I'd Like to Thank Some People

It's Thanksgiving and I cannot think of a better day to begin dialoguing about my IRONMAN victory.  I am still buried in a host of emotions and processing is taking a while, but I just downloaded all of my finisher pics and I must say......It was a GOOD day.  I have so many people that I need to thank and so today I want to just stop and start there.  I am sure there are many more who I should be thanking, but for now this will have to be it:

My Jesus:  Thank you for the blessing of this year.  It was incredible.  Thank you for a strong body and an even stronger mind.  Lord you are good and your mercies endure forever.  Thank you for going before, standing beside and following after me.

Bob:  Honey, thank you doesn't even touch all that I want to say to you.  Your unwavering support over this year has been nothing short of Divine.  You gave me the wings and because of your willingness to let me go and pursue this dream I literally soared across the finish.  I could not have done this without you.  My victory is as much yours as it is mine.  Thank you for choosing me.

Dawn: You will get your own blog, but for now, thank you.  Thank you for seeing potential in me, thank you for driving and leading me towards greatness.  Thank you for being a woman of passion, drive and deep commitment.  Thank you for believing in me.

Bev Crupi:  You are one of the kindest, most generous, most awe inspiring women Bev.  Thank you for letting go of your bike and for letting Lady Dash find a new friend in me.  Thank you for everything that you gave to watch me succeed.  Thank you for allowing me to borrow your race wheels, your helmet, your knowlegde and your gumption.  You helped make me possible and I am eternally grateful for you.

AZ TRI Club: Rosario, David, Randy, Cynthia, Katie, Bob, Joel, Mike Finney, you are all incredible athletes and incredible people.  Thank you for training with me, encouraging me, driving me towards excellence and for challenging me.  The friendship and support from this club will always hold a special place in my heart.

Bridgit Egosque: No, I didn't forget you.  Thank you for being my training partner and friend.  You are an incredible athlete and I am grateful that I have been able to work along side you this year.  I am also grateful to have another woman in my life who is driven towards big goals even with small children in tow.  I surround myself with strong women.  You have helped make me great and I cannot wait to return the favor next year.

Katie White:  I am so proud of you.  I remember when I met you and the idea of an IRONMAN was impossible.  Whether I had anything to do with it or not, THANK YOU for believing in me and for believing in yourself.  I am proud to call you friend and I am thankful for the year we have spent training, racing and doing life together.

Carolyn Brumfiel: Carolyn, there is no way I could forget you.  Thank you for being my friend and for being the first person to say, "Hey, wanna do a triathlon with me?"  I will always remember the Tri for the Cure as my first ever triathlon and I am so glad that we got to do it together.  You knew I would go all the way to IRONMAN, you believed in me for a lot of years.  Thank you for that.  Thank you for your friendship.  Thank you for being someone I will always consider one of my biggest fans.

Bettina Warnholtz:  Thank you for letting me be a part of the Racelab team.  Your leadership and connection with your coached athletes is beyond compare and I am very blessed to be considered a Racelabber.  I believe in Racelab and everything that you stand for.  Thank you for your expertise, your encouragement and for being a HUGE part of my massive success at IRONMAN.  Racelab does get you there faster and I am forever a believer in Racelab!

Anna Sanders: ANNA!  Thank you for helping me understand how my engine works.  Spending time with you testing my VO2 helped me tremendously.  Your expertise and positivity made a huge difference and truly gave me the tools I needed to become a great athlete.  Thank you.

Nathan Lyons: Thank you for graciously giving me your Profile Design bottle.  It seems like something so small, but it was really big to me.

Larry DeMik:  Thank you for being excellent at what you do.....bikes.  Thank you for teaching me a lot about cycling.  Your expertise in bike fitting is what gave me to tools to fall in love with my bike.  I love riding my bike now and I owe much of it to you.  Thank you for being kind, fair, and honest.  You have a lifelong customer.

Dan Beaver:  Thank you for your expertise in all things running.  I am so grateful for you and your staff at Cadence.  I have always been someone who purchases my shoes online.  You have forever changed the way I shop for running stuff.  You are the best.  Bar None.

Mary Knott:  Thank you for being a woman I can look up to. Thank you for being real, honest, driven and kind.  You truly are a celebrity in my book and I am forever grateful that you were a part of my first IRONMAN.  I am a triathlete at heart and I can honestly say, I wanna be like you when I grow up.

Cassie Mehan:  Thank you for being an IRONMAN.  Watching you finish your race in 2013 solidified my own desire to be an IRONMAN.  You set the bar and I am grateful for it.

Jeff and Jen Nichols:  Thank you for supporting me in my first ever IRONMAN 70.3 race.  Thank you for being willing to share expertise, your home, your time and your friendship with me.  I have come a long way from that day in 2015 and I am thankful for your role in my growth as a triathlete.

Brittney Lee:  Thank you for your willingness to watch my girls for many afternoons at the pool.  Because of you I was able to sleep.  It mattered and I am so humbled and blessed at your selfless support.

Rebekah Matthews:  Thank you for being there on Sunday.  You were there from dawn until the finish.  That was a lot and I am humbled at your support.  Thank you for choosing to be my friend even though my priorities lied elsewhere.  You decided my friendship was worth it even though I was hardly around.  You have forever left a mark on my life and I look forward to many more years of friendship with you.

Kim Kocak: Same here.  Thank you for choosing to be my friend even when you knew I was going to be focused elsewhere.  You too thought I was worth it and hung with me through this year.  Thank you.  I am so grateful for your friendship and how you loved on my family this year.  Thank you for being the hands and feet of Jesus and for being there at mile 9 on the marathon.  Seeing your faces made me so happy.

Sarah Gallegos:  Thank you for getting me.  For understanding and knowing what it is like to have a goal and be pursuing it full on.  Thank you for showing me that watches are cool :) and that it is ABSOLUTELY possible to run a sub 4 hour marathon.  Thank you for the countless times I came to visit and spent all of my extra time training.  Thank you for being my friend through it all.  You believed in me.  Thank you for being with me and encouraging me when my race in Boulder cancelled.  Thank you for being one of the best friends a girl could have.

Grace Jessup:  Thank you for believing in me.  Thank you for supporting me and encouraging me and for knowing without doubt that I was going to do an IRONMAN.  I miss you, but am so grateful that you and I are forever connected through the heart.  Thank you for being part of this journey.  You mattered.

Bethany and Shannon Trafton:  Thank you for being there on course!  I am humbled and overwhelmed that you guys would come and support me.  Such a blessing.  You two are some of the most incredible people.  You get it and I am grateful to know you and be a part of your life.

Cherie Costello:  Oh Cherie, where do I start.  You knew me before I had any idea I was an endurance athlete.  Through the 60 mile walk you showed me what it was like to go far and do big things.  Thank you for your friendship, thank you for your support.  Thank you for being on the other end of the phone in September when I simply didn't know how I was going to do this big thing called IRONMAN.  Thank you for always believing in me.  You are an incredible woman Cherie and one I aspire to be like.  Thank you for living boldly, confidently and with strength.  I look up to you.  Thank you.

Jill and Steve:  Thank you for loving me and for supporting me this past year.  Thank you for loving on my girls and for giving them the greatest thing I could not......time.  I was able to become an IRONMAN because my family stood fully behind me.  You were part of this and I am forever grateful to you.  Thank you for raising a man who truly understands the value of sacrifice and who so willingly gave himself up for me this year.  You have blessed me more than you will ever know.  Thank you.

Lynn and Bob:  How do I start?  Your unwavering support and positive energy is something that literally fueled me in the final months of training.  Thank you for understanding my drive and for moving heaven and earth to make my training possible.  Thank you Lynn, for understanding my need to train in Michigan and for making me a priority during your daughter's wedding weekend.  You went above and beyond and I am grateful to you.  Thank you for loving on my girls and for showering them with time when you were here.  You are such a blessing to me and your unwavering kindness and support is something I could not have done this without.  Thank you.

Mom and Dad:  I know that you don't completely understand this whole triathlon thing, but I know you get me.  You have always been my biggest fans no matter what the goal in life was.  Thank you for raising me strong, for teaching me about work ethic and for helping me understand the incredible value of being coachable.  I love you.

I believe that big things in life "take a village." and I am thankful today for the people I consider in mine.  You all have made me great!