This was my first half Ironman and I had a blast! I loved everything about the experience: the training, the anticipation, the race, and the feeling of accomplishment after the race. I had never even been to an Ironman event so there was a lot that was new to me. Thank you Greg and Tammie for not laughing at me when I walked into our house in Santa Rosa with my Trader Joes bags with my equipment for the transition areas. The info said to put your equipment in your bags. Who knew they would give us the bags! HaHa! I learned so much from everyone around me. For instance- Greg, Tammie, Shawn, and Joanne continuously drank fluids for the two days before the race, so I kept a bottle with me too. (I remained well hydrated and had no cramping during the race.)
The swim was canceled due to heavy fog on the water so we started with the bike. I thoroughly enjoyed the beauty of riding through the vineyards and rolling hills. Yes, it was crowded but I stayed to the right and passed on the left and was fine. So many people were on the side of the road with flat tires so I was ecstatic when I arrived at T2 without any bike issues. The run was along a creek with some shade. They had lots of aide stations with fluids. And you were right Tony, the coke tasted great!
I achieved my goal of finishing in less than 8.5 hours. We didn’t do the swim but my time was under 6 hours so even with the swim I would have had plenty of time to spare. I can’t tell you how wonderful it was to see my CTC family out there on the course with me! For those of you who haven’t done a half Ironman, it’s time to do one! If this old lady can do it, you can too!
