It’s happening. It’s really, really happening this time.
We are wheels down in Kona. All the bags are here.
Saturday was about getting in and getting the handcycle and race chair put together and making sure everything was intact. My battery-powered tire pump bricked on the second of 6 tires needing air. But nothing a quick trip to Lowe’s couldn’t remedy.
Today, Sunday, was an early morning swim for Erika; a nice post swim actual ‘breakfast with Bob’ and Heidi Babbitt, Aussie Paralympic silver medalist Lauren Parker and her Mum and her coach; then back to our place for lunch with family and pumping up tires.
It’s warm. It’s humid. I vascilate between excitement, zen, being present, and all all out imposter syndrome anxiousness .. on a moment to moment basis.
One of the IRONMAN staff said, ”If I wasn’t going through these waves, it would mean I’m a sociopath.”
He’s got a point. This is a big deal and that rollercoaster is only human. … I once heard a great TEDx talk about surrender …
But I’m ready. I have faith in my training. I’ve had the benefit of an additional year of training because of last year’s race postponement. For those who know, my VO2 max is double what it was when we started measuring 4 years ago. So at age 45, I’m the most fit I have ever been.
For those who’ve been asking, here’s how to track me:
(There are text links throughout this info to go direct to the spots)
105 is my bib number.
There is an IRONMAN app where you can track my progress.
The race is this Thursday.
I’m scheduled to start at 6:27am local time / 9:27am Pacific
There is Facebook / YouTube coverage of the women pros that day and we start right after they do. So there’s a small chance you might catch us in the coverage.
After the pro race, the coverage turns into a single stream of the finish line. My goal is to finish between 8pm and 9pm local time … so you might catch my 15 seconds of fame there.
Of course you can find my updates on Facebook and Instagram. I think you might be able to view my posts on Instagram even if you don’t have an account.
On Tues at 8:15am local time / 11:15am Pacific, I’m going to be interviewed again on Breakfast with Bob, live on YouTube. Bob Babbitt is the hall of fame ambassador for the sport of triathlon. He interviews all the professional condenders leading up to the race .. and me!
Wear your #teambalucas shirt this week? 🙏🏽
Here’s also something I would love: do you have your #teambalucas shirt from 2016? Would you post a picture of it this week? I would love to continue to make the statement “You Create Your LIfe” this week as I hit the climax of this story.
For those who got #teambalucas wine, it is in production! The bottles are being labeled this week. I am excited to be sending this to you. It’s legitimately amazing Cab too. If you know the Housley’s, you know how special and amazing they are. I’m incredibly grateful for their support and friendship.
Thank you to everyone who contributed. It takes a lot of resources to pursue this goal. I don’t like asking. But not coming out the other side in debt takes a big piece of the stress out of the equation. For that I am VERY, VERY grateful.
More to come … stay tuned …