Triathlon: Up early Sunday morning, we headed out to set up the transition under cloudy skies and a slight wind. There was still a chill in the air as I rode the boat upriver to the start area. However, once I was in the water swimming, I no longer noticed the cold. My swim felt much better than it did two days before, a good start to the final race of the weekend. The bike course was the same as it was for the duathlon, with one rough part but otherwise flat and fast. I kept a quick, consistent pace under still cloudy skies and finished with my best time ever. The intense work I put in last summer on the indoor trainer had paid off. My run wasn't up to the same level as my bike ride, and I got passed by many competitors. It wasn't due to sore muscles, even though my calves did ache every step of the way, but a lack of endurance. The course was the same as for the earlier races, except the turnaround was further out, making for a longer run. It started raining while I was running, helping to keep me cool as I finished the last leg of the race.
With the weather still cool, I was worried about becoming chilled, so we headed back to the hotel right after the race, where I once again showered, ate, and rested. The remainder of the day was left to packing. I cleaned my bike as best as possible before disassembling it and putting it back into its case. The weather continued to look threatening, even though the morning rain didn't last too long, so we skipped the awards ceremony dinner, which is held outside, and ate at the hotel restaurant instead.
Heading Home: We woke up early again on Monday for the trip back to Laos. After a long layover in Bangkok and a flight delay, we finally touched down in Udon Thani, packed our luggage into the truck and headed not for our home in Savannakhet, but for Vientiane. Peep's mother turned seventy and was celebrating with a dinner party at a very nice hotel. We made it there a bit late, but still with plenty of time to celebrate with her.
Peep needed a new passport, so we spent Tuesday in Vientiane as well. Her bosses were also in the capital city, so she met with them. With more all-day meetings on Wednesday, we didn't start heading back to Savannakhet until that evening. Knowing we wouldn't make it through Thailand before the border crossing closed, we spent the night there and finally returned home Thursday morning.