(no subject)

ON Friday the day before the race, I felt miserable. Didn't do anything all day and had a headache. At the end of the day I realized I needed grocery's and so was a good excuse to at least do something. Drove down to the grocery store and made myself go by the hotel that the registration for the race was being held at. After going in I signed up, before I could find an excuse not to. Woke up the morning of the race and felt surprisingly good. It was a beautiful day. Had the usual hundred trips to the bathroom. The swim was tough. All the old thoughts of why do I do this, I hate this, I can't do this. finished the swim not last, but a long way in the back, so then had the usual issues with trying to pass so many people in the bike on the single track course. Did good on the bike, but the run was terrible. My calves locked up and every step was pain, then I started getting really bad indigestion, burping up acid that tore my throat apart and had me feeling like I'd throw up any second. I nearly pulled out on the first lap, but managed to get round, then it seemed ridiculous to give up with only a lap to go, so struggled round for the second lap, which actually wasn't as bad as the first. Finished in 3.47 I think. Definitely my worst time in that race. I don't know why it went so wrong. I thought I was pretty well trained up for it. I guess my fears about not training at a race pace where justified. Trying to do one race a year in training for it even in 4 months just doesn't work. Over the last 3 years Ive been steadily going down instead of up.

I think I have to give up on the maps. I realized the other day that something I hadn't factored in was the design costs on the ad's. The guys in Taupo are the designers, so they offer this for free. I wouldn't be able to do that and at $100 per ad thats an extra 4,000 that makes me think the whole thing isn't worth the risk. On top of that I'd still have to figure out the immigration and taxes side of it all.