X: When Dreams Become Nightmares

Last night I was awakened by a disturbing dream. I was hammering the White Lake Half Ironman bike course when suddenly the race volunteers handing out water bottles appeared on the left side of the road. Because I am used to holding my bars with my left hand and reaching for the bottle with my right, I momentarily locked up. How would this left-side handoff work? Why hadn't Coach Buzz prepared me for this scenario? Frantic thoughts of finishing without hardware raced through my mind. Steady, man! As I approached the unknowing volunteer, I attempted to visualize balancing my rig with my right hand and snagging the agua with my left. For one foolish moment, I even contemplated skipping the water altogether. "No, dude, dehydration is not your friend," I chided myself. In the end, I managed to get the bottle on board, but not before two poseurs on Roos blew by me. Thank God they weren’t in my age group—and that this was just a dream. - Racer X