So the race season is finally behind me! Amanda and I travelled to Tempe, Arizona over the weekend, to participate in the Soma Triathlon. Our friend Jeff Suffolk is the race director, and he was kind enough to invite us out to the events. We had planned on going for quite sometime, and were looking forward to having a good time out there. However, we both ran into a few hurdles going into the weekend. First off, I had been struggling to get back to normal energy levels since my downfall in Hawaii. I found that I was feeling better for the most part, but I did not feel very energetic. Then, to top it off, I came down with a bit of a chest cold! Unfortunately, I passed it along to Amanda just before we were about to leave for Arizona... not good. Nonthesless, we had already committed to the race, and we knew that it was going to be a quality event. I was hoping to end the season on a more positive note after Hawaii, and Amanda wanted to have a tune-up race before Australia. So off we went.

We arrived on Friday, and went directly to the Soma Cafe. I had shipped my bike there directly from Hawaii, so we needed to pick that up. Plus, we had been invited to dine there during our weekend in Arizona. Soma is a great restaurant, created by and run by nutritionists, doctors, and athletes. Their goal is to provide healthy food and a fun environment in which to eat it. They are successful on both counts: the food is great, and it's a very casual place to hang out. They plan on opening one in Boulder soon, and I must admit that I'm really looking forward to that day.

After a large late breakfast (a pancake that nearly knocked me out!), we went back to the hotel for a long nap. We both felt the need to get as much rest as possible, seeing as how we were both so under the weather.

Our next obligation was quite fun: a gathering back at Soma Cafe that evening. There was a bit of a "meet and greet" with the pro athletes competing, so we joined up with Tim Deboom, and later Chris Legh to enjoy some more great food and to talk about the upcoming race. I think we all really enjoyed the night, as there were some super nice folks there, including Brad (Soma's owner), Todd, and the rest of the Soma staff.

On Saturday morning, Amanda and I opted for a quick run before we headed back to Soma... once again! I felt good for about fifteen minutes, but unfortunately didn't have much zip on the return trip. I was definitely starting to doubt that I would be strong enough to race the half ironman the next day.

Once again, we grabbed Tim and headed out for an awesome breakie out at Soma. We really had no obligations, so we just chilled out, relaxing and chatting for a couple hours. I must say that I really enjoyed getting to know Tim a little better. He's a really nice guy, and I think we all just enjoyed having a low-key day.

Later that afternoon, I put the bikes together, and we headed down to Tempe Town Lake. We signed up for the race, and jumped into the water for a quick swim. The water was nice enough to go sans wetsuit, although the race day temps would be cool enough to allow them.

Once we were done with the sign-up process, we did a brief Q & A for Jeff and some of teh triathletes, and headed back to the hotel for some more rest. Next up was another trip to Soma!

This time we dragged Chris along, and the four of us enjoyed a delicious pre-race meal. I was feeling ok, but definitely not normal. In spite of all the great food, I didn't have my standard appetite, and so I found myself contemplating not racing at all. I just didn't want to do any more harm to my body... although it seemed like it was going to be such a fun race!

Sunday morning came, and I still was unsure as to whether or not I would race. I felt pretty lousy, so I decided to ask Jeff if I could switch to the Quarterman, knowing that it would be a lot less taxing on my body. Fortunately, he was ok with that request, and I jumped in the water for the ealier/ shorter race.

I'll save all the details for a brief race report on my website, but suffice it to say that I had a fun time, and it was a REALLY good thing I did not do the half!

We're back in Boulder now, and the plan is to rest my bones for a few days, prior to heading back out the door to give Amanda some company in her final prep for IMWA! She's going to have a great race down there. Even though she was under the weather, and she took a wrong turn on the bike, she notched a third victory for the season! She's on a roll, indeed!

Until next time...