#Road2Kona 1 day away
I've returned to finish the rest of the Kona Ironman course. In 2012 I ran the Kona marathon and checked another state off my bucket list. But wondered if I could do the Ironman. My goal was to try and return to Kona one day.
The Best Day Ever was going to the beach and being in or near water. We looked forward to spending two weeks every summer up North at a cabin. I learned to swim, ride bikes and run and play. I was destined to do triathlons and determined to go the distance of an Ironman.

I would like to thank the communities of Burnsville, Savage, Prior Lake, Jordan, Spring Lake and Lydia. Also One91 school district, friends and mostly my family for all the support throughout this year. My husband and kids gave up so much to keep me focused, keep household daily routines going and just family time. Many of you may not even know that you helped me along the way. With less than 1 day to the Ironman World Championships in Kona. This dream would not be possible without all the people and places along my training adventure. My training took me and my daughter, Britney, on bike rides through Dakota and Scott counties, as we trained together for Ironman Boulder. I enjoyed sharing the course with her and proud to train through her first ironman. I appreciated the way people gave us the right of way at intersections on Highway 13, 282 through Jordan, County Road 10 through Spring Lake and the small town of Lydia. I enjoyed the scenery of farmlands and a quick wave when farmers passed by. It made those long training days tolerable. I especially appreciated the Prime Time Restaurant in Lydia and The Pointe in Prior Lake for my frequent pit stops to fill up ice and water. They wouldn't let me pay, but I've returned to these establishments and payed it forward. My family gave up countless hours to paddle alongside me during my swims in Prior Lake every Sunday morning. My son, Charlie, found creative ways to paddle when the days were windy and cold. My husband, Steve, would try to keep me away from fishing boats, but I don't usually hear when your head is constantly turning in the water. Thanks to all the boaters and jet skiers for staying a safe distance away. Your waves gave me the extra edge to train for any turbulent waters. There were also businesses that always seemed to stop what they were doing when I came into the store. Gear West, in Long Lake and Michael's bike shop in Prior Lake have given me that extra edge to fine tune my bike, fix a problem or words of wisdom. A special thanks to Hannah at Gear West for all her extra advice and suggestions. I give the guys at Michael's bike shop a hard time and say that they plant sharp objects along highway 13 in Prior Lake, just close enough for me to stop and have them fix a flat. I haven't mastered the art of changing a tube. Takes me almost an hour.

Just like the planing it takes to start up a new school year my planning for this race started last September. I set out to compete in the Ironman Lake Tahoe last September. It was my 2nd Ironman and I knew the course was challenging. The day before the race I warmed up by swimming in the lake, running and biking a portion of the course. As the end of the day drew near, smoke started rolling down the mountains and you could smell all night in our hotel. Little sleep got me up at 2:30 to go through my prerace routine. I hopped on the shuttle and started my last minute preps before the race was to begin. 20 minutes before we were to enter the water for the start of the race I went to do my last bathroom break before putting on my wetsuit. As I came out of the port-a-potty someone told me the race was canceled. I couldn't believe it. I had to hear someone announce it to make it real. Many thoughts went through my mind but I didn't know how to get ahold of my husband without my cell phone. I borrowed one from an event director and as I connected with my husband the tears came over me. All that training, time and $ spent. But when a door closes a window opens.
From the cancelation of Tahoe came unused slots to Kona. I decided to sign up for the Boulder Ironman(August 2015) because I could train all summer and not miss a day of teaching. This put me in the IM lottery from Tahoe and I got picked for the World Championship. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I'd qualify for Kona. But I was ready to take this on. Whenever I complete a race, I wear my medal to school. My elementary students always ask "Did you win." My response to them is: It's not how fast you do something, it's that you FINISH! I have been to most of the Hawaiian islands either with or visiting family. My family knows that it's hard for me to go on a vacation without bringing my students along for the adventure or bringing something back to share.
My units of Earth Science have connected my students with the changing world. They will be following me in Hawaii through the Ironman athlete tracker. Today I connected with my 5th grade classes through Google Hang Outs. They asked some pretty interesting questions and some I will have to check into after I finish the race. I enjoy connecting with my students through daily science activities and real life situations. They sent me off last week with a school fun run. I ran at least 2 miles with each grade level throughout the day. The comments from kids were "How do you keep going around the course. Can we run more? I'm going to run when I get home. Running is so much fun!" This could be the start of something BIG!