Nationals?

Not sure if I'll make it to Utah for Xterra Nationals this weekend.  My car is in the shop and was supposed to be fixed last week but they ordered to wrong part and the right one didn't arrive before the flooding began.  And they still don't have it because it's in Fort Collins which was heavily effected by the floods.  Supposed to get it today and get my car fixed by mid-day tomorrow but I'm not sure I want to drive 7 1/2 hours to Ogden for 2 1/2 days since we'd leave on Monday.  We were planning on leaving on Tuesday and making a little vacation out of the trip, it's been years since Jonny's had a vacation.  Also pre-riding the course is out of the question.  Then there's the matter of my lack of training the past 2 weeks.  Between Cody and the flooding my training has barely been a blip on my radar.  I've gotten out for a few short runs and a couple of swims, no biking at all, no hills at all.  I suppose it could be an experiment in racing while over-tapered which would provide some good training information.  I'd had a goal to break 5 hours (did it in 5 hours 19 minutes last year) with a crazy super stretch unrealistic secret goal of breaking 4:30 or maybe 4:40.  I'd have to let those go and be o.k. with it.  I haven't even been thinking about the race at all beyond the logistics of trying to get there and deal with the house and car.  Maybe that's a good thing, I don't know. 

It's not a good sign when the insurance agent shows up at your house and says, 'Wow, this is the worst street I've seen so far in Boulder.'  He was probably referring to the elementary school 2 blocks away.  It's drained now in this photo taken in the evening but in the afternoon all those muddy areas were covered in 2' of water.

And it's clear he never made it down Topaz St.  This was another area that Four Mile Creek blew through and it was shown on the news a lot, fast moving waist high water covering the street.

Four Mile Creek looks so innocent now but still flowing strongly considering it's a whole week later.

Topaz St., or what's left of it

And this is after several days of clean up by volunteers.  It's not a crucial street to anybody but the people who live on it which is maybe a dozen or so houses, maybe more.  There's another through street a block over that was unaffected so the neighborhood isn't cut off.  Still, it's impressive to see what the force of nature is capable of.

1 2 3, awwww

Deer are common in that neighborhood, these guys aren't displaced.

Ah well, better get back to the mud pit in the garage and driveway.  Looks a lot better but not quite there yet.