Day 5 – I started the day in Colville, WA. I slept in a little later because it was a shorter day and I wanted to get some extra rest. The extra rest was really nice, but even on a shorter day, the heat got to me.

Today the climbing started right out of the gate again and although I was prepared for that, the heat and a slow continuous easy climb still got to me. My easy day was done relatively early, but I am still pretty beat. I think those first couple of days really work to me and I have not recovered yet.

I am learning and accepting that more support on this leg of the ultimate world triathlon is OK. I always wanted this to be hard, but I also wanted to take the time to see the country and be able to stop and smell the roses. The pace that I had set out to do might be possible, but it would be all work and no fun in my opinion. So, when Caroline leaves me on the September 8th to go speak in Washington D.C., my mom is going to come join me and provide support. Caroline will join me again later in the month… Hopefully until I can reach the East Coast.

Since I now have a support vehicle with me the whole way, I will be able to drop more weight off my bike and likely even lose one or more of the bags. That should help me move quicker but also alleviate some of the overall stress. I’m not looking at this like a defeat… More like adapting to the situation. I always wanted to really be able to see the country and not just race a crossed. So that is what I’m going to do.

I will also just say that the logistics involved in doing this are actually quite complicated and that is taking up more time than I had anticipated. Another reason it is so nice to have the support of Caroline at the moment. We ended up in a great bed-and-breakfast here on the Pend Orielle River thanks to Caroline’s logistical help! Trying to take it all in and enjoy a few extra hours of R&R.