So day 1 is complete here in Rochester and I’m completely spent. Stage 1 this morning was a 3mi time trial. I missed a turn and went .5mi off course. The typical left instead of right. Oops I did it again! Same thing I did in Spain last year. Out of honor I back tracked all the way to my wrong turn and completed the stage. Ended up running a little over 4mi.
After a little rest Bill and I headed to Stage 2 in Devil’s Bathtub. Jenn and Bryan really got me nervous about this stage. And when I saw the stair up to the finish line I freaked. Knew I was in for a rough run.
The stage started with a little up and down. Then we hit some mud that we ran to the side of which turned out to be technical. Then we hit a very technical section with some tight off camber turns. These things did a number on my ankles and hips. After that the trail opened up and flattened out and you could let your legs run a bit. You’d think you’d be happy about his section but the legs were ago toast by now that everything hurt. After the flats there was a section of downed trees to negotiate which was a blast. To finish it off we climbed the focus stairs out of the Bathtub which were really cool. Definitely favorite part of the course so far.
After the stage Bill, Bryan, Jenn and I went to Magnolia for a beer and some food. Then I hit the couch for nap. Ain’t nothing a nap and 2 Tylenol can’t fix.
Next up: the 11mi Queen’s Stage tomorrow
