The weekend didn't get off to the best start after I waited for the 19 year old intern at a Dunkin Donuts in the Bronx for 2 hours. Because he forgot his car keys...twice. Like a normal 19 year old kid would do. I forgot how irresponsible and not logical thinking teenage boys are. (Kingsley Harden, remember when I wanted to kill you for like 5 years??) So I scrambled to call everyone I knew doing the race to pick up the room key by 9 pm because we were not going to make in time for the check in.
The day before the race was equally annoying. It was a million degrees, I walked around too much and did annoying shit. Being at someone else's mercy to get around is just unfun and I don't deal with it well.
Race day: It was clear and cool when I woke up so I thought that MAYBE JUST EFFING MAYBE the thunderstorms that they were calling for would hold up.
Swim: The swim was a joke. The water was so choppy, it was just a shit show. I was actually stopping and just laughing because there was just nothing you could do. You had to walk out to the start buoy and it was about knee deep. Then they blew the horn and it was too shallow to even swim until about half way to the first buoy. Wasted time. It was a one loop swim, the water temp was perfect, the water is clear and gorgeous but it was so choppy. I patted myself on the back for teaching myself how to bilateral breathe or else I would have been screwed. And doggy paddling, like half the people out there. Same thing happened at the end, it was so shallow that you had to walk in and waste more time.
51:39 (my swimming prowess amazes me. I just get better and better. ha)
Bike: The bike started off fine. The first 20 miles or so are uphill, false flat type riding with a straight on head wind. It was hard but I felt like I was keeping an ok pace for the climbing/wind. Once you hit about 25, its pretty much downhill. There were time when I was going 25-27 mph on the flats. I was actually thinking that I may not pull a suck ass time. Then the rain. Not rain mist, or rain drops, or just rain. Sleeting, hailing thunderstorm rain. The wind was whipping sideways and it was raining so hard that it was burning my eyes, getting in my ears and stinging all the exposed skin. Not fun. It never stopped. The last 30 miles, it poured rain. Needless to say, biking in the rain is one of my biggest fears and I did not do well. I'm glad I finished and sort of conquered a fear but my bike time suffered and I realized that it was not going to be a PR day, or even CLOSE to a PR day, I started to get really mad. It was more of PW day, personal worst.
3:21:25
Run: I knew I wasn't going to run at 1:40 half marathon to make 6 hours like I wanted so I just stopped looking at my watch. I did my usual 4/1s and felt strong on the run. It's a hard course, alot of short steep uphills. Even though it was a bad day, I love the people of Geneva and the support they show to the athletes. They were standing the god awful, pouring down rain cheering, screaming and smiling and handing out aid. The bongo players were there at the devil hill at mile 7, a long steep climb up a gravel hill. It's really cool. The rain poured so hard that I was stepping in puddles that were covering my whole entire foot. No amount of body glide or vaseline could right the wrongs done to me by my tri shorts/jersey for 6 hours in pouring rain. Not pretty.
2:03:14
I didn't get a massage at the end because all I wanted to do was get out of my soaking wet clothes and go home. And get the hell away from EVERYONE. Even the post race ice cream didn't do it for me.
overall 6:20:56
SO....I figured that maybe my shitty time was going to be the worst part of the weekend.
No. We start the drive home and my ride tells me he wants to stop in PA and spend the night at his parents house and get up at 4 am and drive back to NYC. I'm thinking please, baby jesus, god no, just take me home. but wtf can i do? So fine. I'm stuck in PA overnight.
Then the car breaks down on the side of the road. In the pouring rain. We wait for AAA. Then wait to get picked up. Then spend the night at someone's house and wait to get a ride to the bus stop after I had to borrow a bike box, break down my bike and add it to the pile of shit that I now have to drag back to NYC on the bus.
It's going to take a massage at the asian place and some sort of guacamole/chips/mexican food/ice cream/wine to make things right in my world.
Musselman...I love you forever. But, I'm glad that shit is over.
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