Each year Sonoma County is host to the Vineman triathon. 

Last year I volunteered at an aid station during the run portion of the Vineman 140.6 (in case you don’t know, this is a triathlon where the competitors swim 2.4 miles, then cycle for 112 miles and then run a full 26.2 mile marathon).  It was a great experience.  Very eye opening.

This year I was a bit more involved because a friend of mine, Ashley was participating.  This was her first 70.3 (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike and 13.1 mile run). 

Friday night Knight, Ashley and I met up and watched a Q & A with a couple of the pro triathletes. 

Timothy O’Donnell, moderator, Mirinda Carfrae pictured.

We learned that Mirinda Carfrae held the course record for females at 4 hours and 15 minutes.  OMG that’s so fast!

Saturday we went to the expo.  (Well, I ran 10 miles in the morning, got cleaned up, then went to the expo.)

The expo was awesome!

I saw these funny looking chairs, but decided to give them a try anyway.  Especially since my legs were feeling pretty tired from my run! (I can’t remember the name of the company that makes these.)

The boots fill up with air and offer compression.  The best way I can explain it, is how it feels when you get your blood pressure taken.  Oh my word, it felt amazing! 

While we were sitting there, we got to chat with Nathan Killam, a pro triathlete from Canada who was making his 70.3 pro debut! 

Nathan is on the left, Knight is on the right.  We were all enjoying these chairs!

Next we went to the Oomph! booth.  Oomph! makes triathlon apparel, and OMG it’s soo cute!  I have been wanting a hat that I can wear when I’m running that keeps the sweat from dripping in my eyes.  I like my Bondi Band headbands for keeping the sweat out of my eyes, but I really like the protection from the sun that a hat provides, but hate the feeling of sweat dripping down my face and in my eyes.  Well, Oomph! had a super cute (pink) hat, that was amazingly priced ($10!), so I decided to buy it and try it out!

It’s so light and comfortable!  It has a velcro back closure, so it’s really easy to adjust.  I love the way it fits!  Monday morning I wore it to boot camp and we did so much running and then sprints between exercises.  Not one drip of sweat got in my eyes!  I’m impressed!  I would love to try some of their tri gear!

Next we stopped at Endurance Conspiracy.  They make t-shirts with endurance sports themed images / sayings.  I got this green shirt in exchange for telling 3 people to visit their booth! 

This shirt says, “The fit shall inherit the earth”  It’s really comfortable!

I also tried an energy drink by FRS.  I tried the low calorie Wild Berry.  FRS makes healthy energy drinks.  I liked it when it was really cold, but I didn’t drink it fast enough and it wasn’t quite as yummy when it warmed up. 

Sunday morning I got up at 4am and headed out to Johnson’s beach.  I volunteered to body mark the athletes.  Everyone I talked to was super nice and for the most part seemed relaxed or at least they welcomed chatting a bit to get their mind off of what they were about to do.  After I was done with my volunteer duties I stalked the course and found my friend Ashley on the bike, then saw her again in T2 and at the finish line.  Here are some pics from my perspective of Vineman.

The beach where it all begins

The pros getting warmed up

One of the first pro men out of the water.  The fastest pro male swam 1.2 miles in about 21 minutes!  That’s crazy fast!

This is where the athletes exited the water and headed to their bikes, also known as T1

The view around mile 18 of the bike course – Kinley Drive

The first pro woman, Melissa Rollison, crossing the finish line – official time is 4:08:58 because the women started 2 minutes after the men.  She smashed the previous course record by about 8 minutes! 

Nathan Killam, the pro athlete that Knight and I met on Saturday

T2 – where the athletes come in from their 56 mile bike and transition to their run.

This was a truly inspiring day and I have committed to myself (and told friends) that I will be participating in this event next year.  There were men and women of all shapes, sizes and fitness levels, and from 16 to 76 years old!

I will be a 70.3 IronWoman in 2012!