07-07-20: I am in beautiful Sonoma county - the heart of wine country (or as the locals like to put it "Sonoma is for wine; Napa is for auto parts") for the Vineman Ironman 70.3.  I had a great day, winning the race and setting a new course record.   It was my second match up against Ironman World Champion Michellie Jones this year, and this time there were no flat tires to slow me down.

I exited the water in the second pack, 2 minutes down from the leaders.  I felt great on the bike and made up time on the rolling, scenic course to come off the bike in second place, 45 seconds behind.  I made up time in transition and took over the lead of the race at 2 miles into the run. I was able to put it on cruise control for the rest of the day and enjoy the running through the beautiful vineyards.  I came across the line in 4:16, a new course record.

Vineman is an awesome race and i look forward to making it a staple on my race schedule in the future.  The best part of the day was the awards when they presented us with double magnums of La Crema wine (one of my favorites).  Now I just have to figure out how to get this massive bottle home on the plane...