I'm in kind of a dilemma, and I'm just wondering how some of you more experienced in the tri game would react. I'm signed up for the half GFT next weekend in Clermont, and I was doing pretty well in my preparation for that race. But over the last three weeks, things have sort of fallen apart. Sept. 27 was my last long brick, a 4:16 workout (3:00 on the trainer, 1:16 run). A few days later, I did a long run (1:46). Since then, the longest workout I've done is a 35-mile ride. I've bought a house and been moving, had to work one weekend, been rained out another weekend, battled an odd elbow injury that has kept me out of the water for basically three weeks, and early this week (when I had Monday off and all day to train), I caught a little stomach bug that kept me in the bed until noon Tuesday. The only workout I've done this week is a 37:00 run Wednesday morning.

What I'm getting at is that my training has collapsed the last few weeks, and I'm not sure if I need to go to Clermont. I don't want it to turn into a sufferfest, but part of me says that after a long, hard season, this few weeks of rest might actually be advantageous. Just wondering what y'all think, and I know there are lots of questions that could be answered. I'm a MOP'er without much half IM experience, although I have finished one fairly comfortably this summer. I've also got a pretty good base built from nearly 10 months of solid training this season (and this is my third season). Just wondering, in general, what y'all think: Should I race or should I stay at the house? (At the moment, I'm leaning towards racing.)

RP