Of round trip driving is what Steve and I did this past Saturday and Sunday. Oh my. What a weekend it was though. We first woke up at 4 AM on Saturday to make the trip to Absecon, NJ which is where we were staying on Saturday night before the race. Only 8 short miles from Atlantic City... we did not go into AC to see what it was all about though. We left at 5 AM, stopped for breakfast, got to the hotel a little before 1 pm. Good timing, walked across the street for some lunch, then napped. Well, Steve napped, I was awake watching this cheesy movie that was a knock off of the Delta Force movies... but I couldn't turn it off! It starred Ice T, so you know how awesome it was! We then went to this place called Gourmet for dinner, which was perfect, then came back and went to bed. (Life of an age grouper... VERY exciting). Race morning, 4 AM, woke up, ate breakfast then off to Tuckerton, NJ about 20 minutes north of where our hotel was. Got there a little before 5:30, got our numbers, body marked, then off to set up our bikes. My set up was pretty easy peasy since I was doing the Sprint... not much to really think about what's needed. A powerbar gel 15 mins before and then another off the bike. Bam, done!
The water... ohhhh, the water, it was cold. Not as cold as Mooseman was last June, but it was damn cold. Since the swim on the sprint is so short, I did about a 15 minute warm up, but then had to get out of the water and wait another 15 minutes. They had the duathlon people start first, doh! So, finally, a little after 7, we started. My swim was ok, I couldn't get in a nice groove at all, and was breathing in water almost each stroke... awesome. I swam next to another girl pretty much the entire time, then got out, and saw my time, hmm, ok, not too shabby. Was better than it felt. Into T1, felt like crap, got on the bike and rode. Again, I'm probably the slowest QT2 person on the bike... fact. I raced my race and was feeling good, I get very frustrated when people pass me, not as if I'm standing still, but as if I'm moving in reverse... it's ridic. Anyways, I was very happy, having a great time, and it helped that the roads were in really good condition. Something us New Englanders rarely experience with the winters we get. Off the bike and into T2, and to start the run. My run was not so great... not what I wanted and what I know I can do. Fast forward to the finish... 10 minute PR and 1st in my AG... whooaaaa! I was pumped. The 10 minute PR was huge!
I had to then run for 30 minutes post race, but I knew Steve's race started at 8, I was hoping they would start right at 8, so I waited for him to come out of the water before starting the run. Saw him, and he was off on the bike! I went and ran for 30 minutes on the run course, then came back to see my results, saw them and decided to postpone my post race ride until after the awards ceremony! Which took a bit longer than expected, but that's A-OK! Then went and grabbed a quick bite to eat and hopped on my bike. Came back and changed super fast in the truck, literally just in time to see Steve get off the bike and onto the run. Went and ran a few feet to catch him coming out of T2, good thing I did. This was our first race using the new Garmin for both of us, and using the multisport mode, so we both got all messed up when we hit lap to start the run, all we saw was the total time. No pace, distance or HR. I had figured it out on my run and then yelled to him how to see the correct screen... phew! He was good to go. His race was awesome. It was a 5 minute PR... but in this race, that's even more since the bike was 58 miles and not 56! He got third in his AG and won Clydesdale!
Those 768 miles of driving... worth it!
Also, Steve found out today he is being inducted into the Salve Regina Athletic Hall of Fame!! What an accomplishment and honor!
We stopped for dinner at a diner in NJ... we were tired! We may or may not have had a couple of chocolate chip cookies after dinner.
Now onto Monday... post race fun! We went to a new place in town that sells quality beers (which we love) and we lived it up a little. We had these bad boys... The Aprihop was a new one for us, and it was delicious. Hoppy IPA with a hint of Apricot. We ended the day with a Little Sumpin Sumpin which is just hoppy deliciousness in your mouth. Hopstupendous!
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