Some Race Details

We had an amazing trip and race! I could not have asked for a better venue. I am still unsure how I finished as the results are still unofficial but somewhere between 26-th and 23-rd, regardless I am

thrilled. 

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I shaved almost 1 minute per mile off of my 10 k time in spite of the hills. 

The course began with a 10 k run which was four loops heading up the side of a hill. The bike was 41.5 k and again was 5 loops starting at the bottom of a long steep winding hill. What goes up must come down! The downhill was also narrow and winding.

Like many endurance athletes, I played mind games especially on the uphills, my legs were on fire during the last 2 hills so I had to dig deep to distract my awareness of this feeling. 

The second run was like a dream, my legs were numb and I just knew that I was not only going to finish but that I had a PR.  

While on the bike course I was thinking how thankful I am for my health and the support of all of the people who have made this race possible. I have spent the majority of the past ear in particular as a

single working mom. I always say that it took a small strong village to help me train for these exciting races. 

Stephen Brooks, our closest friend, made it all possible by helping with our children while I train and just being there and helping when I was so overwhelmed and tired from everything on my plate. He loves my children like they are his own and rarely questioned when I would set out for my second or

third workout for the day. 

Cathy Absher, another great friend, always there for me when I need help with the kids, need to vent or just need to hear the voice of reason. Our families live more than 500 miles away but always willing to jump in the car and drive down if I needed anything.

There are many others that I could mention, I am a very lucky person.

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I look for to USAT NAtional Championships on September 25 in Tuscaloosa Alabama.

Arrival in Scotland

Ready in Scotland

Incredibly, not only did Steven manage to travel nearly unscathed from some dark corner of the universe; he managed to do so while I was granted the misfortune of spending an additional unplanned evening in lovely New Jersey due to mechanical issues with the plane. While I was upset with the delay, I certainly appreciate the fine folks fixing the aircraft while it was safely on the ground.


In my efforts to stick to the training schedule that Dave Smith has laid out for me, I was forced to descend into the bowels of the fine accommodations in Edison to get in a quick run on a treadmill, and some quality time on a recumbent trainer (it was almost the same geometry as my Cervelo). 

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When I finally arrived in Scotland, my much anticipated reunion with my husband was again delayed by the realization that the bikes decided that we didn't have enough angst yet, so they decided to take a slower route.  After arranging for delivery of the bikes when they finally did manage to show up, Steven and I headed back to the hotel.  Now, just to ratchet up the anxiety another notch or two, we inspected the race wheels and noted the careful manner in which they were treated, resulting in a large crack in my wheel cover.  


We decided that a bit of unwinding was in order before attempting to tackle our list of unfortunate events, and took a quiet walk around the beautiful city and had a delicious meal of local fare before returning to the hotel where I was joyously reunited with my missing bikebox (which got a much more enthusiastic greeting than I gave Steven.)  

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Following the detailed reassembly instructions provided by Dani from Final Kick, we were able to quickly get the bikes back into nearly full working order.  Amazingly, Steven was able to find the Scottish equivalent of the "Home Depot", and with the application of some super-glue and tape, the wheel is practically good as new.  On the 31st, we took our first ride in Scotland under gorgeous conditions (sunny skies, 70 deg, and low humidity) with absolutely breathtaking backdrop of the city and countryside to add to the pleasure of the ride.