Tri-tastic start!!!!

This morning, instead of going to work, I enjoyed a flex day and slept in (10 hours of uninterrupted sleep thankyouverymuch!) rose slowly and enjoyed a cuppa joe and some breakfast before heading off to pick up my girl Cess. She is doing the tri with me and we decided to head down to the tri-expo together to pick up our race day packets. The expo was at the Minneapolis Convention Center and due to construction and such, we actually had to walk several miles from our parking garage to the Convention Center. Given that I was in flip flops and today was supposed to be a REST day (Hello? What is restful about walking two miles through downtown construction zones getting lost because you don't know where the hell you are? NOT MUCH!) Anyway, we finally made it there and were very excited!

We kept following signs and following signs which meant more walking and more walking......

Cess took everything in stride but your little flower? Well she was getting pretty cranky to be honest! So typical!
We finally made it to the big show and man oh man, what an expo it was! There were all sorts of vendors, free samples to try, contests to enter and of course lots of shopping to do!
Cess bought a cutie little t-shirt to commemorate her first ever tri!
While I bought new swim goggles because I'm slightly terrified that mine will break race day morning and without backups, I'd be screwed because I wear contacts. So really, I was buying some peace of mind. And actually, these are really nice goggles so I'll probably wear them tomorrow.
We stood in line and picked up our packets and goodie bags....
...and then got our free t-shirts. Ugly in my opinion but hey, it's free and come tomorrow afternoon, I will have earned that bad boy!

And finally, we stopped and bought some energizing snacks for tomorrow. There was no shortage of hot boys at the convention center let me tell you! Wayne here was no exception. He is from Australia and was very sweet and helpful. AND it turns out that he is working the transition pit tomorrow so I may very well see him again. He promised to keep an eye out for us. It will be sweet to have a familiar face there, even if I just met the guy. Anything to help calm my nerves you know?
Anyway, I've been getting lots of well wishes today which I totally love and appreciate. Here are a few emails I took in this morning.

First from my fellow blogger Kim:
Helloooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo my little fish!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I just wanted to wish you ALL OF THE BEST for the big tri tomorrow!!!!!! I am SO SO SO SO SO freaking proud of you for taking this on, and for working so hard to prepare. You are as always, a shining light and true inspiration of what wearing the big girl panties is supposed to look like!!! :) I can't tell you how much that I wish that I could be there to help cheer you on and celebrate once you cross that finish line. Please know that I'll be there in spirit, rooting you on the entire way.
Will The Captain be there??? I hope so!!!
Please have a fabulous time, and let the athlete that you have become out to ROAR!!!!!
LOVE AND HUGS AND HIGH FIVES!!!!


And then from my awesome Kitten:

Lucas!!!
I so wish I could be there in person tomorrow to see your awesomeness and to cheer you on!! Know that I will be cheering from the West Coast, my dear. You are totally amazing and I am proud of you for doing this tri - no matter what. You rock. And I know you'll find a way to have fun here and there, too. Otherwise, what's the point, right?
Love ya,
Julie

And of course, from UD:

...Today is a day off for rest, carbs tonight and lots of sleep. I really do think the Captain said it best in your previous blog. You are in shape and now is the time to just go do it and have fun doing it. Go with the attitude that no matter what happens or how you finish or even if you finish, the whole objective is not to prove you are a tri-athlete, but that you are a confident young woman who is pushing her envelope and having fun doing it. We all couldn’t be more proud of you just because you decided to take this on and train for it. I know that I never would have even tried, but that’s mostly because even though I was a life guard at one time, I sink like a rock in water and depend on forward movement to stay afloat. You’ve seen someone skip a rock on the water and when it finishes skipping, it always sinks. That’s me. So this tri is something that your uncle wouldn’t have ever done, and I was at one time in my life a pretty athletic person. So regardless of the outcome tomorrow, we all think you are pretty great just for trying.
Good luck, give it your best, and most of all have fun doing it.
Much love to you from here on Wentworth.
UD

The Captain is downstairs as I type, cooking up a big mess of carby deliciousness. We are having Cess and Deeg over for dinner along with The Pirate and AC. Then it's off to an early bed with fingers and toes crossed for a good nights sleep and then tomorrow before the sun even thinks about making an appearance, Cess and I will be up and rolling towards the starting line.

Thanks to all for the kind words, encouragement and LOVE! I am definitely feeling it! I promise not only to do you all proud, but to do MYSELF proud as well, no matter what. I'll be back soon and when I am, I'll be able to call myself a triathlete! BOO-YA!!!!