(Forgive my spelling errors as I'm blogging from iPhone in my hotel room)
It's been a interesting ride to say the very least to this day today. I'm laying in my hotel bed at the Sutton Place in downtown Edmonton, Alberta. It took me just about 14 hours to drive here over 2 days, (yes I could have flown but I have a ton of gear & actually enjoy long drives alone to clear my head.... Maybe not quite THIS long next time though lol).
Steve had a busy week so he'll be flying in tomorrow night, him & I will take a couple days together after the event to drive home. My dad will also be here (filling in as my handler), along with Dave (my prosthetist), and a few of my uncles and aunts who live in Alberta. I'm so thankful they're here to support me :)
As I lay in bed I can't help but think a billion and one thoughts. Some positive, some negative, some realistic, ALL full of emotion. My eyes are welling up with tears just writing this... Fuck I'll call it what it is, I'm just plain old bawling my eyes out. I'm not sad, but I'm a lot of other things.... excited, nervous, grateful... I'm having trouble finding the words to explain it.
A year ago I got this crazy idea (really kind of out of no where) that doing a triathlon would be fun. Swim, bike, run. At that point I hadn't reeeeeally done any of the 3 disciplines since I lost my leg in 2004. I just knew I missed sport & competition and knew I was up for a challenge. I had attained a grant (from CAF) & sponsorship (from Barber Prosthetics) & had a basic running prosthesis (thanks to Dave & his tech Darryl who have put in SO much time building it for me & then went on to completely re build it & also build me custom cycling leg & a gym leg, needless to say I'm incredibly grateful). Had no bike (& hadn't ridden a bike in over 7 years). Hadn't swam (other than when we were boating) in probably closer to 10 years. My athletic foundation was there but it was old & possibly had a few cracks... Not to mention doing all of the above missing one leg was going to make it all a little "different" than before anyways. Regardless, in my mind & in my heart I was already committed, so I set out to find someone who knew triathlon & could maybe help me. Happenstance or what have you, I found that person in my coach Meyrick Jones (I'm sure if you've read my blog before you've heard me babbling about him before). The guy has taught me to utilize my running leg, taught me how to ride a bike & got me back into the water as a competent & confident swimmer. No big deal right? ;) I've trained countless hours with him & on my own. Let me just emphasize that a really good coach isn't just going to shape you up physically, he's got to keep your head in the game, so to speak, too.
So here I am waiting for my big race in just 2 sleeps. Although I have a billion thoughts running through my head & some are doubt related, I've been trained well enough to know that I'm as ready as I can be for this. Of course, more time on the new running leg would have been ideal (it's only been 2 weeks) & possibly more time swimming in open water (I mainly train in the pool & this race is in a lake), I've also been dealingwith some un-sports-related fatigue that has changed the intensity of my training as well but mostly it's all mental. I know I am capable of doing ALL 3 disciplines. I know because I trained for it. Every bruise, blister, tear, sweat & drop of blood is proof of that. When I get out there on Saturday & it's go time, the only thoughts I'm going to let myself think are I CAN & I WILL. I have the skills & a plan to finish this race better than I finished my last. Whatever doubt I have is getting a swift kick right the fuck out! There is no room for it. So with that, I'm signing off, excited & hopeful for a great race & a new PR :)
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