I had a feeling when I booked what was likely the last available room in all of Luray and the surrounding towns – the “Honeymoon Suite” at the Cardinal Inn – that Alice and I were in for quite an adventure– And we were not disappointed…
Some of the highlights of our accommodations:
- Stale cigarette smoke smell infused room (when asked, the owner disagreed, saying it was a smell of “wood” He didn’t comment about the giant ashtray that was sitting next to the no smoking sign on the porch)
- Fresh carpet. Only problem was that they forgot to glue down the square pieces so they moved underfoot.
- “Tower” of first class appliances. 3 ½ legged table with refrigerator on top, with microwave on top of refrigerator, with vintage Norelco coffee maker on top of microwave. The “tower” had a slight sway to it…I can’t believe the whole thing didn’t fall over.
- Luxury bath soaps (they were from Ramada — does that hotel chain even exist anymore?)
- Plush Towels. I think this was the first time I’ve used a bath towel that actually scratched my skin.
- Squishy Padded Toilet Seat. Need I say more?
- And last, but surely not least: Elegant wall artwork:
My TT bike, “Mary Jayne.” The artwork was fantastic contrast to the dusty crimson decor of the rest of the room.
Did I mention it was the “honeymoon suite”?!
But since this is supposed to be a blog about my race, I figure that I should put in something in here about the triathlon. One word really sums it up: “blah” Not a bad “blah” or a good “blah” Just “blah.” I swam a little better than last year and ran a little better than last year, which was great. But for the bike, the legs were just not there –and I was a bit slower than last year. Physically and mentally I just felt a bit flat. Coach Jenny pointed out that my HR actually came down during the bike portion, a clear indication that I was simply too tired to push myself hard enough to my actual capabilities. And as my good Ausie friend Lucas reminded me during our 1 hour run after the race, “Its Ironman training, mate. You are feeling exactly as you are supposed to.”
All in all, it was a solid morning of training. Best part was that I was able to “turn off” triathlon in the afternoon (“leave the race at the race”), and enjoy some quality time with Alice before heading out on Sunday for a 5+ hour “recovery” ride.
Now it’s just 8 weeks until Kona. Hope that our condo in Hawaii is a step up from the luxurious accommodations of at Cardinal Inn…