run I felt a slight twinge in my right Achilles. I am thinking it was from those steep hills since I never run hills like that. The Achilles is no joke so I hoped it didn’t get worse, which it didn’t but I still need to closely monitor it. My heart rate was at 160 at the lowest point. Which I think is too high. That provided me with a 7:30-7:45 per mile pace. More run training and mileage will help me in the future. I got off the bike in 14^th place in my age group, and I ran down 5 guys. When I hit the second loop I started thinking when I should start pushing my pace. I waited until mile 9 to settle into a good rhythm.  I tried pushing my legs harder but they just wouldn’t provide anymore bounce. My final mile was my fastest mile of the half marathon. At an aid station at about a mile away from the finish I took a sip of some coke to give me a little jolt! I pushed it hard all the way to the finish which will result in a full stride finish line photo. No poses for me.  As you can see from my mile splits, I had a nice 2^nd half of the run with a nice negative split. I met my run goal of 1:45 and my final run split was a 1:39:22.

MILE 1- 7:13

MILE 2- 7:49

MILE 3- 7:24

Mile 4- 7:43

Mile 5- 7:33

Mile 6- 7:51

Mile 7- 8:08

Mile 8- 7:48

Mile 9- 7:38

Mile 10-7:34

Mile 11-7:26

Mile 12- 7:15

Mile 13- 7:09

Run Nutrition 3 GU energy gels, few sips of water and electrolyte drink at aid stations  (300 Calories)

Run Total  1:39:22 (7:35 per mile avg.)

-19 minutes from time

Race Total

5:18:15

9^th  M 18-24

462 Overall

Lessons learned

-Prepare for swim start earlier. Warm up and stretch and be with the wave group on time.

-I believe I can push harder in the race. Maybe a little more in all 3 disciplines. It’s just a matter of experience and trial and error. It is a good start, I am still fairly new to the sport and am always learning new things.

-For races that are expected to be cold like this one, I should have purchased arm warmers. Wearing my gloves and toe covers on the bike would have been nice too.

-More hill training on bike and run.

-Improve T1 time.

Upcoming training

I will keep the workouts light this week and slowly ease back into my normal routine. Once I feel good and fully recovered then I will get into some more serious training. Longer rides with the group and upping my run training. Also get some good sets in the pool and ocean for the swim.

Next race

May 12 San Diego ITU Olympic Distance

FUN TIMES!!!!

Top males of the club. I got fastest swimmer lol

2012 Race on the Base Reverse Triathlon

2012 Los Alamitos Race on the Base Reverse Triathlon

Los Alamitos Race on the Base Reverse Triathlon – Saturday, February 25, 2012

Los Alamitos, CA

Race Totals

RUN: 23:50 (6:26 per mile avg.)

BIKE: 35:41 (22 mph avg.) 

SWIM: 4:06

First triathlon of 2012! Man I was excited. Been looking forward to get going all fall and winter. Off-season was great. Got a lot of good training under my belt and got a lot of new race gear for this season. I am still learning a lot and still have a lot of room for improvement. I invested in a brand new triathlon specific bike, triathlon cycling shoes, aerodynamic helmet, a GPS enabled multi-sport watch, and a professional bike fit. This can be an inexpensive sport or it can be an expensive sport. My love for competition and new high tech gear made me choose the expensive route. So that’s a little recap of my off-season, now on to my race report for the 2012 RACE ON THE BASE REVERSE TRIATHLON.

PRE RACE

This race was a REVERSE triathlon, so instead of swimming first, we RUN first and end with the swim. Which is different for me because I never train that way, and I found out those differences today. Also, during the off-season I have been training aerobically (slow) to build endurance, and since this race is short it is an all out effort. So going fast is something I haven’t been used to. Nonetheless, I was confident I could have a good race. It is a SPRINT distance race, which is a short race. Sprint races are usually a ½ mile swim or less, around 12 mile bike, and around a 3-4 mile run. To be competitive, it is an all out effort. It is also so short that it is the perfect distance for newbies doing their first triathlon.

RACE DAY EVE DINNER: Whole wheat pasta with chicken, marinara sauce. Chocolate milk

Race Day- 7:00am Half of a plain bagel with 1 tbsp of peanut butter, a PR bar, and a cup of black coffee. (Approx. 450 calories)

8:45 Arrived at transition. Sipping on 1 scoop of GU electrolyte brew (50 calories)

9:30 Race briefing.  GU energy gel (100 calories)

10:10 Race Start WAVE 1

RUN (3.7 miles)

I positioned myself right in the front. Even though my legs felt a bit heavy, I started off at a blazing 5:30 mile pace for the first half of the first mile, I then slowed a little and ended up running a 5:53 mile 1. I was feeling good but then at the 1.5 mile point my right shoelace came untied (Haven’t installed my Yankz lacing system yet)! So I stopped for a few seconds to tie it.  When something like that happens, it could play on you mentally.  I was frustrated it happened but I only worried about it for a few seconds. Not happy about that but still got back in my groove and ran a 6:41 mile 2.  I noticed the guys in front of me slowing so instead of trying to pass them, I played it safe and kept my pace because I was confident I could handle them on the bike and plus I saved a bit of energy. I ran a 6:48 mile 3. Less than a mile to go I kept my pace and headed into transition. Time to race my bike for the first time ever!


MILE 1- 5:53
MILE 2- 6:41
MILE 3- 6:48

Run Nutrition Few sips of water (0 Calories) LOL

Run Total  23:50 (6:26 per mile avg.)

T1 (Run to Bike Transition)- 1:25

Bike (13.1 miles) 3 Laps

My new Felt and I have logged in a lot of miles over the past few months but this was the first time I raced with it. I was very excited! Add a matching aero helmet and I felt like a pro. I went out on the bike feeling GREAT. During the first lap I caught some guys that outran me. I caught some more guys on the second lap. But during this second lap, my calves started cramping. As I mentioned before, I never train this way (Run to Bike), my muscles weren’t used to that so I'm pretty sure that’s the reason. I fought through the cramps a bit and was still maintaining a fast pace. I got into a nice rhythm saving a bit of energy for my last lap. A few miles away from the 3^rd lap start, some guys passed me and one of them was drafting off of him (Drafting is a violation). I don’t like cheaters so I was pretty frustrated. I yelled out in a stern tone “HEY! No Drafting!” The guy immediately backed off. The competitiveness in me came out and my calf cramps went away. I passed the cheater and powered through the third lap and headed to transition. Saw only 1 bike racked in my age group racks so I was pretty pumped. Time to Swim.

I must note that I enjoyed the lap system because for that reason it was very spectator friendly. Everyone was cheering me on and I heard a few “GO LB TRI!” out there. Very supportive and that kept me pushing hard. There were also bands out there playing music, that was pretty cool too.

Bike Nutrition One GU Energy Gel and One bottle of 2 scoops GU electrolyte brew (200 calories)

Bike Total 35:41 (22mph avg.)

T2- 1:36   Okay, so another mishap occurred. As I unstrapped out of my shoes and dismounted, I was running with my bike to transition and my shoe hit the ground and clipped out. I had to run back a few feet to go get it. That took about 10 seconds…

Swim (200 meters)

Not much to say about the swim except I was already tired with cramping legs. So my form was terrible. I powered out the four laps and went up the steps and finished the race.

Swim Nutrition Couple gulps of pool water HAHA (How many calories in chlorine?)

Swim Total 4:06

Race Total

1:06:41

2^nd M 19-24

21^st Overall

Post Race

Finishers Medal and 2nd Place AG medal

In front of the chopper

Lessons learned

Some things I would change would be the shoelace thing. I haven’t installed my quick lace ties for my shoes which you just pull to tie and won’t come undone. That would have saved me a few seconds.

Add more intensity to my training program.

Not too sure how to fix my shoe hitting the ground at T2. That would have saved me more time.

Overall, I am very pleased with my performance. It was the type of race that I don’t train for but still came out with positive results.

Upcoming training

One more month of training for Ironman CA in Oceanside. Got some long rides and runs planned these next few weeks. I will also be building up my courage to get some open water ocean swims in. I hear it’s COLD. Gotta stay focused.  1 more month!

Next race

                                                                                                   March 31st, 2012