November 7 Florida

Where was this sign at the Tour de Camden?


I woke up this morning as soon as the sun lit our room. The clock indicated that it was just after six. I assumed that Jackie had set the clock back before going to bed. For the first time in at least a day it was very quiet outside. When we went to bed last night they were still announcing Ironman finishers over the PA system. The announced names were getting pretty spread out by 10 PM. I could only think of how tough it probably was for those who had been in motion for the last 15 or 16 hours. I am thankful that Mike finished so early last night. Our little gang of cheerleaders looked beat and it was getting pretty darn cold out there for those of us that weren’t running.

The team set up our last viewing points at about mile 25.9 and at the finish line. I was in the group at 25.9 with Jackie, Mary Beth and her family. I was continually working on predicting Mike's arrival time. I knew how tough those last ten miles were and how easy it was to listen to your body when it pleaded for walk breaks more and more frequently. I walked a little way down from Jackie and MB several times looking down the road for him. On the last trip down there I saw him making the turn towards the finish line. I offered my last words of encouragement before Jackie and MB started their screaming. The rest of our team was up at the finish line and were able to see him triumphantly cross that darn line. It took a while to work through the crowd to get up to Mike. Jackie and I did get to congratulate him and his family before heading off to our room. We ordered pizza and watched a pretty bad second half of the USC Arkansas game before we hit the sack.
My view from the balcony this morning was quite different from that of the last few days. There was not a swimmer or runner to be seen on the stretch of beach that I could view. I didn’t see anyone biking down Front Beach Drive. Previously you had to weave down this road to dodge what most people consider to be inconsiderate crazy bikers. There were only a few worn out Ironmen pushing their bikes to be loaded back on their racks for the journey home. As we loaded up and headed out to church we saw many walking to and from, ever so gingerly.
This has been a great experience. I have been able to see what Team Whetstone goes through in order to experience the Ironman with me. I finally earned a much coveted Team Whetstone jersey. Even though I didn’t get to participate in the Ironman as I had planned, I got to experience it through and for my good friend Mike.