A HUGE thank you to all those that
have supported me throughout this past year: the grandmas who came out and
watched Baya so I could get out for long workouts during the build period,
friends who came and cheered us on, and Katherine for racing with me (I love
sharing this experience with you!).
Thank you for the amazing support and encouragement on this journey!
I’d
like to specifically thank Andy, my husband, who has put up with so much. He has watched Baya so I could get
outside and train. He has suffered
through my insistence that yes, I do NEED to get my run (or substitute for swim
or bike) in today. He has traveled
with me to almost every single race, where he would try to kill a lot of time
as he waited for me, and photographed each race. This past Christmas he even bought me my race wheels! When we moved up north, we had to make
sure I would have access to a YMCA so I could swim at the pool. He would sit at the beach with Baya and
wait for me to get back from my open water swim, or he would paddleboat with
Baya alongside me. He kept me
stocked with running shoes (this is where we will miss Eastbay in the future)
and apparel.
There
was a stretch where I would get up and hop on the trainer in the early morning
hours, and then he would tend to Baya when she woke up for the day so I could
finish getting in my ride. He
biked next to me, with Baya being pulled behind, while I did my longest
training runs for the marathon, so I wouldn’t have to carry anything with me,
and he would help pass the time for mile after mile. Just over a year ago, I was in my bike accident, and while
life was simpler before Baya was born, for a stretch he then had to help me
dress, wash my hair, and put it in a ponytail (does any man know how to make a
nice ponytail by the way?!) until my shoulder recovered.
My
bike needed some adjustments done to the rear derailer, I discovered, when we
were back home with our families over the 4th of July. Andy helped me find a shop that was
open and could take care of it on July 4th for me, so that I could
still ride while I was home. Yes
indeed, he sure has put up with a lot for me. He has listened to me talk endlessly about different races,
training, and different gear that I’m dreaming about. I chatter on about the latest swim I did, and though I know
he could honestly care less about swimming, he still listens. Then he goes to my swim meet and takes
pictures for me. He believes in
me, so much so, that after my first Olympic distance race, while I was shocked
that I managed to finish 3rd overall, he simply said, “Of course you
did. You’ve been training a
lot.” I think I caught him a bit
by surprise though after my first half-iron distance race, when I finished 4th
overall, and he said, “You did disgustingly well.” It feels good to still be able to impress my husband of five
years!
For
all the things you do to make my triathlete lifestyle possible, for all the leg
massages when I’m really hurting, and for always still continuing to encourage
me, despite it feeling at times like my season is never-ending, I want to say
thank you! Only one more race this
year (the marathon) of sitting on the sidelines and twiddling your thumbs while
waiting for your dear wife to run by, until the next season when we can go
through it all again together. I’m
thankful that I can count on you to be by my side for all this. I don’t know what I’d do without you!
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