Kitt Peak & back home

Saturday was our final ride out to Kitt Peak. We had a knarly headwind the whole way out- 2:35 ride time to the base of the climb- flat w/ some rollers- and about 1hr less back! After my little bout of stomach sickness Wednesday night, apparently my body wasn't absorbing all of the calories going in during my ride so when we got to the base, I was feeling empty. Laura and I started up the 12 mile ascent, which is similar to Palomar- steeper than Lemmon and more switchbacks. Well, I made it to mile 2 before turning around, sometimes it's not a matter of being strong willed- your body just says 'NO'! I had a coke and powerbar filled my 1 water bottle and rode straight shot back alone the 40ish miles to the hotel. It felt kind of sketchy as Gordo and the superhumans- Josh, Anthony, Jeff, and JD were either at the top or on the way down....KP, Alan, Laura, and 1 or 2 others were trying out a couple miles of the climb, and Michelle and Chuck had already turned around home. So the sag wasn't going to catch back up to me therefore my 1 water bottle had to be good for the whole ride back. Tailwind TT'ing made that possible :) I was still feeling drained but at least I was flying.
Back to the hotel it was showering, eating, and laying down before wrapping everything up at dinner.
I learned so much from everyone that went to Tucson, things that will undoubtedly stay with me through my life in the sport and in general. To see and hear about the work ethic that people like Gordo and JD live by in every aspect revolutionized the way I will approach every second of every training session.
Gordo touched on one thing that reassured me of the path I chose for myself after graduation- the concept of failure vs. regret. As does he, I would rather fail and grieve for weeks, months, or years, than live forever with regret of not trying to achieve my goals.
Today we got up for breakfast at 6 and left just past 7. KP nailed the drive home and we arrived around noon. I was super sleepy but suddenly got a surge of energy and the weather was gorgeous so I squeezed in a 50min run on the PCH trail in Encinitas before driving back to Orange County. I then napped for 2hrs and am now waiting until sleepiness hits again which shouldn't take too long.
A big week awaits- easier efforts until Wed to recover but building toward a track session, 2x weights, a big swim, and long ride with some intervals Saturday.
8 weeks till Honu and counting!!!!