Destination: Finish Line.

Whoever said that it’s all about the JOURNEY and not the DESTINATION was definitely not a triathlete.

I don’t disagree completely;  it just doesn’t apply to this sport.   As a traveler with just a backpack and some wanderlust, it usually doesn’t matter where you end up anyway.  The memories are made on the road. 

But when you’re schlepping a bike case, backpack, and another suitcase full of nothing resembling vacation-gear, you really just want to GET TO THE DESTINATION.  I laughed to myself as I was sweating before I even got to the check-in desk, thinking about how it seems fairly glamorous to travel to races (only to those who don’t know better. My triathlete friends are rolling their eyes laughing at the mere suggestion).  There was not one item of clothing or a bikini that would be packed on a REAL vacation.   (In fact, there was even a very important item MISSING, but more on that later.)

Here’s a little trivia for you.  Do you know what is the busiest airport in the world?  I know what you’re thinking . . .  JFK.  Or maybe LAX.  Or one of the Chicago airports. 

Nope.   Atlanta Hartsfield, baby.   And you know what happens when you are on the airport train trying to get to your gate and it just STOPS (with a very sweet voice over the loudspeaker, ensuring us that it’s only a temporary delay)?    It STINKS.  Bad.  Because Atlanta is hot and humid and we were packed in like sardines.  I was conveniently positioned face-level in some overly hairy man’s armpit as he was holding on for dear life (which was totally unnecessary since we weren’t going anywhere, but I was holding my breath so I couldn’t speak to tell him that). 

Then there’s the 4yr old that was screaming, crying, and decided to plant his feet down right in the middle of a busy walkway, proclaiming that he was not going to go ANYWHERE.   In my humble opinion, it wasn’t the ideal time to sit indian style with the kid and encourage him to discuss his feelings, but I guess each parent operates differently. 

Anyway, I finally got to lovely Cambridge, Maryland, and was delighted to have such a cool homestay.  Marilynn and Ray are like your neighbor’s parents– always seemed so cool, ya know?  Funny, light-hearted people.  And the bonus? I am staying with another pro athlete, Courtenay Brown, who is hilarious and fun and I clicked with immediately.   I’m so glad she’s here– it’s great to have a buddy to pal around with.   We are both fairly excited to get on our bikes tomorrow (read: get the swim over with).  There’s solidarity in being a land creature.   Courtenay is an itty-bitty thing, but a former pro cyclist, so look for her to rip up that bike course.

Dad and Deb arrived today.  Had lunch and showed them the transition area and did a rough “you’ll see me over there around such-and-such time and then I’ll come through here…”  not sure any of it made sense.  And of course I’ve been known to, ummm, misjudge my split times (IM Wisconsin- sorry family–I promise it was wayyy worse for me!).  I fully expect my dad to see me off on the bike and then go camp out somewhere with a pile of crab claws.  I feel bad for all of our enthusiastic supporters, because it’s somewhat of a buzz kill to only see your athlete for 20 seconds at a time when it’s a one-loop course.   Oh well, at least the seafood is good here.

So with the exception of a slight need for assistance in removing the pedals, I am proud to say that I packed my bike all by myself, like a big girl should!  I was so detailed in packing it with care and providing extra cushioning for my white-hot Louie that I may have been remiss in just a few other minor details related to race packing. 

Nothing major.  Just my bike shorts. 

Seriously.   Who does that?   I guess there’s a first time for everything.  I got a little creative with my expo-shopping and came up with a solution, but STILL.  I cannot believe it.

Water is boiling and a very un-exciting and bland meal is in the works.  Pros go off at 6:40am, so we’ll hopefully be done before it gets too wicked hot and humid.  The field is strong (when isn’t it?) and it’ll again be cool to see how I can compete.   Definitely lucky to be here.  

Thanks for checking in  . . .