Starting over....again

I won't even talk about promising to blog and then failing to follow through. As has often been my mantra in life - better late than never.
Luray, for the record, totally sucked for me. As it turned out they decided at the last minute to make it a nonwetsuit swim. There was no way I was attempting that swim without my wetsuit floatie. So I wore it and consequently started the bike pretty overheated.
The bike is a pretty darned hilly course. And wouldn't you know that my front derailluer broke about 15 minutes into the first loop. So no big chain ring for me on the significant downhill that made up the backside of the two loop course. But at least I could climb without killing my knees. For some odd reason I decided that a Starbucks double shot on loop two would be a good idea so I had put one in one of my water bottles. I know they say never do anything in a race that you haven't tried in training - but I forgot that they say that. It was really not a very good idea.
When I finished the bike and got off to run my stomach was 'tore up'! My heartrate skyrocketed and I basically walked most of the 10k run.
Horrible day discouraging race. Oh and did I mention the temps got up to about 87 degrees on my second loop of the run.
Supposed to have done Savageman this past weekend to make up for Luray. But I've been sick for two weeks all due to a visit on labor day weekend to the Savageman venue to peruse the bike course in advance.
On my birthday no less, Sept. 5th., I ended up walking up a climb for the first time ever. Apparently at some point during this humiliation a yellowjacket decided to take refuge in my shoe and then decided to sting me. OUCH! I got back on the bike at the top of the hill without even checking for exactly what had bitten/stung me. So it wasn't until about 5 miles later that Steve suggested I stop and see what it was. By then Mr. YJ was squashed.
That night my foot itched so badly I could not sleep. Then I got some sort of flu for about a week - then last week my hands and feet and knee (yes only one) swelled to twice their size.
Steve had a great race at Savageman though, made it up the Westernport Wall and got his brick!
I'm feeling better now - finally! So tomorrow I start my winter plan. The goal of the plan is to figure out just what I have to do to get even one minute faster on a
5k, maybe 7 miutes on a 10k since I'd like to break an hour!
More to come on that. In the meantime - update done - finally. The pic is from our Savageman perusal - I was appalled at the shortness of my shorts in this picture. Steve insists that is is really my legs that are the problem - they're too long. Either way....geez...