It was the last weekend in May of 2008 so I decided to pre-register for a road race. I should of known what was to come, but I wanted to put in a good effort to get ready for some of my goal races in June. I was walking my dogs Saturday morning under some cloudy skies, but no rain. I was in the truck with Mary going to the Murad Memorial Road Race in Poolesville, MD when it started raining. By the time I got to Mt. Airy and got of I-70 it was coming down pretty steady. After a bunch of traffic delays I finally got to the race start just when the Pro 1/2 was staging. I rarely get a bad feeling about racing; I usually race no matter what the conditions. I don't like rain or cold, but I will race if I am registered no matter what; this was different. So I decided to leave and..... go to a brewpub! ...The Gordon Biersch in Tyson's corner . 10 minutes into my drive and it started thundering... then came the lightning. About 10 minutes after that it started hailing golf ball sized hail! Even after all of this I felt bad; I shouldn't have left the start area... I should have gotten out there and raced. After my 3rd Marzen and my burger I had rationalized that I needed the rest anyway. I think as athletes we feel almost a guilt when we don't finish our workout plans, even if there was no way to do it. Most people would see this as a flaw, but we all know that its the same drive and stubborn determination that brings us to our goals.
Monday night I got an email from one of my teammates about the race; it started, but during a cloud burst they neutralized the race. After a few more minutes they literally rode through a stream over the road and the race was stopped. After a 15 minute wait period they called it. I still don't know if the race ever re-started, but my friend left. There have been too many times when I fail to follow the signs; I blindly go on when there is something that is trying to tell me to come to my senses. Once I ended up with a broken hip in traction; and another time I got hit head on by a truck and broke my tibial plateau.
Sunday I went out on for a road ride under sunny skies. After about 45 minutes the clouds were thick and I started hearing thunder. The rain started coming down, then it got heavier, then it started hailing. Luckily Mary came to my rescue after I found shelter at a church. This time I got in the truck and went home. Who would have known what was to come if I decided to continue.... If there is one thing I am trying to learn it is to listen to those signs. When things continue to mount in the way of a ride or a workout there may be a reason... in the future I will try to listen to What The Thunder Said.
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