Altoona - Pre-Race

Despite heavy traffic leaving NJ and a huge delay once on I-80, I was able to make it to my hotel, the EconoLodge, in Altoona by 10:30PM. I forget where we stayed last year but it was far, far worse than the EconoLodge, and probably more expensive.

I settled in and started to relax a bit. My race wasn't until 11:35AM on Friday so I didn't have to worry about getting to bed early. So I flipped on the telly and found that Taxicab Confessions was playing on HBO. That was incredibly entertaining. Due to the PG-13 rating of this blog, I can't summarize any of the show for you.

Got to bed around midnight and woke up at 8:15AM. Quick shower, checkout, some breakfast at DD (not DnD . . . which is Dungeons and Dragons . . . Dunkin' Donuts is DD) and I was off to Martinsburg for a 38 mile circuit race.

One of the more exciting things about Altoona is that all the amateurs use all the same parking lots, facilities, etc. as the pros do. I saw Mandy Lozano and she cut me down for not having upgraded to Cat2 yet. Walked out of the bathroom (real ones, not Port-a-Potties) and bumped into Scott Moninger. the most successful active racer in North America. He is about 43 years old, has about 2% body fat and his legs are jacked. He's got longevity, for sure, but I'll leave its legitimacy for you to decide.

I haven't been this nervous pre-race in a long, long time. I think I put a bit too much emphasis on this weekend and thus a bit too much pressure on myself. But once we got rolling, it was fine. Race report to follow (maybe).