Goodbye to Eagleman . . .

It's been 2 days since completing Eagleman and I finally think my thoughts have slowed to the point that I can put the entire ordeal into words. As far as the nitty-gritty, here are my stats:

Total time: 6:08:21.15
Swim: 39:46
T1: 4:46
Bike: 2:57:12 19
T2: 5:17
Run: 2:21:23 10:48 minute mile

All in all, the race was truly amazing! There are so many different, wonderful memories that come to me when I think back about the whole weekend that it's difficult to organize them all into a coherent "race" report.

Derek and I have a saying: "my heart took a picture." We say this when something amazing happens and it strikes our hearts in ways that we know we will never forget. My heart took many pictures this weekend. There was a moment when I saw my girls on the dock of the TriGirl house trying to catch fish and trap crabs with their Daddy. I am a lucky, lucky woman and I will never be able to express how thankful I am to have these wonderful children and this truly breathtaking man in my life.

There was another moment when I was taking some time to myself under a tree in the transition area and watching the TriGirls take a practice swim in the water. For just a second I closed my eyes and breathed in everything around me. How fortunate am I that I am in this place, with these miraculous women? What could I have done to deserve such an abundant amount of happiness in my life?

The morning of the race my heart will forever carry a picture of the TriGirls driving down the road with hoots and hollers as they arrived to pick me up. During the run, I will remember Carmen's smiling face as she told me how strong she felt. I will remember Susie Q's hands raised high in the air as I cheered her along as she passed me. I will remember Jonah's warm smile as I saw her starting out in her run. I will remember hearing my name and getting a renewed sense of energy when I saw Shawn and Karen cheering me on as I started the run myself. I will remember the kiss I got from my little Booger as I was starting out on my bike and the row of high five's I received as I was running down the finisher's chute. And I will always remember with vivid detail the look of love and admiration in my husband's eyes as he leaned down to kiss me and tell me how proud he was of all I had accomplished.

The details of the swim, bike and run are actually rather insignificant to me. Did I do as well as I wanted? No. Did I learn a lot of things to do next time? Yes. But I will forget my times and all of the things I would have done differently and the moments when "my heart took a picture" will be all that remains with me. And, I suppose, that is the real reason I do triathlons -- to remind myself that life is not easy, that pain is temporary and that every moment offers you the opportunity to be thankful for those special people in your life who make it worth the journey.

To all my teammates, who are now my friends, congratulations on reaching your dreams. And to my family, who will always be my love, my life and my inspiration, thank you for helping me reach my dreams and supporting me without fail.

Now, on to the next chapter . . . Ironman Florida.