RE: Danskin Race Report from Tory

[Guest guest]

Wow... This was so touching it brought tears to my eyes! You are really

courageous and an inspiration to all! Thanks so much for sharing this with

us! I am saving this to disk to read again....

hugs,

Sue

PS: would love to see photo you attached to email - this group strips

attachments, can send to me in private mail

Danskin Race Report from Tory

> This is going to be long. I wrote it to post on my blog, but I'm sending

it

> to you because you may...or may not, be interested. I had an incredible

> experience, though...so I share it!

>

> Danskin Race Report

>

>

>

> For me, the Danskin started in April of 2003. I was in the hospital after

my

> Whipple Procedure (or the other surgery, don't remember which one) and I

was

> thinking, " I want to do something amazing that I never, ever dreamed I'd

be

> able to do. What should I do? " I had a LOT of time to think about this as

> hospitals are not so much the laugh-a-minute carnival of fun that one

would

> have you believe. I remembered in the back of my head someone talking

about

> the Danskin triathlon. I was laying there with tubes sticking out of my

> oh-so-sexy belly, able to walk maybe 25 yards without needing to sit down,

> and I'm thinking, " Triathlon? Oh yeah, I could do that! "

>

>

>

> Color me delusional!

>

>

>

> I knew it wasn't going to be in 2003, but that was my goal in 2004. I

> started reading as much as I could about triathlons and that particular

> triathlon. I started biking in the gym. I went from walking to running. I

> thought a lot about swimming, sure I'd need to do that at some point as

> well. In March I was one of the first people to sign up for it, the very

day

> registration opened.

>

>

>

> In April I started training in earnest. I found out that despite the fact

> that LAST time I was in the water, I'd swam just fine, I could no longer

> swim very well. (Never mind that " last time " was probably when I was 12.)

> Roy bought me a cheap mountain bike and I started putting in the miles on

> that. (And have the scarred knees to prove it!) I kept on running, my

> favorite of the three sports. I joined discussion boards. I set up a

> training log. I read other people's race reports. I was SO excited!

>

>

>

> I trained, and trained, and trained some more. When I found out that my

> father-in-law had scheduled a trip to Norway for the two weeks prior to

the

> Danskin I was not happy. Not that I didn't want to go, but I didn't want

to

> go THEN. I wanted to be prepared and I worried that I wouldn't be able to

> train in Norway. Never fear, I ran in Norway, I swam. I didn't bike, but I

> was okay with that. I was ready to go!

>

>

>

> T-minus one week to the Danskin I wake up, in Norway, feeling horrible.

Not

> to worry. I'm sure it's just a 24-hour flu thing. I'll be fine. Monday,

> still sick.no worries, it'll be fine. I pushed myself to get out of bed.

No

> stamina to run, I walked. I still had 6 days. Tuesday, still sick. I tried

> to push the worry from my head. We walked from Gravdal into Bergen and

> around town that morning, about five miles. I denied that I was going to

> have to give up the Danskin. I'd worked too hard to let some bug or troll

> get me down. Wednesday came and I was still sick. I shed a few tears and

> finally faced up to the fact that I was probably not going to be able to

do

> this. I rested. I prayed for a miracle. Thursday was the trip home and

while

> I felt better, I was still sick. Friday I would decide if I could do this

or

> not.

>

>

>

> Friday came and I felt a little better, but after a morning of shopping

and

> re-stocking the house, I was sick again. That was it. No Danskin for me.

> With a heavy heart I emailed friends and family and said " No Danskin. " I

was

> sick about it, but what could I do?

>

>

>

> Saturday morning I woke up dark and early.about 2 a.m. As I lay there

> cursing jet lag I started thinking about Danskin and about why I wasn't

> doing it. Was I really THAT sick or was I bagging out? How would I feel

> about myself Monday morning? How many other women would be there still in

> treatment for cancer, weakened, ill, tired with bodies that had betrayed

> them. Was I going to let some stomach troll keep me from doing something

I'd

> dreamed of and worked towards for over a year? I prayed about it a LOT. I

> thought about all the possibilities. I knew that there would be on-track

> support through every leg of the race. I knew NO one would think less of

me

> if I had to stop. I knew that Roy would be there supporting whatever

> decision I'd made. I knew God would be with me. I also knew I'd be in some

> GREAT company. Right there at 2:30 a.m. the morning before the Danskin, I

> decided to go for it. I got up and went online and looked up the schedule.

I

> found my swim gear and assembled it. At 3:30 a.m. I threw on the lights in

> the bedroom and announced to my blinking, confused husband, " That's it!

I'm

> doing it! "

>

>

>

> " You're wha??! What time is it??! Are you sure? Are you feeling like

you're

> up to it? "

>

>

>

> " I'm sure. I'm doing it! "

>

>

>

> " You are aware it's 3:45 in the morning, aren't you? "

>

>

>

> " That clock is fast. It's actually 3:30. "

>

>

>

> " You're sure? "

>

>

>

> " I'm sure. "

>

>

>

> Fast forward to the expo. This is my first Danskin and this place was

crazy!

> Roy, the pterodactyls living in my stomach, and I made our way through the

> lines. I looked up my race number; 170. Cool! Was that a good number? I

made

> my way over to the sign that said what time my swim wave would start:

7:03.

>

>

>

> WHAT?!

>

>

>

> Looked again. I was hoping for 8:00 or so.I couldn't go in the third wave!

>

>

>

> I got in line for body marking, Roy pointed the camera ready to shoot. I

> convinced myself that I'd made a mistake. I whipped out of line back over

to

> the wall to re-check my number. I heard Roy call " Tory!? Where are you

> going? "

>

>

>

> Damn. I wasn't wrong. Okay, it is what it is. Maybe there is a benefit to

> starting to so early, but I swore I'd signed up in the recreational

> category!

>

>

>

> Got body marked and then entered another winding line to pick up my race

> packet. Then another line to have my chip checked (what a great idea with

> almost 4000 women competing, to check the chips). I knew I had a course

> review at 12:30 and a First-Timer's clinic at 1:10 so I wanted to get over

> and get my goodie bag and check out the rest of the expo. I was standing

in

> line waiting to pay for anti-fog solution when I saw Kathy Kaleb, a great

> lady I had taught with at the junior high. I said hello, we both talked

> about how darn NERVOUS we were and how glad we were to find each other. I

> wish we'd made arrangements to meet the next day, but we didn't.

>

>

>

> While we were talking Roy disappeared only to reappear with a Women's

> Danskin 2004 hat for me! I wear a blue Nike hat when I run (to cover the

> scary hair from swimming and biking) so when he saw a Danskin hat of the

> same color, he knew I had to have a new hat for this. Don't I have an

> awesome guy! I hugged him and kissed him and thanked him for the 8,000th

> time for being such a wonderful, supportive guy.

>

>

>

> We headed over to the course review, which was interesting. When that

ended

> I wanted to move closer so I could actually see Sally . I'd read

two

> of her books and I was so fascinated by this woman who was a 16 time

Ironman

> champion, but dedicated herself and her life to making little people like

me

> feel like we can accomplish anything AND raising money and awareness for

> cancer. I hung on her every word. When we did the little cheer " I am an

> awesome swimmer! I am an awesome cyclist! I am an awesome runner! " I swam

> and I cycled and I ran with a big grin on my face. I ignored the

> pterodactyls, who appeared to be salsa dancing, at this point, with the

> trolls and bought into being an amazing woman. I cried with the survivors

> who spoke. I clapped. I cheered. I was PUMPED!

>

>

>

> After making one more trip around the expo where I picked up some lace

locks

> and a race belt, we headed out to Genesee Park to rack my bike. I tried to

> coax the trolls and giant pre-historic birds out of my intestinal tract

but

> it was a no go. We got to the site and parked in the first parking lot

that

> said " Bike rack parking " and walked my bike to the park (discovering we

> could have just driven UP to the park.but oh well). I got my rack

placement,

> A, and made my way up to the front of about 6 million bikes. Whoa! Maybe

> there is a benefit to starting so early.but wait there are signs. There

were

> four racks in A and one rack said " Elite " . Yeah, so NOT me.passed that one

> by. The next two said " Team Survivor " . Well, I am a survivor of Hank, but

he

> was only pre-cancer, so not me. Then one wasn't marked so I looked and was

> dumbfounded. Every place was taken! Finally a lady said " You just need to

> move a bike over. That's what I did. There's supposed to be ten to a rack

> anyhow. "

>

>

>

> I hated to do it, but I did. Whew. That's done. I was right in A4,

directly

> in front of the walkway to the swim entrance. Prime real estate, if you

ask

> me! Roy asked if I wanted to go look at the swim course, and I said I did.

> We walked out there and I said bravely, lying through my teeth, " Wow, that

> doesn't look bad at all. I can totally do that. " (What did Dr. Phil say

> about " fake it until you make it? " Well I was faking it BIG time!)

>

>

>

> We headed to the hotel, checked in, then realizing we had not eaten since

> breakfast, we went out to dinner where I talked about tomorrow and Roy

> reassured me, and the trolls and pterodactyls ordered fish tacos and bread

> and then fought over the bits and pieces as they went down. Took a short

> swim in the pool until some cigar smoking, teenie weenie, cannonballed in

> right on top of me. We shared our piece of cheesecake we'd brought with us

> and I fell deep asleep.

>

>

>

> Woke up dark and early once again! I always say, if you're going to do an

> endurance sporting event, it's best to get like 3 hours of sleep a night

for

> the 3 nights prior to the event! I listened for the trolls. They seemed to

> be quiet. Maybe the pterodactyls, who were there but sleeping, had eaten

> them. After lying in bed wide-awake praying, going over and over the race

> course in my mind (especially the swim), I woke Roy and we got up.

>

>

>

> Quick breakfast of oatmeal and tea at Denny's and we were off to the site!

I

> wanted to be at the transition area an hour and a half before my start,

for

> some reason. So we headed to the parking area and were on the first

shuttle

> out. We got there before the transition area even opened. By then the

> pterodactyls were WIDE awake and doing fly bys in my stomach, but no sign

of

> trolls at all. I set up my area while Roy took pictures from outside the

> transition area. I had brought my " My First Triathlon " medal for good

luck,

> but not a lot else. Less is more, they say! That took about 2 minutes of

my

> hour and a half. I sweet-talked Blue, my bike, and told her what was going

> to happen and that I'd missed her the night before. I checked and

rechecked

> my gear. Two more minutes down. I walked over and talked to Roy then we

> walked around. I went back into the transition area with my thoughts and

> left Roy outside. My doubts were surfacing. I can't do this. I can't. I

> can't do the swim. I'm crazy. I have been flat on my back, can't walk for

20

> minutes without sitting down sick for a week, and I think I'm doing a

> triathlon? What am I insane? I made up my mind to tell Roy I wasn't going

to

> do it. I couldn't do it. I started to cry. I stopped crying. I said " Knock

> it off you big baby! Grow up! " I prayed. I gave my fear to God. He took

it.

> I felt better. I wrestled it back from him and caressed it a little more.

He

> waited patiently with his hand out, ready to take it back. I handed it

> back.snatched it again and held on a little more, then finally gave it

over

> to Him and said " Here, I don't want this. Keep it. " He promised He would

be

> my swim angel and nothing would happen. I thanked him and squeezed out a

few

> more tears, but this time tears of love and joy because I knew He was with

> me, and I knew He gave me Roy and Roy was with me, and I knew I could do

it.

>

>

>

> At about 6:30 I put on my brave face and shouted down the pterodactyls and

> Roy and I walked out to the swim course for a look-see, and then a warm

up.

> No one was warming up. Was that normal? Finally someone walked into the

> water, so I went in after her. We laughed nervously. The water was WARM!

> Whew, that was a relief. Another lady joined us. We joked a little about

how

> this was going to be so great. One lady dove in. I dove in. I swam a few

> strokes and turned around and looked towards Roy (blind as a bat, you

know).

> I swam out to the buoy line, and back in. I stood up and shouted, " I can

do

> this! This is AWESOME! " People smiled and a few laughed. I didn't care.

The

> pterodactyls flew out my ear and my personal swim angel settled on my

> shoulder and whispered, " I never had any doubt. "

>

>

>

> The announcer explained how things were going to go. A lady started a warm

> up. I couldn't see her, but I warmed up with her, the women around me

> bobbing and jumping and stretching and smiling nervous smiles. She pumped

us

> up. Soon it was time. We counted down, ten.nine.eight.the elite group,

wave

> 1, went out. Ten.nine.eight.the first group of Team Survivor went out. Now

> it was my wave, group two of team survivor. I have no idea why I was put

> into the TS group, but I figured it was either a mistake or God's way of

> telling me, " After all We went through together last year, my dear, you

are

> a survivor so I've put you here. "

>

>

>

> Sally was in a boat to meet us as we entered the water. Our secret word

was

> " fantastic " and we were the best swimmers.

> Ten.nine.eight.seven.six.I.five.am.four.a.three.fantastic.two.swimmer.one.

> We're off!

>

>

>

> The swim went relatively well! I started to swim the crawl. I started to

> pray. I remembered the verses I had brought with me. I tired

quickly.that's

> okay, you've been sick. Just roll over and relax some, get back in. I

spent

> the first half swimming backstroke half the time and crawl half the time.

I

> think my illness hit me most in the swim. The first buoy came up and I

> shouted " Woo hoo!! " and went around it. I realized I hadn't panicked! I

> prayed thanks to God and headed out. About halfway into the swim I

thought,

> " Okay, time to challenge yourself. Swim ten sets of crawl without

stopping. "

> " Is it stupid to do this while in the race? " " No, just do it. "

>

>

>

> Did it.

>

>

>

> Then I thought, " Pray and be thankful for as many people as you can

without

> stopping. " One-two-three breathe. One-two-three-Roy-breathe.

> One-two-three-Janny-breathe. One-two-three-Angie-breathe.

> One-two-three-Greg-breathe. Who's Greg? No idea. Oh well, he must need my

> prayers today! I thought of everyone who needed prayers and everyone and

> everything I was grateful for. Soon I was rounding the next buoy. Woo hoos

> around! Got kicked in the chest, oh well! The shore looks a long ways

away!

> Oh well! It is what it is! Kept going kept going. Looked for the plants I

> knew I'd be seeing underwater as I got closer! There they were! For some

> INSANE reason decided " I want to take one home as a souvenir and put it

into

> the pond. Kept a few in my left hand as I swam in the rest of the way.

About

> 50 meters charley showed up.as in horse. I told him " Horses don't swim.

Get

> out of here and bug someone else, but not another competitor. Someone on

the

> shore. Go! " He did, so if someone on the shore got an unexplained charley

> horse, sorry about that.

>

>

>

> Remembered the words of the lady from the swim clinic, " Keep swimming

until

> you touch the bottom three times, then RUN! " Touch, touch, touch, up run!

>

>

>

> Saw Roy and screamed " I did it! It was AWESOME! I did it! "

>

>

>

> " You DID do it! I love you! "

>

>

>

> " Glasses! " He handed me my glasses, I ran off to transition one feeling

like

> I was running on air. I did it! I did it! I did it!

>

>

>

> I took over six minutes to get to the bike start. Hopped on and got going.

> The first part was beautiful, right along the lake. We woo-hooed and

cheered

> " The swim is over! It's all easy from here! " I got passed. I passed. I got

> passed a lot. I didn't care. Uh oh, big hill! It is what it is, right? I

> shifted down, but not enough and ended up hopping off and running up the

> hill about 50 feet or so, back on the bike and onto the I-90 floating

> bridge. Into a tunnel, lots of " Yah! " and " Woo hoo! " and " You go girl! "

The

> I-90 stretch was long and straight, slightly hilly but not bad. I thought

a

> lot about the swim and I prayed and I cried. I knew that God had seen me

> through it in a way I could never have done on my own. I said prayers of

> thanksgiving for nne who was my swim coach through the last month or

> so.

>

>

>

> Turnaround time. I thought I heard my name, but no.who would know me out

> here? Going going going.passing on the left, being passed on the left. I

> could tell my time wasn't great, but that was okay. I'm not a fast cyclist

> on a good day and my quads were complaining about the complete lack of

> exercise in the last week. It's okay. Did a body inventory; legs.good,

> quads.sore but good, shoulders.wow, didn't but me once in the swim! Great!

> Big goofy grin.firmly in place. Attitude.A++. It's a good day to be alive!

>

>

>

> Rode in down the big monster hill.nice on the way down. Lots of spectators

> cheering. Called out thank yous to people on the course and complimented

> some guy on his beautiful dog. Came around the corner. Could see the bike

> finish. Remembered the words from the swim clinic about dismounting, throw

> one leg over, and coast in until you have to dismount, then run in. Hopped

> off, started to run, jelly legs! Whoa! Laughed a HUGE guffaw " Okay,

running

> in is NOT going to happen today! " Walked in! " Wooo hoo! Bike is over! "

>

>

>

> Found my legs and loped into transition. Dropped off the bike, grabbed my

> hat, stuffed my gel into my tri suit and took off. Much faster than T1!

>

>

>

> This was MY leg. I love running. I really do. I had acknowledged going in

> that there was going to be a chance that I might have to walk, but that

was

> okay. Jogged over to the start and took off amid cheers. Roy called my

name

> and snapped a picture! I slowed and yelled, " I love you!!!!!!! " then ran

> off.

>

>

>

> Oh it just felt great to be alive! The sun was shining! The lake was

> gorgeous. I was on this course with 4000 other amazing women! I ran past

> many people, calling out " You've looking great! " " Way to go! " " Only THREE

> miles to go! We're nearly there! "

>

>

>

> I came up on a lady running ahead of me and noticed she had a Lance

> Armstrong bracelet on. As I ran up to her I called out " Live strong! I

have

> my bracelet on too! " She said, " I'm not feeling very strong right now. " I

> slowed and I said, " You know what? You are doing something today that 99%

of

> the people out there would never even DREAM of doing. "

>

>

>

> " I know. " She said wearily.

>

>

>

> " You're living strong. We all are! We are awesome! Keep going! "

>

>

>

> I stayed with her a few more paces and then picked up. I saw a lot of

ladies

> struggling and called out encouragement. Like in my last triathlon I

figured

> I may not be the best triathlete, but I was going to be someone who made

> others feel GREAT about what they were doing.

>

>

>

> Mile one, looked at my watch.whoa! Under a 9 minute mile? Is that right?

> Can't be. Looked at the lake on my left.how beautiful. Wondered if the

> people who lived there took this amazing site for granted. Yelled, " It is

a

> wonderful day to be alive! " Cheers from other ladies. " Beats a day of

being

> dead ANY time! " Laughter.

>

>

>

> Thanked the course support.passed a guy playing bongos and said " Thank

you! "

> He yelled out " Looking awesome! " I said " you have NO idea how much your

> support means to all of us! " Running.running.turned the corner, mile

> two.wow, about 9:40 mile. That's great! Woo hoo!

>

>

>

> " Ladies! You look incredible! " " Woo hooo! " " Oh my Lord, look at that

hill!! "

> It is what it is.headed up a nasty hill. Why did that they do that to us!

> After half a mile swim, 12.4 miles of biking, 2.75 miles of running, they

> give us this hill???

>

>

>

> Came over the top of the hill and said to the lady next to me, " Well that

> kind of sucked, didn't it? "

>

>

>

> " Yup, it kind of did! "

>

>

>

> " Ah well, we're home free now! "

>

>

>

> The spectators were getting thicker, yelling, cowbells, air horns. " You're

> almost there! You're almost there! "

>

>

>

> My heart leapt into my throat as I turned into the park. Lots of cheers.

> Blessed shade.it was getting toasty! I turned a corner and saw the finish

> line, oh my God. I did it. I did it. I did it. I started down the finish

> shoot and started to cry, couldn't breathe " Don't cry yet. You can't

breathe

> when you cry. It wouldn't do to pass out before you hit the finish line.

> Buck up little soldier! " Fought back the tears and ran hard, let the

cheers

> fill my ears, crossed the mat, heard the beep, started to cry.ran up to a

> volunteer who placed a medal around my neck and said, " Congratulations.

You

> are a triathlete. "

>

>

>

> I stumbled through the cheers and found my wonderful Roy and hugged him

and

> cried and cried and said " Thank you.thank you. " He said, " I'm so proud of

> you " and laughed at my tears. We hugged and hugged and hugged. I was so

> tired. I said " A week ago I couldn't get out of bed. I can't believe I did

> it. " " I can't believe you did it either! " My swim angel on my shoulder

said,

> " I never had any doubt. "

>

>

>

> <file:///W:/teechur.gif>

>

> ~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'

> Tory Klementsen, MCP A+

> Career and Technology Educator

> www.teechur.com

> www.msteechur.com

> -The successful person will do the things that the unsuccessful person

will

> not.

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Tory - you made it!!!! What a phenomenal accomplishment! You deserve to

celebrate, woman!!!

Hugs,

Bette

[Guest guest]

Actually I don't have the photos yet. They'll be ready Wednesday then I'll

put them online. Anyone who wants to see them, I'll post a link.

> Re: Danskin Race Report from Tory

>

>

> Wow... This was so touching it brought tears to my eyes! You

> are really courageous and an inspiration to all! Thanks so

> much for sharing this with us! I am saving this to disk to

> read again....

>

> hugs,

> Sue

>

> PS: would love to see photo you attached to email - this

> group strips attachments, can send to me in private mail

>

> Danskin Race Report from Tory

>

>

> > This is going to be long. I wrote it to post on my blog, but I'm

> > sending

> it

> > to you because you may...or may not, be interested. I had an

> > incredible experience, though...so I share it!

> >

> > Danskin Race Report

> >

> >

> >

> > For me, the Danskin started in April of 2003. I was in the hospital

> > after

> my

> > Whipple Procedure (or the other surgery, don't remember

> which one) and

> > I

> was

> > thinking, " I want to do something amazing that I never,

> ever dreamed

> > I'd

> be

> > able to do. What should I do? " I had a LOT of time to think

> about this

> > as hospitals are not so much the laugh-a-minute carnival of

> fun that

> > one

> would

> > have you believe. I remembered in the back of my head

> someone talking

> about

> > the Danskin triathlon. I was laying there with tubes

> sticking out of

> > my oh-so-sexy belly, able to walk maybe 25 yards without needing to

> > sit down, and I'm thinking, " Triathlon? Oh yeah, I could do that! "

> >

> >

> >

> > Color me delusional!

> >

> >

> >

> > I knew it wasn't going to be in 2003, but that was my goal

> in 2004. I

> > started reading as much as I could about triathlons and that

> > particular triathlon. I started biking in the gym. I went

> from walking

> > to running. I thought a lot about swimming, sure I'd need

> to do that

> > at some point as well. In March I was one of the first

> people to sign

> > up for it, the very

> day

> > registration opened.

> >

> >

> >

> > In April I started training in earnest. I found out that

> despite the

> > fact that LAST time I was in the water, I'd swam just fine,

> I could no

> > longer swim very well. (Never mind that " last time " was

> probably when

> > I was 12.) Roy bought me a cheap mountain bike and I

> started putting

> > in the miles on that. (And have the scarred knees to prove

> it!) I kept

> > on running, my favorite of the three sports. I joined discussion

> > boards. I set up a training log. I read other people's race

> reports. I

> > was SO excited!

> >

> >

> >

> > I trained, and trained, and trained some more. When I found

> out that

> > my father-in-law had scheduled a trip to Norway for the two weeks

> > prior to

> the

> > Danskin I was not happy. Not that I didn't want to go, but I didn't

> > want

> to

> > go THEN. I wanted to be prepared and I worried that I

> wouldn't be able

> > to train in Norway. Never fear, I ran in Norway, I swam. I didn't

> > bike, but I was okay with that. I was ready to go!

> >

> >

> >

> > T-minus one week to the Danskin I wake up, in Norway, feeling

> > horrible.

> Not

> > to worry. I'm sure it's just a 24-hour flu thing. I'll be fine.

> > Monday, still sick.no worries, it'll be fine. I pushed

> myself to get

> > out of bed.

> No

> > stamina to run, I walked. I still had 6 days. Tuesday,

> still sick. I

> > tried to push the worry from my head. We walked from Gravdal into

> > Bergen and around town that morning, about five miles. I

> denied that I

> > was going to have to give up the Danskin. I'd worked too

> hard to let

> > some bug or troll get me down. Wednesday came and I was

> still sick. I

> > shed a few tears and finally faced up to the fact that I

> was probably

> > not going to be able to

> do

> > this. I rested. I prayed for a miracle. Thursday was the

> trip home and

> while

> > I felt better, I was still sick. Friday I would decide if I

> could do

> > this

> or

> > not.

> >

> >

> >

> > Friday came and I felt a little better, but after a morning of

> > shopping

> and

> > re-stocking the house, I was sick again. That was it. No

> Danskin for

> > me. With a heavy heart I emailed friends and family and said " No

> > Danskin. " I

> was

> > sick about it, but what could I do?

> >

> >

> >

> > Saturday morning I woke up dark and early.about 2 a.m. As I

> lay there

> > cursing jet lag I started thinking about Danskin and about why I

> > wasn't doing it. Was I really THAT sick or was I bagging out? How

> > would I feel about myself Monday morning? How many other

> women would

> > be there still in treatment for cancer, weakened, ill, tired with

> > bodies that had betrayed them. Was I going to let some

> stomach troll

> > keep me from doing something

> I'd

> > dreamed of and worked towards for over a year? I prayed about it a

> > LOT. I thought about all the possibilities. I knew that

> there would be

> > on-track support through every leg of the race. I knew NO one would

> > think less of

> me

> > if I had to stop. I knew that Roy would be there supporting

> whatever

> > decision I'd made. I knew God would be with me. I also knew

> I'd be in

> > some GREAT company. Right there at 2:30 a.m. the morning before the

> > Danskin, I decided to go for it. I got up and went online

> and looked

> > up the schedule.

> I

> > found my swim gear and assembled it. At 3:30 a.m. I threw on the

> > lights in the bedroom and announced to my blinking,

> confused husband,

> > " That's it!

> I'm

> > doing it! "

> >

> >

> >

> > " You're wha??! What time is it??! Are you sure? Are you feeling like

> you're

> > up to it? "

> >

> >

> >

> > " I'm sure. I'm doing it! "

> >

> >

> >

> > " You are aware it's 3:45 in the morning, aren't you? "

> >

> >

> >

> > " That clock is fast. It's actually 3:30. "

> >

> >

> >

> > " You're sure? "

> >

> >

> >

> > " I'm sure. "

> >

> >

> >

> > Fast forward to the expo. This is my first Danskin and this

> place was

> crazy!

> > Roy, the pterodactyls living in my stomach, and I made our

> way through

> > the lines. I looked up my race number; 170. Cool! Was that a good

> > number? I

> made

> > my way over to the sign that said what time my swim wave

> would start:

> 7:03.

> >

> >

> >

> > WHAT?!

> >

> >

> >

> > Looked again. I was hoping for 8:00 or so.I couldn't go in

> the third

> > wave!

> >

> >

> >

> > I got in line for body marking, Roy pointed the camera

> ready to shoot.

> > I convinced myself that I'd made a mistake. I whipped out

> of line back

> > over

> to

> > the wall to re-check my number. I heard Roy call " Tory!?

> Where are you

> > going? "

> >

> >

> >

> > Damn. I wasn't wrong. Okay, it is what it is. Maybe there

> is a benefit

> > to starting to so early, but I swore I'd signed up in the

> recreational

> > category!

> >

> >

> >

> > Got body marked and then entered another winding line to pick up my

> > race packet. Then another line to have my chip checked

> (what a great

> > idea with almost 4000 women competing, to check the chips).

> I knew I

> > had a course review at 12:30 and a First-Timer's clinic at

> 1:10 so I

> > wanted to get over and get my goodie bag and check out the

> rest of the

> > expo. I was standing

> in

> > line waiting to pay for anti-fog solution when I saw Kathy Kaleb, a

> > great lady I had taught with at the junior high. I said

> hello, we both

> > talked about how darn NERVOUS we were and how glad we were to find

> > each other. I wish we'd made arrangements to meet the next

> day, but we

> > didn't.

> >

> >

> >

> > While we were talking Roy disappeared only to reappear with

> a Women's

> > Danskin 2004 hat for me! I wear a blue Nike hat when I run

> (to cover

> > the scary hair from swimming and biking) so when he saw a

> Danskin hat

> > of the same color, he knew I had to have a new hat for

> this. Don't I

> > have an awesome guy! I hugged him and kissed him and

> thanked him for

> > the 8,000th time for being such a wonderful, supportive guy.

> >

> >

> >

> > We headed over to the course review, which was interesting.

> When that

> ended

> > I wanted to move closer so I could actually see Sally . I'd

> > read

> two

> > of her books and I was so fascinated by this woman who was a 16 time

> Ironman

> > champion, but dedicated herself and her life to making

> little people

> > like

> me

> > feel like we can accomplish anything AND raising money and

> awareness

> > for cancer. I hung on her every word. When we did the

> little cheer " I

> > am an awesome swimmer! I am an awesome cyclist! I am an awesome

> > runner! " I swam and I cycled and I ran with a big grin on

> my face. I

> > ignored the pterodactyls, who appeared to be salsa dancing, at this

> > point, with the trolls and bought into being an amazing

> woman. I cried

> > with the survivors who spoke. I clapped. I cheered. I was PUMPED!

> >

> >

> >

> > After making one more trip around the expo where I picked

> up some lace

> locks

> > and a race belt, we headed out to Genesee Park to rack my bike. I

> > tried to coax the trolls and giant pre-historic birds out of my

> > intestinal tract

> but

> > it was a no go. We got to the site and parked in the first

> parking lot

> that

> > said " Bike rack parking " and walked my bike to the park

> (discovering

> > we could have just driven UP to the park.but oh well). I got my rack

> placement,

> > A, and made my way up to the front of about 6 million bikes. Whoa!

> > Maybe there is a benefit to starting so early.but wait there are

> > signs. There

> were

> > four racks in A and one rack said " Elite " . Yeah, so NOT

> me.passed that

> > one by. The next two said " Team Survivor " . Well, I am a survivor of

> > Hank, but

> he

> > was only pre-cancer, so not me. Then one wasn't marked so I

> looked and

> > was dumbfounded. Every place was taken! Finally a lady said

> " You just

> > need to move a bike over. That's what I did. There's supposed to be

> > ten to a rack anyhow. "

> >

> >

> >

> > I hated to do it, but I did. Whew. That's done. I was right in A4,

> directly

> > in front of the walkway to the swim entrance. Prime real estate, if

> > you

> ask

> > me! Roy asked if I wanted to go look at the swim course,

> and I said I

> > did. We walked out there and I said bravely, lying through

> my teeth,

> > " Wow, that doesn't look bad at all. I can totally do that. "

> (What did

> > Dr. Phil say about " fake it until you make it? " Well I was

> faking it

> > BIG time!)

> >

> >

> >

> > We headed to the hotel, checked in, then realizing we had not eaten

> > since breakfast, we went out to dinner where I talked about

> tomorrow

> > and Roy reassured me, and the trolls and pterodactyls ordered fish

> > tacos and bread and then fought over the bits and pieces as

> they went

> > down. Took a short swim in the pool until some cigar

> smoking, teenie

> > weenie, cannonballed in right on top of me. We shared our piece of

> > cheesecake we'd brought with us and I fell deep asleep.

> >

> >

> >

> > Woke up dark and early once again! I always say, if you're

> going to do

> > an endurance sporting event, it's best to get like 3 hours

> of sleep a

> > night

> for

> > the 3 nights prior to the event! I listened for the trolls. They

> > seemed to be quiet. Maybe the pterodactyls, who were there but

> > sleeping, had eaten them. After lying in bed wide-awake praying,

> > going over and over the race course in my mind (especially

> the swim),

> > I woke Roy and we got up.

> >

> >

> >

> > Quick breakfast of oatmeal and tea at Denny's and we were

> off to the

> > site!

> I

> > wanted to be at the transition area an hour and a half before my

> > start,

> for

> > some reason. So we headed to the parking area and were on the first

> shuttle

> > out. We got there before the transition area even opened.

> By then the

> > pterodactyls were WIDE awake and doing fly bys in my

> stomach, but no

> > sign

> of

> > trolls at all. I set up my area while Roy took pictures

> from outside

> > the transition area. I had brought my " My First Triathlon "

> medal for

> > good

> luck,

> > but not a lot else. Less is more, they say! That took about

> 2 minutes

> > of

> my

> > hour and a half. I sweet-talked Blue, my bike, and told her

> what was

> > going to happen and that I'd missed her the night before. I checked

> > and

> rechecked

> > my gear. Two more minutes down. I walked over and talked to

> Roy then

> > we walked around. I went back into the transition area with my

> > thoughts and left Roy outside. My doubts were surfacing. I can't do

> > this. I can't. I can't do the swim. I'm crazy. I have been

> flat on my

> > back, can't walk for

> 20

> > minutes without sitting down sick for a week, and I think

> I'm doing a

> > triathlon? What am I insane? I made up my mind to tell Roy I wasn't

> > going

> to

> > do it. I couldn't do it. I started to cry. I stopped crying. I said

> > " Knock it off you big baby! Grow up! " I prayed. I gave my

> fear to God.

> > He took

> it.

> > I felt better. I wrestled it back from him and caressed it a little

> > more.

> He

> > waited patiently with his hand out, ready to take it back.

> I handed it

> > back.snatched it again and held on a little more, then

> finally gave it

> over

> > to Him and said " Here, I don't want this. Keep it. " He promised He

> > would

> be

> > my swim angel and nothing would happen. I thanked him and

> squeezed out

> > a

> few

> > more tears, but this time tears of love and joy because I

> knew He was

> > with me, and I knew He gave me Roy and Roy was with me, and

> I knew I

> > could do

> it.

> >

> >

> >

> > At about 6:30 I put on my brave face and shouted down the

> pterodactyls

> > and Roy and I walked out to the swim course for a look-see,

> and then a

> > warm

> up.

> > No one was warming up. Was that normal? Finally someone walked into

> > the water, so I went in after her. We laughed nervously.

> The water was

> > WARM! Whew, that was a relief. Another lady joined us. We joked a

> > little about

> how

> > this was going to be so great. One lady dove in. I dove in.

> I swam a

> > few strokes and turned around and looked towards Roy (blind

> as a bat,

> > you

> know).

> > I swam out to the buoy line, and back in. I stood up and

> shouted, " I

> > can

> do

> > this! This is AWESOME! " People smiled and a few laughed. I didn't

> > care.

> The

> > pterodactyls flew out my ear and my personal swim angel

> settled on my

> > shoulder and whispered, " I never had any doubt. "

> >

> >

> >

> > The announcer explained how things were going to go. A lady

> started a

> > warm up. I couldn't see her, but I warmed up with her, the women

> > around me bobbing and jumping and stretching and smiling nervous

> > smiles. She pumped

> us

> > up. Soon it was time. We counted down, ten.nine.eight.the

> elite group,

> wave

> > 1, went out. Ten.nine.eight.the first group of Team

> Survivor went out.

> > Now it was my wave, group two of team survivor. I have no

> idea why I

> > was put into the TS group, but I figured it was either a mistake or

> > God's way of telling me, " After all We went through together last

> > year, my dear, you

> are

> > a survivor so I've put you here. "

> >

> >

> >

> > Sally was in a boat to meet us as we entered the water. Our secret

> > word

> was

> > " fantastic " and we were the best swimmers.

> >

> Ten.nine.eight.seven.six.I.five.am.four.a.three.fantastic.two.swimmer.

> > one.

> > We're off!

> >

> >

> >

> > The swim went relatively well! I started to swim the crawl.

> I started

> > to pray. I remembered the verses I had brought with me. I tired

> quickly.that's

> > okay, you've been sick. Just roll over and relax some, get

> back in. I

> spent

> > the first half swimming backstroke half the time and crawl half the

> > time.

> I

> > think my illness hit me most in the swim. The first buoy

> came up and I

> > shouted " Woo hoo!! " and went around it. I realized I hadn't

> panicked!

> > I prayed thanks to God and headed out. About halfway into the swim I

> thought,

> > " Okay, time to challenge yourself. Swim ten sets of crawl without

> stopping. "

> > " Is it stupid to do this while in the race? " " No, just do it. "

> >

> >

> >

> > Did it.

> >

> >

> >

> > Then I thought, " Pray and be thankful for as many people as you can

> without

> > stopping. " One-two-three breathe. One-two-three-Roy-breathe.

> > One-two-three-Janny-breathe. One-two-three-Angie-breathe.

> > One-two-three-Greg-breathe. Who's Greg? No idea. Oh well,

> he must need

> > my prayers today! I thought of everyone who needed prayers and

> > everyone and everything I was grateful for. Soon I was rounding the

> > next buoy. Woo hoos around! Got kicked in the chest, oh well! The

> > shore looks a long ways

> away!

> > Oh well! It is what it is! Kept going kept going. Looked for the

> > plants I knew I'd be seeing underwater as I got closer! There they

> > were! For some INSANE reason decided " I want to take one home as a

> > souvenir and put it

> into

> > the pond. Kept a few in my left hand as I swam in the rest

> of the way.

> About

> > 50 meters charley showed up.as in horse. I told him " Horses don't

> > swim.

> Get

> > out of here and bug someone else, but not another

> competitor. Someone

> > on

> the

> > shore. Go! " He did, so if someone on the shore got an unexplained

> > charley horse, sorry about that.

> >

> >

> >

> > Remembered the words of the lady from the swim clinic,

> " Keep swimming

> until

> > you touch the bottom three times, then RUN! " Touch, touch,

> touch, up

> > run!

> >

> >

> >

> > Saw Roy and screamed " I did it! It was AWESOME! I did it! "

> >

> >

> >

> > " You DID do it! I love you! "

> >

> >

> >

> > " Glasses! " He handed me my glasses, I ran off to transition one

> > feeling

> like

> > I was running on air. I did it! I did it! I did it!

> >

> >

> >

> > I took over six minutes to get to the bike start. Hopped on and got

> > going. The first part was beautiful, right along the lake. We

> > woo-hooed and

> cheered

> > " The swim is over! It's all easy from here! " I got passed.

> I passed. I

> > got passed a lot. I didn't care. Uh oh, big hill! It is what it is,

> > right? I shifted down, but not enough and ended up hopping off and

> > running up the hill about 50 feet or so, back on the bike

> and onto the

> > I-90 floating bridge. Into a tunnel, lots of " Yah! " and

> " Woo hoo! " and

> > " You go girl! "

> The

> > I-90 stretch was long and straight, slightly hilly but not bad. I

> > thought

> a

> > lot about the swim and I prayed and I cried. I knew that

> God had seen

> > me through it in a way I could never have done on my own. I said

> > prayers of thanksgiving for nne who was my swim coach

> through the

> > last month or so.

> >

> >

> >

> > Turnaround time. I thought I heard my name, but no.who

> would know me

> > out here? Going going going.passing on the left, being

> passed on the

> > left. I could tell my time wasn't great, but that was okay.

> I'm not a

> > fast cyclist on a good day and my quads were complaining about the

> > complete lack of exercise in the last week. It's okay. Did a body

> > inventory; legs.good, quads.sore but good, shoulders.wow,

> didn't but

> > me once in the swim! Great! Big goofy grin.firmly in place.

> > Attitude.A++. It's a good day to be alive!

> >

> >

> >

> > Rode in down the big monster hill.nice on the way down. Lots of

> > spectators cheering. Called out thank yous to people on the

> course and

> > complimented some guy on his beautiful dog. Came around the corner.

> > Could see the bike finish. Remembered the words from the

> swim clinic

> > about dismounting, throw one leg over, and coast in until

> you have to

> > dismount, then run in. Hopped off, started to run, jelly

> legs! Whoa!

> > Laughed a HUGE guffaw " Okay,

> running

> > in is NOT going to happen today! " Walked in! " Wooo hoo!

> Bike is over! "

> >

> >

> >

> > Found my legs and loped into transition. Dropped off the

> bike, grabbed

> > my hat, stuffed my gel into my tri suit and took off. Much

> faster than

> > T1!

> >

> >

> >

> > This was MY leg. I love running. I really do. I had

> acknowledged going

> > in that there was going to be a chance that I might have to

> walk, but

> > that

> was

> > okay. Jogged over to the start and took off amid cheers.

> Roy called my

> name

> > and snapped a picture! I slowed and yelled, " I love

> you!!!!!!! " then

> > ran off.

> >

> >

> >

> > Oh it just felt great to be alive! The sun was shining! The

> lake was

> > gorgeous. I was on this course with 4000 other amazing women! I ran

> > past many people, calling out " You've looking great! " " Way to go! "

> > " Only THREE miles to go! We're nearly there! "

> >

> >

> >

> > I came up on a lady running ahead of me and noticed she had a Lance

> > Armstrong bracelet on. As I ran up to her I called out

> " Live strong! I

> have

> > my bracelet on too! " She said, " I'm not feeling very strong right

> > now. " I slowed and I said, " You know what? You are doing something

> > today that 99%

> of

> > the people out there would never even DREAM of doing. "

> >

> >

> >

> > " I know. " She said wearily.

> >

> >

> >

> > " You're living strong. We all are! We are awesome! Keep going! "

> >

> >

> >

> > I stayed with her a few more paces and then picked up. I

> saw a lot of

> ladies

> > struggling and called out encouragement. Like in my last triathlon I

> figured

> > I may not be the best triathlete, but I was going to be someone who

> > made others feel GREAT about what they were doing.

> >

> >

> >

> > Mile one, looked at my watch.whoa! Under a 9 minute mile? Is that

> > right? Can't be. Looked at the lake on my left.how

> beautiful. Wondered

> > if the people who lived there took this amazing site for granted.

> > Yelled, " It is

> a

> > wonderful day to be alive! " Cheers from other ladies.

> " Beats a day of

> being

> > dead ANY time! " Laughter.

> >

> >

> >

> > Thanked the course support.passed a guy playing bongos and

> said " Thank

> you! "

> > He yelled out " Looking awesome! " I said " you have NO idea how much

> > your support means to all of us! " Running.running.turned

> the corner,

> > mile two.wow, about 9:40 mile. That's great! Woo hoo!

> >

> >

> >

> > " Ladies! You look incredible! " " Woo hooo! " " Oh my Lord, look at that

> hill!! "

> > It is what it is.headed up a nasty hill. Why did that they

> do that to

> > us! After half a mile swim, 12.4 miles of biking, 2.75 miles of

> > running, they give us this hill???

> >

> >

> >

> > Came over the top of the hill and said to the lady next to

> me, " Well

> > that kind of sucked, didn't it? "

> >

> >

> >

> > " Yup, it kind of did! "

> >

> >

> >

> > " Ah well, we're home free now! "

> >

> >

> >

> > The spectators were getting thicker, yelling, cowbells, air horns.

> > " You're almost there! You're almost there! "

> >

> >

> >

> > My heart leapt into my throat as I turned into the park. Lots of

> > cheers. Blessed shade.it was getting toasty! I turned a

> corner and saw

> > the finish line, oh my God. I did it. I did it. I did it. I started

> > down the finish shoot and started to cry, couldn't breathe

> " Don't cry

> > yet. You can't

> breathe

> > when you cry. It wouldn't do to pass out before you hit the finish

> > line. Buck up little soldier! " Fought back the tears and

> ran hard, let

> > the

> cheers

> > fill my ears, crossed the mat, heard the beep, started to

> cry.ran up

> > to a volunteer who placed a medal around my neck and said,

> > " Congratulations.

> You

> > are a triathlete. "

> >

> >

> >

> > I stumbled through the cheers and found my wonderful Roy and hugged

> > him

> and

> > cried and cried and said " Thank you.thank you. " He said,

> " I'm so proud

> > of you " and laughed at my tears. We hugged and hugged and hugged. I

> > was so tired. I said " A week ago I couldn't get out of bed. I can't

> > believe I did it. " " I can't believe you did it either! " My

> swim angel

> > on my shoulder

> said,

> > " I never had any doubt. "

> >

> >

> >

> > <file:///W:/teechur.gif>

> >

> > ~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'

> > Tory Klementsen, MCP A+

> > Career and Technology Educator

> > www.teechur.com

> > www.msteechur.com

> > -The successful person will do the things that the

> unsuccessful person

> will

> > not.

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >