Time to leave

I don't know whether the emotional roller coaster has come to a stand still--the last few days have been rush, rush, rush to get everything done, no time to think... Or if this ride is putting me in a hold pattern for a short time so I can really get a sense of the crazy free fall AAAAaaaggghhh! that I'm about to experience.

Either way, it has been nuts the last few days as we gather together every sticky note and every list that is laying around the house. I had to stay quite late at work the last two nights to finish writing all my sub plans. And well, now I'm just naming off stuff that isn't all that fun.

Here's what is! I teach middle school. In the middle school, teachers and kids are frequently teamed together. One of the times that my team meets every day is the first 15 minutes of the day. Today I walked in a minute or two late because I was rushing around on my last day, I walk in to the class... "Surprise!!!! Good luck!" My teammates had made a banner, 2 cakes (they laughed because they knew I wouldn't eat it, but the kids enjoyed it), and all the kids had previously made Good luck cards for me (with some of the cutest drawings of bicycles! I even saw some M-dots and attempts M-dot logos!) I'll tell you what, the butterflies haven't fluttered anywhere as close to the way they did this morning. It was really something. Teaching has it's down moments, but the up moments completely outweigh the down times.

We leave tomorrow morning. We have a house rented that will be joining two Ironman hopeful families (myself, my husband, and one of my best friends). We have family and friends staying with us, we'll be surrounded by love, and I want to relish EVERY moment of the next few days. I know it's going to go by too fast (except for the miles on the marathon, I'm sure those are going to drag on and on.)

Race day forecast is currently 76 degrees and sunny. Wow. How awesome is that!?

www.ironman.com #2275

It's time. I still feel like I need to pinch myself.
Here's to reaching your dreams!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today's emotion?

And the big announcer's voice comes across and asks, "On the Ironman emotional roller coaster, what is the Turtle feeling today?"

The answer: Excitement!

Today I want the picture of me crossing the finish SO bad! I want this! I want SO bad to return to school in my Ironman finisher t-shirt so that all my students and colleagues see that I did it! I want this!!!!! Today, I can't wait! Barring any major physical problems, I really should be able to do this in the 17 hours or less! I CAN do this!

Iron drama

I feel like a total freak these days with the roller coaster rides of emotions that I'm feeling... But I think it's normal for any first-time Ironman competitor.

Anyways, today's over-thought out emotion is this: my predicted times are such that I could easily end up between 16-17 hours. I've read about people that thought they would finish there, but didn't finish at all. I've been trying so hard to mentally prepare myself to be okay with the journey if I don't finish...

But... There's a certain degree of self-fulfillment that I need to deal with. If I go into this knowing that I'll be okay if I don't finish... Who's to say that I won't quit when my legs are toast and more pain-filled than I ever thought imaginable... at mile 13 of the run? I can't let myself believe that it is okay to quit. I have to know I can do this! I have to believe it! I have to know that I will not quit! Somehow I need to balance the emotions of "It's okay if you don't finish" and "It's NOT okay if you don't finish!"

Stay tuned for more prerace Ironman drama queen action tomorrow!

Numbers

2275

It's just a number, but it's so much more.... It's hours and hours and miles and miles of devotion. It's a number that represents a day that I won't long forget. It's a number that represents how much and how far I can push myself.

Strangers and not strangers

1) I have a class of 6th graders that changes electives every 9 weeks. Yesterday was my first day with them. They are now gone until Monday to attend 6th grade Outdoor Ed. I will see the kids Monday and Tuesday of next week, and then I will be leaving them for a few days to accomplish this crazy dream. I apologized to the kids for leaving them when they get back. (We will have had only had four days together and then they have a sub for a week.) I explained why they'll have a sub, and what it was that I'll be doing and couldn't help but mention how scared I was.

Today, one of those students told me that she talked to her dad last night. He hopes to someday run in the Boston Marathon. He wanted his daughter to tell me that their family believes in me.... I got teary-eyed on the spot.

2) I have family and friends coming to Florida. We gave our parents the plane tickets because it means so much to us that they be there, but they still had to take the time out of their busy schedules. We have other friends that just decided to come and support us. We didn't bribe them or anything. Wow. Ironman was supposed to be a test and proof of what our bodies can do... I had no idea it would offer proof that we are blessed with a great family and some of the best friends in the world.

Colorado weather

Did I mention the beautiful Colorado bike ride I went on two days ago? Yes, I even re-created a couple tan lines that were fading from the summer. One thing you can never trust in Colorado... the weather. It was 79 degrees and sunny yesterday.

The front yard this morning:

And the Backyard...

Florida is gonna be nice!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BOO-YA!!!!

Finally! A 100 deposit into the bank of Ironman!!!!!! Yahoo!

I haven't done 100 yet, several 80 - 85 milers, so I feel like I hit a milestone today. Two out and backs of beautiful remote undeveloped Colorado roads with no stop lights and the type of scenery you'd expect when you think of Colorado. Definitely a ride I will look back and smile about when I think back to the training I did for IM. If you live in Colorado, the stretch of Perry Park Rd. from Sedalia to Palmer Lake makes for an amazing ride.

Thanks to my good friend Scott for doing the first 50 miles of that ride with me. That's especially meaningful if you knew what a speed junkie he is (and you consider what a speed demon I am not!)

Some notes to self - Second loop was only off 6 minutes from the first. Nice job Turtle! I slowed down eleven minutes on the way out, and made up five on the way. I'm pretty happy with that. I need to eat more often than I did. I don't drink coffee or soda for the most part, so I really felt the caffeinated gel kick in half way out on the second loop. Maybe I should keep the caffeinated gels in reserve at the race? 6:50 pedal time, 7:30 actual time. I took three 10 minute plus stops, plus two shorts breaks to take in gels. I need to cut those breaks if I want to do 112 in 8 hours or less--but I really did feel oh so much better when I got off the seat for a little bit. The time cutoffs make me SO nervous. Butt hurt the worst between hours 3 - 4 1/2, then I forgot about it. I did take on 1500 feet in elevation on the two outs, dropped 1500 in elevation on both backs, but that could work out to be the same if I end up with strong winds on the flat course in Florida.

Overall, a great ride. This was the type of ride that I can look back on and know that I enjoyed my training. Now... On to my taper!!!! (Yep, an Ironman taper... That means I only have to run for two hours tomorrow instead of three! Yippee!)

The journey has been awesome

My blog started with an "Oh what the heck, I don't actually think anybody cares, but it'll be fun for me" attitude. And it has fulfilled that.

Random facts about me: 1) I'm extremely shy--IF you don't know me well. 2) If I'm comfortable around you--BEWARE! I'm willing to say just about anything, and I've lost good friends because I say things I'm thinking, but probably shouldn't say out loud. That's a dangerous trait to have in an semi-anonymous forum. Having a blog has been a blessing and a curse. Sometimes I'm an idiot and now total strangers know this... Nice... Then again, I've had people say things that mean the world to me, especially in these last few days before Ironman.

Every day is a complete emotional roller coaster ride right now as we count down the last few days before we leave. My husband and I went to breakfast yesterday with our "Athlete Information Guide." I can't deny that my stomach was completely filled with butterflies while we looked at it. I'm so proud of my husband for doing this (I can't wait to see how he does!) and if I can finish before the time cutoffs, it's gonna be the coolest thing ever! I definitely have moments where I'm proud of all the hard work we've put in the last year. We're gonna be Ironmen! Then there are other moments... The moments where I'm scared to death, wondering how I ever got myself in this boat. I do not fit in the same category as Ironman triathletes. What the heck was I thinking when I signed up for this??????????

A very, very good friend sent me a personal email regarding my "I'm a poser" lament. She reminded me that no matter who you are, you're never good enough. There's always going to be someone better that you could compare yourself with. But just because there is someone better than you, it doesn't make you a failure.

Somehow, somewhere I went from "Anybody that finishes sub 17 is AWESOME!!!" to suddenly wondering, "Even if I do finish at 16:59, do I suck? And what if I don't finish at all?" I'm not sure where all this is coming from, I really don't. I know it's not healthy or positive.

My friend writes in her email to me:
I understand that someone has to cross the finish line first, and some will cross it last or not at all, but if you finish, didn't you all just do the same thing?
I want to retaliate, "Yes, but there are those people..." Here comes idiot girl again! Quit doing that to yourself Turtle!
if this race (and everything leading up to it) is giving you what you hoped to gain from it emotionally, physically, and spiritually, then it will be a success. and what would that have to do with those people who finish in the front with their shorts stinking of pee?
Ha Ha Ha. Oh my gosh, that's awesome! A quote that makes you feel good and laugh at the same time. Am I lucky to have a friend like that or what!? I had some pretty cool comments from other bloggers, too.

I may say some stupid things on my blog, but in the end, it has been an important part of my training. Thanks for reading. Thanks for the support.

If nothing else, my journey to Ironman has been absolutely fulfilling. No matter how it ends, it HAS been a good and memorable year.

The run scares me

The swim: I can do it. Barring shark attacks, jellyfish, high waves, or a really bad current, I know I can do this within the cutoff.

The bike: My arse is gonna hurt like it's never hurt before. As long as I pedal, pedal, continue to pedal, and pedal some more and take limited potty breaks here or there (no wasting time! Can't afford to waste ANY time.) I can do it.

The run: Man oh man, the run is gonna hurt. I did 16 miles today. I did not swim or bike beforehand. My legs really hurt for the last few miles. I wasn't out of breath, my heartrate was in a great spot, my legs and muscles just hurt. That's not necessarily anything living and training at altitude will help with. When I finished, I really could not fathom starting my run on tired legs, and then doing 10 more miles. The run really, really scares me. (The good news is that my legs were just painful the first 20 minutes after I stopped running, and then they felt okay. Recovery is going well.)

pee stories

Hee hee. What the heck. I just did a post on all my deep down inner ugly feelings. Might as well throw this one out there, too.

Do you know what it means for me to be doing the longest swim sets ever as I prepare for an Ironman? It means that I will inevitably have to get out of the pool mid-workout and have to pee! I can't deny that I haven't considered just going in the pool, but I have NOT done it! I swear! I always get out! Yes, I've peed in my wetsuit, mid-race, in the lake, but NEVER ever never in the pool! The lifeguards usually look at me funny when I've just completed 2000 yards and then I get back in to do more, but I want to be an Ironman. That's how I roll. :)

Yesterday I had an enlightening conversation with Bob the friendly teacher moonlighting as a bike mechanic. He was telling me how he HATES working on triathlete's bikes. And he works at a bike shop that has their own tri club! Tough gig for him. He said one bike came in smelling like urine so bad, the shop refused to work on it. Yes, if you didn't know, that's because the person peed on their bike while riding. I haven't been able to do that, but it always sounded like a badge of honor. To hear Bob talk about it (he said they wear gloves anytime they work on a tri bike!) it just sounds GROSS! Ewwww!!!! Suddenly all of those rock star triathletes that I looked up to just aren't as cool as I once thought they were. Maybe it's not so bad being an average Joe wanna-be. Ha!

Am I a poser?

Why am I doing this? You can't sign up for an Ironman, devote a year of your life, and not ask yourself this a million times. We're going on almost three years of not being able to get pregnant, and I think this was an absolute fantastic reason to do something crazy, build our marriage, and give us something else to obsess about. (And it completely fulfilled those things! Our marriage is the strongest it has ever been.) Only, I wasn't supposed to be doing this race. I thought for sure that if I signed up, got my heart set on it, I would get pregnant and not be able to compete. We figured either way it would be a win-win for us. We SIGNED UP for good reasons.

But the day is almost here. I'm not pregnant, and Ironman is now less than three weeks away. I have a 3.5 hour jog tomorrow, and then the taper begins. I need to have good reasons to FINISH this race. When I don't want to do lap 2 of the swim, and my butt is hurting on the bike, and my legs just don't want to move another inch and it's only mile 8, let alone what they'll feel like at mile 20, I need to have good reasons for finishing.

I found a quote in an article about the Chicago Marathon that gave me a little punch in the gut--it rang true with me, and in the grand scheme of all that is right in the world, I can't tell if it's a good thing, or a bad thing.

(Off-topic sidenote story: I finally got to speak with a friend that was AT the Chicago Marathon last week. She said it WAS bad. And she wouldn't point the finger at one thing in general. She said the heat was brutal. She said the people struggling, in her opinion, were mostly first-timers. The race ran low on water and they just didn't have the services to help all the people that needed help. She said it was mostly just a scary, eery feeling hearing ambulances non-stop the last few miles. She felt the directors made a good decision when they called it.) Anyways, back to the article. The gist of the article was that 45,000 people is too many people to be able to run a quality race. But... 45,000 people sure can bring in a lot of tourist dollars. Lots of interesting conversations you could have on the subject, but here is the quote that punches me in the gut for some strange reason:

"Today, the marathon has become the everyday man's or woman's Mount Everest," said Richard Finn, the spokesman for the New York Road Runners, which organizes the New York City Marathon. "It's a physical challenge, it's something you can be proud of - beat your chest about later."

Bottom line, at this point in the game, that's exactly where I fit in. This race is now a Mt. Everest for me. When it comes right down to it, I won't know until the I near the finish line if I'm gonna cross the finish line or not. If I do cross the finish line, I'm gonna be VERY proud of myself. I will want to beat my chest over it, forever!

Here's what I'm dealing with today. I'm questioning whether or not I'm a poser in this game. Sharon said that many of the people struggling at the Chicago Marathon were first timers. I'll be THAT person at Ironman. Gosh I sure hope I don't put anybody or anything into jeopardy because I'm slow and sometimes a wuss. I've read blogs where people say, "You have to LOVE triathlon if you want to do an Ironman." Do I LOVE it? Sometimes. Do I eat, breath, sleep it? No. (Although if you looked at my non-existent social life and dirty house, you'd think I did.)

The weather today was cold and gray. Not typical Colorado weather. I HAD to go for a long bike ride. I saw several other cyclists and I just looked at them wondering, "I HAVE to do this. Why the heck are you out here on this cold and dreary day?" I uttered and I really do mean it, "Next year, when I don't want to ride my bike on a cold and yucky mid-October day, I'm not going to!!!"

Now what kind of piss poor attitude is that for a wanna-be Ironman? The other cyclists that I saw today probably LOVE cycling. I can't wait for the day that I don't have to ride my bike? Huh?

Why do I want to complete my own personal Mt. Everest? Why do we humans do this? (Okay some humans, not all--I have relatives and coworkers that don't see the point.) I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I've already been thinking, "What can I do next?" Ironman isn't a lifestyle for me. It has some great perks, but it's not always a "fun" lifestyle. It's an Everest. Does that make me a poser? What exactly does it mean to be an Ironman?

I don't know. I guess in the grand scheme of things it doesn't change the fact that I hope to put it all out there and know that no matter how it ends, I gave it everything I had. (And then hopefully beat my chest!!!!!!!) So many questions, so many self-doubts.

Don't even get me started on all the "Did I really do all that I could do to prepare for this?" questions that I'm asking myself right now.

Clean hands

I think I have the cleanest hands ever. With the race becoming closer by the second, and me working with all matter of germs that can be associated with 12-14 yr. olds... Yep, I'm washing my hands ALL the time. Please don't let me get sick now!

Ironman prep

Hey blogland! Thanks for all the good vibes last week. My teacher mechanic friend was able to get the parts to fix my bike. Yeah! Panic attack thwarted! And let me tell you, it rode SOOO nice after the tune-up and new parts.

I was able to get the six hour bike ride in this past weekend. :) I had a little dilemma though. Saturday was accurately forecasted with 25-35 mph winds, with occasional 40 mph gusts, but nice warm 70-80 degree temps. Sunday the weather had a high of 48 and rain forecasted. Hmmm... Which day for the bike? Which day for the run? I chose windy ride, and cold run (which turned out to be a PERFECT day for a run! I think it had to be low 50's and sunny. Absolutely perfect running weather.)

So... I'm getting a pretty good mental game together for my big race. Things I've learned in my training:

- I've been practicing my nutrition all summer. It's not perfect, but I think I've finally got it nailed down. For the bike: Clif bars, Clif Bloks, and Powerbar brand gels (Powerbar has extra electrolytes.) Every 45 minutes, not every hour (that wasn't enough this past weekend.) Although I've been told nothing solid the last two hours of the bike. My coach would rather I didn't do solid foods at all, but I found I really do crave it on the bike. I'll stick with just gels on the run. Boy, I'm not looking forward to that...
- Someone suggested, and I want to follow, that I put Vaseline on my lips before the salt water swim. I definitely noticed some funkiness while goofing off in the ocean in California. Will do it!
- I found a bike jersey on clearance at Performance a couple weeks ago. I really like it. It's red and that's my favorite color. I thought that it would be perfect for photos. Unfortunately I learned this past weekend, the pockets are smaller than standard jersey pockets. Hard to hold food, extra tube, etc. for six plus hours of riding. Another lesson learned!
- I want to take two tubes and two CO2 cartridges. Possibly throw more in my special needs bag.
- I think I want to put some eye drops in my T2 bag. After a long bike, my contact lenses get dry. Chapstik, too.
- Maybe I do need to get off the bike after a couple hours, just for a minute or two, to get some blood flowing in my booty. Helped on my long rides the last two weekends. I think the pro's outweigh the con's. I'll be playing this one by ear on race day.
- Goggle dilemma, I'm thinking comfort over peripheral vision. Small competitive style goggles.
- By swimming in hot sulphur mineral springs, I think I've got over the mental block of the yucky salt water taste in my mouth.
- I've trained in all types of conditions: rain, wind, heat, before the sunrise, middle of the day, in the dark. (I'm lacking cold weather training, but the next couple of weeks seem to have that base covered--could also use some training in humidity.) Oh yeah, I've trained at altitude, so that should help.
- I got another flat tire this past weekend. I insisted on changing it myself. Rear wheel, too! My poor husband watched on while people rode by and looked at him with an eye of disgust as he made his wife change her own flat. He's such a sweetie! I feel like I could do it no problem if I had to.
- We have lodging, airfare, rental car, bike transport...

I'm at the do or die stage in my training. I have two weeks left of heavy stuff. I can't believe it. Do I feel ready? Absolutely not. Would I feel ready if I were faster? Maybe. Those time cut-offs scare me a ton. Obviously I've not done the entire distance... But soon I have to show up. I have to know that I've done everything I could do physically and mentally. The real question is whether or not my legs can do what I need them to do. My brain has done everything it can do. I'm just wondering about this body of mine. It's kind of a scary funny peaceful feeling when you hit this point.

I still have a 3.5 hour run and another six hour bike to go... So I'm not at that point JUST yet, but almost...

25 days, 9 hours, 19 minutes. When will you ever have an event in your life where 25 days seems SO close? (Let me answer that one... It's gotta be childbirth... But I don't know what else might fall in the same category.)

Mean people suck

And today, I'M going to be the mean person... Yes, today it's ME. I have a blog, and it's semi-anonymous, so I'm just going to rant, get it all out there, and be a mean person.

I'm in the teacher's lounge today, and someone decides to talk over the entire 20 foot table to tell me that their brother finished the Chicago marathon this weekend. "Hey, that's awesome, good for him." It actually made me feel good that this person bypassed and decided to talk over 15 people to share this news with ME. Pretty cool.

Apparently, being the mean and cocky triathlete that I am, I wasn't as enthusiastic and impressed as I was supposed to be.

Others joined in to tell me, "But did you hear about it? OMG!"

I just casually acknowledged that yes, I had heard it was 88 degrees and they were afraid that they would run out of ambulances so they called the race off. I think Susie really just wanted to brag that her brother was FAST enough that he missed all the late in the race drama. I'm kind of ticked that they didn't say congrats in his regards, instead they tuned in on the fact that I "wasn't getting it".

The others, not Susie, continued to tell me all about the heat that those people endured. I tried to be nice. (I'm from Michigan, I DO get humidity. I do!) so I commented, "Yeah, I'm sure it must have been the humidity, but I did a half-ironman this past summer in 98 degree heat."

That my friends, did not go over well...

"Yeah, but you didn't have humidity! And they had to take people to the hospital! Somebody died!"

I quickly took my place and shut up, because I was going to get no kudos for my endeavors. These people really do not understand what I do. But I'm home tonight and just slightly upset about the run of that conversation. I looked up the stats. 45,000 people signed up to do the Chicago Marathon. Okay, apparently, only 35,000 showed up. Another 10,000 never finished (in part because they closed the course mid-race.) 250 people needed medical attention. One person died.

So, the one person died of heart problems, not heat. And... if you do the math, 250 people out of 35,000 that started the race--that's less that one percent. While I can't say with complete certainty, I'm pretty confident that at least one percent (probably more!) of the people in my upcoming Ironman will need medical assistance. Heck, I might even be one of them. Have I ever done a triathlon where someone died? YES I have! (Boulder Peak 05') Again, not because of the triathlon, but because of other health problems.

Now, I will give Barry Siff many props for running a fantastic half ironman race in the heat last August, and if there hadn't have been enough water, or Gatorade, or ice for that matter, there would have been more problems. (apparently there wasn't enough water and Gatorade in Chicago.) We're also starting to acclimate to colder temps, so 88 seems a whole lot hotter than it did last summer. But C'MON! Don't blow the triathlete off. Give triathletes SOME credit. Grrr........

30 days out

Shout out to my friend Scott who shares the best kind of "live vicariously through the single guy" stories with me--but doesn't want to be named on my blog. Ha! You made it anyways! I love you man! He did a century ride recently and definitely gave me (and surely every other triathlete out there) props for sitting on that bike seat and then trying to run afterwards.

I'm working hard this week. Thirty days to go. Ai yi yi. I had to do a 3200 (8x400 with :30 rest breaks) in the pool tonight, took me approx. an hour and 20 minutes. That was pretty good for me. If nothing else, I've made some nice gains in my swimming this past year.

I needed to get a tune up on my bike before the big race. I'm so proud of myself. In true Ironman style, I got up at 4:45 a.m. yesterday morning so I could fit the hour bike and 45 minute run in before I gave up my bike for a few days. The great part was that I don't think I was fully awake until the last 20 minutes of the run, so believe it or not, it went by pretty fast. I don't plan to make it a habit, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it was gonna be.

Triathlete joke:

Q: How can you pick out a triathlete?

A: They are the ones that get up at 4 a.m. but don't get to work until 9!

I gave my bike to one of the teachers I work with that also moonlights at one of the local bike shops. It was great because he knows I'm on a tight schedule and he promised to keep my bike for only a day or two so I could get it back to train. Unfortunately, he came to school today and told me that a piece of my rear derailer is messed up (the hanger is stripped?) He's going in tonight to see if they have one in stock, but there's a chance he might need to order it. It could take one to two weeks to come in... Send me good vibes and well wishes that they have one in the shop. I'm supposed to do a six hour ride this weekend. I can ride my mountain bike for the shorter rides, but I'm not doing six hours on my mountain bike. Warning to all my roadie friends: I might be looking for a bike to borrow this weekend...

Lots O' Stuff

I'm panicking because I worry that I'm not doing enough. Blogs are so awesome. Someone reminded me to trust my training and not try to overdue it. Point taken. Talked to my coach tonight to express those concerns, and he validated the need to workout midweek, but with monster weekend workouts, I don't need to kill myself midweek. Apparently I'm on the right track.

Unfortunately I didn't get the full monster bike in this past weekend. My lovely husband had the last minute idea to go up to Glenwood Springs for the weekend. (If you're not from Colorado and ever come out to visit, it's a beautiful area, with a 14 mile canyon with bike trail through it, and the world's largest hot springs. You gotta go there!) Anyways, Glenwood was awesome. It was windy and rainy Saturday and we didn't embark on our run until later in the evening, so both my husband and I had the privilege of running in some rough conditions, but that was cool. We're training for an Ironman, and every workout like that gets put in the bank of non-easy Ironman workouts, and those are the kind that help out my confidence issues. I did 10 miles in just over 2 hours. Pretty typical for me, but it was cool because somehow I found myself at 7 miles without even realizing it. At that point, three miles? Pfffp. Cake.

Unfortunately, the five hour bike ride the following day didn't go so well. Both my husband AND I, in our haste to leave town, packed everything except our bike shoes. I still managed 51 miles in tennis shoes on SPD pedals. Not the most comfortable, and anymore might have caused some injuries, but it was a beautiful ride despite the uncomfortableness.

We followed all that up with a 1000 meters in the hot springs--and that water tastes nasty!!! More good Ironman training for when I try to swim in the yucky tasting salt water!

Did I mention how wonderful my husband is? I have a later post completely being written in my head right now about how wonderful it has been to train with my husband. We don't really train together, but we always come back together after our training. It's been one of the best things ever for our marriage.

And last but not least, I mentioned in my last post that I see this guy training rain or shine every morning on my way to work. I'm dying to know what he's training for. Last week, the local newspaper highlighted a guy that has been trying to get in the lottery for the Kona Ironman for 15 years. He finally made it in! And I looked at him the other morning, and then looked at the article... And I'm not positive, but I think it's that guy. Go figure... I'm dying to know what he's training for... And it turns out he's training for Kona. Very cool.

Have a great week! Living the dream. :)