Vineman 70.3 - My first taste of Ironman

After the Napa to Sonoma Half Marathon yesterday, I went to the Vineman Ironman 70.3. Wow, what a feeling in the air, and watching the bikes come in, the riders transitioning to the run, and the runners coming in.. it seemed all surreal.

I got there when they were about 5:10 into the race. That was about an hour after the first finisher, but there was still a constant stream of bikes coming in. I watched them for a while, checking to see how many Felt bikes I could see. I didn't think there were as many as I thought there would be; Cevelo and Specialized seemed to be the top in terms of numbers.

I moved my way over to the transition area, and saw how they were getting off their bikes. Some kept their riding shoes on, some took them off and went barefoot.

At the finish line, I watched a couple guys come through. That was when I realized that some of the people on the bikes were just STARTING the run when these guys were finishing. That made me feel better about my chances. Coming in at 5 hours from the bike puts them somewhere in the 10 miles per hour, maybe 12. I might be able to accomplish that.

I then realized that the run portion was what I finished that morning. Just the run portion. The swim, the bike, that would be added on before I started the run. And that is just the half marathon. I think I am further from my goal than I think. I haven't even got the swimming started, and I don't even have a bike. Ugh.

The best part of the whole day, I think, was filling my starving stomach with a great grilled cheeseburger while I watched one of the triathlete's gear for him. He said he finished in 4:58, which was right below his goal of 5 hours. I

think that is great, and a great goal. There were 9 guys who finished in that minute, so I'll probably not know who he is.

I hope to finish the upcoming San Francisco Marathon in 5 hours. I think my half Ironman goal would have to be something like 10 hours!

I left there at the 6 of 6:30 mark, and all the bikes were in. The runners were coming back in, only a few coming in. It was kind of odd that the whole transition area was set up in a high school. I had in my mind a much more elite set up, but I guess in reality, it has to be somewhere. And maybe this is a smaller event, compared to others. I guess I will need to travel to more. I have to meet Macca somewhere!