Prepared, not scared.

I have talked to so many people in the last couple of weeks, and the first question is "how are you feeling?". So for those of you I haven't talked to-- I feel great!

I feel ready. Excited. Anxious-- in a good way. And just happy.

We took this Ironman on as a major life goal. Not one to be taken lightly.Our goal: just to finish.

If we were gonna do it "right", I wanted to make it a complete experience. Involve the people around me, draw on them for support. Hire a coach to help us with our form, nutrition, mental, everything. Make friends and bond with others going through the same thing, if possible. To share this experience with others (hence, this blog) to make them feel a more a part of our goal and/or to inspire them to reach for goals of their own.

But as Ironman gets closer, the whole thing is just coming full circle, and it's awesome. Things are coming together. I hit my last few hard workouts, making me feel like, "yes, I can finish this". I thought over all that I have done to get me prepared and I have no regrets. I can do this. I met some awesome folks along the way (too many to mention here), but I plan to make as many of them a part of my time in Madison as possible.

I made a spectator guide (more on this later) that made me go over the course in my head, again getting me very excited. As the day has drawn closer, people have been popping out of the woodwork-- saying they are coming to Madison and/or going to be on the course. And the support we have received from everyone-- whether they will be in Madison or not-- it is just UNREAL! I can't tell you how much this has meant to me.

So, everyone asks how we are doing. We are ready and excited. I compare it a lot to our wedding in that you plan, plan, plan for a long, long time. At some point, you just gotta relax, realize that you did everything you could and just enjoy the day. The caterer (or our legs) are gonna show up or they are not. And there is nothing you can do about it at this point. Just roll with it.

Perhaps what I wanted most out of this experience was to get to the start line feeling prepared, not scared. And that's where I stand.

The goal now-- TO FINISH THIS!

God-willing, that will be me in 3 days time.

Side note: Many people have asked us if we are gonna do another one. Maybe...but not for awhile. We've really enjoyed this year, but with two small kids, it takes a lot of time from them that we aren't willing to make as part of our constant lifestyle. We say maybe in 4-5 years when the buggers are a little older and more self-reliant. Maybe. :) (I said that about marathons 8 years ago, too...13 marathons ago.)