Full Vineman Race Report- Wine Goes Well with 140.6 Miles of Racing!

She tracked me down at the finish!

Another 140.6 miles in the books! Vineman was an very well organized local race and provided some beautiful scenery for the 11:49:40 I was out there for. That time got me to first place in my age group (Female 25-29) and fifth overall. Not quite on the overall podium but closer than ever before. Just have to keep trying!

Swim/Slosh Leg

Like a surprise group hot tub

Stepping into 72 degree water when it's only 50 degrees out is absolutely amazing. Nothing else makes me that excited to pop a wetsuit on and hop it! This swim was my first time doing a multiple lap swim which certainly broke up the monotony. Unfortunately, all rivers and lakes are low here right now, so most racers had to run the turnaround in the shallow water. Not much to be done about that and at least everyone had the face the same obstacle, so an even playing field. Ultimately I did a 1:20 swim, which is in line with my Ironman Texas time from last year. I would like to be swimming closer to a 1:10 time, I will let you know when I figure out the secret to that.


Bike Time!

So... I somehow thought this course would be 1,200ft of elevation gain. I really though I had found the race route from MapMyRide and couldn't help but think "1,200ft? Excellent! I am way over prepared for that!"

Pictured: Not 1200 Ft of Elevation Gain.

Imagine my surprise on course when I can't figure out why I am going 2mph slower than expected. I was able to make myself feel better when my Garmin told me I had completed 4,938ft of elevation, but it was a bit discouraging during the race. I just decided to hold my power numbers where they needed to be and the ride would be whatever it ended up being. This gave me a 5:38 bike time, which put me in line with the front running women. As far as I can tell I came off the bike in 7th or 8th place overall.

A few wineries at the back end were offering free tastings for participants, but it seems inappropriate to stop mid race. Maybe next time. For now I will stick with Bonk Breakers and PhD Nutrition during races. 

Newtons make me smile

The Lydia Shuffle

Almost done! The run course was split into three out and back loops. I spent a few miles doing this math in my head (it gets difficult to do at this point) and each loop is about 8.73 miles, and each leg is 4.37 miles, which is totally doable. Running 4 miles is definitely doable. Original plan was to run to each water stop and take a short walk break as I grabbed a drink and snack. However, there's nothing quite like 112 miles on the bike to make a molehill look like a mountain.

The loped course allowed me to see my Big Sexy teammates beast moding it through the course. Congrats to everyone on their great finishes!