Luckiest Gurl in the World

I would like to take a moment to thank everyone who added to my LONG, wonderful Ironman day. Everyone in the pictures above gave me a little bit of Strength through SHOUTING and encouragement! It was AWESOME! Tom was at the turnaround for me! Oh, and the flowers were from some of my cyber cheerers and the lawyer I "met" at mile 18. Also my aunts that live in Ohio and Colorado, who stayed up on the phone to each other while watching the live feed online. I don't think I could ever feel more loved! Add to that the volunteers that make you feel VIP all day long by giving you anything you asked for! (handed me my bike, dressed me twice, put away my bike, gave me ice, food, and drink, and made sure I was coming back for more!) THANK YOU! Like I told my sherpa Lorie when she flew home yesterday.. I raced the Ironman myself but everyone of you helped me out there in some way. XOXOXO

I'm an Ironman!

Yesterday I became an Ironman. And I wanted to share these photos for today. I will (as I recover) share more of my journey with you. What I can say for sure.. It was the best day of my life so far and the HARDEST I've ever had to work both mentally and physically. The reward.. sweeter then you can imagine! Thank YOU to everyone who CHEERED me ON! I appreciate it!

We made it!

So far.. Hotel check in has been great! There was the finding of the bike gloves :o) I went to grab my prerace breakfast and then off to dinner at my favorite place. AND then I had to show Lorie a lil bit of Madison. The Union... where she got Babcock Ice Cream.

Today is a BIG day.. registration and mandatory athlete meeting. OH and we're taking a team picture! I hope you enjoy the photos!

T minus THREE DAYS

Today is Get-Away Day. I've been packing and making lists. And I've got the last minute "gotta buy" list. I went to my last swim class this morning with Coach. It's all starting to become VERY real now. I'm looking forward to it! There is one thing... I can't find my bike gloves. I have looked and looked and looked... no good?! I will have to keep looking..and if not then I have a backup pair.

I pick up my favorite Sherpa at 2pm today and then off we go. I'll register on Friday morning and then its Ironman cave time. I'm going to crawl into my hole and get ready! It's gonna be a fun NUT PARTY on Sunday!

The picture above is my first tattoo. I got it to celebrate my first Half Ironman. It means strength in Chinese. I will have to draw on that strength on Sunday. AND then.. my second tattoo will come soon! That's right, I will be getting the M dot to celebrate my Ironman finish.

You can track me all day long on Sunday. I'll be smiling and making a dream come true! AHHH! I can't wait!

Ironman Packing

It has started.. One week from today I will be having the time of my life earning my Ironman medal! It sounds like one grand party where I get to do all my favorite things all day long! I can't wait! This dream has been mine for a very long time.

But before every big party, there must be planning and packing. I'm almost done with all the planning. I do need to still pick restaurants/meals I'd like to eat leading up to the race. The packing is a different story. It sounds like it will be a cool day with rain likely. This could only mean LAYERS! I love layering! Who doesn't? There are the vests in my closet waiting to be used, long sleeve shirts anxious to be worn again, and don't forget the gloves. I'm starting to feel like I'll need the largest suitcase I own to be well prepared. I'd hate to leave my favorite booties at home only to wish I had them. I've come to the conclusion that I must find the PERFECT long sleeve shirt to cross the finish line with. Afterall, everyone knows that's the picture that will be on my Christmas card this year. And then there's the pose. What should I "say" when I cross the line? And more importantly, will I remember to do it after slogging along for 140.6 miles?

I'm so lucky! I've already picked some things I MUST do during the day! I have to sing "Happy Birthday" to Madeline while I'm on the bike. She is lucky enough to have a birthday on our special day! AND.. a section of "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall" as a tribute to my boss who will be hung over from his brother's 40th Birthday Party. And my absolute favorite part, My Big Sis in Ironman and I have a "date" from mile 18 - 21 of the run. I've been told in no uncertain terms that I better show or I may have a lawsuit on my hands. I know I've said this before, but I'll say it again. It takes a village to make an Ironman. I'm just lucky enough to have a village that spans the entire US! Let's finish the last minute details, so I can get this party started! I've been waiting for the Happy Ending for far too long!

Tapering ... Loving IT!

I arrived in Ohio yesterday midday to enjoy some tapering. I have been here before and enjoyed the lovely trails and swimming pools. My aunt, bless her heart, treats me like a princess! I woke up this morning to a home cooked breakfast and coffee. My plan was to ride to another favorite place "nearby" and meet her there for my second breakfast. It was LOVELY! I rode about 20 miles through the Xenia and Yellowsprings and then up to Youngs! This dairy farm is FAMOUS! It serves a mighty good breakfast, delicious dinner and ice cream! YUM! I always make a point to stop here when I come to town. Most people grab a FAMOUS red t-shirt, take a picture some where FAMOUS and then send it back to be hung on the wall of FAMOUS people!

It's been great so far! I'm looking forward to putting my feet up and just enjoying being a princess for a little while. We are 9 day, 19 hours from Ironman! YIKES!!

OH.. BTW.. we got our bib #s yesterday. I am 2240...kinda blends with the 2010 that's still sunburnt in my arm. AND that's not all.. SueFe's first Ironman.. she was 2244!!! The vibes are sweet!

DT becomes an Ironman..AGAIN

On Sunday, I woke up to track Dan on the swim. All was well.. he got out of the water in 1:28. If you remember, DT was my swimming buddy on Mondays. He was the reason I never missed a Monday swim workout. It didn't matter that we didn't swim the same speed, it just forced me to show up. Then DT had FAST transitions! I giggle now because I was impressed with 7 minutes and coach is impressed with 3 minutes. I need to get thinking about that! DT got out on the bike and had a VERY smart bike! You could tell from the splits that he started out holding it back and gradually negative split his times. I was so excited for him when he got out on the run. DT is a runner! He started by putting down 8:37! I'm hoping to put down 11:00. I'm looking forward to meeting him tonight at Ironman class for a congratulatory hug and more stories about his day. Thanks DT for the photo summary of becoming an Ironman. I have learned from your journey!