The wind beneath my wings...

Well, time trial #2 has come and gone in a breeze.

Here's the recap:

The day leading up to the race was stressful. Chris's day leading up to the race was stressful. Neither one of us were particularly motivated to race, so the drive down was spent trying to calm each other down and psych each other up to ride. Eventually the race came around and we both mustered up the strength to do our best. And then...

It was windy. Really really windy. Before the race I listened to girls coming back in from their race talking about how scary the wind made the course. Awesome. I just LOVE the wind... especially on my road bike... especially while trying to go fast... especially in my new aero position. Sweet. It did end up windy but it wasn't scary, so that was good!

I was happy to see my parents had made it down in time to watch us leave the starting line. It was nice to have a cheering section! I was immediately frustrated that my top speed leading to the back end of the course was maybe 14 mph when I was going at least 18 at that point in the race the week before. I had a fleeting moment of, "forget it, I'm getting off and walking back, this sucks". Instead, I pushed past it and kept going. The wind gave me a little relief as it blew me up the first part of the big hill at 24 mph -- WOW! That was fun! I'm usually going about 11 up that hill. Of course then the hill turns and continues and I was again slapped in the face with the roaring wind. That part wasn't fun, but once I turned to the back stretch towards the turn around, the wind pushed me a little harder and I hit 34 mph! The fastest I've ever gone on a bike is 36 and this was in aero bars. It was an adventure for sure! I wouldn't usually like going that fast, but I was so happy to have a tail wind that I was going to crank up that average speed even if it scared me!

Once I hit the turnaround, I noticed Melissa and Jeanie heading into the turnaround around the same time as last week so I kept cranking hard the rest of the way so they wouldn't catch me. The wind fought me going down the big hill, so it felt like I wasn't going anywhere despite knowing better. I was happy that my leg wasn't cramping this week as I came out of the trees, but I again thought the finish was sooner than it was. I started to zone out and lose a little motivation when some really nice guy came by and told me I was doing great and to "PUSH!" So I did. It's amazing what a little motivation will do. Whoever he was, thanks. After he said that, I picked up 6 mph and cranked hard the rest of the way to the finish. I had a huge cheering section as the guys, Michelle, and my parents waited and cheered. What a great feeling to finish!

We hung around a little longer, got the rest of the group across the finish line, took some pictures, and waited for results. As we stood waiting for results, a random guy came by and told me I did a great job. He said the pink bar tape on my bike made me memorable and he remembered that I was doing awesome. That made me feel good about the race. I went slower than last week but the wind slowed everyone down. I didn't let the girls pass me (except for Michelle, but it's always fun to see her even if she's passing me). I tried my best. I guess I can't ask for much more than that. Most importantly, I didn't quit when I really wanted to.

Next week will be a new week. That's what is so great about life.