Hills for breakfast, hold the gnats

Eugene Marathon

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Location:

Snoqualmie,WA,

Member Since:

Jan 31, 2008

Gender:

Female

Goal Type:

Boston Qualifier

Running Accomplishments:

Marathon PR: 4:17 at Portland Marathon, Oct. 2007

5K PR 24:37 2009

10K PR 52:58 2010

Have run 22 marathons to date.

No injuries, ever.   :)

Short-Term Running Goals:

Qualify for Boston (4:05 for my age/gender) - or, perhaps, to use my desire for a BQ as a way to get in the hated speed work so I don't just get slower and slower over the years.  This goal is "under (re)construction" right now, until I figure out whether it is truly what I want. :) 


Long-Term Running Goals:

To continue learning about myself and about running, and to enjoy being a fit, happy runner for life.   To always know why I am running and the best way to get the most (both mentally and physically) out of my runs.  To keep a sense of humor and remain optimistic about myself as a runner.  To enjoy running more and more with every passing year. 

Personal:

Baby boomer generation.  Jogged a little in my 20's and 30's.  Started running seriously in 2002.  Low-carb runner since January 2010. 

I love long runs and cold, cloudy weather.  I don't believe in "junk miles."  I am an optimist.  I adore dark chocolate, fog, my family, and knitting -- not necessarily in that order.  

"As every runner knows, running is about more than just putting one foot in front of the other; it is about our lifestyle and who we are."  -- Joan Benoit Samuelson 


Favorite Blogs:

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Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 0.00
Brooks ST3 Lifetime Miles: 891.35
Vibram Five Fingers KSO Lifetime Miles: 23.77
Brooks ST3 II Lifetime Miles: 965.17
Lunaracers II Lifetime Miles: 198.23
Mizuno Wave Universe 3 Lifetime Miles: 104.14
Asics Piranha Lifetime Miles: 536.83
RunAmocs (Softstar) Lifetime Miles: 16.23
Piranha II Lifetime Miles: 219.53
Race: Eugene Marathon (26.2 Miles) 04:38:20
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
0.0026.200.000.0026.20

Time 4:38:20  --  div 30/63
Rain, showers, and sun, 40s-50s F, humid, breezy at times.
4 Accel gels + Gatorade on the course

HOW NOT TO RUN A MARATHON
Splits (1) 9:52  --  (2) 9:04  --  (3) 9:47  --  (4) 9:28  --  (5) 9:40  --  (6) 9:29   --  (7) 9:20  --  (8) 9:27  --  (9) 10:02  -- (10)  9:41  --  (11) 9:58   --  (12) 9:37  --  (13) 10:01  --  (14) 9:47  --  (15) 9:55  --  (16) 10:29  --  (17) 11:07  --  (18) 10:55  --  (19) 14:08 (bathroom stop)  --  (20) 11:36  --  (21) 11:48 --  (22) 12:25  --  (23) 13:35  --  (24) 12:02  --  (25) 11:43  --  (26) 11:31
Chip mat splits:  5K=29:39, 10K=59:08,  Half=2:06:19,  30K=3:08:26,  40K=4:21:22

What a disappointment.  The agony of it came as it was happening. The sorrow came in the shower afterward. (I was wet anyway...) Now, it is time to think, analyze, and try to understand what happened.  If I had to explain it in a couple of words: leg cramps. But why? and how? still hang in the air.

I felt good on race day. I think my training went pretty well (I always wish I did more).  I ate well and tapered as usual leading up to the race.  The odds seemed to be in my favor and I expected good things to come.

Before I looked at my splits, and even as early in the race as mile 12, I would have said that I pushed my pace too early.  But the splits don’t seem to support that. I was planning to run my first mile  at around 10:00, and the pace is pretty close to that. The effort level must have been harder (there was a hill there).  Mile 2 is definitely too fast.  I had a plan to get pretty close to 9:10-9:20 by mile 2 or 3.  The splits don’t show that, and yet I remember the pace feeling kind of vigorous.  (I am very glad I wore my usual shoes --some of you know I considered another --or I might have blamed all this on a stupid shoe choice.)

I am inclined to say I don’t believe in “just having a bad day.”  But I guess what I mean is that I don’t think “having a bad day” swoops down invisibly on people who feel great and have trained fairly well.  It happens when you wake up feeling “off,” or are not feeling well --- but then there is Making a Mistake.  I may have made a mistake.  I wish I had structured my race plan closer to the way I ran CIM in December, with several easy miles at the start.  I let myself believe I could do it differently and succeed. The splits don’t show speed, but in my mind I was pushing and feeling some tension.  Why it does not show in the splits I cannot really say, except maybe that maneuvering through the crowd took more energy than I knew at the time. Of course, I could be wrong, but it’s the only explanation that makes sense for what came later.  Or maybe I was just completely delusional about my goal pace.  I’ll never know for sure.

Pre-race:  It was so great meeting Bonnie!! We hung out with her and Dean and had dinner together on Friday night.  The expo was fun, and I enjoyed the speakers: some local Eugene coaches, Brad Hudson, Dathan Ritzenhein, Mary Decker Slaney, and Kathy Twomy Bellamy.   The pasta feed was so-so (aren’t they all?). The expo was small but adequate; packet pickup was very organized and easy.  Favorite quote from one of the expo speakers: “Don’t be braver than you are smart.”

Race: The start area was well organized, with 2 corrals, for under and over 10:00 pace, and pacers with balloons within each corral. It was raining at the start (tapering to lighter rain soon after, then showers) but not too hard.  I wore a singlet, topped by a throw-away sweatshirt from a thrift store, and a garbage bag for the rain. I left the garbage bag at the side of my corral. The sweatshirt came off at mile 2 - I could not wait to dump it once we started running. The humidity seemed very high and I was grateful for the light rain.

In the first miles, and occasionally later in the race, the road surface was truly awful. In the first hundred yards or so, when we were packed tightly (couldn’t easily watch the ground), my right foot landed on the edge of a pothole and my ankle started to roll. I caught myself, and hopped over another pothole right after that, but if I had landed even a centimeter further over, I would have probably hurt my foot badly, fallen, and possibly taken other runners down with me in that crowd.  Even on the bike path, there was quite a bit of uneven ground and some kind of cobblestone-like speed bumps, very uncomfortable to cross over.  The second half of the race was “flat,” meaning no real hills but still plenty of little ups and downs.

The course was BEAUTIFUL!  Everything was so green and most of the course ran along the river.   I think the only course I’ve run that was more beautiful than this was Big Sur, with Yakima River Canyon & Deadwood tying for third. Maybe it’s just my love for the color green.  

The course runs mostly on streets in the first half and mostly on a paved bike path in the second half.  The hills came as expected in the first half: at about 0.5, 4.5 and 8.5.  The “scream zone” at around mile eight was a brief, unexpected rush of sound. We had to funnel through a kind of narrow, winding path, where there were suddenly crowds of people on either side. Since I had my name on my bib, I got the full force of their “encouragement.”  That was a trip, as the old Eugene hippies would say.  Since it was brief, I rather enjoyed it.

The steepest, longest hill comes at around 8.5, a hill which I went up fairly easily. But shortly after that hill, I began to feel less energetic.  I tried to ignore it, but a little later I started thinking that the pace felt too hard.  I started looking at my Garmin and sure enough I was slowing down.  But I pressed on, thinking “there are good miles and bad miles,”  a truth with which I am familiar.

I soon began to pass the 4:15 pace group at ~ mile 10. There were about 20 runners and two pacers, who were talking almost continuously.  I decided to run with them for a little while to try to get my energy back (not knowing that doom was about to strike).  This was a very interesting part of the run, and I wish I could have stayed with them.  The main pacer was a feisty, petite woman with a booming voice who talked about a number of interesting things (such as why your Garmin will always show a higher number of miles than 26.2).  I liked the way she was breaking down the race into mental sections and giving advice for each part.

Then it happened.  Somewhere between mile 12 and mile 14 my right quadriceps started to cramp up. I’m trying to remember if I have ever had a leg cramp while running. I don’t think so, though I could be wrong. It began slowly, but by mile 14 or 15 I felt crippled and the 4:15 pace group was gone.

I did a little walking while massaging the leg. Running again, my form became ragged.  At mile 18, I met up with the second pacer from the 4:15 group, who had turned back to help out with the 4:30 group, and he ran with me for a while.  I had electrolyte tablets, and he encouraged me to take one, which I did at the next aid station.  I also had to take a bathroom break, reflected in the mile 19 split.

The rest of the race was made of walk/run, a lot of leg pain, and a lot of tough emotions. My form when running was stiff and slow. Instead of being the strong one, like I was at CIM 08, I was the “road kill” being passed by other (smarter?) runners.  

Sometimes I think that the beginning of a marathon brings out the worst in some people, like the woman who elbowed me in the arm at mile 2, possibly by accident but I don’t think so, when I called out and gestured that I was coming to pass between her and another runner. But the final miles bring out the best in people. Everyone was so supportive.  At around mile 22, there was a man running past me, looking pretty strong, and I murmured  “good job.”  He did not turn his head at all, but began a stream of encouragement to me that was very touching.  Another woman who had been run/walking and leap-frogging with me came up behind me about .5 from the finish and said, “come on, let’s go, we’re almost there.”   I guess these comments seem somewhat unremarkable in cold print, but the way they were spoken, with so much sincerity, was very moving at the time.

Highlights: 1) Meeting Bonnie and Dean and spending some time with them.  Bonnie, you are such fun!!  You are funny, smart, generous, and kind. It was great to meet you. 2) The beauty of the Eugene marathon course. I definitely want to run this one again.  3) I enjoyed the Expo speakers very much.

In conclusion, this experience shook my confidence so much as to nearly overshadow all of my recent accomplishments.  I will spend some time in the next few days looking at my training log and my race reports from December - March. I need to feel the reality of those runs in order to internalize that this was an abnormal, one-time experience.  To put it in perspective, I want to list my marathon times to date, with that 3rd race of 2006 being my first attempt at training for a time goal (everything before that was “to finish”):
2004: 4:59, 4:37,
2005: 4:58, 4:47, 4:55, 5:09, 4:47, 4:57, 4:50
2006: 5:15, 4:55, 4:27
2007: 4:28, 4:17
2008: 4:29, 4:18
2009: 4:38 (this marathon being my worst time in three years)

Comments
From april27 on Mon, May 04, 2009 at 16:39:38 from 143.43.8.24

I think you should focus on the fact that this wasn't your worst marathon ever. Really you did good for the conditions and for being elbowed at mile 2. I think you should blame her! LOL

I love that the people at the last few miles took the time to encourage you even if they were running along. they said something to help you finish. I think that is so cool!

I hope while looking through your training that you find the reason that maybe you didn't do as well as you would have liked.

Also it will help to look foward to your next race. When is your next marathon?

From Sasha Pachev on Mon, May 04, 2009 at 17:00:39 from 64.81.245.109

Leg cramp could kill a marathon for sure. Consider this - you were really running a 4:12. The second half was not exactly running, it was limping, so it does not really count. You were limited by a cramp, not by fuel. A cramp at 18 or after could be blamed on starting out too fast or pushing too hard in the middle. But at 12 it is something else, it is just a weird cramp. I had one of those in DesNews last year from the gun and it kept getting worse as I went.

Recover from this one and try again.

From Kelli on Mon, May 04, 2009 at 17:13:47 from 71.219.98.88

Sasha put it so well! Cramping is a major issues and sadly, when it happens, there is nothing you can do but quit or finish. You finished and get major credit for that.

I am sorry this was not your race, but I am one who believes you do sometimes have an off running day. You can feel it while you are running and sometimes it just gets you. And running i the rain is not easy---many of us Utahns did it last fall and it adversely affected a lot of us!!!

I enjoyed reading your race report and your reflection. My heart goes out to you, I know how it feels to be disappointed when you have worked so hard (as does everyone, I think). You truly are an amazing runner and an inspiration to me for all of the time, effort, thought, and GUTS that you put in to your running!!! Thanks for sharing your experience with ME, I appreciate it and learn from it.

YOU ARE AMAZING, do not let one cruddy race get you down (you can feel bad for a minute, but I know you will get past it!!!)

From marion on Mon, May 04, 2009 at 18:03:25 from 71.213.111.242

I am truly so sorry that the marathon did not go as you planned..BUT... YOU ARE TOO COOL! You finished a marathon with poo poo legs! YOU RAN 26.2 MILES!!! HOLY CRAP!!! I am so proud of you, and you are such a smart lady. You are going to figure this whole thing out and beat it!!! I am so sorry that you are sad :( PLease know that among all these Super Hero runners, the imprefect or cruddy race can seem terrible, but it's not. YOU RAN A MARATHON!!! I am so proud of you. It requires a TON more character to run a lousy race on bummer legs than it does to run the "perfect" race on wonderful legs. You are an amazing lady with truly wonderful talents and abilities. There are a ton of us who look up to you.

YOU ROCK!!!

***I am sorry the race did not go like you wanted it too :(

From JD on Mon, May 04, 2009 at 18:28:41 from 64.65.159.206

Love your detailed reports.

Sorry about the cramping leg on race day. That does suck, especially that early in the race. You must have alot of inner strength to have pushed through that and still manage a 4:38 marathon. Great reflexes too avoiding a nasty spill in those potholes.

Karma's going to get that person throwing her elbows around like that.

Good to hear of the positives during the race. I love how a marathon can be a bonding experience with complete strangers who really know what fellow runners are going through. Great you got to meet Bonnie (and Dean), and spend some time in Eugene.

NEXT!

From jefferey on Mon, May 04, 2009 at 18:30:47 from 63.231.49.43

Seattle RNR next huh? OK, I looked at that one and decided to do a flat one instead. You are tougher than I am!

From Little Bad Legs on Mon, May 04, 2009 at 18:47:17 from 68.186.96.165

Great job! I agree with you 100% about the rough terrain the first 2 miles. I had a hard time with the uneven footing and so I can only imagine what it was like with many more people around.

Strange also that we both experienced leg cramps around mile 13.

At least the weather wasn't horrible like Saturday afternoon, eh? Sorry you didn't do as well as you'd hoped. Good luck as you recover and plan for your next one!

From Carolyn in Colorado on Mon, May 04, 2009 at 20:23:38 from 198.241.217.15

You really did an amazing job to push through the better part of the race with a leg cramp. You are one tough cookie. I'm sorry it didn't turn out the way you hoped it too, but Marion is right that it takes a lot more to character to run a tough race on bad legs than a race that goes smoothly.

BTW, did you really run SEVEN marathons in 2005? What were you thinking?!

In looking at your two-marathons/year for the last two years, and the three the year before that, you always got faster as the year progressed. So I think there are good things ahead for you later this year.

You are an AMAZING, STRONG, GUTSY woman!

From nicole on Mon, May 04, 2009 at 20:37:15 from 68.26.15.110

I know how dissapointed you are but you can't dwell on it, you were trained, you were ready! it was just a terrible day with a terrible cramp, like Sasha said, you were running a 4:12. you are AMAZING and you should be proud that you finished the race despite the agony.

Rock n Roll here you come! Maybe I'll be giving you gatorades at it! :-) you're AWESOME and don't forget it!

From nicole on Mon, May 04, 2009 at 20:38:44 from 68.26.15.110

PS - In the last 3 years your first marathon was the slowest of the year. so that was just your warm-up!

From Metcalf Running on Mon, May 04, 2009 at 20:43:13 from 71.219.144.7

Sno, I'm sorry to hear that you struggled at the marathon. I love reading your reports and this one is especially moving. We all have been in that struggle, everyone that has run a marathon has. That is why some people will never accomplish it. I still think you are amazing.

Your comment on the beauty of the course makes my want to run it. Utah is usually not a very green state, but with our added rain the past few days I have really enjoyed seeing more green.

From Snoqualmie on Mon, May 04, 2009 at 21:45:55 from 67.171.56.164

Thanks for all the encouragement and kind words, everyone. Yes, Seattle RnR is next up, but I swear that one is "just for fun." For my next time goal I need a fall marathon but have not chosen yet.

Marion, "poo poo legs"-- thanks for making me laugh.

Carolyn, yes I did 7 in 2005. It was crazy fun. Long runs with free food.

From Bonnie on Tue, May 05, 2009 at 00:47:16 from 71.210.112.242

Hey Sno ... I just got home. I tried to post from my Blackberry this afternoon but it did not work. Sorry the chili pepper did not work well. There is not much you can do about cramps - it is not like it is a failure of courage (or training in your case). Let's look forward and chalk this up to a bad race, the probability is the more you run the more of them there will be.

It was great to see you.

I really can't walk very well today.

From Bill Mandler on Tue, May 05, 2009 at 08:11:45 from 24.119.13.42

I am sorry that Sunday did not go as you had hoped :( I, too, know the disappointment of a less than stellar day especially when you have been looking forward to it. For whatever reason we all have tough outings from time to time.

You might be suprised to find that your next marathon (just for fun) could go exceptionally well because you will not have the mental stress of a performance goal.

Every race makes us stronger and tough, gutting it out performances like yours just go to show how determined you really are.

I admire ANYONE who can finish the race even when the odds are stacked against them. And I have run a marathon slower than this and been much faster in the next outing........YOUR DAY IS WAITING FOR YOU IN THE FUTURE!!!

If you are willing to travel, we have some great fall marathons in our area!!!

From snoqualmie on Tue, May 05, 2009 at 11:00:20 from 67.171.56.164

Bonnie, I was going to ask you if your legs are working! Mine are worse today than yesterday, as usual. (DOMS) But tomorrow they will start behaving and I will be jogging by Friday. :D That's how I know I will run all my life -- horrible marathon experience and I STILL can't wait to get back in it!

Bill, Thanks so much for your encouragement. You are one of my blog idols! I would love to hear any fall marathon recommendations you have for Idaho. Nothing TOO hilly please. ;)

Thanks again, everyone!

From snoqualmie on Tue, May 05, 2009 at 11:01:52 from 67.171.56.164

p.s. Bonnie, I don't blame the chili pepper. In fact, I was conscious of it and loved knowing that I had a friend on the course! I will definitely wear it again!

From Bonnie on Tue, May 05, 2009 at 11:21:07 from 71.210.108.76

My legs are a little better today, yesterday was horrible.

When I told Dean how badly I felt that the chili pepper did not work - he said, "yes, that bad luck chili pepper, I bet you are glad you got rid of that" ;-). I thought you would like that.

I am sort of thinking about jogging a little tomorrow. I already feel like the pounds are just piling on ...

From Sasha Pachev on Tue, May 05, 2009 at 12:24:56 from 192.168.1.1

If you are willing to come to Utah we have Utah Valley Marathon in Provo on June 13th. It has gradual downhill in the first half, and does have a couple of short climbs. One nice thing about racing in Utah is that there is a good chance of being able to stay with a blogger, so that cuts down hotel fees.

From Carolyn in Colorado on Tue, May 05, 2009 at 12:35:20 from 198.241.156.7

OK. I'll ask. What's the story with the chili pepper?

From Bonnie on Tue, May 05, 2009 at 12:42:03 from 128.196.228.134

Carolyn, I had given Sno a chili pepper pin to wear as "good luck" (as I am now from Arizona and we have chili pepper everything here! I did not mean to be exclusionary.

From Bill Mandler on Tue, May 05, 2009 at 13:22:22 from 24.119.13.42

A great fall marathon down in Utah is the Top of Utah marathon in mid-September in Logan, Utah. The first half is a nice gradual downhill and the second half is fairly flat with a few little hills.

From Snoqualmie on Tue, May 05, 2009 at 15:17:41 from 67.171.56.164

Bonnie, That Dean is a riot. But you could not have given the chili pepper to a less superstitious person!

Sasha, thanks for the Utah info. :)

OK. You all can tell me this is childish, but I have a desire to do my time goal marathons on a flat(ish) course rather than downhill. CIM has a net downhill but is full of hills in the first half so that was ok. I just don't want to feel like I'm getting my BQ (whenever that happens) without truly being in "BQ shape." Go ahead, talk me out of it! lol But seriously, it's not a superficial goal for me. I want to *really be* that fit, without help that feels "fake." Does that make sense? Of course, I don't want tons of giant hills either!

BTW, I am starting to feel less inclined towards Billings. Suggestions welcome!

From nicole on Tue, May 05, 2009 at 15:33:54 from 68.26.15.110

what marathons have you done so far? have you done portland? I think its pretty flatish though not tha beautiful, if the dr/pt say its ok i 'm going to aim for that. Also, NODM is gorgeous and pretty flat!

From Snoqualmie on Tue, May 05, 2009 at 16:14:46 from 67.171.56.164

Nicole, Yes, I've done Portland 3 times: 2 PRs and one disaster. It's a good, fun race. I hope you get to run it!

NODM- Did you think it was flat? I found it to be a *very* hilly course, despite what the website says. I may run it again some day for fun but not for time. But yes, it's pretty. Anyway, it's not in the fall.

From Bonnie on Tue, May 05, 2009 at 16:29:51 from 128.196.228.134

I can "kind of" go down stairs, very slowly. Yesterday was really funny at the airport. Luckily it wasn't just me, there were tons of people walking around like they were 4 times their ages! One of the plane on ramps nearly killed me!

Today I can move around better but it is still painful.

I am supposed to do an easy 20` jog tomorrow ...

From Walter on Tue, May 05, 2009 at 20:09:27 from 76.27.15.208

Great report. I always start out fast and suffer in the end. You can get great advice from everyone and their dog about how to run and race. But when your out there going through what you have to go through its a whole new game huh? Even the best of the best experiance it! Ryan Hall had the best first half marathon of his life at Boston and couldnt hold on to dominate like I thought he would. Put another medal on the mantel! good job

From Mark on Wed, May 06, 2009 at 11:00:08 from 24.129.132.74

Sorry it didn't go so well. I think this was a one time thing. You have done so much training in adverse conditions that good things are bound to come your way. Cramps can be awful, they've certainly hit me before and can really just shut things down.

I loved reading your report and continued to be inspired by your dedication. I'm amazed at how many marathons you have done.

From montelepsy on Thu, May 07, 2009 at 14:45:47 from 64.235.121.163

Sno,

Covering 13 miles with a cramp is awesome!

From Snoqualmie on Thu, May 07, 2009 at 17:12:18 from 67.171.56.164

Thanks, Mont! The more time goes by, the more I give myself praise instead of lectures...

From rattletrap on Thu, May 07, 2009 at 19:00:05 from 70.193.5.212

Sorry you had such a tough race. Thanks for sharing the details though. I hope it helps you as much as it helps us. I'm sure your next race will be better. The Seattle RNR is going to be so cool, I think all the music and excitement will help you finish a lot faster than you think. They also modified the course again and cut out some elevation at the end too :)

From snoqualmie on Thu, May 07, 2009 at 22:04:18 from 67.171.56.164

Thanks for telling me about the course modification! Now we get to go across Lake Washington I see. Are you running it?

From rattletrap on Thu, May 07, 2009 at 23:02:21 from 70.193.5.212

Heck yes I am!

I'm running it in less than 3:20:59 I hope...

From scotthughes on Sun, May 10, 2009 at 21:01:29 from 209.33.211.3

I just read you report on the marathon. Can I understand! My last marathon on April 18th was very similar. Trained so hard and had such high hopes only to be dashed by cramping calves. I was so distrot and down after the race. I missed my goal time by 36 minutes! I had high hopes of a boston qualify time. I thought I had done everything to avoid cramping etc.

I was so mad I wondered why I was even running. Now I am preparing this week for another marathon....taking a different approach, I am hoping to go out and enjoy the run..the beautiful course and take it slow at first. I also went out too fast and that caught up to me about mile 11, cramps at mile 15 all the way in to the finish. As I came down the last block of the race I was mad! limping, charlie horse big time and the crowd cheering me on. I dreamed about that last block and the excitment I was going to feel, and here I was almost crawling and I just wanted to cry!

I got over it, put it out of mind, at least most of it. I need to remember to run for joy and the times will come.

Good luck in your future endeavers. Keep positive!

From snoqualmie on Mon, May 11, 2009 at 00:03:42 from 67.171.56.164

Thanks for those words, Scott! I've read your blog before, and I appreciate your thoughts. I sure learned a lot from the race. I think the overall result of this experience will be lots of tough workouts, but come race day - smiles and loving the run. I believe my time will naturally fall with this approach, and I'll enjoy my running more than ever.

From Dale on Thu, May 21, 2009 at 16:55:22 from 69.10.215.11

Wow, sounds like quite a suffer-fest. How did you managed to keep going that long with bad leg cramps? That's quite a feat in and of itself! That's the problem with marathons....one bad race lasts for a looooong time. But don't let it....you're training was solid and your tune-up races went well, just a bad race day. You'll have your day soon enough!

PS. Sorry this is late but I was in Greece on vacation. Great excuse, huh!?!

From Snoqualmie on Thu, May 21, 2009 at 18:03:10 from 67.171.56.164

Dale! How nice to hear from you! I still check your blog from time to time to see if you're back in the saddle yet. Thanks so much for the comment.

Greece - wow! Sounds lovely!

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