9 days

9 Days left until I am an Ironman. After 10 long months of training I will get to see that finish line. Gary sent me something yesterday that really hit home. It was a race report he read on xtri.com and this paragraph was in it:

There is a feeling. Ironman takes so much preparation. Months of building distance. Months of following that cursed little black line. Months of injury and recovery. Months of alternately dreading and yearning for race day. Weeks of taper. Days of rising anticipation. Days of organizing. Hours of waiting. Hours of swimming. Hours of biking. Hours of running. The finish line comes and goes in a blink, but there is a feeling. All that pressure. All that effort. All that uncertainty. Then there is an instant. The release of it all in that instant is almost unbearable. The afterglow goes on and on and on.

Right now I can only imagine what that feeling is like. I want to know, I want to experience that feeling. That is why we do this. To feel alive.

Speaking of which, our friend Patrick, the fellow that was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma in December of last year will be doing Lake Placid with us. His doctor / oncologist have given him the green light. His treatments were successful, he is almost back to normal. For him, I think this race will be the icing on the cake. It is a testimony to his emotional strength and positive attitude. I marvel at what he has been through and what he has accomplished. All through his treatment, he kept training. I was amazed. I am still in awe. I think had it been me, I probably would have had a complete meltdown and worried myself to an early grave. I'm happy he & his girlfriend Monique will be there. I'm sure there will be much to celebrate after the race! It will be nice to see one more familiar face out on the course (even if it's his back, which it will be cause he's so bloody fast).

I can finally say I'm looking forward to the race. The anxiety has gone--I'm just tired of waiting. I want to git out there and git 'er done.

Hopefully I'll have time for one last post before I go.......

Cheerio all!

8)