I see your challenge and I have three words

BRING IT BITCH!

Ok before I lose half my readership, or have people saying, damn it I like it better when he's sick and depressed, allow me to explain the title and the "colorful" saying above. This morning as I sat at my desk like a good little teller, hoping and praying the layoffs don't affect me, I checked an email from the race director of the Patriot Half. It went along the lines of you're currently listed in the open elite catagory, are you sure you don't want to age group it ( we give out nice stuff :) ) and if you are considering yourself elite then you should be able to finish this race in 5 hours or less. Well first thing that hit was the fear I have never broken 5 hours, I came painfully close at Eagleman 5:09, shit maybe I should bail to the AG.My training's been shot to shit, my psyche has been hit by the equivalent of 5 ten ton bricks, and I'm just in a really bad mood. Then I got to looking at the races results from last year the winner's time was in the 4:30's but last year also had a stellar pro field ( Holla John Hirsch!), I also realized that Eagleman was in brutal heat with little shade and that had the weather conditions been a few (20 degrees F) cooler I probably would have crushed the 5 hour barrier...ok I would have slid under the 5 hour barrier Indiana Jones Style, reaching over the timing mat for my visor at 4:59.59...but the wheels in my head got to turning and to try to pump my beleaugered ego back up I looked at the overall results to see where a low 5 hour time would get me. Well it would be in the mid 30's to low 40's overall, where I usuaally place, I looked at the lowest finishing elites from last year, one poor guy had a hell of a day, but a majority were top 50 most in the top 30, surrounded by a ton of age group studs. The bike course is 59 miles but it is similar terrain to Eagleman, a 2:40 or lower bike spilt could be a real possibility, the swim, I always do better surrounded by faster guys that and if there are only a handful of us then I won't get mauled a la Eagleman ( also I had 17th fastest swim split last year in a surfing wetsuit.) the run most elite guys are able to pull 1:20 and change, I've pulled a 1:37 after a 56 mile ride in a half marathon and most of the time average a 1:45, in essence If I want a check I have to Go Stadler Style, and bust my ass on the bike. Eagleman was the first time I used a surging strategey, that I tried to get aggressive on two wheels, instead of my usual sit in the bull horns, drink, eat and muddle through until thhe run. So my objective has been set I must break 5 hours at all costs.

On the training front, I managed to get a 3300 pool workout in on Friday, Today I kicked the crap out of my legs on a 100k ride through Middlebury- Woodbury- Washington, lets just say hills lots of hills. I averaged about 17.4mph sadly something's up with my rear deraileur, which is costing me two gears in the small ring at Patriot which is a big ring course this might not be a factor but if I want to be competitive at the Griskus I might need to have the handled....but I cross that bridge when I get there.

well that's it from da hood.

R.D.