Last year Clint & I used the 1/2 Ironman race at Vineman as our personal Clint-vs-Troy Championship. We both had the best race of our lives and Clint took the victory by 2-1/2 minutes.

This year my plan was to use this race as a Canada Ironman training session which meant focussing on endurance and not speed. So, the evening before, I rode the 56mi course (against a stiff headwind) to start off my training session.

On race day, I tried to start faster on the swim. Lately I've been left in the dust (or wake) by the lead pack leaving me no one to draft behind. So I sprint forward, all seems good, then I get bunched up, knocked around, next thing I notice, a huge group is 30meters ahead and I'm again left to swim alone for the rest of the course.

We swim up and then down the Russion River. Some parts you can touch the bottom. Half way back I see a cap and surge to get in his draft. Crash! After we collide I realize he was swimming up river and way off course. I get out 2 min slower than last year and my heart rate monitor is beeping like crazy.

On the bike I see my friend Darrin but he's going faster than I planned. I stay with him for 30mi and we chat a little. I remind myself to stay in control, save it for the run, so I let him go. The run is 13.1mi but I'm going to run 5 more at the end. My plan is to run 18mi comfortably and in control. Another thing I remind myself (thanks to my friend, Christine's, instructions) is that I've already qualified so there's no need to hammer... have fun!

On the run I truly do have fun. Matter of fact, this has been the funnest race yet. I watch the people cheering, I talk to and encourage everyone around me. With my mind focussed on 18mi, the 13mi course seems easier. The mild weather helps, too. The best part was that I ran with my friend, Craig, and his girlfriend, Beth, almost the whole way. But it came at a price since Craig was having an AWESOME run and I had to run my 2nd fastest run time ever just to keep up.

Being an Ironman Qualifier, guys were racing hard, and as they went by, some of them would congratulate me on my qualifying at Keauhou. That's neat. While trying to qualify throughout the year, it's both good & bad when fellow racers qualify. When they qualify they take a slot you were trying for. But now that they're in, you know there's one less person to worry about at the next race.

Well, thanks to Craig, I was happy to run a fast 1:28:50 half marathon (total time of 4:33:16) and I still went out for 5 more easy miles along course while cheering in the other runners. The best part of the race was that my mom was waiting at the finish and finally got to see a "big" race. The next race she'll see will be the Ironman in Hawaii!!

-Troy

Craig wrote a story of the race,too. Here's part of it....