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.
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