Is it really time for Timberman? I don’t know where the summer went but here we are… I’m packing for the 3^rd weekend in a row and while I am excited for this race I am absolutely dreading the drive. This is my 4^th year making the drive to New Hampshire and it is always long! This year, however, my husband and I are armed with new directions, a really long audiobook and lots of snacks. We set out late in the morning since I procrastinated packing. The planned 6 hour trip turns into a VERY long 10 hours. It doesn’t help that with 3 hours left, after a stop at the gas station, my car battery decides to die. Fortunately, the gas attendent was there to give us a jump start and inform us that my battery is no longer holding a charge. Guess we won’t be making anymore stops along the way. I now have a job for my dad tomorrow when my parents arrive. Hee hee hee… We finally arrive in New Hampshire where we meet my aunt and her friends for a late dinner and I don’t go for my scheduled run. It’s just way too late. I fall into bed after dinner, exhausted from the long drive and hope I wake up feeling rested. The next morning I head out on my bike ride with my legs definitely feeling the effects of the drive but by the end they are feeling better. I head out to Gunstock ski resort to pick up my packet. This has to be one of the nicest race expos. The mountain is beautiful, the vendors are set up outdoors with lots of space, and there are tons of people hanging out, listening to the music and eating. It definitely has that festival feel… except with a few more nerves. After catching up with some friends, I head down to the park to drop off my bike and off to an early dinner. I am definitely feeling nervous for this race, especially since I haven’t been too thrilled with my last few performances. I feel like it’s time for a good race and I have my goals set…. The next morning I wake up at the insane hour of 4AM to get in a good breakfast. I head down to the lobby to get some hot water and since there are several other triathletes staying in this hotel the lobby is bustling as if it were the middle of the day. At the race site, the pre-race preparations go smoothly and I head over to the race start to get in a quick warm-up swim. The race seems to take forever to start. The Canadian National Anthem is sung, then the American anthem and then we wait for 2 parachuters to parachute down. Very cool to watch but as I stand knee deep in water looking at the back of Chrissie Wellington my nerves threaten to get the best of me. Finally, we are off. 100m into the race I am swimming in the middle of the pack, drafting off a girl in front of me and I continue like this for another few hundred meters. I momentarily feel like a swimmer. The rest of the swim goes pretty well and I end up swimming in a group of 3 other girls. We come out of the water together and race through transition. I almost forget to put on my helmet but remember at the last minute and head out onto the bike. Because I’ve done this race before I know what is coming. The first part of the bike course is tough with many long steep hills but then the race flattens out before becoming hilly toward the end. I am absolutely determined to have a good ride and hammer up the hills, try not to brake going down and fly on the flats. The bike goes by surprisingly fast and I’m off on the run. Whether it was the hard bike, the hilly run course, or not enough nutrition, I am hurting. I spend the first half of the run hoping my legs will come around and the second half praying my legs keep moving. The aid stations provide me with some entertainment and distraction from my pain; one has snowballs, one has cheerleaders, one is playing Broadway music. My family and friends give some much needed encouragement and inspiration as I head out on the second loop. I finally near the end and turn the last corner to tons of cheering spectators and run through over grass, under the flags to the finish. It really is one of the best finishing chutes in any race I’ve done. Very exhilarating no matter how much pain I’m in. I glance down at my run split as I cross the finish line. Yikes! I can’t believe I’ve run that slow. However, my overall time was faster than last year and I’ve made some improvements from my last few races. I’m exhausted, hungry, and ready for a short break before my lead up to the World 70.3 Championships. I can’t wait to see how it goes…