9.5 Hours Later - Vineman 70.3 Race Report

As I rounded into the finish chute yesterday, I saw Sedonia jumping up and down with cartoon hands yelling, "You're smiling!!!"  I yelled to anyone who could hear, "because I'm so happy this is finally over!"  After it was all said and done she said, "Just think how much easier your life is going to be now."  Exactly!!!  I am so excited to have this behind me so I can focus on an even bigger event at the end of a September and a super fast implementation for the bicycle company at the beginning of November without feeling guilty about training.  Plus, as I mentioned in my last entry, I am excited to just "exercise" again and not "train" for several months.

Yesterday turned out ok.  Of course it was not what I intended when I registered last fall, still high on IM training, but at this point, it doesn't matter.  I am just so happy I finished (made possible by such an early swim wave).  My swim was awful.  While the Vineman swim is probably the easiest swim out there of all the races (because it is in waves and so shallow), I got stuck in the upstream current despite my best intentions to stay to the right.  I was too stubborn to turn right and get out of it.  I just kept thinking I was going to naturally get out of it.  "Oh a little bit more and it is the turnaround."  Except that it wasn't the turnaround.  It was the next buoy and then the next one and the next.  As a sidenote, aren't the orange buoys supposed to mean left turn???   The highlight of the swim was getting tapped on my shoulder and seeing Nick in the water (was in the wave 8 minutes behind me).  The lowlight of the day was that I was drafting off of a backstroker!  She literally backstroked the entire first half.  I walked at the turnaround because it was so shallow and was disappointed to see 28 minutes on my watch.  

All the people standing up and walking at the turnaround!

I swam directly with the current on the way back and made up some time as I got out at 51 minutes.  I was looking for 48 minutes.  Three minutes is nothing in the scope of a long day, and I should have reminded myself that.  But, it was a damper for the next hour.

I was going for a T1 PR and it did not happen.  There was mud everywhere!!!  The princess in me couldn't take it. I was slightly paralyzed by it.  I had to unravel my sliver of a towel so I could sit down on it and wipe my feet off so I could put blister shield on (for the run since T2 was 17 miles away).  And then my towel became community property as all the other girls around me asked if they could wipe their feet on it!  I was glad I packed 2 separate plastic bags to put my dry clothes in and the muddy stuff in and then threw the wetsuit in that bag and ran it over to the guys transporting the swim bags to the high school.  I ran toward the exit and saw Sedonia who said, "How was it?"  And I laughed, "Definitely not a PR."  I think my IMAZ T1 was faster and I actually changed my shorts then!  The guy next to her said, "at least you're smiling."  Yes.  Because that's all you can do, right?

I headed up the hill and saw Jen who said, "I'll take a picture for your blog!"  Thanks JJ!!!

The first 10 miles of the bike were rough road and really rough thoughts.  The little gremlins were there.  I kept asking myself, "Why are you doing this?"  I thought about quitting.  Several times.  And then I thought about how it was the first time I ever thought about quitting.  I was uncomfortably full of snot from a sinus infection that started last weekend.  

But the sun came out right about when I hit Dry Creek Road and everything just turned beautiful.  I rode past all the wineries we visited on last year's Victory Lap and thought of the awesome weekend with my friends.  And, from there on out, I was just going for a bike ride.  

I stopped at the aid station at Mile 18 to use the potty, blow my congested head, apply chafing cream (I don't normally ride this far in tri-shorts), and get more water.  The lowlight on the bike was accidentally eating an Aleve.  I threw 3 Aleve into my bento in case I needed it.  Not knowing there was an Aleve stuck to the Chomp, I bit through the pill.  Pieces of it were stuck in my teeth.  It burned my tongue.  It was just pure chemicals in my mouth.  And nothing would take that taste away.  The poor kid at the aid station saw my face, "are you ok?"  But I didn't have the energy to explain my idiocy to him.  I think it took 5 or 6 miles before the taste finally disappeared.  

The rest of the ride was great.  I had to stop again at Mile 38 to use the potty and deal with a slight bloody nose.  I think both Sedonia and Elise must have passed me while I was at the aid station.  From there I was on the home stretch and enjoyed the rest of the way to Chalk Hill.  Alicia rode by on the way to the climb.  A girl on the hill had a sign that said, "Smile, it hurts less."  And she was right.  The hill was over in no time and the last 12 miles flew by.  I did consciously dial back on my speed.  If I mashed too hard, I knew the run would be even worse.  I saw my Iron teammates as I came into town and saw Alicia again as she was starting her run.  I finished the bike in 4:21.  I expected 4:30 so I was happy with that. 

To even the field, those in the early waves had the furthest to run in T2.  I took my shoes off and ran all though T2, racked my bike, changed shoes, put on my hat and ran all the way out.  It was the first time I ever RAN in transition and it still took me 7 minutes.  Grr... 

I passed Phil, Jasmine, Jim, and Tyler on the run.  I teared up a little when I saw them as I didn't know they were coming up for the day (except for Phil who was our sherpa) and was so happy they were out there supporting us.   

My goal for the day was to race with integrity.  By the time I got to the run, I was in a lot of pain.  When I chose to walk at Lavaman, I made a conscious decision not to try.  Yesterday, I tried.  I kept myself honest. I ran up all of those hills 20 steps run/20 steps walk or sometimes 40 steps run/20 steps walk.  My run was very weak.  It had no bounce in it.  No spring.  I almost tripped multiple times because it was such a shuffle. The pain in my knees and IT band was the bad kind of pain.  Sister Madonna passed me around Mile 4 and I saw her again at Mile 8, which was awesome.  I saw Sedonia when she was around Mile 10 and a few minutes later Elise ran by.  By the time I got to La Crema, I knew I had plenty of time to make the cut off.  I made friends.  Someone needed my Bodyglide.  Someone else needed my salt pills.  Someone else asked for sunscreen.  All goodies I had in my pockets.  I carried everything with me knowing I was going to be out there for 9+ hours (yet I am still extremely sunburned today).  Coach Dave found me when I had half a mile left and ran with me for a few minutes and then ran ahead to let the others know I was coming in.  And, it must have been the same announcer as Tri for Fun because he said, "And now there's one less hill on the course, here comes Jennifer Hill!"  Oh goodness.  I yelled, "It's Jessica" and he said it again, correctly.  But I got a lot of "Congrats, Jennifer" from my silly friends.  

I am definitely not done with Vineman.  I can't commit to signing up again for next year yet, but Vineman 70.3 and/or Barb's Race is in my future at some point. Unlike training for Arizona where I put my time in the pain cave every week, I was not ready for this event.  My priorities changed and I was lucky I still had some base level of fitness from last year with some maintenance of this year.  I thought about how my longest workout in the past few months was 4 hours and yet I spent 9.5 hours out there yesterday and somehow managed to be happy for the least 8 hours of it.  I'd say that deserves its own medal!