Good news on this one - I got 3rd in the Cat 3 ITT! 5 seconds behind 2d place Narda Roushdi. 1st place went to a little speedster name April Hamlin, who finished nearly a minute in front of us. More power to her -- It was hot! Okay, not quite Kern hot, but 94 degrees at 10:00 a.m. was getting close. I found a very nice spot in the shade to warm up and kept pretty cool until actually out on the course. For once my timing was good and I got to the start line, which was about a mile away, in enough time to take a deep breath and wait 2 minutes until my time off. Nice not to bake in the sun by getting to the start too early. I also wore a camel back filled with ice and a quarter bottle of water. The course started with an immediate down hill about the same length and grade as the hill at Kern ITT. I was delighted to see as I completed the descent, that the finish line was before the hill so, I wouldn't have to climb the darn thing before the finish. The course is anything but level -- lots of rollers and either gentle grades descending or ascending. The wind was a cross wind, but very gentle today, and seemed to be the same going out and coming back. There were "large puddles" of hot air that pushed me so close to cracking on the hills. Luckily, I was able to chomp down on the bite valve and let the ice water dribble down my chin and onto my arms and legs to help keep me cool. This was a lifesaver for me. When I got home about 2 hrs later, I got a little light headed. Don't know whether it was food or heat, but put ice bags on my head and neck and ate something; this perked me right up. Now for a cold shower!
