Sadly, with more disappointment and heartbreak than I could imagine, I had to DNF. I had stomach issues on day 1 from a crab/scallop/cream sauce dinner I had two nights prior. My shore support suffered bad leg tingles and cramps, which is why we suspect something was "not quite right" with the food. Lesson learned; go vegetarian or only items I prepare myself for a few days before the race. Thank you Mosquito Magnet for staying with, and helping, me for that last mile or two across Tampa Bay as I was experiencing some dizziness and stomach pain.
The biggest setback factor was, of course, Mother Nature coupled with the loss of a day due to winds over 40mph that had most everyone holed up for a day. Danged but those winds did blow! Try as I might, for the next two-and-a-half days, 120# is no match for consistent 20-30 mph winds on the nose. I was also thinking "UF" (another 900 miles to go after Key Largo) vs "EC" and did not want to risk serious injury to not-so-young body parts, like shoulders and wrists, that would make continuing from Key Largo a no-go. Having checked with my shore support to research a number of good coastal marine forecasts, it was nothing but pretty much high winds for the next few days, not subsiding (and even then not a whole lot) until Friday. Calculating a sustainable speed (or lack thereof) to CP2, and then what would need to be a longer circuitous route to Flamingo, there was no way to make the Flamingo deadline without going just about sleepless for almost two days. That wasn't going to happen. Sobbing, I called Chief and told him I had to pull out. I kept trying to hang in there and keep going, but .....
Looking at all the DNFs this year along with arrival times in Key Largo of super paddlers like ArdieO and MosquitoMagnet, I am ok with myself with respect to how far I got and how long I kept going. I still hate to admit it, but it was the right decision to pull out (I'll get over that shortly). Sometimes, it's simply not your day / not your race.
As of now I am pretty much through the "grieving" process, as I've dubbed it, which I suspect is familiar in one form or another to those who have had to drop out of a UF or EC .... the crying/cussing, the second-guessing everything from all the training to 'what could I have possibly done differently', the 'maybe I should have hung in there just one more hour/ one more day' (like a miracle tail wind would come along - ha), and so on ... you know, the generic poor-me's. Lots of hugs from fellow 'Tribers greatly helped in recovery and I thank all of you who were cheering me on! It's a process to go through and then, well, simply look forward. Does that mean I'll try it again next time it comes around? You bet your sweet bippy!
