Racing into Shape

With my shoulder feeling great, it was time to start racing again.  With having been off the bike for so long I didn't feel the all out efforts of the Southern Classic Series was the way to go for me - no way for my fitness to be anywhere close to that.  I rather enjoyed the individual challenge of the 6 hour race, and with a brand spankin new series unfolding in our area it seemed to be a perfect fit.

The first race of the series was here in our backyard - I will avoid any political discussion regarding how the new series pulled of a race in Lake Norman State Park when previous attempts had been denied....  The race kinda snuck up on me, but I was about to go out to pre-ride the course to gauge what to expect.

Leaving my pre-ride left me with questions...  Keep the Charlotte gearing I had on to take advantage of the fast rolling course (many PRs on the pre-ride) or gear a bit easier for the long haul?  I kept going back and forth, but ultimately I decided to go easier on myself as I was jumping back into things.

Leading up to the race I wasn't too worried.  I knew some fast guys would be racing SS, so I had no podium concern - I was free to ride against myself.  What I was worried about was parking.  The promoters got me a bit nervous the night before with this post.

The race sold out.  No problem.  But a sold out race with limited parking... and parking not open until 8?? All I could picture was a line of cars waiting at a locked gate to grab precious parking/pit areas.  Nerves all riled up.. What time do I have to get there, what time do I have to get up.  What if we don't get a spot - Annie was coming with me and there was no way she was parking down the road... My plan was to get there early and deal with no spot if it happened (with Annie manning the pit and plenty of parking in the upper and lower lots we would have made it happen).

As I was driving up to Lake Norman I didn't see vehicles with bikes... I'm beating the crowd!  A mile before the exit I see a mountain bike on the back of a vehicle - "You aren't taking my spot!"  I pass them and off the highway we go.  As they follow I realize it's Craig and Emily.  I only saw one bike though...  Either way, it's my parking spot!!

Pulling in the place is pretty much empty.  Choice of spots.  Nerves riled for not good reason.  In fact, the spot next to me was open up until about 9:15.  Whatever.  Pit area set up.  Annie taking a nap.  Sitting around for waaaaaay too long before the race.

Long enough to get my picture taken.

6 hour race on the Glow Worm, of course I'm racing for Team Glow Worm!

Pre-race announcements:

• Short cut out of Monbo to avoid the two way entrance/exit - figured (and good call!).  
• $50 hole shot award.  Not going to be me.  
• Strict 6 hour cut off - whatever you finish when the clock hits 6 hours is what you finish with, if you are still on the trail that lap doesn't count.  This is a little different than other 6 hour races, typically they have a cut off for when you can leave for a final lap... so this makes my goal of 6 laps a little more challenging.

We head out en mass.  I pass a couple people on the initial gravel incline and into the trail we go.  The pace is quick as we run through the first loop which probably has all of the technical and short ups for the entire course.  Everyone seems to handle it ok, so I stick with a group.  We hit the pavement for a short bit to get to the second, larger loop.  I let a couple guys get by on the pavement and then on we go.  First lap feels ok.  My legs don't seem to be completely there, but my pace is quick and they don't seem to be fighting me too much about it.

First lap through and I've been good about staying hydrated as the temps at start time were way too high for my first race back (being a northerner and all - it's too damn muggy this time of year!).  I don't stop and roll through for my second loop (Annie cheering me on as I toss an empty bottle).  I fly through the first section and onto pavement, again I look to let any geared rider by before we hit the single track.  I catch a couple riders and pass them as they gear down for a climb.  I have a geared rider latched onto me and offer to let him go as things turn down - he declines noting that the biggest climb is coming up.  I let it rip and drop him on the downs.  He catches back up when it's more horizontal, and I drop him on the climbs.  We have a good chat as I pull him through the remainder of the lap.  I don't realize how fast I am pushing things until he mentions the pace I'm pushing as we hit a fire road halfway (or a bit more) through the second loop.  12mph - whatevs (in subsequent laps I check my speed on this bit and I'm more in the 8-9mph solo).

As we hit the pavement back to the finish/start he sticks with me - class act really.  I expected him to drop me hard once we got onto the pavement, but I guess he appreciated the ride I gave him.  Time to pit.  I stop - eat a little, refill bottles, and try to keep it moving.

I head out with no one around.  My legs have dropped completely off as my mind fades.  I feel like I have nothing at all as I grind the slightest climbs.  Downhills are still fun as all hell so I try to push as hard as I can there to keep some sort of race performance going.  Here and there I get some mojo back, but more so than not I feel like I'm dragging cinderblocks on fumes.  Grinding up one of the final climbs I find a younger rider on the side of the trail.  I yell to see if he is ok and he says he is not.  I stop to see what is going on - his quads are killing him - cramps.  I offer him some mustard.  He looks at me like I'm crazy but downs it with a little coaxing.  I advise him to keep drinking and rest and hydrate when he gets back to the pit area.

I am forced to pit again.  This time I lay about, trying to collect myself.  I elevate my legs some, eat more and pull myself up for another lap.  This time my legs are kinda back.  I've got a little more zip and I'm able to push harder here and there.  Again, riding mostly solo hurts mentally and I let myself slow roll a little too much.  I'm starting to feel it EVERYWHERE.  My legs don't so much hurt as they just don't seem to work well.  The rest of my body is hurting, my ass especially.  My first go around with a 6 hour I used too much chamois cream.  This time, I forgot about that... coulda used some!

Pulling into the start/finish area I'm debating if I should roll through to claim 5 laps (allowing me AMPLE time to slow roll the entire lap if need be) or stop and see what happens.  I elect to stop to see if I can get even more life back into my legs after a stop.  When I roll out again I know it's my final lap, but I also know I have plenty of time so all I have to do is get through the lap.  My final lap goes similarly as my 4th.  Not great, but not horrible.

I finish.  But on the way I see a familiar, and not so familiar, face.  TheMutt is out there with his mutt (Carl) he he snaps an action suffer shot as I hit the last bit of single track before the start/finish.

The wheels didn't come off!

So I had to hold off on the rest of my story because last week only the finish line photos were up - I was still waiting on the photo stations during the ride to be posted.  So here is the first photo - it was early on Saturday - we were still feeling out groups and hadn't yet settled into our pace line.

Team Glow Worm in action together!

Now back to where we left off.  We were about 50 miles in as D-Wayne was working his mechanical magic on my randomly janky front derailleur and my shoulder was feeling good.  My legs were starting to feel the mileage, but cramps weren't much of a concern.  With the number of rest stops available I was able to stay on top of staying hydrated.  I also preemptively ate some pickles and drank some pickle juice at the lake rest stop to stay ahead of any thoughts of cramping.

We stopped at the next rest stop as hunger was really starting to hit both of us.  Again I chowed down on some peanut butter and jelly, but there was no mustard or pickle juice to be found.  THIS should have been a rest stop with mustard and pickles as it was coming off of the second century loop... but oh well, we pressed on and I was still cramp free.  Moving on down the road (about mile 64 is) I noticed that while in position riding my shoulder was fine, but sitting up on the bike and moving my shoulder there was some pain... easy fix, stay down on the bike.

There were some riders up ahead so I started working on reeling them in.  As they disappeared up a small hill and around a corner a car worked to pass them and we hear a loud CRACK!!  It didn't sound like a car/bike accident, but I pick up the pace to see what happened.  We clear the corner and the riders are up ahead and safe.  To the left I see a father and his son (12-13 years old) coming from the front of their house.  Maybe they slammed the door.  I then notice a chicken in the back yard that they seem to be moving towards, and I see that the father has his elbow bent with his body shielding his hand from the street.  As we pass by we hear another CRACK!!  I yell back to D-Wayne - "they are trying to shoot a chicken!!"  That was about the oddest thing I saw, and all I could do was shake my head as we pedaled on - North Carolina.

D-Wayne and I start talking about where we will finish.  Talking to some riders leaving the lake rest stop we learned that the shortest we could ride (having hit the first two century loops) was about 83 miles as the route either turns back to Tanglewood, or continues on for the last loop (which circled back on some roads already ridden).  D-Wayne was feeling like the shorter option, but was supportive of me continuing on.  I was back and forth on it, but was ready to make a decision on the spot when we got to the deciding turn.  And then it happened.  At about mile 75 my shoulder started hurting on the bike.  My legs were also feeling it, and on a couple grinding climbs my legs were completely shot.

At this point I was 80% sure I was going to bail.  I figured I could soft pedal the last loop if necessary, but it would't be fun.  Plus, I supposed I should be responsible and think about the health of my shoulder when making the decision.  As we came up on another rest stop D-Wayne declared that he was pushing on as he feared he would cramp up if he got off the bike - I was feeling pretty good so I stuck with him.  Coming up to the final rest stop I knew that if I did not stop that there was no way that I would be doing the full century... but at the same time I knew if I did stop it would be hard to at least try to keep up the pace without D-Wayne there.  I pushed forward.  D-Wayne ended up pulling away on the next grinder but I was able to keep him in sight and use him as a carrot.

Up ahead I see the police car and signage - left back to Tanglewood, right to finish the century.  Everyone was turning left and my shoulder and legs made the decision for me... I rolled to the left and worked my way to the finish.  D-Wayne pulled up a little so we could cross together.

It was a great feeling crossing the line.  There were volunteers cheering as we crossed, and I was grateful for all the support I had received in fundraising and words of encouragement.  Part of me did feel bad that I wasn't able to complete the century (both for my fundraising promise and just to personally be able to complete one), but it was by far the longest ride I had been on, and that was an accomplishment in itself.

We settled in under the Draft to da Draft team tent and shared stories of our rides.  I enjoyed a beer, and I mean REALLY enjoyed it.  After all those miles (and spent calories) it tasted absolutely PHENOMENAL!

I did get out on Sunday as well, but I'll tell you all about that tomorrow...

We did it!

After weeks of generosity pouring in it was time for me to pony up and do my bit - ride my bike for the Bike MS: Tour to Tanglewood.  Since you surpassed my top fundraising goal of $1000 - we hit $1035 - it was my goal to ride some major miles on Saturday (100 miles) and Sunday (50 miles).

Saturday morning D-Wayne and I headed over to Tanglewood park to find a misty field waiting for us to park... along with a long line of cars being directed by volunteers.  It was an awesome sight to see a line of headlights through the mist but my iPhone just wasn't going to do the scene justice.  It wasn't due to a lack of time either - it took us nearly 15 minutes to get parked.  Since we were heading out to attempt a century we had an early start time so it was time to hustle to get everything prepped and snag some free breakfast.  

Nope.  D-Wayne's valve snaps on his front wheel as he's pumping up.  I throw him my tube strapped to my seat.  No good.  He gets my secondary (brand new so it should work) tube and we are back in business.  By now breakfast isn't an option - so I eat half a clif bar and we decide that we will just have to pig out at the rest stops.  We line up, get quick directions (no cue sheets) and we roll while most riders enjoy breakfast. 

D-Wayne and I headed out and let the field stretch out a little bit as some take off hot.  We got into a nice groove and found some riders holding on to us.  We traded back and forth for a bit and catch a larger train with a team of 5-6 riders carrying the front.  I don't have much experience riding in a pace line but I do know that it can be very beneficial - especially on such a long ride.  So we settle in and enjoy the ride.  Frustration with odd pacing (slowing on the down hills so that entering the next hill is just a total mess) and accept that it is far better to allow those that are doing the work to dictate the pace.  They did push hard at times so we were flying along without any rotation - it seemed as if one rider was pulling the whole time!  We skipped the first aid station at about 10 miles and D-Wayne and I discussed whether or not to stop at the second.  Intelligence would dictate that we should - we hadn't eaten breakfast and it would be important to stay hydrated to keep cramps away.  But on the other hand, did we want to give up on these free pulls??  Luckily for us the leading team pulled into the rest stop - decision made.  

The weather was absolutely perfect - sunny, mid-70s... just gorgeous!  I grab some peanut butter and jelly wedges and fill up a bottle with gatorade.  I inquired as to who was pulling the whole time so I could thank him and was informed that it was mostly two of their riders trading pulls.  I thanked the team as a whole and we rolled out again together.  As we approached rest stop three, and the start of the first extra loop to make the century ride, I figured it would be a mass push forward - it wasn't.  Our leading team stopped again (about 10 miles after our last stop) and D-Wayne and I push on alone.  A duo coming out of the rest stop jumps on our wheels and we pull them along until the first steep climb of the ride.  D-Wayne had pulled off prior to the climb so I took the lead up.  Halfway through I decided to pull off to let the fresher riders go on, and on they did.  As D-Wayne and I regrouped up at the top of the hill I used the duo as a carrot to get the pace back up and push forward.  I comment to D-Wayne how happy I was that we weren't in the train as we hit that hill as it would have been an absolute mess.

The roads on this loop were great (although a bit rough) and I seemed to be able to just push the pace as I slowly started to reel in the duo ahead.  I tried to be mindful of the total mileage we were attempting and not put too much into my effort, but there was something about the road that made it seem easy to go fast.  There seems to be this magical sweet spot for me where the pitch is just perfect that it makes me just go - almost like I'm on one of those moving walkways in the airport- the ground seems to give me a little extra pull as I crank away.  We never did catch the duo - but they provided great motivation.  

Police presence was great at major intersections, allowing use to ride right through many of them.  We were cruising, looking forward to the next rest stop when the signage got a little confusing.  We crossed a main route and were coming up a short little hill where we saw some green arrows pointing to bare to the right.  Green was the color of the markers we were following, but our markers were arrows with TTT under them... these arrows had no TTT... we warily made the turn but start to slow as something felt wrong.  D-Wayne knew the road these arrows were taking us and noted that they were pretty hilly.  As we slowed a team of riders came up behind us.  We called out that we weren't sure this was the correct way but they decreed that it was the correct way since there were green arrows.  

We followed.

Something in me told me this was wrong, and my motivation started to wane as we grinded up some hills.  D-Wayne and I call BS on this route and pull over to check our phones (as cue sheet would have been MIGHTY handy).  WRONG!  We headed back and as we were getting back on track we stopped a couple other riders from making the wrong choice.  We got to the next stop and boy it was a great one!  They had a number of baked good available.  I enjoyed some brownies, peanut butter and jelly wedges, trail mix, pickles, and a little more pickle juice for good measure.  My legs were starting to feel the ride, but I was good as far as cramps go.  I filled up my bottle with gatorade (I had two bottles I was rotating through them) and we hit the road.  

It was slow coming out of the rest stop as we had been pretty leisurely and we were not intermixed with some of the shorter route riders.  As we were climbing a slight incline I had to duck behind a slower rider as a car was passing.  When I went to go around all of a sudden my chain slipped off the front derailleur to the inside - I was able to back pedal and get it back on, but that was weird.  Shortly the routes split and it was back on the century loop.  As we took the left to leave the masses my chain dropped to the outside.  The F?  For no reason there was massive chain drag against the front derailleur.  We stopped and D-Wayne adjusted a couple things to get it working good enough, with the warning to carefully shift to the big ring to avoid dropping to the outside.  At this point we were 46 miles in.  The detour and the random shifting issues were dampening the mood of the ride a bit - but we got back to the task at hand.

Ok - so we are only halfway through and this seems to be turning into a novel, so thank you if you've made it this far!!  For your sake, and maybe to help fill in those who bailed earlier, I will stop here today and pick up the ride again tomorrow.  Hopefully the official ride pictures will be posted online so I can share those in the next couple days as well.

Let's catch up

So during my blogging hiatus I didn't get in to as many biking adventures as I had hoped to.  Makes sense really.

But, to catch you up to speed we'll have a bit of show and tell.

I got some cool news from singletracks.com - I was chosen to be part of their Trail Team!!  They sent me a sweet package of all things singletracks (t-shirt, stickers, pen, and 3 premium memberships) - I may do some sort of giveaway in the future here, so keep an eye out for that.

Singletracks.com helped me get back into biking.  As a resource it helped me find trails local to me, and even allowed me to share trails that I knew of with others.  Having trails listed by users, with photos, maps, and actual user ratings of the trails is so vital to finding the next great trail.  It's super handy especially when you are visiting a new area - it can help you determine which trails are a must ride, and which you might want to skip if time is short.  Also, the forum over there is great!  It's filled with helpful people having pretty civil conversations - we all know how biking forums can quickly get out of hand on some sites ; )  Anyway, singletracks picked myself and 25 other individuals from around the country and the world to help continue the singletracks mission.  

Then my boy D-Wayne sent me a little something something in the mail.

The first is completely true, the second... am I there yet?

Sweet sketch on the back of the envelope - I think that would make a sweet jersey, don't you?

GOODIES!

And of course, this picture is blurry - but it was the reason for the delivery

I picked up some Glow Worm stickers from Dwayne, and he showered me with glorious extras.  The sticker is amazing!!  Not only looks kickass, but that thing is legit.  Won't have to worry about it getting beat up or peeling prematurely.

Then it was time to replace some equipment that needed replacing.  GLOVES!!  I finally got a new pair of gloves.  

I haven't tested them out yet, but they fit great in the store and feel like a pretty good replacement.  My only concern is they don't seem to be as vented as my last pair... so we'll see how hot they are once I start tearing up the trails again.  I guess SSUSA will be their first big test.

Yeah, I'm still going... that drive is not going to be fun.  But hopefully the riding will make up for it... if riding can make up for 40 hours of driving in a very small window.

I picked up some new riding glasses.  My mountain bike glasses were beat all to hell, it was time for an upgrade so I grabbed a pair of Jawbones on mad sale... Annie helped me with the color scheme - they match my shoes, ha ha.

Just yesterday the I got a new jersey in the mail.  I picked it up from Hill Killer, they have some cool stuff, check them out.  The jersey fits well and looks cool as hell.  A lot of extra detail in there that I wasn't expecting - like the Boston skyline on the rear pockets and the sleeve designs of a shamrock and the actual Boston city seal.  Neat.

And then my brother got me this cool t-shirt... cause you know, cycling and doping!

Live Rong

So there is some stuff I've acquired while not riding a whole bunch...

Like I mentioned, I'm headed up to SSUSA very shortly, but I guess I'll get into that tomorrow - before I'm on the road.

Celebrations and whatnot

My parents came down at the end of last week to visit, and celebrate my brother's Birthday - hence I wasn't here yesterday.  This weekend was filled with celebrations and soccer... no bikes.  If I'm lucky, I will finally get back on a bike tonight for our weekly social ride out at the Whitewater Center.  I'm going to head out there early to get in some extra riding in (again, if the rain holds off and the trails stay open) since it has been WAY too long since I've ridden.  Really.  Like, so long I don't actually want to think about it and quantify it, long.  I've got some big events all smashed into August/September so I need to get some legs back underneath me here...

Come back tomorrow to see if I really did remember how to ride a bike.

In other news:

Dwayne has done me the honor of producing a Team Glow Worm decal, check it out!

You too can represent the Glow Worm with a kick ass decal. You can put it:
on your bike - be my teammate why don't you??
your car - keep people off your rear in traffic
the fridge - preferably the one with the beer in it, you know the one I'm talking about.
in the bike room/space/temple/garage - the Glow Worm will keep all your rides nice and safe
any damn where!

Team Glow Worm from Dwayne Hunter Design Company on Square Market

Snake TT #1 Part 1

I was meeting D-Wayne and his buddy Mike down in Dalton since I had to work Friday. As I was leaving school my garmins led me to believe I would arrive at 7:15 - with stops for gas I knew it would be a little later, but that sounded pretty good to me!  Two accidents within a mile or so of each other had something to say about that ETA so Dwayne was kind enough to pick up my number for me.

As I was getting settled in discussions turned to what to wear. First thing first, I had my new team kit in my hands (for a second).  Due to the temps, no one see it anyway, but the kit is going back for a few minor adjustments. That being said, the thing is SICK!  Seriously, I may enter races (or maybe just show up and just hang out) to show this thing off!  If your team (or even just YOU) need a new design hit up Dwayne. The guy is super easy to work with, lightening fast with responses and works tirelessly to get you what you want. Oh yeah, and he's a mountain biker - can't get much better than that, now can you?  (He also races cx and rides the roads, so you folks will feel equally at home working with Dwayne). Seriously, if you have a need or even just an idea please consider talking/emailing Dwayne, you won't regret it. 

So before I had to give the kit back I of course took some creepy hotel bathroom selfies.

The rest of the night was filled with going back and forth with wardrobe thoughts. When I left for GA it looked like it was going to be in the 30s by race time. When I got to GA it looked like mid 20s for the start, that didn't sound fun at all. But, it did make my choice easier. With temperatures staying that low I felt confident that I would be able to wear my jacket the entire time and not have to worry about needing to shed it with huger temps. In the end I went with my jacket and a short sleeve jersey - it was perfect. By the end of the first half I did have the jacket unzipped half way. 

The plan was that Dwayne and I would be racing the full 34 miles while Mike was riding the 17 (he had ridden it before and said all the fun stuff was in the second half anyway).  As we got down to the snake pit to load our bikes and shuttle to the start Dwayne throws his bike in the 17 miler trailer... the hell?  In the minute from the hotel to the parking lot he changed his mind, looked like I'd be going it alone. Turns out it was probably a really good idea for him as he ended his race feeling pretty damn ill. 

I placed my bike with the other 34 milers and waited to get moving. A couple things going through my head while we were transporting: Damnit, I should have brought my bottles with me on the bus - they are probably going to freeze on the way to the start (they didn't, but that was a scary risk - I was thinking if ways to heat them up the whole ride to the start). It was getting warm in the bus, so much so that I had to shed my gloves as my hands were sweating. Yet my feet were cold!  My feet are always cold. ALWAYS. Even with thin wool socks and DeFeet Woolie Boolies on my feet were cold on a warm bus.

The other thought battling my potential water bottle issue, what to do about the creek crossing. My main plan was to strip cleats and socks and walk across. I had extra socks (mostly to use to dry my feet) and really didn't like the idea of risking wet feet in suck cold weather - especially with my naturally cold feet!  When we arrived I had to wait for the trailer with my bike to show for a few minutes. By the time it was all said and done I was starting around 10:00 and the temperature forecast didn't look so bad. 

I've always been good with temps over 30, so I felt good with what I had on - although still a little conserve end with the possibility of overhearing. In all I had one two pairs of wool socks, leg warmers, bibs with baggies over them (last minute decision to also wear boxers - didn't want any chance of my junk freezing over the 34 miles), short sleeve jersey, and bike jacket (rated for I think 60, but worthless to me unless it's at least under 40), my cyclone winter gloves with the inserts of my snowboarding gloves, and a balaclava (helmet, cleats, glasses of course). 

I planned out nutrition for 5 hours with individual Osmo packets for bottle refills at the aid station (had 2 bottles) and packets of mustard if the cramps came to play. 

By the time I was starting there weren't many of us left (I'll be sure to get to the snake pit earlier in February) so it was go when you were ready - I had heard it was a 5 at a time start. I started alone, which was great as it removed any temptation to destroy myself off the start. I did try to keep things up on the fire roads to the creek to get my legs going.  I think my legs had gotten out of the car and decided to walk the rest of the way as I say in traffic in Greenville, unfortunately they didn't make it for the start of the race. All day I had burst of great performance out if them, and then bouts of childish protesting from them. I never knew which I would face each time I came to a climb - it was a fun little game they were playing with me. 

The creek crossing.  My feet were frozen as they hit the ground before I even got to the water, which made the water not so bad really...  The only thing that saved my feet for the rest of the race was the fact that the race promoters gave us a goodie bag that had in it those packet hand warmers... when I put my socks back on I slide on in - my feet were not cold the rest of the race (or at least I didn't notice).  

After the creek it was straight to business with a climb.  It was a doubletrack climb that I grinded away on.  There was a singlespeed rider up ahead of me so he was my carrot the entire climb.  I caught him as we entered singletrack toward the top as he stopped.  I pressed on for a short time until I stopped myself to drink something.  Throughout the first half of the race anytime I "stopped" I tried to at least be walking.  The trail in the first half was "nice."  Nothing, trail wise, challenging - but there wasn't much relief from an upward tread, so it wore on me.  There were times (when my legs weren't cooperating) when I started thinking about the possibility of throwing in the towel at the halfway mark... if I was struggling this much now how would I make the rest of it?  But then... then I would hit bursts where my legs felt right on and I powered through climbs.  Toward the end the trail starting turning down - the end was near.... signs appeared to check your speed - and of course in this "dangerous" speed trap the camera guy was posted up... he had a good spot - a nice hump to allow riders to air it out - not sure that I really got off the ground - I was more interested in enjoying the downward ride than grabbing a great picture.  Up ahead... the road.  And the pit stop.

I made it.  I instantly knew I wasn't done - I could make it.  I think I pulled in at a little under 2.5 hours.  Slower than I had hoped, but considering how I was feeling it felt like I was "ok."  During the pit I ate the rest of my clif bar I had been trying to eat while riding (I was also downing gummy worms while riding), finished the remainder of my one remaining bottle, and then refilled both of them dumping in my single serving of Osmo, and downed two packets of mustard.  I wanted to do as much as I could to stay ahead of any cramping.  So far, so good.  My pace was a bit slow during the pit and I had to zip my jacket back up as I started getting cold.  I knew I should get going, but I couldn't seem to pick up the pace to get everything ready to go.

I did eventually get going... but we'll get into the second half tomorrow.