Cindy Present | Get Out Girl

Over and done. And kind of like childbirth, I'm not ready to have another any time soon :-) But mission IMTx accomplished, kind of. The swim was a "train wreck". It took me 15-20 minutes longer than it should have (1:27). The lake (which felt like a pool with its concrete sides around the entire thing) was so narrow that I swam armpit to armpit with guys the entire time - and didn't get anywhere. It was like swimming 2700 abreast down a pool then making an arching turn and heading back and then all funneling into a canal 1/8 the width of the lake. Nice. Kicked. Swam on top of. Goggles knocked off twice. Treading water too many times because there was no where to swim. But everyone's times were "off" unless you were a pro or a sprinter in the lead of the pack. Swimming in the canal was kind of cool though (unless you were one of the many folks walking it and getting goosed from behind by those of us swimming because the water was so murky you couldn't...

...now its time to kick back and wait. Steve and I got to The Woodlands yesterday afternoon and went straight to Expo. The check in line was HUGE, which I had guessed it would be since it was the last day of check-in and most "Texans" would enjoy the fact that it was a "back yard" event and didn't need to get there on Wednesday. After waiting in line we strolled through expo and then headed to the hotel to unpack and unwind. We opted out on the "mandatory" athlete's meeting and went to have dinner with friends who live down here. Pei Wei filled us up, and as it always does, brings back memories of a dear friend. After a "disrupted" night's sleep (because the A/C was on "auto" and not "on" it shook the walls every time it came "on" - an ongoing battle for Steve and I when we travel ;-) we woke up early and headed downstairs to breakfast and then over to the organized swim practice. The lake was picturesque...

Just did a 500ish swim practice on course. Water temp is awesome! Its NOT Lake Austin temp and its NOT St George (but its not nearly as clear either! Couldn't even see my arm in front of me underwater!) Great little warm up run and now off to ride and pack up the bags!

25 packs of gel, one powerbar, 3 scoops of carbo pro and 5 endurolytes = 3590 engineered calories and 5200mg sodium. Now you know why I was at PTerry's two days ago! Gag!

Beautiful southeast Texas roads...last quarter of bike route....and rolling hills!

All packed up and headed out! One bag for clothes, two for food and four for gear! Yahoo!

Better than gels!

It could be your first of anything. First love. First "real" job. First bike ride. First race. First triathlon. First Ironman. Fun. Free spirited. No preconceived notions. No fear of failure. Light-hearted. Happy. No baggage. Positive expectations. Proceeding in the moment. So how do you keep life's experiences feeling like "the first"? As we drive to The Woodlands I've got some quiet time to reflect on the "free spirited" experience of "the first"How do you make "the second" as fun and fresh as the first? I think it boils down to expectations. With "the first" (of anything) our expectations are much more limited. We've never experienced "it" (whatever that is for each of us) before. So there's not as much pressure, but more of a "get what you get" attitude. I think the sensory system is much more engaged to take it all in, see it, feel it, taste it, smell it. Kind of like our kids do on a d...

A few months ago I was riding my bike just after dawn and I saw a bird in the road that had recently been hit. Right before I got to it, another bird swooped down and was pulling at its wing like it was trying to move it off the road. The other bird was lifeless and couldn't help, but the living bird was determined and got it to the curb. I was amazed at what I saw...but kept riding. Wednesday I was driving on one of my favorite roads around Lake Travis when ahead of me I saw a crumbled little mass of feathers lying in the road. Beside it was a frantic bird, pulling, tugging, jumping, trying frantically to get the other bird to get up, move....to do something. This time it broke my heart. I thought the first time I saw a bird do this it was a fluke. But seeing it the second time knotted my throat, clouded my eyes and quite honestly, took my breath away. I had to make a conscious effort to pull it together before I arrived at my destination. It made me realize that "even the bi...

If I could get 'er done tomorrow, I would. Four and a half months of specific training and I'd say I'm ready...to get 'er done. Could I be better prepared? Hmmm...I don't think so. For the time I was willing and able to put towards it, the boundaries I was not willing to cross, the things I was not willing to miss, the life I still wanted to lead....Nope. I gave it what I was willing to give it. I didn't get a divorce, my kids still call me "Mom", my mom, husband and friends are still speaking to me, I never dropped the ball and had any big tragic scheduling flaw during it all, and Steve and I still laugh about the "I am an Ironman" cartoon. So I can safely say that we've all survived the training - now I just need to survive the event. A friend asked me what my goal was for this IM. I really had to think about that - with my heart AND mind. What is doing well at Ironman - for me? We all want to do our best - especially when you've tr...