Gambler/Twilight weekend

So this weekend was the Athens Twilight race. A bunch of super fast pro's on bikes get together and race in circles around the city for hours. It's fun as hell to watch, but they put on events for the average Joe's who are watching the race too.

I left my humble abode at about 5:30am on Saturday. I drove to pickup my race mates and we went to Athens, bagel and coke in hand. The weather was bad. Really bad. Rain with manageable temperatures. So we arrived and proceeded to sign in and get our stuff. The first event for the day, for us, was a 5k. I had been told by my comrades I was to run this event in a sub 25 minute time. I have run 5 times total this year, the race being my 6th run. My cardio is in good shape, but my running legs, just aren't there yet. So I begin this run, as does the rain. It rains off and on during the race, a few times really really hard. At mile one I'm starting to feel a good burn and turned in a PR of a 6:40 split at which point I say "this is ridiculous." I plan on hanging on as long as I can with my teammates and keep a pace after I start to fall apart. Around mile 1.5 I really fall apart. I feel like I'm barely climbing this stupid hill and eventually I see the 2 mile sign. Someone yells in the pack 14:40 split. I've somehow managed to eek out an 8 minute mile after that ridiculous first mile. I run numbers in my head and start to think how slow I can go and still manage a sub 25 race. The rain picked up, a lot. My shirt was soaked and it felt like a lead vest from the dentist bouncing up and down with ever stride. I keep telling myself mile 3 is just around the next corner. I find myself in downtown Athens and no mile 3 sign in sight. I try to remember the race course from the map I saw, but my brain was too fried to even try to figure out which way I was pointing. A long slow climb starts and I really fall apart. People are passing me like I'm standing still. I try to catch a draft, but that doesn't work in running. So I move to the side and get about 100ft from the top of the hill and I just shut down. I walk to the crest and get my breathing and legs back into shape. Just after the crest I see the 3 mile sign. I'm about .2 mile from the finish. I have no idea what my time was but I figure there was no way I was sub 25' after this piss poor hill climb. I run around the corner and pick up the pace knowing I can burn it pretty good with only about .15 miles left to go. I come around the last corner to another hill climb and I see the clock. It says 23:__. I flip out. I can't make out the last 2 numbers but I kick it into 3rd gear then 4th and soon I'm doing sprint length strides and everything burns. I see it roll over to 24:00. I realize I'm going to make it in time and I'm totally psyched. I really kick it into drive and pass about 10 people on the last 100 yards and roll into the finish at 24:12 or 13 I didn't see exactly. I was so amped.

I did it. My first 5k since in 11 years. I completed it in 8 minutes faster than than my previous. So after the race I'm totally spun. I am hurting bad. I can't see a damn thing cause my glasses were so fogged up and covered in water. I mozy into the finish area with all the other people who are signing their cards. I sign mine put it in the box, eat a donut, drink some water and go get high fives. It was a win.

Later that day I did a 100k ride in the rain. I'm tired, so I'll write about it later. In short I finished it too. It was the worst weather I've ever biked through in my life.