The Beginning of My 46th Year .....

• Woke up at 2 a.m.
  
• Found our "house guest" Mickey crying in the trap in the middle of our family room at 2:25 - as I'm leaving for my triathlon.
  
• 2:26 Wake up the hubby and tell him about Mickey and he (I'm not being sarcastic) happily gets up from bed and goes down stair to escort our guest back home to the field behind our house.
  
• 2:28, my purse isn't in the car.
  
• 2:30, Friends arrive. They got out of their warm beds to drive down and watch me race. I hang with a great bunch of girls don't I?
  
• 2:47, my purse is behind the couch cushion in the front room.
  
• 2:51, hubby kisses me good bye, does the chicken dance and tells me to just have fun. Can you feel the love.
  
• 3 - drink water, 3:30 more water, 4.m. - more water, you see the pattern here ....
  
• 5 - call the girls to tell them I need to pull over to the rest stop that's coming up - 2 miles ahead.
  
• 5:03 a.m. - I'm shaking my fist at the barricades and the closed sign over the rest stop. Total. Complete. Tease.
  
• 5:15 - stop at a gas station about 20 mins from the tri start. Use the washroom, feeling nervous, am so glad Kristin and Caro are there.
  
• 5:51 - Dennis calls. Happy Birthday! Are you nervous? Don't be. You're ready.

6:10 - the girls give me a birthday present .... An Ironman hat, that they signed. I choke up and cry just a little.


• 6:3? - Chip's on, bike's racked. Air is cool. Sun is up. It's almost time.
  
• 6:47 - My mom calls - Happy Birthday. I'm so blessed that she is alive, she is healthy.
  
• 7:03 - I hesitate for some reason during the start. I'm overwhelmed. I'm going to race this race. Leave it all out there. Save nothing when I cross the finish. My day has arrived. It's my turn.
  
• 7:?? - I'm swimming out and see the orange buoy off in the distance. Huh, why is it way over there.
  
• Swim some more, huh, why did the race director put the orange buoy over there?
  
• Swim more and a swimmer cuts across me and then, not 4 minutes before but then I realize I am about 20 yrs out from where I need to be DOH!!!!
  
• 7:?? - Swimming on course. Minding my own business when I .... um ..... violate another swimmer. He wasn't wearing a wetsuit. He did have on tri shorts. The freakish accident did make me swim a little faster ..... eweee.
  
• 7:42? - I'm out of the water. It feels great. Check the watch 0:42. Well, can't get mad. Keep on going .....
  
• 7:42.33 - High five Kristin and Caro
  
• time check ??? - on the bike, somewhere between loving this and hating it, the hate creeps in and takes over.
  
• ??? - realize this is exactly where I want to be. Bye, bye hate. No place other than right here, right now. Life is good. Thank you GOD.
  
• ??? - I am completely surprised at the sight of a tramp stamp, on a man. It's not everyday you see one on a man now is it. Nice distraction.
• See a white catapilar. Not blonde or light brown but white. Actually saw several of them. It's funny what you notice at 16 mph ;)
• ??? - Jockey with a group - Army jersey - 28 a/g, red tri top girl - 33 a/g, colorful bike shirt man - ?, and me. We encourage each other each time one passes the other.
  
  T2 - Finally off the bike, time to run. Very cute young man wishes me happy birthday! Hey, how does he know. Then I see him talking with Kristin! She is a stitch. She's wearing her Warrior Dash hat now.
• Leaving T2 - I hear chants from K and Caro - keeps me smiling even though I wanted to puke. For really, I was feeling like I was gonna lose all my mango and 48 ounces of water.
  
• Run time??? - It's tough out there. Red tri top girl passes me around mile 1.5. She looks awesome. I want that feeling.
  
• ???? - "TOOT TOOT, go go, BEEP BEEP" it wasn't Donna Summers singing or a train going by, and I couldn't blame the runners in front or behind me. My stomach wasn't settling down!
  
• ??? - Turn around for my 2nd loop on the run when this little dog, on a long leash, starts jumping on me. Where did he come from? His owner is yelling at me not to be scared. WHAT?!
  
• Run time ??? - I high 5 Red Tri top girl one more time. She's heading home. She's about a mile in front of me now.
  
• Run time??? - K and Caro are cheering and yelling for me. I'm finishing. I'm crying just a little.
  
• Post Race - I'm feeling happy. Over the moon. I raced. I left it all out there. A lot of it in gas form :) I'm disappointed with my time. It doesn't reflect what I know I'm capable of but I'm happy because I did it. I'm done. HR was good. Support was awesome. I cry, I laugh. I'm blessed.
  
• PR - K and Caro sing Happy Birthday at a picnic table by the lake. We eat a giant chocolate chip cookie. MMMMMM. The sun is shining. There is a cool breeze. (OK is was really windy but this is my birthday rendition of the truth so today it was a cool breeze) And we laugh, and laugh and laugh some more about the day.