A Few "Moments" While Packing

Today started off fine. A good Guppies swim workout with a bunch of challenging speed sets. Coffee and bagels afterwards.

And that is when the first "moment" emerged. Paying at the Einstein's cash register, I found myself searching frantically for my debit card. I ended up using a credit card and did not start panicking until I went home an hour or so later - after thoroughly searching my car, gym bag, all recently worn clothes - and even calling the gas station where it was last used.

Yikes, still no debit card.

I called my husband to see if maybe he had borrowed it.

Nope.

But we decided to not set the wheels in motion for the arduous cancellation process until the end of the day. You see, this has happened before. A few weeks after 9-11 and a day before leaving for a conference in Denver, my wallet was stolen (debit cards, credit cards, driver's license, etc.) from my desk at work. Driving to the DMV the morning I was supposed to board the flight, I was pulled over by a police officer for some small violation, like an expired sticker, burst into tears and scared away the officer by being a woman on the edge.

And so I decided to distract myself with packing for IMFL. Which really is quite stressful in of itself.

Fast forward another hour or so, my husband called and said the debit card was in our Nissan. WHEW. No idea how or why it was in there, but who the heck cared? He dropped it off at lunchtime and I was ready to run my last few IM errands - picking up groceries, new goggles, CO2 cartridges and fresh velcro for the Podiumquest.

So all was looking up until I arrived home. No UPS package on the stoop. The nutrition I ordered a few weeks ago, but some Internet glitch caused an overnight reorder on Thursday evening, was STILL NOT HERE. You know, all the stuff I've practiced when trying to consume 200 or more calories per hour - the stuff that I finally figured out I could deal with.

Breathe deep.

I called the company - they found the order and said the mishap was due to having just added the overnight shipping option. I'd paid an extra $50 for the nutrition to arrive on time - after the last problem - and it hadn't - and I was a BIT annoyed. They reassured me that there was no doubt that the order would arrive tomorrow - and since the hubby isn't coming down till Thursday - I am giving them the benefit of the doubt.

Otherwise, there may be a crazy woman in Panama City looking for Gus, Luna Bars and Sharkies on Wednesday.

But stay tuned for the virtual gym bag memories, they are still coming...

Packing

Packing for a triathlon is normally a fairly large undertaking culminating with bags and bags of stuff for just an overnight race. Packing for an Ironman takes this task to a whole new level. I’m getting the lists ready – and hopefully will have enough suitcases. And room in Coach B’s SUV!

But I am also starting to pack mentally. I’ve been thinking about the song lyrics, strategies and memories to stash away and draw from on race day.

So, here is what is going in my virtual motivation gym bag. Today, we’ll focus on some tunes to form my IM soundtack.

Keep in mind, without my IPOD, I’ll only be able to sing (in my head - though I may clear the course if I start to sing aloud) the choruses or a few lines here or there (over and over).

Hoobastank’s “The Reason” -
I've found a reason to show
A side of me you didn't know
A reason for all that I do
And the reason is you

I think because I heard it so much when struggling to just jog more than three miles a year ago, when the IMFL rumblings started to circulate among the TRIgirl crowd, this song reminds me of my decision to do an Ironman



Gene Autry's "Peter Cottontail" -
Oh, here come's Peter Cottontial
Hopping down the bunny trail

Always makes me smile, thinking of Coach G sharing that she thinks of this song while running. "Keep hands loose, touch fingers to thumb."



Moby’s “Natural Blues” -
Went down the hill,the other day
My soul got happy and stayed all day

For three or four months last winter, this was one of the tunes on either Coach B or Coach E’s IPOD (or maybe both) that became close friends during our indoor biking classes. “Level 10, stand up!”

Eminem’s “Loose Yourself” –
Look, if you had one shot, one opportunity
To seize everything you ever wanted-
One moment
Would you capture it or just let it slip?

Like a metronome, the beat to this song is perfect for reminding me to keep my turnover high and my feet light. The words are pretty invigorating, too.

Linkin Park’s “What I’ve Done” and Modest Mouse’s “Float On”– (two songs TRIgirl’s DL's husband added to our Eagleman DVD. Anytime I hear the songs I see parts of the video...

For what I’ve done
I start again
And whatever pain may come
Today this ends

The foreboding swim start waves with arms flailing

And we'll all float on alright
Already we'll all float on
Aliright don't worry even if things end up a bit to heavy
We'll all float on alright

and TRIgirl MJ in transition heading off to start her – with such bounce and energy in her stride.

U2’s “Beautiful Day”
It's a beautiful day

Don't let it get away
It's a beautiful day

This seems like one of the standards for triathlon races – and several Ironman media clips seem to play it as the racers are getting ready to start the day.

Please be a beautiful day in Panama City on November 3rd!