SURPRISE!


(Driving "down" to Sand Hollow - same road we'll bike back up tomorrow and Jack getting ready to go stage gear)

Another day of Ironman bliss...get up, get 5 gear bags ready with what you THINK you will need in 24-36 hours from now. Get your gear ready for what you KNOW you'll need to get through today, bundle it all up in armfuls along with purse, lunch, bike and snacks to get 3 floors down to car. That was a workout in itself...

We went to T1 to Sand Hollow Reservoir...wow! What an amazing drive - downhill. (hmm, means we're biking out of that hole which the locals call Hurricane Alley...because of the winds ;-) I rode 30 minutes, ran 15 then staged my bike and T1 bag (the bag I'll take with me to the changing tent after helpers tug my snug wetsuit off my wet body ;-) After staging gear I went for "the first plunge." Can I first tell you that I got on my knees this morning and prayed that I'd be blanketed in warmth and not feel the cold? God showed up - and kept me warm. Not even a chill. The white caps and foggy goggles were a bit concerning, but to not be cold?!?! WOW! Yea, God (as my dear friend Will would say)!

I went straight from the reservoir to the back seat of the car, closed the doors, turned on the heater and we headed to town (22 miles away) to T2 to drop that transition bag. I changed enroute and we arrived downtown in no time. We trapsed around the finish line area, got a feel of where to find Steve after the event (either the Medical Tent or the Food Trough ;-) and then dropped the next round of gear. Starving, we found a sweet little cafe right off Main Street and had our first meal out since we got here.

As we were leaving Steve insisted on a few more pictures at the finish line, which I was balking at - a bit wind and water beaten by then and ready to get my feet up. But hey, he came all this way with me, I certainly couldn't think it was ALL about me?? So walking up to the finish line chute for one more picture I see 4 girls running toward me - and they kind of looked familiar. But they weren't really touching the ground while running, but bounding, cloud-like across to the chute where I stood. Really? It was surreal - like I was in heaven or something. Was it D, Julz, Kristen and Nan running towards me?? I fell to my knees and cried. Yes, four dear friends (3 with young kiddos, one who is currently healing from a double mastectomy and all with very full lives) had dropped their lives for 3 days to voyage to Las Vegas to drive to St George to be with me to finish this journey. I was and still am humbled.

Life is so not just about us. It's so much bigger than the place we feel like we occupy. The lives that we touch - and more importantly the lives that touch us, create such a bond and synchronicity in this world. I've learned so much through this journey. I've felt such love during this journey. My tendencies in life are to bear my own challenges and move through them alone - but that's not how life should roll. It's about the community we share this journey of life with and I'm so thankful to share it with so many wonderful people.

Gotta finish dinner now and take a warm shower and tuck in. Getting up at 3:30am. Tomorrow's a big day - I've got an elephant to eat. But you know what? I'm going to have lots of help.

Thank You! I Love Y'all!
xo

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