Bring back the feeling

I have been working on a project and was looking for some high resolution pictures of myself participating in sports. All my pictures were taken with a cell phone and are not high resolution. I remembered that our friend Doug's sister, Iwa, took a ton of pictures of us at Ironman Canada. I knew she would have at least one good shot. I emailed her and she sent over some pictures.

I had only seen one of these before and wasn't prepared for the feelings that would overwhelm me when I opened these up. It took me right back to the moments they were taken. What a gift.

This was the day before, at the expo. I was totally freaking out, wondering what the hell I was doing. The lake was totally choppy and I was scared to death about the swim. I was smiling here, but inside I was totally sick.
The day of the race, I finished the swim, got changed and got onto my bike. Starting the bike ride is always a very emotional time for me, no matter what distance triathlon we are doing. I always feel like the hardest part is over and I am usually overwhelmed with pride. Every time I get into that water, I am afraid. To get through the swim is a major accomplishment. Every. Single. Time.

Leading up to Ironman, I had my arm injury and wasn't even sure I would be able to swim. Add to that my usual apprehension and then the days of worrying about the choppy water. When I saw all our friends, I screamed and yelled to them "I made it out of the water!!!". I would have to say this was one of the happiest and most relieving moments of my life. These pictures capture exactly what I was feeling.





And then the run. By the time this picture was taken, I had been moving for over 10 hours and I still had about 25 miles to go. I felt good and was again thrilled to see familiar faces. We were so blessed to have such great people there to support us and cheer us on. They are the reason I was able to smile and able to enjoy this moment. I felt completely loved. Again, this picture captures that.
Every once in a while I remember that I completed this Ironman and remember that I can do anything I set my mind to. These pictures will serve as a great reminder.