I woke up after a decent nights sleep in the hotel Eric found us in Lakeland. I was definitely happy I did not have to drive back after the race the night before. I was pretty dead, and I don't think the gut bomb pizza for dinner helped much. 
My race was not until almost 3:00, but we headed to the course to watch Amy and Eric race in the morning. Unfortunately the coffee shop didn't open until 11:00, so I had to survive on Accelerade and Clif Bars until they opened.
They ended up using the same location as the twilight crit the day before and just ran the race in the opposite direction. This was a little disappointing because the other course looked more challenging with a short hill each lap coming up off the lake. I heard there was some sort of issue with the promoters insurance, and I guess we were lucky to even have a race.
I got on the trainer to warm up and it was pretty hot and humid after yesterdays rain, but at lease the skies were still clear. I was having a hard time getting my heart rate up. Usually a sign on not being completely recovered. Not unexpected after the hard efforts yesterday.
Remember those clear skies, well I spoke too soon and just as we were lining up for the race the rain came again. It was even harder than the day before and there were quickly puddles in the corners. David and I had both already paid, so we decided to race despite the conditions. If we felt unsafe we could always pull out. Our teammate Keith decided it was too risky and didn't line up.
The race started and everyone was taking it really easy around the corners the first few laps and then sprinting down the straights. I got gaped with a small group that did not really want to work and had to time trial to catch back on to the lead group. I managed to catch the end of the group, but I knew I had used up most of my reserves just doing this. I tried to move up the last few laps, but the legs did not want to cooperate. I didn't challenge the sprint and rolled across the finish in 13th place. Even with the heavier rain the race seemed safer than yesterday. I was still happy to finish and keep the rubber side down.
No races next weekend, but I am looking forward the State Championship Time Trial in a couple weeks. It should be painful.
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