IRONMAN WISCONSIN 2009

(MANY MANY MORE PHOTOS TO BE POSTED SOON)

On Wed night we had a team banquet. I was awarded "Best Attitude" from the team for "always having a smile on my face, never complaining despite lack of sleep,etc." At that moment it became clear to me that this race was much more than a one-day treacherous athletic event. It helped me find a part of me that had been buried for a little while. It took me to both physical and mental high and low points, but the overall outcome was fantastic. It reminded me that I can do anything with the right outlook and a little dedication. Throughout the year, I found I was smiling a lot more, laughing a lot harder, enjoying time (although limited) with friends and family more and just plainly a happier, less stressed out but more fatigued version of the person I started out at the beginning of this year. I'm not trying to say something as strong as "The Ironman changed me," just that some of the negative attitudes and coping mechanisms I started to develop early in medical school were broken. In a lot of ways I feel like I am ten years younger.

So- the day after the race I sat and wrote about my experience. It was meant just to be read by myself. It's grammatically a mess. It is a stream-of-consciousness type letter that talks about people most of you may never meet. But I thought I'd post a link in case you're curious what a sleep deprived, food deprived new Ironman thought about her race. RACE REPORT UNDER PHOTOS TAP. (until staples tell me how to link things!)

And- sorry if you're sick of IM WI posts, but you can look forward to at least 2 more this week.