Could it maybe

Be sun I see!!!!! YES IT WAS. I'm sure it was warmth I could feel on my skin this morning just prior to getting in the water. And as the sun finally decided to stick it's bright happy face out from behind the clouds I had to get a photo. I wasn't sure when I was going to see it again.

The swim was just glorious. It finally just felt so right in the water. The wetsuit is starting to feel better and I am definitely feeling much more confident out in the open water - finally.

Among the many things to do and see here I have also registered and gotten all my goodies in my backpack. Not to mention having splurged on a few things to help remind me of the event.

I also took a bit of a walk around where the finishing chute will be to try and take in some of the enormity of what will be come Sunday.

Still looking at this photo brings tears to my eyes. It has been such an emotional journey and I feel so blessed to have been able to make it to this very day. I only hope I remember every emotion from this Sunday.

This afternoon we have Pre-race registration and I have gotten my bike and helmet set up with their stickers.

Little OCD me was getting frustrated with the fact that my helmet sticker wouldn't sit on properly without getting creases. So my first lesson for Port was - Let things be. This is the least of my worries. There could potentially be bigger things to worry about and this is not one of them.

Elissa came over last night to stay with us till Tuesday and Susan and her hubby are arriving today to stay as well. Should be a good day as it is also Mum's 64th birthday today. We are heading off to do some Strawberry picking today - so we can have it with dessert tonight.

Everytime I head out I am spotting lots of friends and their families. And this morning as I went for a quick ride with Jodie and crew I spotted Tim Berkel and Belinda Granger. Once again you have that star struck moment - they look so strong and ready to do battle. If I could have a smidge I their ability I would be one happy individual.

I have to confess - I had my first mini cry this morning as we made our way to Matthew Flinders. I got all emotional and scared and almost felt the same way I did when I did my first ever Enticer. My legs got all wobbly and I really questioned myself. Lucky for me we only did the top half as Jodie wanted us to stay fresh. Anyway after that little emotional outburst I felt better. I was in control again.

Can't believe it's tomorrow. I will be doing my first 70.3. WooHoo

I'm here

So I packed everything but the kitchen sink to come up - but in my defence this pile only has my race gear in amongst it all. My everyday clothes bag still was not packed. It's amazing how much stuff you have to pack for a family of 5. In a way were lucky we were taking the 2 cars as there was no way we would fit it all in one car plus my Mum and Father in laws stuff as well.

As we headed out for the adventure of a lifetime - to say that I had rechecked my stuff a million and one times would have been an understatement. But I decided that if something was a miss well then it could be bought up at Port. So I said Goodbye to home and knew that when I returned I would be returning a changed person. I would have reached the pinnacle of my journey and accomplished something I never thought in my wildest of dreams possible.

Making our way up to Port was well - what can I say - eventful. The weather has been a big fat BLAH. We went through about 5 different sets of rain clouds and since arriving here it pretty much has not stopped raining since. And by rain I mean - torrential rain. The kind that makes the ground so slushy because it can't soak up another drop. Oh well, should make the race interesting on Sunday if it continues.

As we were driving up I really wasn't giving much thought to the fact that I was heading up to race until I came across this sign about 60kms from Port.

Amazing how one little (well big) sign can make you quiver. Reality hit me like a plank of 4x4 to the head yet again. Arriving at Port did the much the same thing. There were sponsor signs everywhere, people riding their bikes, people jogging all over the place and just that neat BUZZ which filled the air.

When we reached our accomodation, the kids dispersed frantically to find their rooms and I walked straight out the back to admire the beauty of this place. To think that some people have this view everday upon waking makes me slightly jealous.

The house we are renting for the 9 days is amazing. This water view encompasses the side and back of the house and they even have their own jetty. If I had some dollars I would offer to buy it and live here permanently. But then I think I said the same of Kiama. Must be all the greenery that does it to me.

Yesterday morning I met up with Jodie and Chris and some friends for a swim at the swim course. Not the ideal weather conditions I was hoping for but the water was beautiful. There were only some patches that were cold but the rest was warm. Swimming out was slightly tough as you had the current coming at you, but coming back was awesome.

Can't wait to do it all again this morning. Speaking of such - I must head out the door or I will miss it. Speak soon.

In my quest.

For positivity to alleviate my fears about my impending 70.3 I came across this affirmation

I have the power within me.

I have been repeating it to myself since this morning and am hoping that come Sunday it will ring true for me. They always say there is a strong connection between body and mind and I will use this to my advantage I think.

I will also use the collective positive thoughts from each and every single one of you - friends and family to spur me onto the finish line. It doesn't matter how much I ache on the day you will all be in my thoughts and I will feed off your well wishes.

As for all of my buddies from PTC taking part in IM and 70.3 - you are all just the best and I wish you all the best of luck. I really am part of the best club in the world. You make me feel totally SPECIAL. And it is your constant encouraging words during all of the club races and whenever we catch up that makes me proud to be a member of PTC.

As for my coaches Jodie, Chris and Eliza - what can I say. You are the reason why I am here today 4 days out of my first 70.3. If it wasn't for your programs, your kind words, your dedication in seeing me reach my dream I don't think I could have done this on my own. You have constantly believed in me - even when I didn't believe in me. You have made me see that I can reach those goals, all it took was a "chipping away" attitude. Making sure that I ticked all those boxes and left no stone unturned. Your calmness in how you approach every training session makes me realise that I can achieve anything I set my mind to. I know at times my head space may not have been good, but I hope that I make you proud come this Sunday.

Here's another good reason to smile:

What's not to smile about with those details. Perfect really. Sunday is going to be awesome.

Swaying

Like a pendulum - thats my emotions at this point in time. One minute I am confident in my abilities, the next I am nervous as hell and doubting every square inch of myself inside and out. I have even found myself getting all choked up just thinking about the day. At random times too I might add. In the supermarket, driving the car, having a shower, typing this post. It's when I least expect it that I feel overcome with emotion.

What makes me tear up? All of it. Being scared more than anything I think. Scared that I won't be able to finish. Scared that even though I have done all my training that I won't be able to do it. Scared that maybe I have bitten off more than I can chew. And I know deep down that I can do this, I just need to keep telling myself that I can - I have just never been good at "feeling confident in myself". I have never been good at "tooting" my own horn, if anything ask my closest friends - I am the one who is always finding things to downplay myself.

I want to feel strong and brave but I don't want to let myself down. I don't want to put expectations on myself only to come crashing down. This whole not knowing business scares me. Atleast when I swim I know my abilities and can say without a shadow of a doubt that I feel confident, but I can't say the same thing about the other two. I think what's getting me is the fear of the unknown.

I guess after this Sunday I will have an answer to the "unknown". Come this Sunday I will have embarked on a dream. I will have made it to the top of the mountain I have been climbing for the last 6mths of training. Come this Sunday my name will be called as I cross that finish line and I WILL not be nervous anymore, I WILL not doubt myself anymore because I will have laid to rest those demons.

Until then - I AM NERVOUS.

Let the countdown begin.

As of this very moment I have 6 days and 14hrs till I participate in the race which I have been training for - for what feels like forever. I really never thought this day would ever arrive. It has almost always felt like a dream - a dream when I signed up 359 days ago that I never thought I would reach. I thought somewhere along the line that something would happen which would prevent me from reaching this goal.

But here I sit - looking back on all of the good times I have encountered, all of the goals I have reached along the way, and the pain and hardship I have encountered and feel nothing short of proud. Proud of me and proud of the fact that I never gave up.

I know I couldn't have reached this all on my own - I have my family and friends to thank for all of your support. Without you all I think I would have struggled. You have kept my head on track and for that I will be eternally grateful.

Tapering has been going wonderfully - really enjoying not doing an awful lot and when I do I am feeling superbly fresh I might add. I have started to place all my stuff in a pile to make sure I have not forgotten anything as we leave to go to Port Macquarie this Wednesday.

And everytime I pass this pile I add another thing to it. And I am sure that 90% of my vehicle will pertain specifically to all of my goods. Lucky we are taking up two cars as we have Mum and my Father in law coming up with us.

This feeling I can hardly put into words. All I can say is that I am excited. VERY EXCITED.

Awesomeness.

Do you ever have days where you don't quite feel worthy? That people's views of you far outweigh how you see yourself? That you feel so humbled by how much friends and family think of you? Well the last 2 days have been that way. It's hard to put into words how loved and special I feel - and my only hope is that I never let anyone down.

Through every step of this magnificent journey I have had each and everyone of you cheering me on and making me feel like I was totally invincible. That no matter what I could and would achieve anything I set my mind to. From doing my first ever Enticer Triathlon just over a year ago to now just days away from reaching a goal I never in my wildest dreams thought attainable - my first ever 70.3.

Six months ago I was struggling to run 2km's and now I can run a full 21km. Twelve months ago I rode one lap of the Regatta Centre and struggled so badly with pain afterwards that I never thought I would reach my goal of my first Enticer and now here I am about to cycle 90km. This whole journey and everyone's enthusiasm and love to see me get as far away from my "old me" has me so driven to be the best I can be on May 1st that I cannot even begin to describe in words.

And when I say to be the "best I can be", it's not to smash any records or be some elite triathlete - we know that's never going to happen - BUT I sure as heck know that for every inch of the way that I will give it my all, and be as proud as punch that I, Barbie, will be as far away from that sick Barbie that she can be. That I will have proved to myself that I can overcome anything.

So with all that being said - look at what my dear friend Elissa had made for me for my birthday. Whilst she was over in the States she signed off on the naming rights and had these shirt made for me. Not just one, but one for every member of my family and herself plus a few more.

How lucky am I? I have my very own special team - all there, wearing my name on a shirt. What's not to love about that? I haven't stopped smiling or wearing my shirt for that matter. I am proud as punch. Thankyou Elissa for being such a dear sweet friend. Love ya lots.

Then today, Kirsten from DM popped over with her gorgeous children. We chatted and chatted and chatted over lunch and a few cuppas. Then Kirsten popped out a present for me. I felt so blessed and touched by how my friends are supporting me through this 70.3 journey. Here is what I got!

Thankyou so very much Kirsten. I think my jaw dropped so far onto the floor I had to reach down and pick it up. Now for all of you who don't know what the initial's WWBD stand for - here is the inside scoop - click here. What a humbling experience it was to know that Kris felt that way. I really couldn't stop crying when I saw this post. To both you Kirsten and Kris - THANKYOU for making me feel so special. I will look at this bracelet and answer that question with "Never give up".

Then this afternoon Mel popped over as well. I thought to drop me off my favourite Nutrimetics Cream, however she too had a wonderful gift for me. Check this little guy out.

My very own Goodluck Buddha.

Thankyou Mel, to know that you will have me in your thought's not just on May 1st but have everyday makes me feel so blessed to have you as a friend. Love ya lots. You have a heart of gold.

With all of you by my side, how can I go wrong May 1st. Even if I come through that chute being the very last competitor I will still have won. Because I had you all cheering me on.

And I am going to have to top typing here, because I can't stop crying. You are all too much.

Sparta Personal Training.

This is my friend Jen. We met close to a year ago on my very first ride out on the Northern Road. I was heading out with Maureen and at our turnaround point I was introduced to both Jen and her hubby Rommel. We connected from the very first moment we met. Jen is just the nicest person, her gentle and calm demeanour are in my eyes why she makes a great personal trainer.

I will let her article tell her story. Sparta Personal Training is the name of her business - remember it - it will go far. Check out her website by clicking on Sparta Personal Training and see all she has to offer.

"I find it amazing how life turns out completely differently from the way you anticipated it would.

At university some 17 years ago (yikes!), I contemplated doing my fitness trainers course so that I could teach ‘aerobics’ (as it was called then) to make some cash. I didn’t end up doing the course at the time. So I find it amazing that now after being a lawyer for 13 years, I seem to have come almost full circle & am now (finally) in the health & fitness industry – where I know I belong J

It was also while I was at uni that I discovered my love of strength training & being in a gym. Despite that, I let the exercise lapse when I finally started working as a lawyer. After a couple of years, I found myself carrying an extra 8kgs. After being relatively lean throughout uni, this didn’t sit too comfortably. So I joined the local gym near the office. Doing weights and using the treadmill & stepper soon led to getting out doors & walking.

Before long, I started running. When I started running, I distinctly remember thinking there was no way I could imagine running for the rest of my life. It seemed too uncomfortable and quite simply, far too hard to persevere with. But somewhere along the way, I discovered a passion for endurance sports like running, triathlons, hiking & mountaineering. And now I can’t imagine not running for the rest of my life.

Having said that, it has been a very rocky road since I started running 6 years ago. It is no exaggeration to say that I have basically been injured, or recovering from an injury, since then. Needless to say, it has been very difficult to watch my friends & family set & achieve their sporting goals in that time. Many many tears have been shed over the years. The experience has been a great lesson in determination, dealing with jealousy & humility. So I understand the disappointment & frustration that comes from being injured and empathise with people who have been unable to achieve things what they want due to injury. This has really become my driving force & main motivating factor behind SPARTA - I do not want anyone else to go through what I have.

So my mission at SPARTA is to help my client’s achieve their dreams & goals by reducing their risk of injury & helping to improve their performance in their chosen sport. I do this by identifying, and then minimising, any issues with their movement which might cause injury and/or reduce their ability to achieve peak performance. I do this in a way that takes into account everything about my client’s - from their goals, lifestyle, personality, posture, strengths, weaknesses, likes, dislikes and available time so it is a very customised process. Getting this much input from my client’s means that they are as much a part of the training design process as I am.

In the future, I would also expand my practice & work with older adults. I have watched family members suffer from diseases that I know exercise can help to address in some way. And I know of a lot of parents, family & friends of active people who have been inspired to become more active themselves. I think older adults also appreciate the importance of their health more than others.

I love seeing the way people change physically & mentally as they set themselves a goal they don’t always believe they can achieve and then set out to achieve it. It is an extremely gratifying role; what can I say – I honestly love my work.

Jen, I am so glad we are friends. I know your clients will benefit immensely from your knowledge and patience as well as your motivating and gentle personality. You are an asset to the industry and to anyone who has you as their trainer.

Check out her website - articles and interviews galour.