September 6: 23 Days and Counting

At this time 23 days from now, I'll be in Washington DC, hopefully celebrating over a beer with the many close friends that I have made during this journey. It's hard to believe that I will be on a plane three weeks from now on my way to the biggest physical challenge that I've ever put myself up to (well, maybe next to bringing two children into this world). I'm getting really excited.

I wish I had more time to bike lately, but the days are getting shorter and I'm a bit nervous riding at dusk. I've heard way too many stories this week of riders being hit and injured or killed recently, and so I am not sure if that is a subliminal message for me to just be leery. I'm not one to be pessimistic like that, and I can shake this hesitation in the next day or two.

On the other hand, I could dwell on pretty much anything, and I refuse to do that. I learned recently that most deaths in triathlons occur in the swim. Why? Because the swimmer gets knocked in the head by a foot or an arm, subsequently passes out and that's it. I talked about this with my swim coach, and asked for advice.

Fortunately, her response was immediately comforting. There was a reason she taught us from day one to swim with our head down and tucked in our armpit, it was not just for streamlining but for protection. She said it's the swimmers that stop and look around, head way out of the water, that gets them into trouble.

Even if it's not true, I'm going to take her word for it. I feel better on that one.

So as I begin my final preparations for this big day, I look back and am so appreciative and proud of how far I've come. And I know deep in my heart that this is only the beginning of a new hobby that I hope will last a lifetime.

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One finish line down, one to go! Check out my progress at:
http://www.active.com/donate/tntmi/DunCAN

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