Crazy train

I’ve got a few updates for you starting with gear and ending with racing.

Gear:

I have been buying/ selling gear like mad lately. The last effort was selling off a crankset. I popped it on craigslist and had a couple bites. I ended up arranging a meeting with a guy as I was on the way to a race this weekend. I kind of hate craigslist as it seems sort of like a meeting place for the filthy underbelly of society. Sort of if you took the ethics and rules out of ebay. But…unlike ebay, they don’t take a cut of sales. I am sick of paying out to ebay. Anyway, it felt like a drug deal as I rolled up into a parking structure and the guy opened his trunk up. He examined the crank and got out 600 dollars in cash. Before he handed it to me, he started talking about testosterone therapy…. WHOA… pump the brakes! I said, “you mean doping?” Long pause…then he said, “uhhh yeah.” He opened a cooler in his trunk and showed me a bunch of IV bags and crap. I asked if he was doing it for pros or what. He said yeah we do semi pros, pros, and a lot of 40+ guys trying to recapture their youth. I was visibly disgusted as he quickly put it away saying, “ oh you’re too young, you can get the benefit with a good diet.” I didn’t say anything, took his money and left.

Wow. That was my first real exposure to PEDs and I was grossed out. Depressing and jading to think this is going on.

Racing:

Anyway, 600 dollars richer, Cait and I continued on, driving to the race. It was a 5k run/ 11 mile bike/150 yard swim reverse tri. Weird small race with tons (relatively) of money on the line. 2k for first, 700 for second, and 300 for third. Usually I like to race a strong field, but I’m not gonna lie, I was hoping for a field full of cream puffs. No luck. About 7 legit guys showed up and I knew I was in for it. The gun went off and I went out super hard. I hit the halfway point at about a 16:40 5k pace. I was hurting and still well behind the leader! I tried to settle down and get some good turnover. I faded but managed to finish the 5k in 17:10 which was fast for me but still 2 min behind the leader... ridiculous. I hopped onto the bike in 9th place after a sloppy t1 in which I lost two places. I desperately tried to reel people in as the 150 yard swim was basically a formality. I was dead on the pedals but still moving well on the hilly, 3-loop course. I picked off 3 people but the top guys just worked me over and a couple put a little time into me on the bike. 6th overall, but out of the money. I was happy with the effort and the run time but dang...People are fast. 6 guys were under 17 on the 5k with the leader going 15:10-ish on a rolling course! Insane.