Ironman Thank Yous

I've been slow on this one, but I definitely wanted to thank a few important people for helping to make my Ironman experience such a great one.

First, I need to thank Ingrid, she sent me this email on Dec. 1, 2009:
"OK, I know...you were thinking, maybe Ironman in 2011, maybe... But just in case you could be persuaded to think otherwise, consider IRONMAN COZUMEL 2010!!!! Kim and I are signed up. Turkey Tacos!!! Come on, you know you want to!!! And you and Jeff could dive while we're there...it's going to be awesome..."
At first I said no way! But after that email, it was all I could think about! So thank you Ingrid for putting the idea in my head and giving me a gentle push toward Ironman. I don't think there's any way you could have known then just how awesome it would be.

When I got back from Cozumel everyone asked "how were you able to have such a great first Ironman experience" and I answered "Coach Jen!" I definitely couldn't have done it without her coaching. Thank you Coach Jen for your coaching and encouragement through my entire Ironman year.

Obviously I couldn't have trained for or done an Ironman without Jeff's support. But he was an extra super supportive Iron husband! He biked with me on a few tough runs and even SAGed me through the last half of a tough ride in Corpus Christi. I don't think he ever complained about Ironman training, which included me hardly ever being home in the evening, a lot of extra laundry, me not always doing my share of household chores, and water bottles all over the kitchen all the time. With a hint of pride in his voice, he told some friends "this is what the house of an Ironman in training looks like" when they stopped by unexpectedly and the house was extra messy. Thanks for everything Jeff!

Sandra and I trained for and ran our first marathon together in Feb. 2010 and shortly after that she told me "I'm going to train with you as if I'm going to do Ironman Cozumel, and maybe if things go well, I'll sign up and actually do the race" I jumped up and down with joy when she told me that! Thank you for training with me through the ups and downs of Ironman training, and congratulations on an awesome Ironman Cozumel Sandra!

Coach Tracy often talks about the support of "our Tri Zones family" and I have never felt that support more than I did during Ironman training. There are way too many examples of this support to list, but I think my favorite was our 4 lap Pflugerville Century Ride. Even though it was a really cold morning, Tri Zoners came out in big numbers to ride with Sandra and I, we had different people to ride with each lap and it made what might have been boring, a really fun ride with friends. Thank you to all of my Tri Zones family!

My parents decided kind of last minute to come spectate at Ironman Cozumel. They had never been to a triathlon of any kind before, but they did a great job spectating and ecouraging me throughout the race. They must have told me a hundred times during and after the race that they were proud of me. Thanks for being there for my first Ironman Mom & Dad!

When I signed up for Ironman Cozumel, I knew I wouldn't have my "Tri Zones More Cowbell Corps" for support in Cozumel. But I knew with Ingrid, Del and Kim also racing it would be fine, I don't know why, but having friends racing with me makes me feel better. In the end there was a pretty big group of "Houston Friends" racing or spectating, some of whom I met for the first time in Cozumel, others I knew but hadn't seen much or at all since I moved to Austin, and of course- Ingrid, Del, and Kim. Thanks to all my Houston friends (and my new Croatian friends) for being there and making the race and the trip so much fun.

I also had some great support from "virtual friends" through online forums, email, and facebook. I may not have met most of you in real life but I really appreciate your support.

Looking forward to Ironman number 2 in 2011! Who's with me?