State #30, Montana, was one of the most beautiful places I have been in this country. Called the state of the Big Sky, it was just that. Blue sky as far as the eye could see, dotted with puffy white clouds, clean air and abundant sunshine. 37 degree start to race day provided an unexpected chill but it quickly warmed to 70s. Luckily the water temp hovered around 68 degrees so it was comfortable. I rented a bike so didn't have my usual ride, but the guys at Bike Sky Cycle hooked me up with a solid road bike. And for the first time in years, I had wings on my feet on the run. I credit a cooler core temperature compared to my 100 degree races of this season. All in all a solid race with a 3rd place finish.
Especially exciting was my friend Ann from Washington state drove to meet me for the weekend. We had so much fun and got the opportunity to have conversations that lasted days, instead of hours or minutes. We figured we've known each other for almost 30 years and with the luxury of time and history, we covered a lot of ground in our chats. It fueled my soul. Thanks Ann for making the trip. xoxo
The season is tapering and I have two weeks off before my last state, Rhode Island. I am looking forward to some downtime (if there is such a thing) and am excited about planning next year's calendar.
