Vineman

Beth Kozura, “You are a Vineman!”. A new title to add to my list. I am a Deuceman, an Ironman, A Leadman and now a Vineman. I don't take offense to being a “man” as long as it has a catchy prefix attached to it.

Race 2 in my summer triathlon series was a success. Being away from home for the month prior to Vineman had its advantages and disadvantages. I had to be more adaptable with my schedule to work around our travels and other activities, but yet I had more flexibility to fit workouts in throughout the day. I so enjoyed living GREEN in California. I was able to get around by foot or bike during the day while my husband used our car to get into his office (which if he really wanted to, he also could have used the city trails and commuted himself). I got to train in a range of weather and terrain. I met some local triathletes along the way. Northern California is saturated with strong swimmers, runners, and cyclists and I think if I lived in these conditions I could only improve as an adaptation to the conditions.

I had a neutral feeling going into my race feeling a little under trained as I had not reached the distances on my bike that I usually do prior to a long course or as much high intensity work to improve my speed as I hoped, but I did put the hours in and had the opportunity to work on climbing on my bike and some short bursts of speed during my runs. I had been focusing mostly on technique in the pool taking in all the feedback I had received and trying to “feel” the water. My goal had changed a little bit since I was planning on completing 3 long courses this summer from pulling out a PR to making respectable finishes in all three and peaking on the last race. So I think I am on my way to completing the series.

When my husband and I arrived in Guerneville on Friday afternoon, we checked into the West Sonoma Inn and Spa and got our bikes out and went for a spin. He kept riding to the coast while I did an easy 40 minute spin and 20 minute run to loosen up. We got settled into our room and then found some dinner and walked around the town and checked out the river. The next day my husband took another ride through the forest and out to the coast to take advantage of the beautiful location we were in while I just rested my legs. We headed out to the expo for the 11:30 am athlete's meeting and between packet pick up, shopping at the expo, and setting up T2, we did not get back to our room until about 4 pm. At that point, we decided to forego our planned swim in the river. We hung out and enjoyed the vineyard views at our Inn and then headed to dinner.

The forecast was for THE PERFECT DAY and it was pretty much what weather.com had promised!

Everything came together on race day. I guess if adequate preparation is made and you have your health, you can always start your day with a positive outlook. The week prior had been very hot and the water temperature in the Russian River had reached 80 degrees. Luckily a cool front had moved in and the temperatures dropped. The race ended up being wetsuit legal and the temperatures started in the 50s with a chill in the air before getting into the water with nice mist and cloud coverage that lasted through the bike ride. The run was more in the open air, but a nice breeze helped make it tolerable.

We were staying a few minutes away from the start of the race, so there was no big rush to get out the door except that all my friends had different start times and I wanted to be there for morning greetings, so we slowly headed down to T1 with our bikes around 6:30 am. I set up my bike, talked to my rackmates, got body marked, and greeted my AZ friends. I had plenty of time to visit the potty, watch a few swim waves, and get my wetsuit on. Race Ready I was, there was nothing else to do besides wait.

The Vineman swim has to be one of the most beautiful on the Ironman circuit in the Russian River. It is a narrow river nestled between pine trees and other lush green foliage. We even had the treat of a bald eagle nesting high up in a tree right at the start. I always look forward to getting started as once the gun goes off, you can just relax! The swim goes off in age group waves every 6 minutes due to the very narrow river course. It is nice to avoid the trampling of athletes in water, but the start happened over a 2 hour period and I had the final women's wave only with 2 men's waves ages 30-35 following! There were 105 athletes in my group. I got an orange cap to add to my collection which goes nicely with my ONE Multisport wardrobe. “10. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1....and the horn sounds” and off we go. It is a most scenic swim and I make a point of breathing both ways so I don't miss anything. This swim is also known for athletes standing and walking in the water as it gets shallow in certain spots and sure enough before we even approached the turn around, I saw a tribe of yellow caps (the wave in front of us) walking in the water. I was “not” going to walk if I did not have to as I can swim in pretty shallow waters (one of the advantages of short limbs and being a turtle!). I was not too turtle like on my swim as someone shouted out “10^th out of the water” and I knew that meant in my age group, but it made me smile. Sometimes I am 1 or 2 out of the water in AZ in my AG, but I thought that was pretty great in California after getting a taste of these athletes.

I ran my bike up the short hill that starts directly at the bottom of T1 as the majority of athletes were including the pros. And off we go for a scenic bike ride in the Vineyards. It takes a good 5-10 miles to

work out the swim effects on my body and get into a groove and miles 5-10 on this course are bumpy and hilly. My bike felt wobbly and I even stopped to check for a flat but it was just the terrain as far as I could tell and I just prayed I would not have to deal with a bike issue so I could just enjoy my ride. Of course after a while, you are in “the zone” and you are focused mostly on the road in front of you. I had to remind myself to look up and enjoy the view. The course continued to go up and down with several climbs. The most famous one that I was warned about was known as “Chalk Hill” which lasts for about a mile. Although CH had one steep section before the summit, I found a few of the other sections more challenging. At the top of CH was a fun long descent which I was comfortable going full speed on meaning it was steep, but not too steep! The course description claimed the ride was down hill for the last 10 miles and that is how it felt as I found myself passing people to T2. I had no idea what speed I was averaging because my clock on my bike failed and my Garmin was not accurate, so I had only “feel” to go on and I had sustained my efforts throughout the ride and had done the best I could on that given day.

I was so happy to arrive at T2 to see some familiar faces and to get off my bike. It was a bit of a run into the transition area, but the good news was I was in the second row. And then I was off to run the final leg of the race. I took it slow to try and get things stretched out and get everything all situated (salt and water in one hand and jelly beans in side pocket). The first 2 miles were gentle and the mile markers were approaching faster than I expected. But before I knew it, I looked up and the course was going up! More rolling hills...but I was happy to be climbing them on my feet and not my bike at that stage. Many people were walking the hills, but for me, if I walk, my run is over, so I do everything it takes to keep running. I use the same principles as I am learning on my bike, to slow up the hill and shorten my stride to conserve energy. I met an amputee who had completed 2 Ironmen and talked to him for a few minutes while I was getting in my groove (he was a dose of inspiration for me). I was feeling good and I had hopes of possibly being able to pick up my pace on the second half so I held back a little. The runners headed in the opposite direction had that look of despair so I took that as a clue of what was ahead. I was happy to reach the turn into the Winery for a 1 mile jog around the vines. We reached the half way mark in the fields and that was nice to know there were only 6.5 miles left. My legs were starting to tighten up but I was beginning to pass people slowly but surely. It was a progressive tightening of the legs and then right around mile 9 my left quad was fighting for the full blown cramp as I past others who were grabbing their cramping muscles trying to ward off the evil spirits. I was no more deserving then any other athlete, or maybe I was since I had worked really hard to stay hydrated and maintain a good level of electrolytes all day. My secret formula got me to mile 9 and the hills had taken their toll. I have secret weapons to ward the evil spirits away and though I had to stop for a split second while my quad squeezed itself into a knot, I shortened my stride and slowed down and somehow dragged my legs through the remainder of the miles. Right before mile 11, there was a sign posted stating “LOST CALF” which I thought was funny since a lot of triathletes left their calf muscles out there on the course, but since we were in the middle of property with livestock and the sign had a phone number to call, maybe it was referring to a baby cow. At the aide station at mile 11, they had run out of water, but still had gatorade, so that had to do. Soon a gal on a bike called out “only 1.5 miles to go, you are almost home!”. That gives hope that relief is on its way. My pace slowed a bit and on this day, I did not look down at my watch once as I decided it was more important to listen to my body than to try and push too hard to break a record and end up walking to the end. A half a mile from the finish, I saw my other ONE Multisport friends who screamed and energized me for a moment almost causing another major spasm, but I was once again able to ward off the evil spirits. The last group of volunteers screamed only ¼ mile to the finish line. I saw my husband and my friends a few hundred yards from the finish. I also had the opportunity to have a banner held up for me to run through at the end though the cameras missed that special moment (when will I ever have a banner to run through again). I looked down at my watch and was happy to learn that I broke 6.5 hours with a finishing time of 6:28:45. Another title in the bank....I am rich!

I concluded that in some ways it does not matter where you put your miles in during a race as your focus becomes intense and it is truly a challenge to enjoy the view the whole way through, but I would not trade the vines in for anything as this race is a must do for any hearty triathlete with an appetite for green trees, rolling hills, fine wine, and friendly people. You won't want to go home. And if 70.3 is not enough time in the vineyards, Vineman offers a race with a full distance Ironman, Aquabike and marathon later in July.

To top off the experience, post race celebration and wine tasting are a must. I enjoyed exchanging triathlete tales about the race and learning how everyone's day turned out. One thing, every one went to bed happy that night. The next day was spent wine tasting in style on the WINE O BAY GO tour in a luxury van that chauffeured us around to taste the treasures of the earth. It was a great way to see the country and taste the fruits of the crops. We left with stronger friendships, a renewed peace, and a few more bottles of wine. Vineman was ONE grape time!