7 down, 9 to go!!!

We are back in our hotel room, showered and are enjoying a celebratory Stella. With another successful race in the books, we are both very happy with our results.

We had originally thought that Lake Stevens would be another mass start, but found out yesterday that we had been assigned waves. Brian's wave went out at 6h41 and Heather's followed 15 minutes behind at 6h56. The water was a pleasant 72 degrees which meant wet suits were legal, but we didn't have to freeze - 2 very big pluses. The course, much like Lake Placid had a rope that ran under the buoys, and we both managed to hug the line the whole way. With no sighting issues, we managed to pull off a couple of stellar swims (by our measures), and exited the water feeling calm and refreshed.

The bike course was two loops with an added 6k "to and from" from transition. Similar to Lake Placid, it was filled with rolling hills, and boasted a couple of good climbs, but nothing that had compared to our previous races. The riding surface wasn't the greatest, but it helped to make you more appreciative of the newly paved sections where you could get a better roll. We were both happy with our rides, Brian a little extra happy as he managed to hold Heather off for the whole ride...

As we've managed to do in most of our races, we met up with each other on the run and got to spend just under a mile with each other, as we chatted about our individual days. With Brian having to take a pit stop, we parted ways at around the 2 mile mark, knowing we'd have a couple of more opportunities to see each other before the finish. The run was a 2 loop figure 8 with a scrunched up bottom - meaning the bottom of the loop was really an out and back. There were a couple of good hills which helped to break up the run, giving your legs a chance to use different muscles. We both saw Sister Madonna Buder on the course, and it's quite something to come upon her and look down on her leg and see 78 - her age. Very inspirational!

The only disappointment (and not really a disappointment, more of a point of notice) with this race was the aid stations. They offered water and Gatorade at all, oranges and powerbars at some. That was it. Note that there wasn't any coke, and when we asked for it, they look at us like we were crazy. We don't think it ended up being a factor, but when you spend the last half of your ride thinking about that nice, warm, flat cup of coke, it's a bit of a downer to realize there isn't any being offered!

To sum it up, it was a great day. Pizza and chips at the finish made up for the absence of the coke, Starbucks on the drive made it just a little better, and well, Stella in the room....what coke?

Now, it's time to relax a little before we start to think about where we'll grab a bite to eat.

cheers,
Heather & Brian