SO DONE!

Well, to add insult to injury, it was a blustery day here in the San Francisco area. It acutally started raining and picked up intensity as the day wore on.

I made the decision to wear red (although I think it was more pink) lipstick in the race today. I got some funny looks from people at first but then, it went over SO well. Everyone was shouting, I love your lipstick, and it made me laugh and smile.

As for the race, it was rough. By the end of the first 4 miles I had already lost about 4 minutes. My legs were just not there, as I had thought they might not be, since I had not been able to run last week as a result of being sick. I got on my bike and was with 2 other women. By the second lap, I had dropped both of them and was riding alone. The bike course, being so technical (and in terrible condition), was hard to really get into a rhythm on. I ended up mantaining my position and didn't lose much time to the leaders, even though they were in packs. Heading out on the second run, my feet were numb, my body was freezing and I was not sure how it was all going to go. I braved it out for one lap but at that point I was done. My hip was starting to nag at me and my body was just trashed. Being sick really took a lot out of me, and 10 miles of running were not going to be found in my legs.

I made the decision to quit the race and call it a season. My main intention for racing here was to earn ITU points and with none on the line, my motivation to subject myself to anymore cruel and unusual punishment was not at an all time high. Maybe if it had been sunny and beautiful then it would have been different, but I was pretty miserable.

I'm really pleased with my bike ride today. I was feeling very strong and probably the best I have felt on the bike in a long time. That is certainly a good sign. However, I have a long way to go with my running and so my focus this winter will be that. Run, run, run.

Now, it is time to relax for a week before starting preparation and very early season training for 2008!!!

Thank you for all of your support!!!