Last year I was DQ’d at Wente, my very first road race. It was rather embarrassing and disappointing especially since I was actually enjoying the event… er, no, I was suffering miserably. This year, with very little intensity to my training, my goals weren’t exactly lofty. All I wanted was not to be DQ’d and to finish the event, preferably with a smile on my face. As my ever encouraging team mates reminded me on my last time up Carroll – to smile means you’re not working hard enough, so I scrapped the last part of my second goal. I finished without being DQ’d, and the heat on Carroll wiped the smile off my face (but I was smiling on the inside).I came 32nd of the 34 finishers so I’ve got lots to work on before next year.
p.s. An added bonus was that I did my first ever water bottle pass off at the feed zone.