Moab Xterra Fail an onward

I havent been to Moab in over 10 years. Other than the invasion of the side by side ATV and a couple new hotels its the same exact place...sorta. I pulled into the Kens Lake area with my tent trailer in hopes of staying the night by the lake, waking up and racing. No such luck. I guess camping in Moab has changed....you cant do it! And first come first serve campsite where all reserved....hmm. So after finding a lame RV park to drop the trailer I did a short pre-ride with the Tolbert boys. I got back late to fix my own pasta dinner in the dark and get to bed.

An early 6am wake up to get things tore down and head to the race. A short warm up on the trainer and a hectic time getting my wetsuit on in time for the start. The water was cold but bearable. Probably 400 meters in I could see the bottom of the lake and others stood up and started walking....score! A short break for the arms is a welcome treat. Felt good in the swim and came out mid pack with a decent time. I then proceeded to pass about 50 people on the bike. Very technical hard MTB..way harder than any MTB race I have ever done. I came off the bike in 5th overall and 1st for my age group. Of course my nemisis the run was next. I dont know if its mental at this point or if I was just not born to run. I sucked, blew up, stomach craps, bathroom break, passed by old fat men..you name it. I staggered in a beaten man, swearing to never do a tri again. I still feel the same today. I dont have the desire or time to get faster on the run and its all about the run. I gave it a good shot and I can say I've done a couple Xterra's. Finished 5th in my age group. Now what?

Time to reflect a bit.. I have spent way too much time training and not doing things that will effect my training or race day. My kids are growing fast and its time to spend all my time and effort with them. I may throw in a few MTB races or an occasional tri or CX race but I am not worried abut being the fastest. I'll commute to work to save money and stay fit. My yard is the typical bike racer's yard, so a bunch of time will be spent doing that. And I am actually looking forward to it. I see some touring and some time spent in the Idaho mountains learning about myself and becoming a better Dad.