The Countdown Starts....

Well in about 12 hours from now I am going to hear, "Females, aged 30-34, Wave 5, take your marks at the shoreline...ready, set, go!" Gahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!! The anticipation is killing me!

Ummmmm......is it time to see this yet?

This finish line is going to look SO good tomorrow!!!

I went to pick up all of my race stuff today and ran into my tri buddies Andrea and Jo. We actually went out for a great pasta dinner last night too. 

This is where the killer swim will occur. I know its hard to see, but we are swimming out to a yellow buoy. It's actually not too bad... I am being overly dramatic about it! It's actually just past the buoys we have been practicing with, so I am not too worried about it. The surf is supposed to be non-existent tomorrow which is great news.  Also, Jo and Andrea will be in my wave! So that is going to be fantastic. 

So...I have done everything on the pre-tri check list. Carb loading two days before...no exercising for the day before...bike is all ready to go...gear is packed. I just ate dinner....baked greens, cracked wheat toast and some tofu. It was tasty! Now I am trying to calm down and get to bed...I want to get to the transition area by 4:30 am....so I think I need to get up at about 3:30 to allow time to drive, blend my smoothie, and take the pooch out before I leave. My clothes and everything are all laid out, so it shouldn't take too long to get ready. Going to bed at 7 on a Saturday night is not easy. I am drinking tea, took some night time homeopathic sleeping pills...and am going to jump in a Epsom Salt Bath...hopefully that helps loosen my muscles, calm my nerves, and make me sleepy! 

I am full of nerves...mostly excitement. I hope that I have trained enough...that I don't get  a flat....and that I don't drown.  OK, I am not going to drown...but I really hope to do well. It's so funny how I have already accomplished so much...all the time put in for training...all the weight I have lost (15 pounds! Can you believe it????)....and above all....pushing myself far outside of my comfort zone. Yet, with all of these accomplishments...the biggest one is still tomorrow. I must get across that finish line! Today this man at the expo was telling me to get rid of "monkeys"...first...there will be a monkey on my back while I am waiting to jump in the water....there will be a monkey on my back for the first hundred yards of the water...there will be a monkey on my back when I have to run up the hill after the swim...and there will most certainly be a monkey when I transition from biking 12 miles and my legs feel like they are going to give out when I start to run. 

Well....I am off to force myself to sleep and try to sedate those monkeys until tomorrow. 

Wish me well, lovebugs! Here goes nothing!!!!