Visiting dark places

I was so lucky with the weather today. 20 minutes away from Glencoe the rain was coming down in sheets and thoughts of turning the car round came to mind. Fortunately I persevered and got round the 106 miles without getting wet. The scenery was spectacular and I stayed with the group until 40 miles from the end when I started to have gear problems and couldn't get back to the pack. I travelled 20 miles on my own and the hard weeks training had caught up with me. I met up with the group at a food stop and fortunately there was a bike mechanic there who sorted my gears. I managed to stay with the group until the big climb and I dropped back and worked at my own pace. I came across a pal from the Glasgow Tri club who was in his own dark place. The important point is that in endurance events you will always visit that dark place at some stage and you have to just press on (rule 5), grit your teeth knowing that it will get better. I managed the course in just under 6 hours which was a good average speed for me in preparation for Lanza. Cup of tea at the finish, fish supper on the way down the road, dinner when I got home followed by a bath. Needs to be an early night as this is my last HARD week of training and I have 3k to complete tomorrow morning in the pool. That should loosen off my legs!