Oct 8th 2009
Another great day in paradise! Spent the morning down at the race site with the fam so they could do some shopping. As we were down there, Will spied David Bailey. He is a paraplegic that is racing on Saturday. Will introduced himself and we got to chat with him for a few minutes. There are 13 physically challenged athletes racing on Saturday. As you can imagine they are a great inspiration when you think of what they have overcome to get to the starting line here in Kona. There is also an athlete, who on Saturday will be racing and celebrating the 3rd anniversary of his heart transplant. The stories that you find within Ironman are truly amazing. After our morning, we headed out to one of the beach parks along Ali'i Dr. It was pretty cool to see one lone honu (turtle) sunbathing on the lava rock. It was a challenge for all of us to navigate our way into the water since it was all lava rock. Once we were in it was well worth it though to float along and see all the beautiful fish and coral. Unfortunately the Big Island is not very up to code for disabled people. The beaches here do not have beach wheelchairs, so Will was restricted to staying on the sidewalks and taking in the sights. After the beach, we headed back to the house and got some pool time in. This is something Will enjoys and is very able to do. The best sight was my mom (who cannot really swim and is afraid of deep water). She got in the pool with a little inflatable seahorse ring around her waist. We all had a really good laugh at her expense :) After pool time I got down to business. I organized my gear bags, put reflective tape on my shoes and run clothes, and numbered my bike. It always feels good to have that stuff done! Ty and I headed out to the Welcome banquet which was SO AWESOME. Usually I stay away from those at any races I do, since it can be more stressful than fun due to the crowds and such. This banquet was the exact opposite. It really pumped you up and got you into Ironman mode. Even though it takes many hours to get through and finish the race, I know it will be over in the blink of an eye. I am soaking up every minute of these remaining few days...
Another great day in paradise! Spent the morning down at the race site with the fam so they could do some shopping. As we were down there, Will spied David Bailey. He is a paraplegic that is racing on Saturday. Will introduced himself and we got to chat with him for a few minutes. There are 13 physically challenged athletes racing on Saturday. As you can imagine they are a great inspiration when you think of what they have overcome to get to the starting line here in Kona. There is also an athlete, who on Saturday will be racing and celebrating the 3rd anniversary of his heart transplant. The stories that you find within Ironman are truly amazing. After our morning, we headed out to one of the beach parks along Ali'i Dr. It was pretty cool to see one lone honu (turtle) sunbathing on the lava rock. It was a challenge for all of us to navigate our way into the water since it was all lava rock. Once we were in it was well worth it though to float along and see all the beautiful fish and coral. Unfortunately the Big Island is not very up to code for disabled people. The beaches here do not have beach wheelchairs, so Will was restricted to staying on the sidewalks and taking in the sights. After the beach, we headed back to the house and got some pool time in. This is something Will enjoys and is very able to do. The best sight was my mom (who cannot really swim and is afraid of deep water). She got in the pool with a little inflatable seahorse ring around her waist. We all had a really good laugh at her expense :) After pool time I got down to business. I organized my gear bags, put reflective tape on my shoes and run clothes, and numbered my bike. It always feels good to have that stuff done! Ty and I headed out to the Welcome banquet which was SO AWESOME. Usually I stay away from those at any races I do, since it can be more stressful than fun due to the crowds and such. This banquet was the exact opposite. It really pumped you up and got you into Ironman mode. Even though it takes many hours to get through and finish the race, I know it will be over in the blink of an eye. I am soaking up every minute of these remaining few days...
posted by Em at 11:22 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home