will all these words make up for the months of not posting?

i finished.

(does that count as a race report?)
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on easter sunday, i was at dinner with family when something hit me. i'd been stressed about wildflower coming up because (for a number of excuses) i hadn't managed to do any training for it. and by no training, i mean i'd run a total of about 40 miles in 2007, had accumulated about 3000 meters on the swimming meter since august, and hadn't put my feet on bike pedals since late summer. i still planned on making the trip in support of carrie, and to make myself take some time away from all that's been going on - but it hit me that i didn't need to do the race. they could have my $130. it wasn't worth the stress. the relief at coming to that realization lifted a huge weight...

a week before the race, i still was planning on not competing. i still hadn't made any time to train and i didn't think my body could possibly make the triathlon happen - especially considering the rumorred course difficulty. but slowly i came to realize that the likelihood of staying out of the water might be difficult. i thought - i'll bring the bike and my gear, and if i feel like giving it a shot... well, the worst that could happen is that i wouldn't finish, right?
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carrie and i hit the road late-afternoon on thursday, excited for the road trip and a chance to catch up on all the family and blog-land gossip. the first five hours went by in a flash (primarily because we had a lot to chat about), and we managed to coincide an empty gas tank with the first town we'd seen in what seemed like 3 hours. after dinner at denny's, it was back in the car for the remaining 5 hours to las vegas. it had been 12 years since i'd been in vegas - which also happened to be at 2:00 in the morning. this time, though, carrie and i blew through 20 bucks apiece before calling it a night...

with plenty of rest, we left vegas late friday morning - looking forward to the five hours left on our trip and sun to see the natural beauty of the nevada/western-california landscape. unfortunately, nothing about that five hours of natural beauty had any merit. five hours became seven, natural beauty became stark, dry, and perpetually gusty moonscape. and chris became grumpy. but we found the race venue, hooked up with the tri-blogger alliance folks, and set in for a wonderful weekend...
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my wave went off at 9:40 on sunday morning. and i went with it. my expectations were low... i knew i'd make it out of the water one way or another, but also knew the bike course was a bear. and because the half-ironman competitors from the day before had described the merits of the run course in great detail (and not very meritoriously), i figured there may be a real possibility that i wouldn't finish. but i intended to give it all that i had, and remind myself why we need to find time to train...

the swim went remarkably well, considering the intense preparation i'd done. i even managed the same pace as the two tris i did last summer, each shorter than the wildflower olympic distance. sighting wasn't a big issue, i only swallowed a couple gulps of lake water. and i had the energy to run out of the water to transition...

and then there was the bike. the first mile - all climb, and not a small one. i'll admit - i didn't make it all the way up... i had to dismount and walk the last 200 meters. not riding the bike for 8 months - maybe not a good strategy for wildflower, in case you were considering it. the bike course was a terrain-packed out-and-back, with lots of granny-gear climbs and fast descents... and while i didn't break any records (okay, i finished in the bottom 25% on the ride), i didn't have to dismount again and i made it back to transition in one piece...

all that was left was the run. i knew the run was mostly uphill for the first 5 miles, with the last mile all downhill (covering the entire climb that we'd done to begin the bike), but i didn't anticipate just what i was getting into. there were hills, to be sure, and then there were hills. i had decided early-on that i didn't have to run the entire course, and it made me enjoy the run that much more. where the hills got the best of me, i simply let them. and even through the walking, i still managed to finish the 10k in under an hour... not something i'd ever be okay with, but in this case it was about finishing. and when i heard my name coming down the finishers' chute, i felt a sense of pride. not in the quality of my performance, but in the knowledge that i had made it. with no training. on that course. my first olympic distance tri under my belt...
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after a shower and packing up our camp site, carrie and i hit the road - both of us anxious to get back home to our waiting kids. 17 hours in the car immediately after a race is perhaps not highly recommended, but we made it. after a whirlwind weekend, meeting a bunch of new and welcoming people, 2500 miles in the car - and a mile in the water, 24 on the bike, and 6 on our feet. it was an experience i won't forget, and don't plan to replicate (well, at least the driving part).
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at the end of the day, this is what i'll take away from wildflower:

the tri bloggers out there are great. curly su, donald, iron jenny, triboomer, trigreyhound, taconite boy, trimama, kahuna and wil - thanks for welcoming me in... it was a pleasure meeting you all.

bolder, you're seriously a terrific guy. huge thanks for your support, and for letting my borrow your brand-new wetsuit. sorry we didn't get to spend more time with you.

carrie, it was a great trip. thanks for encouraging me to do the race - and for making sure i had something to eat. we may be the black sheep, but at least we're the same shade...

living at altitude makes sea-level races do-able - even with no training.

training is critical.

i'm not happy with my result - and that's motivation to get myself back into training mode. but i am proud that i made it through, and did so with a smile on my face.

i'll be back to wildflower, next time much better prepared.