TCSDs Barely Legal HIM--Other Accounts

In the last post, I gave a race report from the director's point of view. Now, I'm giving you the account from the particpants' point of view.
Take a look:

"As I readied for the ocean swim I noticed Gina Thomas very nervous and undecided as to weather she would even attempt the swim or not. I volunteered to be her swim buddy and she bravely decided to give it a go. Two years ago I was Gina's swim buddy on one of her first ocean swims in Carlsbad and we seemed to work well together. So, it was a natural for me to swim buddy with her again (see the third picture down on your blog of the ocean pictures - that's me standing between the two women).
It took some work to coax Thomas back to help out. He was raring to go and wanted to swim the entire course. Being the accomplished swimmer he is, he saw no problem with the waves and initially felt I would have no problem helping out both Gina and the other gal (Tracy). I reeled him in and upon his return he faithfully stayed by the other gal just as I did with Gina until both women concluded the surf (waves coming in at 3-5 second intervals), and the rolling 10-12' swells felt a little like being on a roller coaster. Both women felt that the waves and surge were a bit too much to take on that day.
It takes a lot of courage to go into strong surf when you're scared and every fiber of your being tells you not to do it. My hat is off to both ladies for making the brave attempt that they did directly confronting their fears. But, ocean swimming can only feel comfortable after making it a routine and having at least a few dozen swims under your belt.
After Thomas and I helped both ladies back to shore we decided to swim to the first buoy just to get in at least a little swim practice. We hung out at the first buoy for a while noticing how strong the surge was moving us Southward at the rate of nearly 1 meter a second. In 15 seconds we'd drifted almost 15 meters South of the optic orange buoy. As a result of the surge, the returning swimmers returned on a path considerably Southeast from the line they took going out to the white buoy turn-around point. This gives you an idea of how much harder the returning leg of the swim must've been for those completing the entire course than the initial Southward leg. After watching the leading 7 swimmers round the final buoy, Thomas and I headed in to the beach to prepare for the next leg of the event."
--Steve Pierce

"Great race/event! Most fun I’ve had training all year, even the crazy swim was fun! The ukulele was a great touch. Someone at work was commenting today on the wacky people in grass skirts on the 56 bike path wondering what it was all about. Thanks to everyone for putting it together." --Dean Luvisa

"Just a quick note to thank Rachel and all of the great volunteers who made yesterday's Barely Legal Half IM so much fun. There was a bunch of really great people manning the check-in and aid stations who sacrificed their own training (and sleep) Saturday morning so we could race, er get a good work out in. The ukeleli at Ellen Browning Scripps park was a great touch and got us through the last couple of miles of the half marathon leg with smiles on our faces. Pizza at the end was delicious too as well as the granola and everything! So, a great big Triclub thank you to everyone in the grass skirts that made the day so much fun!
BTW, I had to go back to the Shores this morning to complete my swim leg from yesterday. I bagged the swim approaching the first bouy as I was getting pretty bounced around in the stormy conditions. Much, much, much better this morning. Thanks! "
--Rob Lindbloom

"I just want to give a big thank you to Rachel for putting this together! I was having such a great time, I podiumed in "third" out of the swim (if you think I cut it short, well..you're right), and went out riding with Steve Pierce. Unfortunately ten miles into it on the bike path, I collided into a pole. Thank you to Steve and Jim Fix for caring for me until Rachel could pick me up and then thanks to Thomas Johnson for taking me to the ER until my best friend/training partner Wendi could be there. I was definitely in God's hands as I came out with with a shoulder and hand contusions, some road rash and there is a tendon in my shoulder that is a bit stretched. I made sure all the doctors knew I was doing IMAZ in six weeks and they couldn't see any reason why I still couldn't do it as long as I make sure to follow up with therapy. It was great to get back to the Shores and let everyone know I was okay (they took pictures to document...in fact, didn't we take a picture of me with the pole?).

Thank you for the nice emails and phone calls! I'm grateful that God surrounded me with wonderful to care for me :)
--Gina Thomas

"Wow, what a day!!! As a newbie at Half Ironman distance races, I was extremely excited about the opportunity to compete in a race, which would be FREE, and give me the practice I needed for the upcoming Silverman Half Ironman in November.
I am very new to swimming, and enjoy the Thursday night DeAnza Cove Bay swims with Jonathan. I was thouroghly unprepared for the 6-8 ft. waves of LJ Shores the morning of the race! I would have never even attempted the water, had Thomas Johnson not encouraged me, and promised to stay by my side. After ten minutes of battling the waves, and Thomas "saving my life," I felt forced to retreat. One day, I will return to the scene of the crime.....under better conditions!
Mounting my bike was a joy, as I love the planned route, and ride inland-coast-inland weekly. My fellow TCSD bike buddy, James and I, took off as the weather warmed, and the sun warmed our backs. Unfortunately, before the half way point, I overcompensated as we shared the bike lane, and experienced my first "eat the street" collision with James. He stayed up - I tumbled. We were only two miles from CVS, so James bandaged me up, and we continued the ride. Thank goodness for the awesome volunteers - there to refuel and encourage us. Back at LJ Shores, I learned that Gina had been taken to the hospital, and I thanked my lucky stars that my injuries were only major flesh wounds: elbows, knees, hip, fat lip....still able to ride and run!
As we began our run, I told James,"I almost drowned in the ocean, I ate it on the bike....we really need to watch out for cars during this run!" The well-marked route reminded us of how much time, effort, and energy Rachel had put into making this event BETTER than a Half Ironman I would have normally paid over $100 for!!! There were great fuel stops, encouraging and motivating volunteers, awesome food and drink.....
and although we finished last, I still earned the 3rd place woman's title, and earned my cool mask at the finish line!
Thank you Rachel and all of the wonderful volunteers for a memorable and FUN event! I can't wait to sign up again next year!!!
--Tracy Cohen-Peranteau

Watch the video Mehrdad put together!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EICsRdGjEc