It's Time to Start...

The title to my first blog post seems appropriate for this moment...

It's time to start.

It's the night before the race. I am full off my pre-race dinner. My family is all off having dinner somewhere else giving me some wonderful alone time and letting them deal with possible food complications I do not have to when I cook for myself. It just so happens that there is a Rocky marathon on TV so I am dining with the Italian Stallion for dinner and loving it.

The gear is checked in. All my gear bags are packed. My piles of "I need this for the swim", "I need this in the morning", "I need this after the race" are getting more consolidated. I am ready. It's time to start.

I am feeling great right now and am so excited for tomorrow and all the unknowns that will come my way. It is going to be a long day but one I will never forget and one that I want to soak in and savor every chance I can. There is nothing more I can do but enjoy myself. I have to be smart but the biggest thing I want to do is have fun.

Tomorrow's goals..... finish the race, smile a lot, thank as many of the 4,000 volunteers as I can, smile every time it gets hard, sing every pump up song on my triathlon playlist when I feel tired, and finish strong with a big smile for my finish line photo! If I can do that, the day will be a success. I am in control of all of those things, besides the finish of course, but i have done my preparation. I am ready. So, I am in control of my success.

A quote found by the captain of Team Ironathan, my lovely wife...

"Few things are impossible to diligence and skill. Great works are performed not by strength, but perseverance." Samuel Johnson (1709 - 1784)

It's time to start...

Follow along if you want on http://www.ironman.com and search under bib number 377