Guam, when all the planets align

I woke this morning nice and early, breakfast consisting of two packets of apple cinnamon oatmeal.  We arrived in transition with 45 minutes to spare, having racked our bikes the previous day, all we had to do was to setup and put air in the tires.  Speaking of which, my front tire was low and I hope this was not the result of a slow leek.  The gun went off on time at 7 am, in order to beat some of the heat of the day and the 120 racers or so were off. The water was tranquil but the sun was at the right angle making it hard to sight on the way back.  Swimming felt good, I was trying to remember what my friend Rich had instilled in me from our weekly meeting in the pool.  It felt good but I couldn't find any feet to latch on.  I came out of the water fairly fresh but was hoping for a better  split, no time to dwell on it, had to catch up on the better swimmer, not knowing where I was.  I would be ultimately be 30th.  Smooth transition on to the bike. The first part is a long stretch of paved road, perfect to put the gloves on, grab some calories and start the long climb to the trails.  I got into a rhythm  and started passing people.  I was caught by a kiwi pro but I latched on his rear wheel and pushed a bit more to get some momentum. He would quickly dismiss me on another climb but I was glad for the effort.  Once in the trails I was alone for a little while but could also hear the distinctive sound of a biker trying to catch up.  After riding by a couple of war world II tanks my pursuer caught me and I let him lead, hoping to capitalize on his trail knowledge to pick the best lines (he was a local).  I was also worried about my tires but they seemed to be holding.  After exiting to another paved section with a steep down hill, I decided to pass the same guy that had passed me earlier and get some distance, he looked like he could be in my age group.  Back in the trails for the last off road section I would catch Pro Renata Bucher just before the green monster and was taken aback as she is usually not seen by me until the finish line. The last section of the bike course is a steep road descent to the finish.  I told Renata she could draft me and Switzerland got on the Canadian express to T2 grabbing some 60 km/hr speed on the descent.  I was really pleased with my bike time, gaining 12 min from last year on a longer course.  Another quick transition and I could see Renata in the distance as she was now playing catch up with the 2 pro females ahead of her.  Now the run course is by far one of the coolest on the circuit, one out of the heat you head down water falls and run in the river!  I could still see Renata in the distance.  Than the TSN ( that's ESPN for my American friend) point happpened.  A left arrow to take you out of the river had been missed by the two leading female pro and Renata missed it as well till I yelled at her "Arrow left". Just like that Renata had taken the lead.  After going under the highway and nearly giving myself a concussion for standing too quickly and hitting my head on a metal beam,   We both made our way to the finish and in true class that she is, Renata let me cross the finish line ahead of hers.  I finished the race in 3:03, which is a PR for me.  Good enough for overall on the amateur field and 8th overall.  This was one of those races where all the planet aligned just right.  Now let's not forget about the rest of the tribe! As I was running out I saw Roy coming in on the bike, which was awesome knowing that he's battling health issues that most people would stay put.  By the time I finished Al was already on the run.  Alison and GL came in with plenty of time to spare before cut off so everyone would make  finish the race.  So what's next? Heading out to Saipan for the week for a second race.  I also need to thank a few people, first and foremost Steph for looking after me, Cap's Westwood for all my bike needs and the awesome bike tuning.  Synergy/Gray, Vega and Sugoi.  Stay tuned for more post from Saipan, as for me, it's banquet and award night.  Happy trails!

Carpe Diem