beach party

My heart jumped as I clicked submit. Confirm. Agree. Yes, sign me up. One year in advance. Waiting. Waiting. Processing....... congrats! I am in for Ironman Florida 2010, along with 6 of my buddies. We are headed to Panama City Beach in November of 2010 to tackle the biggest athletic goal I have ever set for myself.

Its a goal that the Wizard came up with. It's not going to be easy, it's going to be so very far from easy. We've got a year, I am with the right coach, on the right path and I have no doubt that we will be able to do it. It won't matter to you what the goal is, it only matters to myself and to the Wizard. It will be the biggest thing I have ever done aside from taking on my fifth Ironman. I am reaching the highest I can possibly reach and I am looking forward without any doubt at all.

But first I have another beach party to get to.

I depart on Thursday and I am so very excited I just might explode. The work is done, the miles are soaking in, I feel very strangely...... good. Not sore, not tired, in fact I feel somewhat under trained!

Bottom line is that I am healthy. It took em a long time to get here and as was pointed out to me it's really the platform from which we are then going to launch off of. I had been thinking Clearwater was the ultimate goal yet I have been told to see the forrest beyond the trees.

In just a few days I will touch down in the sun and on the beach. Please ask mother nature to rain and blow wind, or else turn up the heat. Just a little hotter please dear. I am coming from the north, and I have not been tanning, and I could use a little vitamin D. My garage is cold and grey and the light bulb does not replace the feeling of the sun on my back.

I am ready to swim, and bike and run. With a smile and with my friends. I am ready to make the reach and trust that I will be able to. While handling the small items along the way.

However between now and take off we have some partying to do. My little baby turns nine tomorrow and festivities kicked off this afternoon with a birthday party. We go karted and played golf and the kids played in their shorts with the sun on their faces. The week long celebration has just begun.

Because you see Luc..... he's had a rough year as well. Many of you have journeyed through that with us. Thanks to us fighting the fight and standing up for children like Luc...... he's in the right school. He's learning, he's singing in the chorus, he's even taking shop (I can see Luc's former teachers now..... this kid handles a damn saw.... HA TAKE THAT B****!). The smile on his face when he was sung to made me cry.

We are in a good place. I can't thank you all enough for the support you have been so generous with throughout this past year. Just stopping by to share, dropping a n email, comment, call and a card. Throughout this year of healing we all have felt such incredible love and friendship and support.

And that is bigger, deeper and co much richer than any trophy I have ever won in my life. So I thank each and every one of you who have shard in the healing.

Stick around..... 2010 is going to be a great one!