Bethel Spring Series - pre-sweep

So I didn't feel good today either but my boss asked me to pick him up on the way in to work so I figured I should go. It was raining like crazy this morning - I saw water flowing down roads I never saw water flowing down before. I saw a Mercedes sedan up to its rims in mud next to the highway. I saw a car that had been on fire enough to melt the front tires, hood buckled, the front blackened. I saw a Porsche Cayenne that had slid off a sweeping exit ramp. And I saw trees blocking the highway.

And this was before I got to my boss's house.

I was a zombie at work. I felt terrible, wore my coat the whole day, and could barely focus on work. My mind, I have to admit, wandered on the race and how things would go with a weakened me at the sweep and, more importantly, a weakened me in the race.

I figure the sweep would go fine. I could hog a leaf blower and just push it around. Race day is different though. Lots of running around, final checks of the course, people asking questions, people complaining, little tiffs, all the normal things a race goes through. Then there is the racing itself, about 5 hours after my day at the course starts. I try and eat in there but inevitably it's a PowerGel, some water, the rest of my coffee, and into the race.

So I was thinking of this stuff on the drive home when my fiancee calls.

"There's water in the basement."

Crap.

And our wet-dry vac at my brother's place. And a 20 mile traffic jam on the one highway open (the other was closed in spots due to something, flooding or trees or something).

She called ahead to a local box hardware place, they set a wet-dry vac aside, and I try not to imagine the damage. All my bike stuff, I should point out, resides in the basement.

I got home and it wasn't terrible. No ankle deep like after the last furious storm we had ("Worst storm in 75 years"). So some vac'ing and things are better.

Well, I lost a bike picture or two, clipped from the magazines. And an odd bolt or two swept up into the vac. A lot of wet clothes, waiting for the washer now. But nothing permanent.

And yesterday we walked by the sump pumps and I thought "Boy, we should get one put in the basement".

So why is this the pre-sweep post?

Well, because tonight was supposed to be a relaxing night, recovering for the tough weekend ahead. Instead, it was even more stressful than normal. My back is acting up. I'm exhausted. I have a long day ahead of me - sweeping the course (a few hours usually). Then home, pack the van with all the race stuff. Charge the radios. Make sure the battery for the clock is there. Gas for the generator.

Then my bikes - check the race wheels, put my other set of pedals on the spare bike, do a short spin to loosen the two-day rested legs.

Anyway, this wasn't the way this night was supposed to be.

So...

First things first.

Tomorrow is the sweep. Then I worry about what comes next.