The first big race of the year was this morning. Okay, it wasn't actually that big of a deal, but we did have to wear numbers, which makes it feel official, and it was raining, which makes us feel hard-core. We raced 5km uphill. It was difficult. My legs got tired. I felt like I was race-focused for about 80% of the time, which is a good start for the season; I'll work up to 100%. I got a little discouraged because I kept hoping the finish line would come up and it never seemed to. So I would accelerate to the top of a hill hoping for the finish and wear myself out. Here are some PICTURES here. Since I was busy racing, I let the other people use the cameras. I am wearing a blue shirt, orange shorts and bib number 4.

Also see the complete RESULTS.

FYI, if you're from my hometown area: Rumor has it that Torin Koos was using 11mm pole tips on 8mm poles and had to stop frequently to realign them so the metal tips were pointing in the right direction.