The alarm went off at 4:45...I had my first good night of sleep before a race. Usually I toss and turn the night before a race but this time I woke up after sleeping 8 1/2 hours in the same position. NICE!!! I got dressed and went to meet the others at 5:20 to take our bikes to transition to get them set up. I was one of the first ones there for my age group so I got a spot at the end of the rack. NICE!!! I went back up to the cabins to eat breakfast and use the restroom again. The rumors of the porta potties at Vineman are true. There are only about 15-20 toitlets for 2000 racers and others. I came back down to the beach and waited for my 7:50 swim wave. It was only about 48 outside and the water temp was 70.5 degrees. Great....I am swimming without a wetsuit.
I take my sweats off at 7:30 and get ready to get in the water at 7:42. When I get in I am pleasantly surprised.....because it is so cold outside, the water feels warm as bath water. The announcer tells us that we are the biggest swim wave age group of the day...147 women ages 30-34. Off I went on the swim. When I got to the turnaround I look at my watch at it is already 30 minutes....crap!! Why is this taking me so long. I walk around the turnaround bouey ( the water was below my waist) and start swimming again until bam. I swim into a guy walking. What the .... I look up and realize all of the men ahead of me are walking because every time you take a stroke, you scoop gravel unless you swim on top of the boueys....so if you can't beat them, join them. When the water starts getting deeper I resume swimming. Swim time: 52 minutes.
I run out of the water and hear Angie, Joe, and Jim yelling for me. I throw my goggles and swim cap to Angie...I still don't know why! I run for my bike but think they have already taken my rack down???? What is going on???? Then I hear Kevin yell at me to keep going, I am 2 racks away! I get ready and roll out. T1: 3:30 minutes
When you come out of T1 there is a steep hill. I already had planned to run up it and then mount since I had heard the stories of lost chains and people falling over. I got to the top of the hill and was off. What a beautiful bike ride! It was overcast and cold, but beautiful through the vineyards. I warm up right away as there are hills to be climbed everywhere....but where you climb up...you must come down. One time I looked down I was going 35...and coming to a corner that had a 20 mph sign for cars!!! CRAP!!! If they can only go 20 with 4 fat wheels...should I be going 35 with only 2 thin wheels???? At mile 28 I run over a powergel package someone had dropped on the ground and hear a pop...was that the gel or my tire. I stop and feel my tire...It is still full so I get back on. I head down a hill and as I come around the big red barn at mile 29 my tire flattens. CRAP!!! I am going to have to change it myself. I see 4 people across the street cheering on the atheltes. I yell across the street "Anyone want to help me change my tire???" One of the guys runs over to help me as his wife rides past me. Darn...I had just past her on the last uphill! Anyways, I picked an ironman to help me! He has done Lake Placid and Canada!!! His wife was doing her first 70.3. Anyways, you can be disqualified for outside help so I ask him to watch me to make sure I do it right, but he takes it from me and says to let him do it and to stand real close to him in case a race official comes so he can hand it off to me. As he changes it, a volunteer runs over and says he has a floor pump if we need it so no need for CO2 cartridges! It is my lucky day for getting a flat! They get me all set up and 9 minutes later I was on my way. 1 mile down the road a race official passes me on his motorcycle...by was that close. The next major event is Chalk Hill. I say this becasue it is a mile long hill at mile 45 on the course and has a grade from 7%-12%. Are you kidding me???? Is this someone's idea of a sick joke??? I try my hardest on this hill, bu 3/4 of the way up I am going 3 mph and am about to fall over. I have to get off and walk to a spot where it flattens out and then I get back on and ride the rest of the way up the hill. Next time I will make it all the way up!!! I finish the ride and head into T2. Bike Time: 4:00:07
I run into T2 and get my running shoes on. I had planned on changing into my running skirt but did not have time do to the flat tire. I head out on the run. T2: 5:30 minutes
As I head out ont he run I see Shannon coming in with only .2 miles to go...are you kidding me! She is awesome....her first 70.3 she pulss a 5:32. WOW!! I run out and see our support crew out there cheering us all on. The run course is an out and back so I pass Darwin at mile 1...his mile 12. At mile 2 I hear a lady yell "SNAKE!" WHAT??? I look down and see A 3-4 foot rattlesnake slithering across the street between us. Everybody else stops and I run around it. I have seen many rattlesnakes growing up in Cali and know that as long as it is outstretched you are safe if you give it room. If it starts to coil...RUN!!! Then I pass Pam, then Deb, then Patty, then Tessy, and then Jen (who was in the last swim wave!) At mile 6 we get to run through La Crema...how cool. I keep plugging along but start getting doubts in me head...what was I thinking when I signed up to do this. You think crazy things when you are tired! After I pass mile 12 I see Angie coming towards me yelling "There she is!" I then see everybody else at the corner. Angie stays with me until we catch up to everybody else. They push me along yelling encouragement. When I have about .3 miles left they take off to meet me at the finish line and I run around the school by myself.. As I come up to the finish Kevin handed Josiah over the fence and he ran across the finish line with me. I DID IT!!! Final time: 8:37
I want to say that I could not have done this without everybody who trained with me but most of all, the 12 incredible people I traveled with and went through this with....Tessy, Patty, Deb, Pam, Shannon, Jen, and Darwin, and our wonderful support crew of Kevin, Jim, Joe, and Angie. This is something I will never forget!
WE ARE OUTA HERE!!!! I get off of work at 2:25 today (actually 2:30 but I plan on beating the students out of the parking lot or else I'll be stuck in school traffic until 3:00), pick Josiah up from school at 3:00, pick up the dog and my bike, and we are outie! (You thought I would leave my bike here....HA! It is the most expensive thing I own, besides Josiah and my car!) :) I don't take chances with hurricanes. 
It is that time of year again...dreaded football season. Don't get me wrong...I LOVE FOOTBALL! But when you are an athletic trainer, the hours will kill you if you let them. Football season to me means working 17-18 hours a day between teacher meetings and 3 football practices. Then mix in some volleyball practices and games, Josiah time, and there isn't much "me" time left.
My next "BIG RACE" that I am looking forward to is the inaugural New Orleans 70.3 Half Ironman Triathlon April 5, 2009. I can't wait and am excited to see what I can do on a "flat" course....although I have heard about the dreaded Lake Pontchartrain. I will need full body armor to swim in that....eeeeewwwwwww......