Wednesday, Nov. 3rd
Panama City Beach arrival!
We arrived in Florida on Wednesday, Nov. 3rd. I took the kiddos out of school for 3 days. Tony stayed at home to hold down the fort, work and play gigs over the weekend. It was raining as soon as we walked out of the airport. We didn't care though b/c we were in Florida and it was going to be the first time for the kiddos to see the beach and ocean! They have been skiing and been to the mountains a couple of times, but this would be their first time to build sand castles on a real beach! They were so excited to be with mommy and were looking forward to seeing my parents, brother and SIL who were arriving the next day.
As soon as we pulled into Panama City Beach I went straight to the Athlete's village to get my registration packet with race number, chip, swim cap, etc. It was perfect timing b/c there was no line. No waiting in line with 2 ready-to-go kids is a good thing. I walked right up and grabbed all my goodies. The kids were having fun splashing in puddles and dancing in the rain. We went to the Ironman store and River picked out his bright yellow Ironman shirt right away! After shopping we decided to go to the condo and unpack. The condo was absolutely gorgeous with a beautiful view! 1400 sq. feet and very open and spacious! It was a 3 bdm condo with a bunk bed area and an amazing wrap around balcony. I was happy to find such a great condo and just under a mile from the finishing line / transition area. We headed to good ole' Wal-Mart to do our grocery shopping for the week. The kids wanted everything they saw (they were starving)! We left the house at 5:15 a.m. and didn't get to eat until 2:30 p.m. so I can understand why they wanted to fill the cart with anything and everything. :)
I stopped by the Tri Team Transport tent to pick up my bike bag. Thank goodness for Natasha and TTT. The other bike transportation service had everyones' bikes and bags out in the rain getting soaked. My bike and gear bag were taken care of and dry!
Even though it was rainy, cold and windy I took the kids down to the beach. They were screaming and running back and forth through the water. They kept asking when it was going to be sunny. We played for a little while then headed back to the condo to relax, watch movies, and I got some of my race gear organized.
Thursday, Nov. 4th
Relaxation and practice day!
Waking up to another wet, rainy and windy day was actually kind of relaxing. Texas Iron had scheduled a swim practice at 9 a.m. , but it was thundering and lightening with strong winds all morning so it was called off. The kids and I hung out on the balcony and listened to the rolling thunder on the beach. I prayed for calmer seas and no rain on race day! The kiddos wanted to go out to breakfast so we found a waffle house (a first for all of us)! We drove along the coast and found a putt putt golf (that was closed), but we went in and played anyway. Yes, we were trespassing! Ireland asked several times over the weekend to go back. I told her what trespassing meant and she decided she didn't want mommy to go to jail. It finally cleared up around 1 p.m. so we went down to the beach and the kids swam in the ocean for the first time. Ireland asked why there was so much salt in her mouth. :) We met people from all over doing the race. I saw a couple of friends from Austin and was getting excited for race day.
My parents arrived and the kiddos were thrilled to see GiGi and JJ in Florida! Once they got settled in I was able to go for a 4 mile run. It was a great evening for a run. Clear and cool and I felt very relaxed and calm. We got ready to go out to eat and found a fun pizza restaurant called Mellow Mushroom. River complained that his throat was hurting him and he didn't feel well. We got our food to go and my parents took the kids to the condo. I went to the Athlete's meeting where I met up with Matt and Dave. I got a text from my mom during the meeting that River was throwing up A LOT.....projectile vomiting. :( Great. I was hoping it was just a little bug or something he ate and I wouldn't end up sick.
When I got back to the condo from the meeting the kiddos were just going to bed. River felt better so I was very relieved. He threw up one more time in the middle of the night and that was the end of that. Phewww! Ireland slept with me in the king size bed and I think I had a few inches of room to sleep on the edge of the bed. She slept right up against me taking up most of the bed with her arms and legs stretched out as much as possible. I didn't get a whole lot of sleep. I was worried about River getting sick too so it was a long night.
Friday, Nov. 5th
Practice day and big time butterflies begin NOW!
Almost race day!! Wohooo!! It was still chilly and very windy, but sunny! I went to the Texas Iron swim practice and at 9 a.m. and got some awesome tips from Jaime about how to get through the breakers when running into the water off the beach. We practiced dolphin diving through the waves and I took in tons of water. The waters were very rough and it was a workout just trying to get through the breakers. My heart rate was sky high. It was a little frustrating and I wasn't sure how I was going to manage getting through the swim with 2800 other athletes around me. I just focused on what I was doing and really tried to stay positive about getting out to the smoother part of the ocean. Jamie also told us where we should position ourselves as we start swimming and where to be once you get around the buoys. We practiced body surfing to get back to the shore quicker. That was the best part!
It was a 2 loop swim course which meant we swam 1.2 miles got out to run the beach and then back in again to do it all over again. Jamie ran us on the beach and told us the best spot to be when running and entering the water again for round 2. We practiced a couple times and got in about an hour's worth of practice. I am soooo thankful for Jamie and Andrea b/c I would have been a mess without that swim practice. My family was on the beach watching us and got to meet a lot of the other athletes and families from Austin and enjoyed the kids playing while we practiced. As the families watched on they said we were all crazy for doing what we do! We know!!! Swim practice done. Picture posing time and then time for a 60 minute ride on our bikes to make sure the bikes are good to go and our legs were feeling warmed up!
Our bike rides are always an adventure! It was a foursome.......me, Matt, Dave, and Lilly! Dave filmed us while riding and got some good pics, I'm sure! It was chilly as we rode and my fingers and toes never really warmed up so I knew I would need to get some extra gloves and wear extra clothing in the race. Easy fun ride and now it was time to eat some good food!
After practice I met my parents and kiddos at Pineapple Willy's on the beach. We had a great lunch and enjoyed the sun on the patio. My mom told me after we got out of swim practice there was a shark sighting right where were swimming. Ummmm......scary! The kiddos and my parents walked the beach back to the condo and I rode my bike back. I had to get my bike and run gear bags ready to take to transition drop off. Oh my gosh.......it's almost GO time!!! Bike racked and bags dropped off. The butterflies really start to happen now.
I found out my brother and his wife wouldn't get in until Saturday morning so I was a little bummed. But, glad they'd be there for most of the race. We relaxed and chilled out at the beach and pool the rest of the day. I stayed in with the kids while my parents went out for dinner. I was pretty tired and didn't feel like getting out again with the kids....it was windy and cold again. I found out that there was talk of cancelling the swim if the weather continued to be the same as it was on Thursday and Friday. I hoped that it would be smooth as glass for race day. I got my special needs bags ready to go for the next day.......putting extra tubes, CO2 cartridges, food, socks, band-aids, snickers bars, etc. in them just in case I needed to stop in the middle of my run / ride. I finally went to bed about 10 p.m. I slept pretty good, but woke up a couple times worried I would miss the alarm.
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