“Meep,
Meep, Meep!” That’s what my bike is probably saying as he is making his
journey to Tempe, AZ. Why do I mention my bike? Well, my bike’s name is
Beeker (yes, after the Muppets) and this is his final journey at the
Ironman distance. Beeker and I have had a love/hate relationship for the
past 5 years. Beeker is too small for me (didn’t know that when I
purchased him) but he is the little bike that could. He’s not the
fanciest or the latest bike (oh, we get bike envious), he gets me from
point A to point B. He’s taken a beating and keeps on kicking but this
is his last journey with me. He will hopefully have a new home with
another triathlete sometime in early 2015.
Most
of you know that I don’t like the bike portion of any triathlon. If it
could be shorter and both the swim/run much longer, I would be a happy,
happy girl. But, that is not to be. So, one week from today, I will be
on the race course of Ironman Arizona. It’s been a journey, too say the
least. I’ve put in all of the work and now it’s show time. I’m going to
let my work speak for itself. All of my frustrations/angst/etc. that I
have been dealing with, I’m just going to leave it out on that course
one last time because this is my last year at Ironman Arizona because in
2015, this girl is going to Ironman Cozumel (any takers?? Bueller? Bueller?) and I may even take a
vacation (oh my!).
So,
if you want to track me next week, I am athlete number 1385. If you are
racing down there or spectating, I’m easy to find (look for the ‘fro). I
have a finish time in my head that I’m not telling anyone but just rest
assured that I will be over 12 hours and under 16. My luggage is packed
and now I am soo ready to get to Arizona for the simple fact that it is
going to be like 23° on Thursday.
Again,
I just want to say thank you to EVERYONE who has in some way helped me
on this journey. But I will also like to say that I am so humbled for inspiring so many people to the wonderful world of Endurance Sports and making a positive difference in their lives.
And yes, I will be back in Chicago on Monday, November
16th in the evening and back at work on Tuesday. Don’t judge if I am
taking the elevator eating Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey Ice Cream for
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Until Saturday for my final post before race day...Peace! Love! and Afros!!!!
Good luck, Joy! It's been awesome to watch your journey these last few months! So proud of you!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the support!!
ReplyDelete