Saturday, April 26, 2014

One Step at a Time

I read this and thought about the will of one person and the desire she had to finish not because of herself but for all the people that came to her mind. It may be an individual sport but it takes the support of all to compete even when you are alone.

Here is the link to the actual article with pictures.

One Step at a Time
By Jessica Van Orden

I arrived in Cozumel on Thursday, Nov. 28, a week after learning I would have no roommate and be racing an Ironman with zero support on site. The flight, shuttle and ferry went smoothly, so I was in good spirits. Friday arrived and I was excited to pick up my bike. It had been two weeks since I’d seen her.
This is about where my luck ended for the weekend. When I picked up my bike, the rear tubular would not hold any air. After inspection by three mechanics, it seemed the valve had separated from the tire and needed to be replaced. Knowing nothing about tubulars and not speaking Spanish, this quickly became a major problem. I spent that afternoon frustrated, looking for a solution. At 5 p.m., I found a third mechanic that was able to replace the tire for a reasonable price. But to add to my problems, I discovered my phone was not charging. Being alone in Mexico became extremely lonely and only very minor, brief communication was possible the rest of the trip.

Saturday morning came and for the second time the practice swim was canceled due to the rough waters. This added to my nervousness. I headed out on a practice ride finally and got caught in another downpour. I returned to the hotel drenched from head to toe. My bag check time was in two hours, so I wrung out my things and packed my bike and run bags. I left my bike shoes in the sun in hopes of drying them slightly before they had to sit in a plastic bag overnight. At 3 p.m., I grabbed the bus to transition, got marked and planned where to eat my early dinner.