SW 1:32 T1 0:5:00 BK 6:57 T2 0:2:14 RN 4:25 Total 13:03

After the first three minutes of the swim start everything went nice. To start the swim I put my head up and whirled myself hard to leave as soon as possible of the bunch of anxious swimmers. I knew from the beginning that swimming was not my forte and I had to control my mind before I got all depressed with bad thoughts. The swim was in a river surrounded of big trees. I’m a right breather, which made look closely at the threes on the side of the river all the times. When I got tired counting my strokes I looked at the trees to relax and then think about my form again. After the first loop I saw some green heads (my age group caps) around me, for my surprise I was hanging in there. Coming out of the water was a happy moment, I look up and saw my wife at the distance, took off my mask and cap so she can recognize me and my daughter gave me a high five. That marked the day. It was going to be a nice day. Went into T1 trying to move smoothly but it was hard to keep my composure, the adrenaline was running 100%. My plan for the bike was to take the first 30 minutes really easy and stick with it no matter what. The ride went throughout vineyards in narrow roads with difficult turns at the times. Looking the grapes hanging at the vines in the gray skies in the hills of Sonoma County helped me to keep a good and steady cadence. Chalk hill the steepest hill was at mile 45, the first time around I did not push hard to get the top, the second time around, mile 90, I pushed and pushed by myself with no other triathle around me to suffer together. I put my head down not wanted to look the top and pedaled until the end. I knew the ride was not over yet and I need it to take one minute and one mile at the time. Carrying my race plan with me in the bike was the perfect thing to do. I read it to know exactly what to do in key times during the long ride. Coming into T2 I saw Ana, my daughter Paloma and my nephew Marco cheering and taking pictures, it was a fast T2. I knew that I paced myself in the bike going with easier gears and not attacking the hills. I wanted to leave the legs fresher for the run. The hilly course was 3 loops, the first part of the loop was to climb the hill then turn around and run downhill. I knew that if I run the first hour of the marathon I was going to be able to do a long run to finish. My first split was fast, then the second loop hills hit me hard and I slowed the pace and the third loop I walked the water stations. Vineman is a great IM distance race to jump into full distance and left me with a sweet test in my mouth. And of course Trifuel’s Jersey was part of the journey and a very successful too; a gal in the run asked me what was trifuel about and cheering crowd asked too. It was a hot item to see. (May be was me) :)