I’ve run behind in my Kona blogging, but as anyone who has done an Ironman knows, Ironman time doesn’t follow a normal schedule.  Somehow you think you have a ton of extra time and then suddenly you blink and it’s Race Eve.  This is where I find myself now.

I’m in some kind of strange time warp in that it seems like a year since Ironman Lake Placid, where I actually got my Kona slot, but it seems like only 10 minutes since I got of the plane here in Kona.  Our days here have flown by.  I will look back on these days, I believe, as some of the best of my life. 

I know it seems funny how a simple sport can mean so much and completely change a person’s life, but triathlon has done those things for me.  It’s brought me closer to my husband.  It’s allowed me to meet and get to know some of the most giving and caring friends I could have ever hoped for.  It’s caused me to believe in myself at a level I never thought was possible.  This sport, for me, is about challenging the limits of what I ever thought I was capable of.  The discoveries I’ve made about myself have extended way beyond exercise and sweat.  This sport has changed my life.

With all that being said, being here, in Kona, has been almost a religious experience for me.  It’s like coming to my holy land.  I am on a pilgrimage here to continue my journey of self growth.  It’s been overwhelming.

This journey is not one that I’ve been on by myself.  There is a rule in triathlon that you cannot accept any outside assistance.  Triathlon is meant to be one of the purest forms of man against the course and against himself.  I feel as though I have already cheated.  I would never have made it here without all of you supporting and believing in me.

I will save the personal thank you’s for private, but I want to thank YOU.  I have been truly overwhelmed by your support.  Each post, each comment, each card, each phone call, each text….every one has been noticed and taken to heart.  I am so grateful for you.  I will carry you all with me tomorrow. 

I know many of you have asked about race day tracking.  You can follow online at ironman.com.  You can follow the links to athlete tracking and use either my name or my bib number (#1710).  There will also be a link to ironman live.  This will be a live feed that as the race progresses will show the finish line.  I’d love to give you a window in which to start looking, but I don’t want to disrespect the Island Gods.  I am mindful that the conditions they give us could determine the outcome of the day.  I have also signed up for live facebook and twitter updates to be posted to my walls.  hopefully this works.  Remember, too, that this race starts at 7am Hawaii time, that is 1pm EST for most of you.  This distance is 2.4 miles swim, 112 mile bike and then a 26.2 mile run.  From the paces you see me putting up with the live tracking, you can calculate my estimated finish.  Hopefully, it will be caught on the Ironman Live feed.

Again, I am so grateful for the love and support you have all shown. 

From the depths of my heart, Mahalo.