Vineman Half-Ironman Triathlon
July 30, 1994
5+ Hours of Fun in the Sun
Abstract
2 min P.R. for me, including the world's most incredible run
splits, Loreen becomes half an Ironperson with a great first race, the
Dead meet and eat.
Prologue
Procrastination had left me without a hotel room in the Santa
Rosa area (2 hours from home). This meant leaving for the race at 4:30,
to arrive in time to get registered, set up gear, etc. The night before,
the car is fully packed, including the dogs sleeping in their crates in
the car in the garage. Oh boy! An adventure! The next morning we breeze
through San Francisco, but there is one consequence to all this...
The Great Race Number Adventure
This race has a two transition areas
separated by 20 miles. On the way to the race, I drop off my run gear,
including my DRS singlet, at the bike-run transition. Then we get to the
swim site, where I get my number, which belongs on my singlet. Notice the
problem? The night before, I had used another race number to position four
pins in my singlet. I figured I'd carry the number in the pocket of my
bike shirt, and then pin it on my singlet during the run. Well, it was
a plan, anyway. Once I started running I realized I didn't have a prayer
to accomplish it. I just left the number in the pocket of my Ultimate.
When I got to the finish line, I took it out and held it up in front of
me as I crossed the finish line!
The Race
After P.R.'ing at Donner Lake two weeks ago, I was ready to go.
I had a swim 1 minute faster than last year and 3 minutes faster than
two years ago when I P.R.'d this race. Probably cut another minute off
in a great swim-bike transition. On the bike I had decided to take no
prisoners after two years of 2:59:51 and 2:59:31. I went all out on the
bike, periodically just sprinting like hell for a minute or so, then
falling back into a steady-state. I ended at 2:53:xx, major improvement.
However there was one problem...
Food Problems
I wanted to eat less after digestive problems at Wildflower.
In past years, I've had an energy bar, plus 3-4 bottles of Cytomax. I
started the ride with a Cytomax bottle, and discovered that this year the
race had switched to Gatorade. When I got my first bottle of that at mile
20 or so, it was so concentrated I couldn't drink it. In retrospect I
should have poured out half, filled the bottle with water, and drank it.
But I thought I could get by with less. I was wrong. So my total food
consumption was one PowerBar and one bottle Cytomax. All of this was, I
believe, the major contributor to the world's wierdest run splits:
Mile Split
1 7:19 (plus 0:47 pit stop, carefully timed)
2 7:51
3 8:19
4 8:45 (noticing a trend yet?)
5 8:54
6 10:04 (the middle miles of the course, 6-9, are very hilly, but
serious bonking was also occuring; see below)
7 9:47
8 10:15 (passed Loreen around here; she was at about mile 5 on this
out-and-back run)
9 11:18
10 9:57 (passed Mike Kail around here; fortunately at a point when I
was going hard and looking good!)
11 9:35
12 8:58
13 8:32
.1 0:36
Bonking
So what happened is that, basically, I was running out of gas.
Plus I was about 10 minutes ahead of my P.R. schedule, so that killed
my focus a little bit. Midway through the run I ate some peaches, downed
two full glasses of Gatorade at two successive water stops (my only
walking in the race), and forced down one GU (with lots of water - man
that stuff is well-named). This energy, plus looking at my watch and
realizing that I needed a major kick in the pants to make my P.R., gave
me the energy I needed in those last four miles, when it was getting
really hot and my legs were getting REALLY tired. I was VERY PROUD of
myself for getting my act together. As every mile passed, I realized I
needed to run the next one harder to make my P.R. (at least I thought
I did; calculational powers are somewhat diminished in the circumstances),
and managed to do it.
The Finish
It adds up to a 2:00:58 run, nothing to be wild about (my
first year was 1:52:09), but a 5:40:20 total for a 2 minute P.R. which
I am very happy with, even though I now think maybe 5:30 is a future
possibility. Loreen finished a bit later with a 6:07, great for her
first, cheered down the finishing straight by myself, Hinkmond, and
Benny (and probably Mike although we didn't see him at that point).
The Encounters
First encounter was with Loreen and Mike at 6:30 at
the bike-run transition area, leaving our stuff. At the swim-bike
transition, Loreen's bike was just one aisle from mine. Then Debi
and I ran into Hinkmond and Benny Yih just before the swim started.
Lauren Lechner showed up early and called my name as I exited the
swim, but I admit I never saw her (Here's what your mind is doing
as you exit the swim: "Hit the watch split button. Take off the
goggles. Take off the cap. Find the long cord on the wetsuit zipper.
Pull it down. Find the velcro on the back of the wetsuit neck; undo
it. Grab the shoulders; pull the wetsuit down to the waist." All this
while attempting to run from the water to the bike, and stepping around
people who think you're supposed to walk this part of the race. So
sorry Lauren, I just heard you, but didn't see you. I learned later
from Hinkmond that Lauren had swum the swim course 1 1/2 times, just
for fun. Wish I could have got her to tow me.
After the race, and waiting for Loreen to get a massage (I settled for
playing with Nicky and Jody), the crew (Loreen, Mike, Hinkmond, Benny,
Debi, and I) adjourned to a nearby Olive Garden for a pasta fest;
carbo re-loading for Loreen and I, and pre-race preparation for Mike
and Benny who were running the SF Marathon the next day (today). A
good time was had by all!
Summary
A beautiful day in wine country. Some people were there tasting
wine. I was there tasting life! Carpe viam!
Steve "Negative Splits 'r' Us" Patt
Return to the Race Page
Return to the Home Page