EOC Finals

The sprint final is going on right now in Palmela, and you can see live results / tracking online.
The sprint qualification yesterday was quite fun, and a beautiful town, with random residents getting in the way and/or cheering:

Emily focused her racing on the middle and long, and made both finals - so it appears to have been a good choice! I raced the sprint quali yesterday, but was just outside the final (as I often am in the sprint - just not fast enough). By some fluke. despite one of the worst races I have had in competition in awhile, I made the long final (top 17 in each heat make it at EOC). My legs are pretty tired after these days of racing, and after falling into so many prickles while attempting to thrash through green in the long quali I feel like my body has been beaten with a prickly stick. Also, after many protests from different countries and discussion amongst organizers, coaches, and a jury everyone will also be running the middle final (which I had also just missed out on).

So, both Emily and I will be running both middle and long finals. Emily will be trying to build on her good races from the qualifications, and I will be trying to keep the flow I mostly had in the middle qualification in both races (and for the most part, other than a few learning points, forget my race in the long qualification). Here is the model map for the middle final:

We have been entertained by going to the team leader meetings, and watching things play out - as we are a team of just 2 people one or both of us have attended each meeting. We have also been entertained by the radio while driving back and forth to each event, meetings, and grocery shopping. It seems that despite the many different radio stations, every 4th song is one of these:
Say something - "say something I'm giving up on you"
All of me - "all of me loves all of you"
Rather be - "if you gave me a chance I would take it, its a shot in the dark but I'll make it" (Emily particularly likes this one)
Rhythm of the night - a cover by Bastille (slightly less played - but I like it and was surprised to hear it at all on the radio)