So yeah... about that "race"....

About time I got around to this.  Between the drugs, the back log of email, my own inability to focus on things and some time working out at Adrenaline this week I've passed on writing this up.  

First a health update... 

Had a little fun with some SRM "analysis".  It would appear that I was going 43 kph at the time of the impact and in fact still acclerating when I hit the moto.  That would explain why my entire body feels like i've been hit by a baseball bat.  I can't imagine the forces involved with energy dissapation over the course of about 6 inches (a moto and my aerobars in that span a

s well) as I decelerated from 43 to 0.  Sunday was an adventure getting home with the use of pretty much one hand.  Monday, aside from right elbow down, felt... normal?  Tuesday was ugly.  I sat in drug a induced stupor at the java shop doing my best to get caught up on work.  Yesterday I felt sore but still made my way up to Hessie/4th of July Trail for a little hike (uh... walk?) and then another short walk near Brainard Lake.  However last evening found me feeling ill like getting sick (I've seen my share of STRESS! this past week so I'm not really suprised) as well as things getting sore and stiff again.  Ended up sleeping 9 solid hours and feel as though I have pushed back the illness but while the swelling in the arm is going down the body is now feeling whiplashed.  

Back to my time in Florida... 

The flight down on Friday was filled with a host of fellow Coloradans and was fun in a Team High Country way :).  I hitched a ride from T.O. and his dad and got dropped off at my place for the weekend.  Huge thanks JW!  Relaxed and got some work done and then went out for a 45 minute run.  I felt awesome!  Back for a quick bite and then bed.  

I picked up a one day rental car on Saturday for ~$30 just so that I could get around the area.  Built the bike up and headed down to the race area for pre race prep stuff.  Met up with Jas for the bike and we puttered around the run course doing our best to avoid the purple menance while getting some quick 'uppers' in.  Dear TNT folks.  I love what you do... but for the sake of everyone else out there please follow the cycling rules of the road and LEARN OUR CULTURE.  Needless to say there were some close calls with this unknowning, yet well intentioned group of folks.  Then it was off to WU for the swim prior to the Pro meeting... um... WHOA!  I'm somewhat accostumed to waves/rollers coming in in sets but the nearest approximation I can think of to what I experienced that day was a bathtub where you slap the water once and watch the waves bounce off walls and start coming and going in all directions.  Typical pro meeting but with some very good food.  Then more pre race stuff and lights out at 11 (9 mtn time).

Pre race was uneventful aside from 1) forgetting my Xterra Speedsuit back at the hotel (blame it on the cobwebs?) and learning of the cancelled amateur swim.  With everything set up i headed over to the start (mile walk or so).  The water was rough but only half as bad as the day before.  A little WU and then we all lined up.  I slotted myself in last and was next to Matty and Tim.  FAC swim lane #5 comes to Florida.  :)  I figured that, given the field, it'd be a more aggressive start then the one experienced in Lubbock the week prior.  BOOM!  I got away clean but a little behind Terrenzo and could tell that Matt was doing a could job high stepping it off to my right.  When I couldn't make it further I started dolphining off the bottom and diving underneath the waves that were coming in.  I did this about 5 times before I started swimming and can only guess that it worked out fantastically because I was very clear of the field when I began to look around.  Another 30-40 seconds in and I could tell that I was somewhat on my own with Matt off to the right leading a group and what I could only guess was Dustin on the left.  The first 3-4 minutes to get to the turn buoy was some serious work but I was comfortable with my pace and things evened out once we made the turn north.  Dustin came up and joined me at the front and we switched off twice.  Making the turn for the shore we both took seperate lines.  Mine proved a tad shorter and I found myself exiting the water in first (sweet, prime in the bush! *but not in the hand*).  

Made a little bugger of an error in T1 that cost me about 10-15 seconds but made it out onto the bike and into my shoes just fine.  Scooting thru downtown and not a full two miles in Matt comes FLYING by.  I was ~380 at the time and got passed like i was at a stop.  Geez, no way i was going with that train.  Around mile 5-6 Andy came by and I decided that that was something I could latch onto.  Stuck close as we weaved our way thru the burbs of St. Pete until we hit the golf course and camp upon a limp rear wheel equipped Matt.  That just sucks.  Uneventful for another good bit of time and found Cam Dye now up with us (Andy though 30-ish secs now in front) and we hit the bottom of the course.  

Now for the "good" stuff...

We do a little out and back and then the ref pulls up alongside me... between his helmet and mine we couldn't hear each other.  Finally i hear "failure to stagger" to which i'm like.. uh... HUNH???  Where the hell is Andy???  I think it's only a stop-&-go, where I'll stop put my foot down then start up again.  I do just this and look up to see the ref waving at me wildly "come on, come on, come on!" as if to encourage me to get RACING again.  Sweet, I think, I'm up and going.  Mad about the loss of momentum I bury my head and begin a standing-pumping-on-the-bullhorns-reacceleration-in-a-fit-of-fury... only to look up at the last second as I plow into the back of the moto... stopped... a third of the way into the road.  My fault... my head was down... his fault... stopping in the middle of the road.  There was a miscommunication but geez... would you please stop in a drive way or at least at the curb!!!  SRM shows I was going 42.9 kph at the time of impact.  I probably came to a stop in a matter of inches.  Little wonder I sit here 4 days later

 feeling somewhat normal mentally while at rest yet have NO desire to do anything.  Perhaps the bod is still in a bit of shock. 

He had stopped (note lack of the use 'pulled over') to serve me my time.  Also to be noted, it was probably the thinnest stretch of course we raced on all day.  Turns out it's a one minute penalty, not a stop and go.  I am told this while rolling in agony all over the road.  This hurt 10x worse than a broken arm.  Deep gash on my right arm has me bleeding all over.  It takes a good 2-4 minutes before I can even start to think... at which point i realize... "DUDE!!! This suit and screen job are not cheap... i need water and a towel now!!!"  : )  Luckily the TYR Tracer suit is coated in teflon... so it cleaned up quickly... whew!!!  Back to attending to my injuries... med crew arrives and frankly could give a rats ass about my condition.  Lovely.  The ref and moto driver seemed a tad more involved... but not really.  The dude who's front yard i was bleeding in.  Man, he was doing everything he could to make me feel better.  Awesome guy.  Med and Refs leave... i sit in the yard watching the race.  BTW... elite AG wave... guys... when there's 30 of you... and all i hear at the back of that pack is hubs spinning freely... yeah... great racing out there.  Realizing i have a flight to catch... and seeing a number of CAF athletes roll by I think that things aren't bad... broken arm be damned I'm going to get myself back to T2 (luckily it isn't broken... i think).  

Very gingerly I mount up and limp back to transistion.  Med staff says they can't do anything for me and send me to the hospital.  (((Quick Q to anyone out there that knows... am I on my own for this incident?  Or can the race help me out?)))  Gather my things, pack up, go to the race's namesake place of business.  90 minutes later I walk out with 3/4/5 stitches, some Vitamin V papers and a hell bent intent of making my flight.  I left behind 4 folks with smiles... they have to see and deal with a lot of crap everyday... so I did my best to make things a little bit brighter.  For the next 2 hours I did not think, I simply reacted.  I cleaned up, packed up, got bike box together, dropped off rental and grabbed the bluevan to tampa.  I was raised on the principal of "shut up, dust yerself off, yer fine" I was applying those lessons well here.  That and knowing that my ordeal is miniscule compared to what others must go through daily had me just pushing forward.  

Home to rain and cold at DIA... it felt good.  Being home in Colorado gave me a boost.  Waking up to a snow covered world was a bonus (2-3 wet inches fell overnight).  

Head up and moving forward.  I will not be able to race Pan Am ITU in Oklahoma City (even if i got in) and instead will see how things go once I'm back up and rolling.  My goal is to knock out some more cobwebs at the Pelican Fest Tri on 5/23 in Windsor, CO and then back to some ITU action in Austin on Memorial Day.  Bring on the ATX.  

LIFE.IS.GOOD.