Participating in the athlete's panel was an amazing experience! I was sitting on the panel with a 7 time Ironman and a man who would become the first man to finish an Ironman while going through radiation! David introduced us and asked if he could tell the story about IMKS, which of course I agreed. David spoke about my determination to finish but the thing he remembers most (reminding us that he's done 29 races this year times thousands of athletes) is I immediately said thank you as I crossed the finish area. He said that he's been following me all year and has never been so excited for an athlete to come back.
I got to share about Back on My Feet and announce that we had raised more than $16,000 for those in need in our program in Indianapolis. It was great exposure for the organization, awareness about homelessness and an experience I will never forget.
I have to say there's something incredible about being able to walk into an event with 2,800 other athletes and be known. David and Glenn had big hugs for me Friday and Saturday. On Saturday Glenn told me about how they all read my blog and talk about my progress when they see each other at races. They all were so excited for me and I had no idea that my journey would leave such a mark on these guys who see thousands of athletes a week!
However, this entire bike situation had me in meltdown by Friday evening. I had picked my bike up from a crowded bike shop and my bad for not riding it near there. Turns out my back break wasn't working and my cateye was no longer synced and the display was flickering. They were supposed to put new batteries in and do a race tune-up.
I discovered this as I was riding around Fountain Hills. I tried to adjust the brake myself but I think at this point I was beyond frazzled. So I took it to a local bike shop near my parents. Long story short I ended up feeling like a ditzy girl at the mercy of the mechanic that tries to sell her too much and tell her shit that she doesn't understand. Get better acquainted with bike maintenance when I get home, check.
I headed to the athlete's dinner and had the rest of my meltdown. God bless Brian for allowing me to have it. He just let me be, knowing that I had to find my own way out of it. I bawled my eyes out until my head hurt and talked to a few people. I was glad to see Kelly, Ryan and Sass at the athlete's dinner. It was okay, nothing over the top inspiring like I thought it was going to be, but I'm glad I went.
Brian and I got Señor Tacos (best burritos on the planet) and went home. Then there was a knock at the door. I told Brian to be careful answering it because who the fuck would be knocking at the door in the middle of the desert at 8pm? In through the door comes the other half of the golden girls, Jen and Stephanie. They had done a great job convincing me they would be cheering from a far, knowing damn well since August they'd be there in person! What a great surprise :-)
Saturday morning I woke up feeling like a rainbow after the storm. I was excited for the practice swim, bike and run and to check my stuff in. The practice swim went well, the water temp was 63.5 degrees and the practice swim went well. It was just like swimming in nasty Geist over the summer. We got to see John and Mark and get some good swim pictures, as good as they get in a wetsuit. I got in a quick bike, the ride with Sassroo felt fine and jogged for a few minutes and then dropped everything off in transition. It's a nice feeling knowing all you need to bring the morning of is yourself, some nutrition for the bike and your smile.
I got to see Andrea, Heather, Brenda, Monika and Robert (aka Sarg) at lunch on Saturday. So great to see everyone and feel the love and support.
I took the afternoon to rest and then everyone came over for a dinner party. It was nice to see all my friends in one place. The support system I have is unbelievable and I'm so incredibly blessed. It was great to see everyone in my life from all walks of life get along and chat with each other. Chrisann came out and told us all about her Kona experience which was really fun to hear after just watching the Kona coverage.
I said to Andrea and Stephanie, that who would have thunk it? That we'd all be here for me to go do an IRONMAN three and a half years after we ran my first 13.1 together. What a journey, so blessed to still call these girls my best friends.
We left for Tempe and got to the hotel so I could start winding down. It was hard to get myself to go to sleep. I wasn't nervous at all, which almost had me nervous. I wasn't overly excited. I was calm. I finally got my race numbers on and crawled into bed. We were all awoken by a god awful screech that was an amber alert. Scared the living shit out of me and woke me out of a dead sleep. All said and done I probably got about 6 hours sleep, pretty good the night before a race.
There's something indescribable about the energy in transition the morning of a race. I was feeling good as I had finally prepared 100% for everything for the race; about damn time. I got there in plenty of time, strolled into transition, found that my back tire was deflated (my valve was open, for christ sake). I borrowed Marcy's pump and it was hissing which caused me to panic that I had a pinch flat or something. I borrowed another one and it pumped up fine. I gave Sassyroo a kiss for good luck and exited transition to find Kelly and our friends and family. Got the wetsuit on and was lubing up my neck, getting ready to head off for the longest day of my life.
As I was zipping up my wetsuit a woman walking by asked if I was Chrissy. I said yes and she explained that she had found my blog by googling "arizona and wetsuit" and has been following along and was a self-proclaimed stalker. She said she was going to register if I finished. She wasn't the first stranger that weekend to introduce herself/himself and tell me they've been following along.
I hugged my friends and family and wiped away a few tears after I saw Kelly and Sass with tears. Kelly and I made our way to transition to start getting in the swim line. I have to say I was so relieved that I wasn't one of the frantic athletes running around. Many without wetsuits on, some inflating their tires last minute. I looked around and the number of green caps (male) to pink caps (female) was easily 3:1. The pro cannon went off and I got the chills. I knew we had entered a point of no return. Kelly and I hugged each other and wished each other luck and parted ways. The day had started and we were on our way.
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