At 5:45 in the morning, the Staten Island race lost to my bed.
The afternoon before, I had been planning the bike. The race included a 20K leg, and I asked my coach what kind of power I should try to hold. I was interested in the strategy, but my basic plan was simpler: mostly just race.
She told me to ride at the power I could hold for twenty minutes. I should still be able to run after that.
That was enough of a plan for me. Run, ride hard for 20K, then run again.
The alarm was the part I had not planned around.
I had just returned from a company offsite that left me exhausted. By Sunday evening, I had slept for about eighteen of the previous twenty-six hours. Getting out of bed before six, traveling to Staten Island, and trying to race no longer sounded fun.
So I stayed home.
The message I sent that night had the subject line “Heads up - Took the day off.” I told my coach I had decided I did not need to get out of bed at 5:45 and try to race. I needed another day to recover.
The official results filled up without me. The organizer still sent the standard note later that week thanking everyone who had competed. I had registered, so I got that email too.
I did not ask for the next training week to change. I said the schedule looked good and that I would check in after Monday's workout.
Saturday had ended with a power target for the bike. Sunday ended with no bike, no starting line, and a lot more sleep.
The race stayed in Staten Island. I stayed in bed.