Some people dream of success while others wake up and achieve it.

Well, in less than 12 hours, we will be waking up. I guess that is a success in and of itself. It's an early morning. It's so surreal, I cant even believe its here. I am sitting in the hotel room, typing a blog about what we have done the past couple of days and what I feel about what is going to go on tomorrow. It feels like a dream. You know those times when you kind of feel like you are outside your body, looking in at whats happening to you at that moment? I have felt like that this entire week. Seriously, if heaven is living this past week of my life over and over, sign me up, I am in, because I dont recall ever being quite so happy in my life. This atmosphere, the people I have met, the dedication of everyone that has come in from all 50 states, everything around me- its all so positive and everyone has come out of the woodwork to make this the most amazing experience for not just me, but all 2,698 athletes that have signed up.

This is the biggest field they have ever had (or so they said on the internet). They dont expect all 2,698 people to show up and race, but even if they dont, there are a ton of people here (all incredibly goodl ooking by the way) and 75%+ of them are male. It's amazing!

To start from the beginning of this weekend... Thursday, me, Jackie and my mom came down around 2 pm to check in, get our directions and go through the expo early. That ended up being a good call because a lot of people rolled in after that and it has been packed! I got the perfect outfit to wear for the race tomorrow and I finished all my packing Thurs evening. I am super anal about how I pack and what goes where, so my mom got me these little boxes that I put everything in. I tried to stay very organized, but of course I forgot things and I dont know what I would do without my friends. Each and every one of them who has been a part of this process has been incredibly integral! i would NEVER have made it without all of my friends help! i am so lucky...

So Friday morning, we got up, went for a quick swim at Bwood, then got all packed up and headed downtown. But before I got here, I stopped by Caroline Burckle's house who was nice enough to let me borrow AN OLYMPIC racing suit!! I am so excited about it, I look professional! In any case, I got the suit, came straight downtown and checked in, room 711!

Yesterday we had lunch at Spaghetti Factory with Deb and Lauren, came back, took a nap and then met a bunch of people at Sully's for our pre-dinner get together for IamTri.com, a website for all triathletes, kind of a social website. Anyways, we went there and then off to the Athlete dinner which was AWESOME... soooo many people at the Convention Center, everyone didnt even fit in there! We ate, had the athlete dinner, and then came back...it was past 8 PM, so i had to leave early, past my bedtime.

jackie and I woke up early this morning, made pancakes and set off for the open water practice swim. We were one of the first people there, jumped in quickly and were out pretty quick. The coolest part of the swim was the fact that we had done it before, we knew what to expect and how the water would feel. The major point of me swimming this morning was to test out the new suit, which i really liked, thank goodness.

Post swim, we got a massage, then headed to the First Annual Underpants Run which was a huge success! There were probably 100 people dressed only in their underwear for a 2 mile run to raise money for John Carr, the guy that died in the triathlon a few weeks ago. it was hilarious. I have pictures to prove it.

After that, we got all of our bike and run bags together, fixed up our bikes for the big race... all so we could take them down to transition and let them sit in the sun until tomorrow. That part makes me nervous. A HUGE THANK YOU to everyone that helped with my bike. Seriously, setting up a bike for an ironman is a skill, maybe even a work of art. There are taped Gu packets in just the right place, a bag for all my food, placed just so, my race number, all my DRINKS (which is a whole other story, and extremely complicated). So all day, it has been a game of "did you remember___?" It is nerve racking, but a challenge that I love, just to be prepared for the entire day. So we took our bikes and transition bags down to the transition area and I came back and already figured out i forgot a few things... MY TENNIS SHOES and HAT!! Good thing Taylor is going to be there tomorrow morning to put everything together for me! Another friend saves my butt...

So here we are, in the room, anxiously awaiting to get our butts kicked in tomorrow. I think I am completely naieve to the situation that I am getting myself into. i am not all that nervous and I am not too worried about what i am doing. i was more nervous and worried about some of my training days. i think I have a screw loose, but whatever, it will all come together tomorrow. the only thing I can worry about tonight is eating and getting enough rest.

Tomorrow is the day that I have trained 9+ months for. This is the climax to this story. This weekend is why I have put myself through agony, pain, and ultimately, an amazing journey. Really? This is going to be the most incredible day. How can I fully grasp all that is going on and keep this fresh? How do I relive these moments again and again? I can sign up for another Ironman, but there will never be another first Ironman. I wont be able to say I am a rookie, and say I dont know what is going on. I like being naieve and it wont be that way next time. So now, I am focused on relishing every moment. Be in there here, be in the now. Focus on every stroke in the water, every pedal on the bike. Remember this agony of the run. The pain will fade into distant memory all too quickly, so I want to embrace it all. I never want to forget the second the say... "Amy Miranda, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!!!" I want that memory to be seared into my mind for my whole life. I guess this is why I am writing this, its to remember all of this. I want to come back to this post and remember that these were some of the best days of my life!

So tomorrow, at this time, I will be hurting pretty bad, probably have about 12-14 miles left in the marathon. It will be painful, I have heard. But I dont know. I dont know what it will feel like off the bike, into the run. i am glad I dont know. Tomorrow is going to be the first of a lot of things for me, and I cant wait.

In closing, I want to share this excerpt that I love. A friend sent it to me and it sums up what I think tomorrow will be...

From "Becoming and Ironman" by Kara Douglass Thom

"The water laps your toes and envelopes your skin. Close your eyes. The masses become silent and your heartbeat thunders. You have planned for today, talked about today, trained for today, imagined today, dreamed today, and yet you still don't know what to expect.A cannon blows and you remember, as you dread the uncertainty and the harsh duration to come, to savor every second because in your memory it will be over in the minutes it takes to recount or reread from your journal. Move, breathe, drink, eat. Move, breathe, drink, eat. Move and move. One hundred forty and six-tenths miles. Know tenderly, intimately every fiber of your being that propels you forward only because your brain says, "Don't stop." And don't stop. Move, breathe, drink, eat.Manage your day. Stick to your plan. Be flexible. Just finish. Float when your mind and body detach and watch your body move with you - pushed by the crowd, the volunteers, who lust for your finish as if it were their own.But it hurts. And you don't know for sure why you are doing this and what it will mean when you do. And then you see it. A banner, a clock, a frenzy of applause. And you know you made it happen through whatever means and power source you draw strength from.Ironman will trivialize past hardship and prepare you to minimize those to come. It makes dreams come true. You have what it takes to bridge aspirations into accomplishments. Crossing that line embraces self: confidence, sacrifice, reliance, invention, worth. Finishing makes you your own hero."

Tomorrow, I will be my own hero.

The Creator has not given you a longing to do that which you have no ability to do.

Well, technically, I never "longed" to do an Ironman. I dont keep a list of all of the things I want in life or a bucket list of 100 things to do before I die. Maybe this is an aimless way to live life, but why would I want to limit myself to that which I can think up myself? I would NEVER have thought about doing a triathlon, let alone an Ironman a year ago. Heck, last year a few friends asked me if I wanted to go watch it and I thought they were crazy... it was the UL/UK game, why on earth would I miss such a huge football event to watch people swim, bike, or run? No thanks...

Well, its amazing what God will do to put you in the right situations in life. A year after that fateful loss by UL at Cardinal Stadium, I would gladly miss any UL game to compete in any triathlon. Not just because I love triathlons, but UL sucks now. Yes, I am a bandwagon fan- love them when they are great, love to bash them when they arent great... its fun. Anyways, I digress. The point is, God has created this longing in me to compete again. Not just in any simple, or easy race, but quite possibly one of the hardest races on earth. As stated above, "The Creator will not create a longing to do that which you have no ability to do." Can I really do this? Can I swim 2.4 miles (yes), followed by 112 miles of biking (it hurts, but I have done it before) THEN run a marathon (here is the question mark)!?! I firmly believe that I would not have this in my mind or heart if I couldnt do it. I may not be the fastest person on the course, but me doing this is less a race for a place, and more a race with myself.

I may be talking a lot about God here, but let's make no mistake, this weather for this summer, is not on accident. I love hot, humid days... when I am at a pool laying down... not when I have to do 140.6 miles of exersize. So all my praying is paying off... First we have a 70 degree day during Cardinal Harbour, more than 15 degrees below normal, and now the forcast for Ironman day is a high of 74!! Unbelievable.

So now that I have the best case scenario for race day, I have to get prepared. I have tried to mentally rehearse (with some help...), pack everything for each bag during the race, and plan my 3-4 days leading up to the race, with great precision. I may be going overboard, but they run these IM events with military precision and I want to fit in, ha.

Jackie and I got a hotel room at the last minute at the Galt House... THANK YOU ARNIE!! So the plan for now is to go down on Thursday evening, visit the expo early to get that out of the way, then check in on Friday early and start organizing everything I will need. Friday is check-in/get my number (#499!!!) day, and mandatory athlete meeting, so other than a short workout, that is all I will do besides RELAX! Saturday is sure to be nervewracking, but we have a fun, 2 mile UNDERPANTS run at 11 AM Saturday to raise money for John Carr (man killed by a drunk driver during the TS Triathlon). It will be funny to see a huge group of people prancing around downtown in their undies! After that, it is rest and getting ready.

Taper officially started about a week ago, which has made me feel a little weird (I remember this feeling from swimming), but taper has increased the anticipation of the event. I still dont think I quite grasp what I am doing, although I talk about this event for the larger part of any given day now. People always want to know... "Are you ready!?" Answer- YES!! As ready as I will ever be. I have prepared all that I can and I have tried to minimize the potential for disasters, although I am sure I will come across some.

This is getting long, but in closing, if any of you out there have even an INKLING to get into this, I highly recommend it. This past year has changed my life and my outlook on life. This may seem like an end, but I firmly believe, this is just the beginning for me!

I will keep you all posted this week and with how I do. If you would like to follow me online as Sunday progresses, there will be a link on race day for the "Athlete Tracker"- I am number 499.

See the link below:

http://www.ironmanlouisville.com/

Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough.

So we are TWO WEEKS out... taper officially starts right now. I cant believe after all of this hard work, it is coming up this fast! The past couple of weeks have been pretty hard, but as usual, I have enjoyed it all for the most part. There was a 20 mile run that we did last weekend that was pretty rough and gave me a taste for how I might feel 5 miles in or so, after a 112 mile bike. I keep trying to put myself in the race as I train, constantly asking myself, "Is this how I am going to feel during the ride?" "Will I feel better or worse?" "PLEASE GOD dont let it be this hot on race day" (That one is a common theme). In the next couple of days the extended forecast should be able ti give us an idea on the whether. Best case scenario- 80-85 with some afternoon thunderstorms, aka- a shower when I need it the most. In any case, suffice it to say, its hard to think about much else besides the Ironman, training, preparation, etc. My brain needs a break!

We recevied the athlete packet last week... all 28 pages of weekend schedules, rules, regulations, how the weekend will play out, etc. Its scary. One of the marathon rules is that "the only locomotions acceptable on the course are running, walking, and crawling..." Really? Crawling? Surely no one does that right? Wrong. See below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTn1v5TGK_w

I truly hope that isnt me.

So after reading excerpts like that, questions began to float into my head... when is the best time to take my bike down to transition? It has to be dropped off on Saturday. Should I let the air out of my tires or not? How am I going to keep all of these "special needs" bags straight? In al there are five or more, all of which must be packed EXACTLY as they say with EXACTLY what I am going to need on that day. I hope and pray I dont forget anything- not likely.

So another, slightly more fun thing to think about is what I am going to wear that day. Not that I am going to look good in anything, but at least I can think about fashion in these times- I am a girl's girl at heart. So I think I have it down (at least the types of clothing, I might not have it all yet). Regular swim suit for the swim.... run into the transition tent and change into black chamois and a tank top jersey (it will be too hot for a full t-shirt jersey)... off the bike, full change into running shorts (not spandex, they are too hot for me), and another run tank top and running shoes. I am going to pack extra socks, tennis shoes and possibly another shirt for halfway through in my running special needs bag. You just never know what you might need. These things are constantly in my mind.

Off of race prep and back into present day, these past few weeks have been my last push to really get ready for the big day. last weekend we did a 20 mile run downtown, over the 2nd St bridge and back, back to River Road all the way to the end at Wolf Pen (part of the bike route) and back to our cars. We tried to start early to beat some of the heat (hey, I know we need to get ready for heat, but we wanted to survive our first 20 mile run). The entire run (insluding stopping and walking, which was about a mile total) took us about 3:45. Probably too long, but I needed all the help I could get towards the end of that run. it was hot, humid and my body was screaming ("Will this be how it is on race day?" Probably so.)

The next day consisted of what should have been a pretty easy 1.5-2 hour ride. Instead I rode with a large group of guys who thought it would be a good idea to race a lot. That hurt. I ended up doing pretty well and felt good about doing a ride like that, but I definitely needed to recover after that!

This week was pretty uneventful- lots of training and I kept my hours up- 16 hours. This week will drop down dramatically. I did decide to ride Brians Zips (wheels) for race day, so I have been practicing on those and they do make a difference! They sound pretty cool too. Rest assured, my bike looks like a pro's, but there is a true novice riding it!

As i said before, taper starts today and I am ready for it- my legs are tired and I am getting excited for August 30th! Below are some fun and inspirational videos that were sent around this week. I liked them... enjoy!

You will do this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bh1yMnrby3w&feature=channel

Rick and Dick Hoyt Story
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDnrLv6z-mM&feature=channel

Performance, it's the name of the game...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vn29DvMITu4

14 days...

The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender. - Vince Lombardi

At this point, I am so far past even the thought of surrender, it doesn't enter my mind, but it is easy to be sitting behind a computer and say that. People who have done the Ironman before say there are 4 or 5 times throughout the day, at least, where people reach a quitting point. They think its just not worth it any more, they are tired, hurt, maybe even injured and nothing seems worth it at that point. This is when you ask yourself why you are doing it. At least I will. My reasons have varied from December until now. It started as a way to get back into the shape I was in while I was a competitive swimmer, then as the months wore on and I started competing, it became more of a competitive thing... Now, as I look back on the past 9 months, I can honestly say, I am doing this not only for me and those reasons I just mentioned, but I am doing this for everyone that might be affected by my determination, in any way. These people range from the cancer patients who need more funding for their treatment, the kids in Africa who do not have a family, or a home, and all of you who follow my progress and wonder if maybe, you too could do something like this. Maybe not an entire Ironman, maybe it is the Mini-Marathon next year, or a sprint triathlon, or a 5K walk for Breast Cancer. Whatever it is, I have talked to so many people who want to do something, set a goal and achieve it. That inspires me to never ever turn back, no matter where I am and how much it hurts on August 30th.

So to update you (sorry Tim for the delay in the updates), training has been extremely intense the past week and a half. Curtis and I have set this up this way on purpose, but it is easy to plan training while sitting on a couch, it is much harder to execute every morning at 5:30 AM, or right after work- dodging thunderstorms, floods, etc. But in any case, I am getting it done!

Last weekend was the longest training weekend I have had yet. After a somewhat disasterous ride of the Ironman course in June- Sarah, Jackie, and I decided to attempt the 112 miles again, this time traveling the new course which takes us up Wolf Pen to 42 and adds a few miles (we arent sure how they are going to compensate for the added milage on race day). Taking this new route added a few major hills as well, so it was a more difficult course, but we were armed with A LOT of food and water and tried to be as prepared as we will be on race day. We knew it would be a long day, so we set out at 6:15 AM to try to beat the traffic along 42 and were successful, with the exceptions of a few fed up motorists (there are more than a few run ins with cars when you are biking- please be careful of us!)... In any case, we rode the 112 mile loop without any problem or any big event and finished up 30 minutes faster (6.5 hours of riding- average about 17 mph) and a lot fresher than we did in June. The weather was about 10 degrees cooler- 85 or so instead of the 95 we rode in last time. When we were done, I felt good- tired, but still felt like I had more in me, which was the goal. We set out on a 30 minute run to see how our legs would do, and they held up fine! I feel a lot more confident after that.

That was Saturday, and I still had Sunday to go... Sunday was another long ride- 3 hours- followed by an hour long run. I had anticipated being extremely tired and sore, but I recovered quickly and was able to do a good ride, faster than I thought I would, and then follow it up with a strong run. It seems my body is adapting well to these demands!

After the long weekend, I was tired, but not too sore and I have really been looking forward to the week(s) ahead. From today, I have 25 days left. I really cant believe it! So many people have reached out to offer words of encouragement and to tell me they will be there on August 30th cheering! That in and of itself is motivation to keep going.

Oddly enough, before this Ironman has even begun, I am looking to sign up for my next event. It looks like for now, it will be the half ironman in Florida next year, in attempt to qualify for the National Championships in 2010. I didnt even know it until yesterday, but my time from Cardinal Harbour was enough to qualify me for next year, but given that it is just 2 weeks after the full ironman, I am going to defer a year and try again next year.

We are almost there!