It's Willamette "Damit"...said the wine barista...and then I remembered how to say it...not Willahmet. I also said Oregon like Ore"gone" instead of Oregen...which immediately pegged me as an outsider. Yeah..the Pinot Noir in this valley is outstanding at most wineries...as is the Pint Gris and Viognier, especially at Witness Tree vineyards. Nothing like a beautiful day of wine tasting before an Olympic distance race..hey it's like I've said before...it's why we do these things...right?

I rented a bike from a local bike shop...a Fuji Roubaix with Shimano 105...it was the best bike I could find. I brought along my pedals, shoes and clip-on aerobars...I only wish I had a cyclometer...riding without one is like riding blind. Anyway, it served its purpose just fine. It was an interesting race morning at Blue Lake Park outside of Portland. I awoke at 5:45 am with a BS of 46 and was a bit confused. Had difficulty figuring out exactly what to do, how to turn off the alarm, etc. Drank 12 oz of Orange Juice...You just can't take the Florida out of this boy!...and crammed a blueberry danish from Whole Foods down my throat. Hypoglycemia will do that to you. Fortunately, I had packed my race bag and other items the night before...so I was basically ready to go. I went down to breakfast and ate a bagel...mistake. Went to the race site where the air temp was about 53 degrees and the water temp was about 65 degrees..and, there was a very light mist in the air with overcast skies....And I had said I was tired of those hot, humid Florida race mornings...I sure was looking for one now! So, it was damp and cold. Checked my BS before race start and, as with the last race, it had climbed to 312. So..what to do? Take a small shot, or start the race and hope the exercise would bring it down. And, as with the last race, I started with the hope my BS would drop to a reasonable range. I had a remarkably good swim, leaving the water in 25 mins...and ran to transition to start the bike. At this point I felt confident there were probably 1 maybe 2 guys in my age group ahead of me...so I chose not to stop to check my BS...I just pressed on trying to pick them off. No such luck. I kept my place throughout the bike (along the Columbia River) which was flat out and back with wind and started the run. Felt good at the start but then I began to fall off my pace and at about mile 4 was passed by one in my age group..tried to pick it up but couldn't stay with him. At mile 5 was passed by yet another. I knew there were 2 more behind me closing in. With 1/2 mile to go I started to kick because the guy behind me started to close the gap...I outpaced him and came within 50 yrds of the guy ahead of me but it was too late to pick him off. Immediately after the race I went to the medical tent where there was a table for me to check my BS...it was now...343. Damn...took 3 units of Humalog and went to check the results....I took 6th place....So there was another guy ahead of me that I never saw. Now...the question is: What do I do next time when my BS is 300 before race start? Since I have now had 2 races in a row with this same situation and with the same result...I'll try taking 1 or 2 units of Humalog and see what happens...being mindful of the potential for Hypoglycemia during the race. Anyway...you've got to try new things..see what works and what does not...then, maybe the better option is to try not to have a low BS early in the morning..and eat much less. 

So, I'm off to Colorado Springs where my daughter (11 yrs old) is defending her title as the 2007 USAT Youth National Champion on August 9th...We'll then stay a week vacationing in the Sangre de Cristo mountains and maybe climb a 14er or two.....