This season could not have ended any better. Toad Suck, Arkansas representing state #42 and the end of my 2012 season. My faithful friends, Kari (aka KK) and John (aka Google) from Texas drove and met me. John surprised us with new tri kits...don't we look terrific? It's always so much nicer to race with friends. Beautiful venue, cool temps (believe it or not) and some killer hills. Longer distance and I felt very strong, except for the bike but more on that in a minute. Took 1st in age which is a great note to end the season on.
The bike... well, let's just saw it was an older version, as in dinasour. Because I have been renting this season instead of incurring the expense of shipping, I never quite know what I am going to get. This one was a gem. Beggars can't be choosers but I should have known something was amiss when the owner didn't have the right tool to put my pedals on. Luckily I always bring my own set of tools. TSA loves that by the way. Designed to have many gears, this bike wasn't going to cooperate and gave me TWO gears to choose from. Gear #1 and gear #2. Did I mention it was a hilly course? Well it made for some interesting conversation (with myself) on the bike course and a photo op of me throwing it in the trash post-race. The upside is that I was so happy to get off the bike, I actually looked forward to the run. That's a first.
Now I give myself six weeks to rest, sleep a little later, heal, recover ....and then back at it for 2013. With eight states left, the end of the 50x50x100 campaign is in sight. Truth to tell, I want to hit the brakes and slow it down. In an attempt to charge through states, I missed some moments along the way. I always try to "keep it in the day" but it's almost impossible. Next year I want to really take it all in, slow it down and relish every state. But first, a celebration of this year. That means ICE CREAM tonight.
