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| view from cabin parking space |
As I started my drive westward on River Road last Friday (May 29), I found myself once again in awe of the incredible beauty of this region. Breathtaking vistas greeted me as I followed the Russian River toward the Pacific, past numerous vineyards, redwood-lined hills, pastures, and small historic towns.
If I had a to pick a favorite place to race, the Russian River Valley would be it. Maybe it's the beautiful scenery, the cool morning temps, or the fact that this was the place I got my first taste of long course triathlon racing with my friend, Emily, many years ago. I was super excited to return to this special location and race a new event with some wonderful friends!
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| I like RED wine! |
Race Report:
Vineman Monte Rio Triathlon: Great Friends, Pancakes & RED Wine
The race was really fun and scenery was incredible. I did my best to RACE HARD with a smile and won a bottle of (RED) wine! I also had pancakes at the finish with friends who completed their first tri ever (Go Bri, Go!) or first olympic-distance tri (Yay Amanda & Matt!), which was awesome. (...and "guess what, I love pancakes!")
For a longer version of the race weekend adventure, please keep reading! For a summary of what I learned from this experience - scroll to the bottom!
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| cabin landmark |
Race Weekend Adventures!
Travel
When I decided to race Monte Rio a while back, I asked a few friends if they might possibly want to join me for a Russian River triathlon weekend. Amanda and Matt said they were racing, which was awesome news! I was also really excited when my co-worker and good friend, Bri, also said she wanted to race! Bri booked us a cozy little cabin up in Guerneville for both Friday and Saturday nights through Airbnb. The cabin was tucked away in some redwoods close to town and also only about 10 minutes away from the race. After I checked in, Bri invited me over to a friend's place for a wonderful dinner. It was great to hang out with such nice people in this incredibly peaceful area!
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| cozy studio cabin |
Back at the cabin, I settled in and tried to get some sleep... but somehow couldn't. Maybe I was excited for race check in?!? I finally fell asleep in the early morning hours, but at 4:30am some crazy flickering light and noise from a spooky alarm clock woke me up... (part of the heating system). Luckily the race was Sunday, so I was able to sleep in and try and relax a bit after the early wakeup and the nightmares from the broken glass I accidentally ate during Friday's dessert... (long story for another time - will probably leave glass off the nutrition plan for next race though!).
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| spooky 4:30am alarm clock |
Staying so close to the event site, I was able to take a quick drive Saturday morning and get a feel for the bike route. I was somewhat familiar with Rt. 116 (River Rd. turns into this), but had never seen the fun, bumpy, windy side street loop that was Austin Creek Rd. and Cazadera Highway. I decided my race strategy would be to grit my teeth and plow through the bumpy pavement as best I could, without hurting my elbows or jolting myself off my bike. The rest of the ride on Rt. 116 and Hwy 1 looked awesome. There are some amazing views as the Russian River meets the Pacific, especially out toward the turnaround at Jenner. That little coastal town is beautiful and nearby a favorite park of ours: Sonoma Coast State Park.
After my course recon mission, I took a quick stop back at the cabin for a pasta lunch, and then Bri and I headed to the event site to meet up with our tri friends. Things were going smoothly until I sliced the top of my hand open on the way to check our bikes in transition. This was completely my fault! I rested my bike against the car, and when I shut the back door... the bike began to fall. As I reached over to grab it, the aero bottle cage sliced open the top of my hand. One of those "I'm fine" moments (as I frantically looked for bandaids to help cover up the profusely bleeding gash - which actually wasn't that big, just in a spot near a blood vessel that kept bleeding). Good thing I packed those water proof band-aids for the race! I figured between this incident and eating glass, this race was either going to go really well or be a complete disaster.
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| views of swim venue and run course (on bridge!) during race check in |
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| view of the swim start |
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| reviving me after race check in! |
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| Lococo's Santa Rosa pre-race dinner |
We ate early so we'd all have time for any last minute race prep before dreaming of triathlon all night. I somehow thought I needed more food before bed, so I had a Picky Bar Ah Fudge Nuts bar for dessert (seriously the best tasting bar out there - tastes like a chocolate brownie with peanut butter on it) and started drinking my usual pre-race Scratch Labs Rescue Hydration mix (usually have some the night before, and then finish the bottle in the morning). I turned the heat way down to avoid the scary flame alarm clock, and it was time to dream of swimming in the Russian River!
RACE DAY DETAILS
It was really fun to have a buddy to stay with and travel to the event site on race morning. Thanks so much, Bri! We had incredible timing and pulled into the parking lot right behind Amanda and Matt. It was awesome to see them first thing, too! It was foggy and cool, so Bri and I stayed in the car a while and eventually headed up to transition. Transition was crazy crowded, but I managed to get all my gear ready to go fairly quickly and checked out the entrances/exits again... because we all know how awesome I am at transitions. Then I headed down to the swim... still wearing flip flops... went back to leave them in transition and hustled down to the swim start!
Swim: 27:33 (1500m swimming & walking)
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| Q-tip cap with fun messages |
The swim start was actually 150m upstream from the entry arch, so of course I was still on shore when most of my wave (women 35-44) was warming up in the water (this happens to me each time I swim in this river!). I did have enough time to swim up to the start and rest a few minutes before my wave began, so I felt ready to race!
As instructed, I went for it from the gun... and was dropped by one of the front gals like a bad habit probably within the first 50m. This attempt left me pretty winded, but I just kept moving forward, and then found a few others to swim with for a little while.
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| focused on not falling |
Next time I might consider wearing neoprene socks just so I can exit / run to transition easier, or I could just tell my feet to toughen up!
Other fun swim notes: There was lots of filmy algae stuck in my watch/road ID upon exiting the water. I tried to pick this off during the bike portion, but managed to carry some of this throughout the run. I had forgotten about it until I went to wipe my face and noticed the awesome smell. There were also some super cute duck families swimming with us, which was really cool!
Bike: 1:16:59 (40km)
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| arm warmers sort of on my arms |
Overall, the bike course was fun! It was fairly flat with a few small hills and some false flats (or maybe I was just getting tired?). The scenery was amazing, especially with the fog, and there was only some mild wind as we approached the coast (still early in the day). It was really great to ride on Hwy 1, even if it was a short stretch!
I saw Amanda out there, and it was really cool to cheer for her on the course! She looked strong! I also saw Matt when we were close to transition, and he was also looking speedy! I didn't realize until afterwards that he probably had no idea who I was when I was shouting at him, and I may have scared him a bit (random woman yelling from a bike can be a little disturbing!). Sorry about that, Matt!
Run: 48:47 (10km)
I continued my run at a reasonable pace to keep my HR within the target zone. The out and back course helped me see if there was anyone in my AG in front of me, so I did my best to catch a few competitors. I managed to overtake two gals in my AG, and knew the others were too far to catch by the time I crossed the halfway turnaround, so I kept running consistently within the target HR zone. The last mile, I tried to run a little harder, but the Race Director warned us of a really steep climb up to the finishing arch, so I saved enough to get up that final hill. When I got there, I realized it was a really steep, but also really short, hill! (Not sure why I didn't take a minute to look at it before the race!?!). I made it to the end in one piece and was happy my glute/hammy didn't give me any real issues (they've been unhappy with me lately)
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| great timing on this photo - sort of flying! (& I have long femurs.) |
Nutrition:
I have been working on this, and I was able to follow the plan pretty much exactly as Coach instructed here! Here is what I consumed:
Transitions:
I have been working on this, and I was able to follow the plan pretty much exactly as Coach instructed here! Here is what I consumed:
- Swim: Honey Stinger gel about 15min before swim start (I was still carrying my wetsuit & had to get ready & swim up the river 100m to the start within 15min).
- Bike: I ate Honey Stinger gels (1 in transition while putting on gear, then 1 every 20min during the ride, with the last one around 15 min because I was getting close to transition). The air temp was cool, so I probably didn't drink as much as I should have on the bike (carried 2 Scratch Labs Lemons & Limes bottles, probably only drank 1.5) but at least I didn't have liquid sloshing around in my belly on the run like the last race. On the cold note - next time I'll put on a jacket (much quicker/easier than arm warmers!).
- Run: I had a gel at 20min into the run and half of one maybe 16min later when I felt like I was running out of gas. I was also drinking Scratch Labs Oranges on the run from my hand-held bottle.
- Summary: All Honey Stingers & Scratch Labs, all the time! :)
Transitions: I have much to improve on here! I was a little disoriented coming up to T1 and had hard time with arm warmers/gloves since hands were cold (only reason I went for the gloves). T2: I was lost... I even made an effort before race to get my bearings and find landmarks! What didn't help my search, was that I went down the wrong aisle to my rack, and that the dude in the adjacent rack position basically put his bike over my gear. Unfortunately, I couldn't really see the bright side of my bag which was supposed to help me spot my gear. At least I figured it out eventually!
Note to self: Leaving bike shoes and sneakers overnight to reserve some transition space was helpful! I wrapped these in a wetsuit changing mat which is great to put under gear at tris!
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| post-race transition view (many bikes already removed) |
Finish: 2:40:43 3rd in AG!
More race highlights:
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| All smiles :) Thanks so much for the photo, Amanda! |
More race highlights:
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| Huge help on race day - many thanks to Amanda & Matt |
My friends were incredibly generous to share their VIP experience with us, and it was a huge help for race morning logistics! Many thanks for making our race day so much easier!!!
Overall, the event was well organized and everyone working there was really friendly and helpful. Thank you, Vineman staff and volunteers!
At the finish line, there were pancakes (super awesome) and a really cool setup where race officials would print receipt size results for any athletes who wanted them. This was such a great idea and very nice of them to do!
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| printed preliminary results provided onsite! (edited later) |
Things I learned:
- My coach does really impressive work! I know I sound like teacher's pet always saying nice things about my coach, but people deserve shout outs when they do good things! Chatting with friends after the race, I realized just how impressive Coach Jim's work has been with me. He helped me go from my previous athletic state (a back of the pack, Tahoe DNF, missing a bike cutoff at mile 88) to this strong finish (& 4th at HITS Napa half & 6th at WF oly) in less than 1.5 yrs (with at least 2-3 months off mixed in). That is crazy!!! I didn't have a ton of racing experience when we started, but I can honestly say I have learned a ton over the past year and feel 110% more prepared than I ever was to toe that starting line! I used to do events just to participate, and now I race them!?! I cannot thank Coach Jim enough for the positive impact he and his team have had on me! These results are true testament to his talent & dedication to his athletes. Definitely check out team RED at Red Performance Multisport if you're looking for excellent fitness / training / racing advice. We have awesome coaches who care about their athletes and a wonderful community of supportive teammates! Join us!!!
- Nutrition & race plans are huge. Always have a plan and try your best to follow it and trust it! (Also know to be flexible and be prepared to make adjustments if necessary!)
- Be patient...Even when you feel like you aren't making progress in your training, please trust that you are! Eventually you will see big results and all the hard work will pay off. It takes a long time to improve in something like triathlon where multiple sports are involved, and there are so many variables at each race. Celebrate the milestones along the way and keep your eye on the final prize, whatever that may be!
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Believe in yourself. Somewhere inside me, I thought that maybe I could RACE HARD. Now I know I can. :) This is a pretty big deal for someone who always struggled with confidence on the field / court / track / race course. It is much easier to believe in and encourage others, than it is to believe in yourself. Go out and be as awesome as you know you can be!
found a pretty fly shirt on super sale (in RED!)
- Always race happy! Enjoy racing & don't take it too seriously. Never be too self absorbed that you are a jerk to others on the course or you throw your gear on top of another racers' in transition.
- Don't psych yourself out by athletes with fancier looking stuff / bigger muscles than you. Bigger / more expensive doesn't always mean faster.
- I like wearing RED! I am proud to represent the RED out there on the course, and now wearing red in general makes me smile because it makes me think of my team!
- Be sure to look around & take it all in! I am lucky to race in such beautiful places with friends! Always take the opportunity to appreciate everything and everyone around you!
Can't wait to race with friends in the Russian River Valley again!
Footnotes for reference:
HR race data
Target HR zone for bike = 145-150bpm
Avg HR for bike = 148bpm
Target HR zone for run = 150-160bpm
Avg HR for run = 159bpm
