MAC Verge Series Part 1: The Agony and the Atrophy

Saturday kicked off the 2006 MAC Verge series at the Grenogue Estates just outside of Wilmington, DE. Unlike last year, it was a beautiful fall day with mild temps and clear skies. Little did I know that at about 8:30 that morning on the ride up 95, this was about the best my day was going to get...










Around 11:05 I was wishing we had just kept following the bus.

The previous 6 days were not as planned, yes it was a planned rest week, but 6 days of absolutely zero cardiovascular activity is no way to prepare for a race. To top it off, sitting in 3 days straight of all day meetings out of town only makes it worse. I could feel my legs getting smaller and my lung capacity shrinking by each sip of coffee. Let's just say Guiness and Buffalo wings a healthy diet not make.

To make a long story short, I suffered, threw up in my mouth a bit, and suffered some more to finish a pathetic 32nd. The atrophy to my legs resulted in zero power output and this course was full of power sections, mostly uphill. I might as well had boat anchors attached to my waist.

Here's a few shots of the suffering.