Vineman 2009

Going into my 4th Iron distance triathlon, I had a range of thoughts and plans. I had mirrored my training from my very successful race in 2008 and felt well prepared. I thought that I could better my 11:29 from 2008.

But I also wasn’t quite as excited or devoted to that goal. For me, some of the magic of the Ironman had worn off – now that I had firmly established that I could do this, and do it well, it felt like just another race and not like I was trying to do something impossible. While fighting these feelings of iron fatigue, I reminded myself of how important it is to respect the distances and the challenges. Without this proper respect, the race would eat me up. So, I did my best to summon some resolve and get to the start line in the right frame of mind.

Carey and I had a beautiful drive up the coast on Thursday. Highway 1 was gorgeous all the way through Big Sur and Carmel into Monterey.

In Monterey, we enjoyed the Aquarium and the 17 mile drive along the peninsula to Carmel. This truly is one of the most spectacular parts of the world, and it felt like a blessing to be there with Carey. I felt relaxed and well-rested. We had a nice seafood dinner in the harbor, which included watching the local seals and pelicans goof around on the water. In the morning, we had a fun breakfast in beautiful Carmel, and then continued north to Sonoma County.

In Sonoma, we were able to check in to the hotel early, and Carey was able to relax while I dealt with race registration and other formalities. Then we drove out to the Russian River Valley to see the swim and get a feel for the bike course. My overwhelming feeling was awe – the venues were just breathtakingly beautiful. A lush river valley to swim in, miles of rolling vineyards and golden California hills to cycle through, and vistas stretching out the horizon in every direction.

Friday night dinner was great in Santa Rosa with my brother and his girlfriend Kerri, who had just arrived after their own drive up the coast. I was able to get to bed early enough and get enough sleep before the 4:00 am wake up call came. Breakfast was spot on and I was able to drag Carey with me out to the River so that she could watch and help with my gear. What a trooper she is!

The swim start was rather simple, with a wave of only 100 competitors or so, rather than a mass start of 2500. I got moving quickly and had smooth sailing for each of the two loops. I was swimming easily, and I was never above an easy, aerobic pace. With each breath, I was enjoying the views of the Russian River Valley and feeling very relaxed. It was a little odd to feel the bottom of the River a few times with my hands when I ventured through the shallow sections; certainly different than being out in the open ocean or a deep lake. I finished the 2.4 mile swim in just over 1:05, and while this was a hair slower than I had hoped, the ease of the effort left me confident in anticipation of what remained in front of me.

The beginning of the 112 mile bike leg is always one of the best parts of an iron distance race; you feel rested, powerful, and ready for the challenges ahead. I began the bike leg down River Road feeling this way and reminded myself how important it is to keep this confident attitude under control and not ride too hard too early. The first section of the bike course took us along the Russian River, past several famous vineyards, and up Dry Creek Canyon. I kept a solid, sustainable pace through the first 40 miles of the race. Just after passing 40 miles, I came to the hilliest sections of the course along Chalk Hill Road. The first time climbing through here was easy, and I made my way past the transition and towards the second loop

Usually, the real battles of iron distance race begin about 80 miles into the bike, when the fatigue starts to mount and one’s thoughts linger towards how far there is to go. For me, I reached this point at mile 100 of the bike, when I came to the climbs of Chalk Hill for the second time. As I struggled up this climb, I had the first few doubts about where my legs would be and how far they could take me. But the long descent following the climb made me feel better, and, before long, I arrived at the second transition feeling good. The 112 mile bike took me just over 5 hours and 51 minutes. That’s a new personal best, and my legs felt fresh and ready to knock out the marathon.

While the beginning of the bike leg is one of the best parts of the race, the beginning of the run leg is usually one of the worst. As expected, my lower back hurt when I started running. This is typical for me, and it just one of the challenges of the race. I found myself confident enough to just keep running through it, and, before long, I was able to ease into a more comfortable pace and run more easily.

The first of the three 8.7 mile loops went well and I was on pace for improving on last year’s time. The course went out through a few farms and up three tough climbs to the turnaround. It was rather lonely out on the run, and I was elated to see Carey, Rob, and Kerri amongst the crowd when I came back towards Windsor High School. After that boost, I begin the second lap feeling better.

At about mile 10 of the run, I still felt strong when I had an immediate and painful jolt from my left ankle. This forced me to a limp, and I was even afraid I might have suffered a stress fracture. The pain persisted as I limped along. At times, it forced me to a walk and even the rare doubt about finishing. But, like most iron distance races, the doubts came and went, and I was able to shuffle along. My pace slowed and my goals shifted towards comfortably making the finish.

So, the remaining 16 miles turned into a rather uneventful shuffle and limp with a few more walk breaks than I had anticipated. Throughout this long stretch, the pain in my ankle came and went. I was relieved that it appeared I hadn’t done any serious damage. Rather it just seemed like a tweak or slight sprain.

Dealing with this pain caused me to reflect on a number of things. For one, how lucky I have been to avoid any serious injuries through the last 5 years of long course triathlon racing. I also remembered that while I might miss out on my time goals, even competing, much less finishing, an iron distance race is a remarkable achievement. I’ve had the courage to train for and start four of these races, and that is well worth some pride. So, the rest of the race, while not fast, turned into a celebration of a remarkable run of iron distance racing for me. And, perhaps, given the bout of iron fatigue I had headed into the race, this lesson in perspective is what I needed.

Of course, despite the pain and slower pace, the last mile and approach to the finish chute was an awesome experience. After 11 hours and 42 minutes, I approached the finish line with a wide smile and immense pride. The finish is always worth it.

After the race, it was great to relax and enjoy a meal with Carey, Rob, and Kerri. The restaurant Rob had selected even went out of the way to provide us with complementary deserts after hearing that I had finished the race. What a nice treat. The food, the company, and the conversation were all fantastic.

On Sunday, I was able to sleep later than I usually do after a big event. The long drive home went quickly, mostly thanks to Carey’s patient spirit and driving. I spent some time reflecting on the race and how I was able to tough out a good result despite the pain. There’s definitely some pride in that mental toughness and spirit.

This reflective period also helped me confirm what I had suspected throughout the build to this race – my body and mind need a breather form the stress and grind of iron distance racing. After four of these events in the last 40 months, it is time to step back, refresh myself, and improve on other aspects of my health, my fitness, my happiness, and my life. I intend to continue racing triathlons at shorter distances while also getting into some aspects of health and fitness that I have sacrificed in pursuit of endurance, such as yoga and core strength. I believe that this approach will contribute positively to my overall life, my strength, and my body. I am really looking forward to what lies ahead!

Thoughts on Vineman

With two weeks to go before my A race up at the Vineman, I am feeling ready to go. Here are a few thoughts as I drive myself crazy during the taper:

-I think that I am almost looking forward to the vacation/getaway more than the race! On Thursday the 30th, we’ll have a beautiful drive up Highway 1 to Monterey. In Monterey, we’ll check out the Aquarium, Cannery Row, and the beautiful scenery. On Friday, we’ll scoot up to Windsor for check-in and bike course scout before dinner with Rob and Kerri. Saturday will be the race day. I am already looking forward to the post-race dinner at a local steakhouse my brother picked out. Maybe some vino too! On Sunday, we’ll head down to San Francisco to check out the city and have lunch with friends before driving home. It’s going to be a great couple days with a race in the middle. As with my two trips to Coeur D’Alene, much of the fun in this is seeing a beautiful part of the country, enjoying time with friends, and celebrating our ability to do something so crazy.

-My training has gone very well. I have put in more time on the bike this year and much more hill climbing in order to become a stronger cyclist. My intent was not only to improve my bike split, but to come off the bike with stronger, fresher legs for the marathon. For each discipline, here’s how I am feeling and what I am expecting:

-Swim. I feel like I am swimming about as well as I did last year before CdA when I swam a 1:04. The swim in CdA is cold, slow, and jam-packed. At the Vinman, I’ll be treated to a warm, calm, fast swim in the Russian River. I’d like to think I’ll beat last year’s time by a few minutes.

-Bike. I should definitely be faster than last year’s 5:54 at CdA. I am a stronger cyclist this year and the course at Vineman should be faster. I’d lve to cycle under 5:45.

-Run. I am in similar running shape as I was last year when I faded to a 4:22 marathon. My hope is that I will have some more endurance this year and be able to run 4:15 or so.

In total, these goals would put me about 11:10 including transition time. That would be about a 20 minute improvement over last year’s excellent effort, so I feel almost greedy thinking about that. It’s worth remembering that I’ll need to be humble, smart, and strong to achieve that kind of result.

-My remaining concerns are nutrition (pre-race and race day), bike mechanics, and ample rest. I have a good nutrition plan leading up to the race, but I am still tinkering with my race day plan due to some concerns about heat. I am looking forward to taking my bike in for a tune up soon. And I need to start increasing my sleep. I’d love to start getting almost 9 hours a night in the last 2 weeks.

That’s just a brief update on where I am at. I have one medium long ride to do tomorrow (2 weeks out) and then a few shorter rides and runs. I’ll keep swimming right up until the race. I’ll be sure to update before the race about my plans for race day and how to follow my progress.

Wildflower Long Course: 2009 Race Report

Wildflower is simply an incredible race, experience, and party crammed into one weekend. Again, I have come away from the weekend exhausted, exhilarated, and amazed. While I can nit at some of my race, it’s hard to imagine having more fun or cramming more into the weekend. It almost has to be seen and experienced to be believed, but here’s my best effort at capturing the highlights of the weekend.

We had a good drive up the coast on Friday afternoon. There was some rain in the forecast, and Carey and I were looking at it two different ways: I was pleased when the forecast started to show the rain moving through Friday evening and leaving it dry for the race on Saturday morning; she wasn’t thrilled with the idea of rain while we were sleeping in a tent on Friday night!

On our way through Santa Barbara, Solvang, SLO, and Paso Robles, we drove through a few showers, and I, forever optimistic, announced that we had definitely just seen the worst bits of the rain. Luckily, I was right, and by the time we reached the lake we just had a few drops to deal with. We had camp set up quickly, and the dinner we packed went down quickly and easily. As the campground was filled with athletes taking on the Long Course the next day, it was nice and quiet early in the night, and I had a good night’s sleep.

I was up early and had a good breakfast, stretch, and last minute prep. After getting down to transition, I felt good and ready to go. I was carefully monitoring my hydration, as I am making a new effort to find the right balance and not over-hydrate (that was a nice way of saying that I have been peeing too much in my races lately…).

Things were going well all the way until I came out of the water from my warm up. A fellow competitor told me that my wetsuit zipper had come undone. With less than a minute to go before my start, I tried to yank it up as well as I could, but the zipper wasn’t quite closing at the top. Uggh, looks like I’d be swimming the 1.2 miles with a small parachute attached to my back! I tucked it in as best I could and took off.

My swimming stroke felt good, and the water was still and cool. The wetsuit felt loose and I could feel the water flowing across my shoulders from the slightly open flap. I gave the zipper a few tugs along the way, but just did the best I could with what I had. My 31 minute swim time felt good considering the equipment malfunction. Luckily, I won’t be racing any more cold water races this year and can retire this wetsuit.

After my adventure of a T1 in Oceanside, I was determined to do things well in Wildflower, and things went smoothly. I was off on the bike in just over 3 minutes, and the beginning stretch over to Beach Hill went quickly. I find that this climb, so soon after the swim, is almost tougher than the infamous Nasty Grade at mile 42. And it was. This is how the race commentators described T1 and the beginning of the bike:

The way this course works: You exit the water, and run up a long boat ramp. It is not uncommon to spend 3 minutes in transition, running up that boat ramp, then up a couple of flights of stairs to the parking lot, where the transition area is situated. So, if you weren't gassed during the swim, there's an opportunity to go anaerobic before you mount the bike. Then, after about a mile of nervous riding on a twisty, hilly, narrow service road at the lake's edge, you climb for a mile or more. This is called Beach Hill, and it's about 9 percent at it's steepest, and it's almost always at its steepest.

After Beach Hill, the course takes us up and around Lake San Antonio with some rolling hills. Through this section, I felt OK but not great. I was lacking power in my legs and, while still cruising along, didn’t feel like I could hammer the pace. This was also because I knew what was coming after the long descent to Nacimiento Lake Drive: The Nasty Grade.

Nasty Grade is a long (5 miles) climb averaging about 7% that just eats at you all the way up. And it doesn’t relent – after turning on to Interlake Road, it gets steeper before diving into some fun descents. My climbing was just OK and I balanced some time out of the saddle with some seated climbing. I was relieved to crest the top of the hill, look around at the remarkable views, and begin the long, curvy descent. I finished the ride as well as I could in just over 3:00. I felt, again, OK with my legs. Despite dropping 1 gel pack on the course, I felt good nutritionally and my new hydration efforts were working.

While the bike course at Wildflower is considered tough, the run course defies description – it is incredibly brutal. It begins with a rolling jog along the lake. Even this “flat” section dives up and down. After two miles of this, the real fun begins as we climb and descend the ridges and valleys around the lake. A couple of the trail climbs are viciously steep, and after reaching the top, you are rewarded with a steep descent on a loose, dusty trail. My quads hurt just typing that and thinking about it again.

After the tough stretch to mile 7, the course returns to the campgrounds, which is fun, as there are thousands of spectators cheering. I tried to soak up some energy, for there was one more climb out of “the pit” before the long descent down Lynch hill to the finish line. Through this stretch, I was able to keep moving at a steady, but unspectacular pace.

As I descended towards the finish, I was all alone and would have the finish chute to myself, just like last year. So, I started to enjoy myself, and when I saw Carey cheering along the side, I went over and gave her a sweaty, stinky hug and kiss – tough luck for her! The announcers enjoyed this, and proclaimed “hugging and kissing his way down to the finish, John Fischer!” I enjoyed this announcement – a perfect statement that my happiness was evident. I crossed the finish line in 5:31, with a run time of 1:54. Both of these are one minute slower than last year’s effort.

In all, I didn’t have a great day, but I have a lot to be proud of. I toughed out a decent swim despite my wetsuit issues, I had a solid bike split on a day when even the professionals slowed down a bit, and I made it to the finish line with obvious happiness. Wildflower truly is an event unlike any other: the festival and party atmosphere is as energizing as the brutal course is debilitating. Both have to be experienced to be believed.

After the race, Carey and I enjoyed the beautiful area of California, and, as I predicted in my pre-race planning, we had an incredible time regardless of how my race went.

Last year, I went immediately into my final build for my ironman race in Coeur d’Alene in mid-June. This year, I have some extra time to go through an extended build before the Vineman race on August 1st. I am scheming about how to best use this time and looking forward to the challenges ahead.

Wildflower 2009!

I am very excited for Wildflower Long Course this Saturday! Wildflower is a famous race held at Lake San Antiono, which is a beautiful resevoir about 30 minutes west of Paso Robles. Given it's remote location, most of the participants camp at the race site, and there is a great party/festival atmosphere the entire weekend.

Carey and I are planning to leave Friday midday, enjoy the coastal drive, and arrive in the afternoon. We'll camp for Friday night, enjoy the campfire, and try to get a decent night's sleep before the Saturday race.

The swim is a relatively easy one, with wave starts and a usually calm lake. I'll hope to swim the 1.2 miles in about 30 minutes.


The bike course is incredibly tough, and a real highlight of this race. Immediately, there's a tough climb up and out of the lakeside transition. After a series of rollers around the west and north side of the lake, there's a long, gradual descent until about mile 45, where we reach the southeast corner of the lake and the lowest point of the course. From here, we beging the Nasty Grade, a long, difficult climb of about 5 miles and 1,000 feet of elevation gain. After cresting the climb, there are some fast, fun descent back into transition. I'll be thrilled to ride anywhere under 2:57 or so.

After the tough bike course, there's little releif in sight, as the run course at Wildflower is likely the toughest run in the sport. It begins with a jog along the lake for a few miles before turning in the canyons and

hills. The trails are dusty, and the climbs are tough. I will be happy to run anything equal to or faster than last year's 1:53.




Last year, I had an excellent day and went 5:30. I am feeling a bit stronger this year, particularly on the bike, so I will pleased if I am able to beat last year's time. A stretch goal will be 5:25 or better.

But, regardless of my race, I am certain that will have a great time driving up the coast and enjoying some of California's most beautiful areas. After the race on Saturday, we are off to Avila Beach for some relaxation, wine tasting, and recovery - lucky me!

To follow the race, check out http://www.tricalifornia.com/index.cfm/Wildflower2009-main.htm They should have good results on Saturday.

Thanks for your support.