A few highlights!

It wouldn't be right to talk about today without mentioning the support of family and friends - both in and out of the triathlon community. It's been a LONG journey, and your continuous love and support has been overwhelming.

THANK YOU. THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!!!

If you read my blog - and if you're reading THIS, then I assume that you just might - you probably realize that I write really really long race reports.

Thankfully, that's not this post.

But I DID race my first race back - Oceanside 70.3 today. It was painful - WOW, was it painful. You would THINK that I could remember how tough racing is...how much we suffer out on the course. But 16+ months of no triathlon racing erased that happy memory. Today, I remembered...

Um - at least my legs are working. Sort of.

A few highlights:

-THANK YOU to the volunteers and Marines who took care of us on the course today. They were spectacular, and made the race one of the best. Camp Pendleton - especially with the hills and wind - is majestic. At the awards ceremony, Overall Female winner Miranda Carafrae mentioned that one hill in particular looked as though it was, "a stairway to heaven...". Definitely a challenging course - but beautiful nonetheless. Thank you to everyone who made the event possible.

-Terra Castro. I saw this incredible pro during the run, recognizing her smile and team Luna Kit. I enjoy her blog and think that Terra is really a spectacular athlete - bot on and off the race course. About 1/3 of the way into my run she passed me and we chatted for a bit - at one point she gestured that I should stay with her and GO FOR IT when one of the spectator's yelled my place within my age group. She mentioned the house monster and then told me I was doing a really great job on my first race back... even though my legs felt like jelly, she motivated me to push that little bit extra. Thanks Terra!

-Wow - salt water is really salty. Yuck. And the ladies in my wave weren't exactly super lady-like when the gun went off. I think I got clobbered more by them than I did by some of the other waves we caught up with. But I found a great pair of feet, for which I was grateful...

-I used a ZIPP disk for the first time ever. All I can say is... WOW. For the first time in my life, I was making the "whomp whomp whomp" noise with the zipp. It was incredible. I've ridden a disk before, but it was nothing like what I rode today. (Thanks to Zipp, and my parents who helped out with this!).

-Proper running shoes made the difference - my quads really WERE like jelly, but didn't fail me on the run course. The brooks shoes worked great, and they even helped me maneuver through sand. THAT was fun (slight snicker).

-Yelling at friends during the run segment - I remember seeing Beth Shutt! and Courtenay Brown! and Rachel Ross! and Charisa Wernick! and yelling their FULL names - like what I see on their blogs. They are fast, and it was inspiring to watch them from the other side of the street.

-I didn't get eaten by a shark. But the thought did cross my mind...

-My shorts were ringed with salt stains - as was the side of my face. Um, I think I'll have to start using more salt. Yeah - that will be important!

-I didn't go into this racing hoping for a slot to Kona or Clearwater. I had a specific goal - yes. But the aim wasn't to qualify for a race. Before my crash I would put so much pressure on myself to do just that, and it took a lot of the fun away. I've realized that I do this sport because I LOVE it - not just to get specific results or qualify for races. And realizing this, I've become a lot happier, a lot healthier.

-But at the awards ceremony when the Kona slot rolled down to second place and Mike Reilley started mentioning how "it would be interesting because"... I cut him off mid sentence and said, "I'll take it!" My enthusiasm earned me a healthy round of applause from the audience. I'm sure they were laughing though at my bright pink compression socks...so Aloha!

-Even though I live in California, I am sunburnt.

-Running through soft sand hurts.

-I DIDN'T GET EATEN BY A SHARK!

-Seeing my friends spectating on the course was awesome - Natahneil, Mom, Cat, Lisa, Jessee, Shannon, Stephen, Shannon's friend (sorry I forgot your name), Bob, Laurie, Oscar and anyone else I forgot...THANKS!

-Knowing that my blogger friends, and friends from across the country were tracking me online was priceless. I carried you guys with me in spirit the entire way. THANK YOU!

Now - I'm tired. My compression socks are on, tummy is full of a BBQ Burger and beer sampler, and sleep is calling my name. British comedy is on in the background, Nathaniel is by my side, and it appears that The House Monster wants to jump on the bed.

Life is good.

THANK YOU ALL!