Vineman race recap.

I love that everyone has been asking how the race went and I finally have a chance to recap my adventures of my first Half Ironman race. Sit back, put your feet up, it's going to be awhile because I enjoy writing....

Since Vineman was a destination race for me it meant a long car ride was going to happen a few days before the race. I normally can't race without my family with me but this race was different. It would mean having my kids suffer a grueling 12 hour car ride, attend a race expo most of the day before, and stand around all day long just to watch Mommy run by for a few seconds. I made the decision not to subject them to that and it was a very wise choice. Instead my dear friend Hillary went with me and we turned it into a fun girls trip!

We left early Friday morning and rolled into Santa Rosa, CA late that same evening. The next day was spent at the expo attending the mandatory race meeting, picking up my bib number and gear. We met up with my brother and sister in law and a few other friends, who were also racing. It was nice to relax at the expo and to be able to soak it all in. And since this was my first Half Iron (and biggest race) you can better believe I was going to take it all in. That night we went to a friends house for my usual pre-race dinner of: chicken, brown rice, veggies and salad. And of course Nuun to wash it down. Actually I had been hydrating with Nuun for about a week straight. I anticipated a hot race day so I made sure I was really on top of my hydration the week leading up to the race.

Race morning came and I woke with that "what was I thinking" feeling. I really wasn't nervous until now and the car ride to the river was a quiet one. I knew Hillary could tell I was nervous. I just didn't want to talk for fear that my banana and oatmeal would all come back up.

I had a little of Prescott with me...purple ribbon had all the Granite Mtn Hotshots initials on it.

We arrived at the Johnson's Beach in Guerneville along with 2500 other racers and their spectators. The good news was the swim started in waves and there were over 20 waves. The first wave went out around 6:00 am and my wave wasn't until almost 8:00 am. So this meant by the time I arrived the race was in full swing. However a huge downfall to being in the end wave was that I would be running in the hottest part of the day and being closer to the cutoff times (example: bike cutoff was 2:00 pm). I set up my transition partially as this race had two transitions. The run was a separate transition area about 25 miles away. My run gear needed to be dropped off the day before at the expo. I had some time to kill before the race and found a few friends from Phoenix I chatted with. I downed a GU and a Stinger Waffle and just a few sips of water. 

Swim- 1.2 miles (45:55)

The swim was up the Russian River and back. I chose not to swim it the day before as it really doesn't do me any good to swim it ahead of time. I would much rather just get in on race day and do it. I chose to wear my wetsuit as did almost everyone. The water was right around 69 degrees and surprisingly it was warm when I got in. The horn went off and my wave of purple caps began. I got kicked and hit a few times but that was expected. I spent the first couple minutes trying to swim around some slower people. It was hard to find that sweet spot and get in my groove. But eventually I did. I recall passing buoy after buoy thinking "where is that darn turn around?" But not once did I ever feel out of breath or in panic mode, like I have in the past. In some areas the river became so shallow that my arms on my stroke would scrape the bottom. Some folks chose to walk. I wanted to swim the entire distance so I never walked. Walking would come later. I looked up and saw the bridge I passed at the beginning of the race, near the swim-out and pleased that it was already time to get out. I was really happy with my swim and heard the loud cheers from Hillary. I think I even heard her say "that was fast!" I was anticipating my swim to be around 55 minutes but instead it was only 45 and I was very pleased. I bagged up all my transition gear and handed it over the fence (legal in this race) and ran my bike up the steep hill to begin the bike course. 

Bike -56 miles (4:00:27)

The bike course consisted of 56 miles of rolling hills. It wasn't too challenging but the downfall was that you were in the aero position a lot and in the saddle almost the entire time. So later that caused for some soreness in many places. The roads were windy and really beat up. I saw so many bike parts along the course that I think I could have opened up my own bike shop. There were potholes, bumps and uneven pavement almost the entire 56 miles. I got passed a LOT. So the only words I heard during the four hours it took me were "on your left!" And I recall only getting to say it twice. There were a couple aid stations on the course and I planned to finish with one of my bottles of Nuun before the station so I could toss it. I was right on track with my hydration. I watched the clock and made sure to drink every 20 minutes. I tossed my empty bottle before the station and slowed down to grab a Gatorade. I was really nervous as this was my first bike station hand-off. I yelled out ahead of time what I needed and stuck my arm out. I grabbed it and was off rolling on the bike again. I was surprised that this went easier than I anticipated. Soon after the first aid station an ambulance went screaming by. I said to myself "please don't let it be anyone I know." My brother and sis-in-law were doing he race too along with several of my friends from AZ. As I turned the corner I saw the paramedics with someone on the ground sitting upright. I looked and of course it was someone I knew! It was my friends fiance Jon. It shook me up a little but I did notice he was sitting up and talking so that was a good sign. I later learned he went down and did go to the hospital, had some bad road rash but he is ok. Right about the time my butt really started getting sore was the monster hill I heard so many describe and this hill came around mile 40. As soon as I started the down shifting my chain got stuck and fell off. It had given me problems with shifting earlier but I didn't think anything of it. So now I was pissed. Did a quick adjustment and hopped back on the bike. Of course this really slowed me down. I finally made it up the hill and hit another hill around mile 52 once again chain fell off and I had to stop to fix. I was just ready for the bike to be over at this point. As I came into the T2 chute towards the bike in, I could see all the earlier waves finishing the run. This was so discouraging. They were finished and I still had a half marathon to run! I even heard one guy yell " Hey at least we are not still on the bike." I was pretty ticked and looked over and yelled a loud "thank you DUDE!" T2 was quick. I racked my bike, downed a few Margarita Shot Blocks with the extra sodium in them since it was now really hot in the day and a spray of sunscreen to the shoulders (missed my back ouch). At this time I looked at my bike time and was really disappointed. I was hoping it would be under 4 hours but the chain issues really held me back. But I tried not to let it discourage me for the run I had ahead. On the bike I consumed: 3 GU's, 1 Bonk Breaker PB/jelly bar, a salt tab, a Tylenol, 1 bottle of Nuun with Carbo Pro, 2 water bottles, and a Gatorade Lime Endurance (given at Aid Station).

Just before heading out for the run I could read Hillary's sign and it made me smile:

Run - 13.1 miles (2:52:24)

The run. Ugggg. My legs felt like they had bricks tied to them it was getting hotter and I knew it was going to be a long day. I had to stop right off the bat to remove my socks. I had sand in them from the river and now that I was running they felt like boulders in my shoes. I shuffled the first 4 miles and finally started feeling better by mile 5. I did run but I also walked quite a bit. Everything hurt at this point but I just kept thinking about the finish. I chatted with people to make the time pass. I missed my running music so I sang to myself in my head. I encouraged others as I passed them. It helped with the boredom. The aid stations were at almost every mile so that helped as well. I drank Gatorade and poured water and ice on myself at every single aid station. I also collected GU but didn't end up using them all so I stuffed them in my cleavage-alley pocket on my new tri top. I just remember P saying "don't get caught without a GU make sure you always have one on you!" At this point I had about 6 in my top and knew he would find it amusing! Overall on the run I consumed: 2 half bananas, 3 GUs, 1 Clif Kids bar, a handful of grapes, a couple slices of oranges and a vanilla Oreo. I wasn't hungry at the end so I feel it was enough. In addition I would alternate by drinking water at one station and then Gatorade at the next. I didn't experience any cramping or stomach issues as well. When it seemed like forever, I finally saw the mile 10 marker sign. I just kept repeating "only a 5k left and that's it!" I knew I was well within the cutoff time and it made me smile. I could practically feel my finishers medal in my hand. It made me run a little faster. I rounded the corner and saw that the crowd was not nearly as huge as it was hours ago but I didn't let it bother me. The important ones would still be at the finish line. Then I saw the finish and my friend Hillary ahead of it. She didn't expect me and I could tell I caught her off guard. A few yards later I spotted my brother and Katie. They were screaming and jumping up and down. Then I heard the words I have waited a long time to hear: 

"Amanda Remlinger from Prescott, AZ...YOU ARE A HALF IRONMAN!"

My brother and Katie were there to hug me and to wipe my tears as I cried from sheer joy. It meant everything to finally have that distance under my belt. I worked long and hard and finally achieved my goal.

Overall time: 7:48 minutes. Long, long, long day but it didn't matter because I had this:

And could now do this:

Yes that's 1600 miles worth of bugs on the car.

So what is next for me? Well you will just have to wait and see. And expect to see a few more posts about Vineman. I had a bunch of questions flooding my inbox from folks who inspire to do a Half Ironman in the near future and I want to be able to answer ALL their questions.