Should I go to Oregon…
1. Yes because I’ve never been there
Last month, I traveled to Vermont with my dad. While there, we made the short list of states to which we have not traveled. His list was just one, “Alaska”… well, he and his buddies have been taking a motorcycle trip every summer since 1980, so he has seen the contiguous states. I’ve traveled quite a bit, but missed Oregon (But I’ve been to Alaska. As a side note, you may not have recognized me there… back in my party-girl stage in 1992 with remnants of 80′s hair.)
2. Yes because I like building self-esteem
It’s true. Esteem goes up when someone or something you feel connected to does well. Which is why Brett Favre’s team’s status matters so much in my household. Lots of speedy-fast teammates were signed up to be there — Cindy, Ian, Chris, Rachel, Bruce, Roger – so when they do well, I can feel good about myself, too.
3. Yes because I want to see if I can run
If it were possible to have an ankle transplant prior to October 11, I would be lined up, ready to go. Every time I sprain my ankle, it takes longer to heal. Apparently I have either severed the ligaments or the ligaments pulled off some bone. Either way, with adrenaline is usually better than without. An IM build without running has been interesting. No, I don’t want an MRI now. Thanks for asking.
4. Well, maybe not because it’s an Olympic-distance event
Dang, those people can swim, bike, and run really fast. And it’s over quickly.

The result?
Given my analytical U of Chicago graduate school experience, I just did the math and showed up at Hagg Lake to race USAT Nationals. I hope one of the speedy people writes a more detailed report for you, but I’ll sum up the experience quickly. Who really wants to hear about my pokey race? I went slower than I ever have in an Olympic distance race. Oh well.
Bruce started 4 minutes behind me. He caught me in the swim before the halfway mark. I had a plan to hold on to him, but he was too quick. I stopped and cheered for him. He claims to not have heard me. Hmmmmm
I thought I’d throw down close to 1 hour on the bike. I’m supposed to be fast on the bike. I was reminded that it is relative to the distance. Didn’t even have close to the fastest time of the day (off by over a minute). Hmmmmmm
I ran! My backup plan was to blend in and work at a water stop. I think I ran at Rachel’s recovery pace, but hey, I was running. Celebrate!

So what?
It is what it is. Please send all spare healing thoughts to my ankle.

Photos?
I would have taken pics of the following things….
- my bike in the convertable I rented, popping out of the back seat
- my fast TIMEX friends