RACE DAY!!

Today is the race but we don’t start until 3:45pm! I am not sure if that’s for Western viewing of the race but it’s definitely weird.  It’s also weird to eat fried rice for breakfast the day of a race

Yesterday proved to be another chaotic day due to logistics. Apparently the government is controlling our shuttle bus schedule so there has been a lot of sitting on buses and waiting. We attended the race meeting that was really hectic and overwhelming. I have never been so nervous at a race meeting. The bike course was described as challenging, hilly and very technical. Not good news considering I had spent less than 10 minutes on the tandem bike and was still just having problems clipping in! The plan was to get to the race site and run through the swim, bike and run. However, due to the logistical nightmare, we got to the venue with 40 mins to practice! We got out on the bike and rode what we could. I have to admit I was scared out of my mind but it went better than I hoped. I got us a little lost so we didn’t get to climb the big hill we heard about but I felt a little better that I was able to ride for a steady 30 minutes without any problems. I have to admit; it was a little surreal to be piloting a tandem bike in the rural countryside of China on my own. 

We still have not swam together or ran together which makes me nervous. Everyone here assumes that we have been training together for months-not the case! At this point I just have to have confidence for Patricia and try to stay strong. I will admit I can’t wait for this race to be over. We also found out that there are more girls in her field than she has ever competed against so that has us both a little rattled. We are going to do our best to bring home the win!! GO USA!