All three of us were either injured or worn out. Andy needs shoulder surgery and struggled with the swim. Additionally, someone froggy kicked him in the groin from the wave before him and he vomited in the water and had to side stroke a little while to swallow the ball stuck in his throat and get his composure back.

Wear a cup? Not sure what to do about froggy kickers. Certainly they have a right to be out there, but maybe they should be made to wear a ball. You just can't see 'em until it is too late.

So - they do relays a little different at these races. All swaps have to happen "in the box". Well, there were 18 people trying to stand in a 4' x 8' box with a volunteer screaming about how both people have to be in the box. Cluster. Whatever. I already had my helmet and shoes on. Andy ran up and put the chip on my ankle and off I went. Grabbed my bike, ran out the other side and smooth take off.

Nothing.

This was the course that I had my wreck on two weeks ago and I had a little flashback going down the hill (even though there were cops there to stop traffic). I set a good pace out right around 22 and was passing lots of people (cause you know, I didn't have to run afterword). I passed another guy with a T on his calf and a little while later he passed me and then I passed him back and we just kind of decided to work together and let the runner's decide it - without actually discussing it. This course is really flat until you get to about a mile from the turnaround, then is is uphill twice on the way out and once on the way back. About halfway up the first hill I had this guy pass me and he said - "I have been chasing you since we left transition and I can't believe it took me this long to catch a guy with a cast on his hand - you got balls". Then he passed me. About half way up the second hill I had to go to my small ring and as IU switched down I dropped my chain - and it got stuck in between the bottom chainring and the frame. So I am trying to get it unstruck and this guy is standing next to me (a lot of bikers had come out to help on the course and were cheering folks on) and giving me advice, fully aware that he couldn't help. Finally got it back on and took off, went to shift back down to the smaller ring and off it comes. Four times this happens. Finally, I just decide I am going to have to ride the rest of the way on the big ring. So I stand and plow to the top. I get there and there is a flat section that goes to turnaround (at which point some d'bag passes me on the inside while we are whipping the 180) and I stand and get back up to speed. The back down the hill and I am pushing hard so that I will have some aid in getting back up. The climb was hard but I never slowed to less than 10 mph. back down the hill towards this tricky set of RR tracks that didn't cross the street perpendicular and then headed back down the flat stretch. About halfway there I came to teo conclusions. The first was that I had toasted my legs and I was having trouble keeping 15 mph on the flats. The secoind was the hill that I crashed going down on two weeeks ago was most likely the toughest climb on the course as it was short, but very steep. I needed my small ring. I didn't want to chance dropping the chain on the bottom part of the hill, so I changed over slowly and easily very early and pedaled high cadence to watch what the ring would do. It rattled a lot but stayed on and I climbed the hill. The rest of the way in is super flat so I gave all thee leg I had left. Got my feet out and came in hot enough to have a volunteer kid of freak out and yell at me before I jumped off and was at a full run. Went to the rack, threw the bike on - ran out with my helmet on to the box and strapped the chip on Bethany's ankle. I needed a beer in the most severe way, plus my hand hurt like hell, though I didn't notice it until then. My Garmin says I was under 4 MPH for 6:22 on that section of hill, so that is probably pretty close to what I lost - maybe 6 even. That would have put my split at right around 45 minutes vs the 51:13.

Have a bike that worked properly? At the LBS now and I don;t know what is wrong with it yet. Have an Oly tri on Sunday.

Bethany was waiting for me. She has small ankles.

Nothing

Bethany ran the Dam to Dam 20K on Saturday and then came out with us to run on Sunday, She is pretty good. She did Dam to Dam in 8's and this in 7's. She said that it was a nice race, but she though she could have gotten either first or second if it was a 10k as she is not a sprinter. Sometimes I want to choke her.

Let her do the whole race?

Walked around and had some water, chocolate milk, water, watrer, fruit sammich water.


Injuries, breakdoiwns, getting kicked in the cajones.