How did I get so lucky?

So the last week has been spent "processing my feelings", thinking about the future and making some plans.  My husband has been part of the talks the whole week long, of course.  Because what I do in terms of training and racing has a profound effect on his life and schedule too.  

He has made lots of sacrifices already to my demanding TRIATHLON dreams and goals over the last 9 years.  I think one of the "saving graces" is that when we first met, I was training for my first triathlon (Columbia OLY Triathlon 2001) so "training and racing" has always been part of the "being with Holly" package.  Even so, he has moved his schedule around to accommodate my races, sometimes coming with me, sometimes doing his own thing on race weekends for smaller events.  He's my Bike Mechanic/Consultant, my Race Day Sherpa, my Cheerleader, my Reality Check, my Family Coordinator, my Driver - whatever I need on any give day.

So I treaded lightly - and was half-heartedly joking when he came to the medical tent at IM USA last Sunday - to check on me and heard other people around me saying "Just sign up for next year."  Because NEXT YEAR (2010) is HIS YEAR...I have taken up enough of the focus this year and it is time to sit back and support his dreams and desires.  But knowing that there were 2 kind-of local IM distance (140.6) races in November that were still open, I half-jokingly asked him while I was still sitting in the MED tent: 

"What would you think if I tried for the IM distance (140.6) one more time this year - while I still have the fitness?"

His response: "Well it would be a shame to waste all this hard-earned fitness, we'll look at the calendar and talk more when we get home..."

So that is what we did this week - we looked at the calendar, we googled the driving distances, I sent emails back and forth to Coach Ed (Team Z) to get some sense of "possibility", we talked about our honeymoon plans and came to a decision which I waited 2-days on and then asked him about "one more time" - because I have already taken so much this year....

Last night, I registered for the Beach2Battleship FULL distance Triathlon (140.6) on Saturday, November 7, 2009.  There are advantages to doing this race.

• Fellow TRI friends racing the course (Nancy, Shawn and Linae!!)

• 6-hour drive from home (IM USA was a 10-hour drive)

• Saturday race means only 1 day of leave from work pre-race

• It's the same weekend as IMFL so I can train for the next 12 weeks with my many of my favorite Team Z peeps! And I can track them on Sunday at IMFL! (They race Nov 8th)

• Coach Ed thinks that the flatter course will compliment my cycling abilities much better...

• While it is not a WTC event (M-Dot) - it's "140.6" and that is what IRONMAN means to me...

• My sister Heather may be on the course as the RELAY runner on the Marathon for another team!  FAMILY ON THE RACE COURSE! (Totally Motivating....)

So why am I lucky?  Because my husband believes in me and my dreams and wants to see me reach my goals too!  Without that love and support, I'm not sure I'd be willing to jump back into "Ironman training" again this soon but I have unfinished business out there...

I have another 82.2 miles that I didn't get to on Sunday, July 26...

Life is Good!  LiveSTRONG!