Wow, this year has been a bit of a blur...
Sunday is IRONMAN race day. Maybe "event" day is a better term! The cannon will go off at 7am central to start my third trek around the IMWI course. I must be riding the waves of experience, perspective, and age because this is the first time I'm excited about the race. I'm not crawling out of my skin with anxiety, obsessing about a trillion things out of my control, and Susan's not threatening to take away my phone/internet access. BONUS!
For Susan's entertainment, each year I have plugged in some time estimates of where I may be on the course:
"Perfect" day...SPEEDY!
Target day...YeahBuddy!!
Day I loose a little focus....SQUIRREL!
Yep, that's not a typo! This year, I'm expecting to have a bit of a longer morning in the swim (thanks to the summer round of bronchitis and some shoulder stuff), but I'm hoping the extra trips up to Madison for the long rides and the running will make it a little shorter day from the past two years.
Regardless of time, I'm going to enjoy the day tomorrow, do the best I can, and soak it all in. I never take for granted that participating in an IRONMAN event is a choice. It is truly a gift to have the health and fitness to get to the start line.
One of the greatest things about IRONMAN is for the majority of us racing tomorrow, it is the individual against the clock. Fifty incredibly speedy athletes will get Kona slots and a bunch more will stand on a podium.
But for ALL of us triathletes out there tomorrow, it took a "village" to get us there.
I am so incredibly grateful and inspired by my "village".
My coaches and training partners....Over the past couple of years, I've been fortunate to be coached by awesome coaches and train with great triathletes. Past and present...I am glad this sport has opened the doors to meeting incredible people and valued friendships. For those I will see on the course, I'm cheering for you! For those cheering, THANK YOU!
My friends...well, you guys are just rock stars! Your journeys keep me inspired, grounded, and on the right path!
My family...to play off a quote dad said this morning....
After giving me my mom, dad, Lisa, Susan, and extended family...God doesn't owe me anything!
With that said, I'm going to take my grateful body on a long day of excersise tomorrow - 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and 26.2 mile run.
If your interested in following along with my day (or curious on how long Susan is spectating!):
The swim starts at 7a central.
On the bike and run (if I remember) I'll have on a little GPS unit. The website is http://www.myathletelive.com Of course, there's an app for that!
The ironman.com website has a link to the Wisconsin race - athlete tracking and live coverage of the finish line. My bib # is 648
If you have an extra second on Sunday, please double my "wish" for all of the amazing volunteers, tireless spectators, and athletes to have a safe race day up in Madison.
See you at the finish line...before midnight! :-)
