Collateral Damage....we'll almost.

Okay, just a quick race report.  This race did not go as planned.  Although I kept it to myself, I had a "feeling" going into this race that something was going to go wrong (I had the same feeling going into LP 2006)....and it did.  It was a no wetsuit swim...which didn't bother me.  I've been swimming well in the pool and felt good warming up.  But, I just didn't swim well.  I have no explanation for it.  I'll have to look into this more as I get ready for LP.  My T-1 was a disaster.  I had trouble getting my team jersey on.  I decided not to wear it during the swim (as I had forgotten to bring my speed suit)...and didn't want the pockets to catch water.  Anyway, it took some effort to get it on.  The bigger problem was my helmet.  When I put it on, it was seriously loose.  I realized that the internal support snaps had come undone.  I fumbled with it and resnapped everything in and put it on.  Onto the bike.....unsnapped again!  There was just no way that I was going to be able to ride 56 miles w/my helmet loose on top of my head.  So, about 3/4 of a mile in, I stopped to fix it.  It took me some time to get all of the snaps connected.  Note to self...recheck equipment in transition!  Back onto the bike.  Look down at my power....no SRM!  HOLY SHIT!  My SRM must have bounced off.  This had to be my fault.  I must not have completely secured it...because if it was secured....there's no way it would have come off.  I actually turned my bike around and rode back to the spot where I fixed my helmet.   Not there....and, what the hell was I doing?  I turned around and decided to get back in the race....mentally.  It was tough though....knowing an $800 piece of equipment is somewhere on the road.  And, the fact that I was going solely on heartrate and feel.  I had no power, cadence or speed.  After this fiasco, I actually rode well.  I would have liked to know what I would have rode w/out the technical issues.  I definitely lost a few minutes (including transition time) due to the problems.  Oh well.  Oh...I forgot to mention....this was one of the more difficult Eagleman bikes I've done.  It was pretty damn windy out there.  Pushing harder on the bike really took a lot out of me.  Off the bike and out of transition (no issues this time!)....I got passed immediately by a guy in my AG.  He was moving.  No way was I staying with him without completely blowing up.  I dialed it back to keep my HR in check.  I reeled in a bunch of guys.  This run was much like 2 years ago....slow.....but everyone was slow because of the mid 90s heat.  I hit the turn around and made my way home.  Around 9 miles I passed teamate Flo who knocked some sense into me.  I was cooked at this point and ready to throw in the towel and finish.  But, Flo told me that there were some AG guys not too far in front.  So, I went to work.  I caught 4 guys in the last 3-4 miles.  My last mile was probably my fastest.  I thought I had finished 5th or so.....but after viewing the results...a very unsatisfying 9th in the AG.  The AG was stacked.  The only good thing is that even with a perfect race, a Kona slot would have been tough.  It went to 1st and 3rd in the AG...or 1st and 6th amatuer overall.  The saving grace of this race is that my SRM power unit was found...thankfully!  Time to get ready for Lake Placid.  But, first, I'm off for a few beers!