A New Year - 2008

Another year over and another just beginning. I passed at the New Year's Eve parties and had a quiet one at home although I was still awake when the Sky Tower fireworks started, so got up and watched them from my deck.

It is only a few days to go until the Port of Tauranga Half Ironman - Saturday, 5th January. The body has got very tired from the training, so this week is very easy to try and get some energy back into the body, ready to take on my first ever triathlon.

I have had a few more sea swims and finally got Takapuna looking like a millpond a couple of days ago - yahoo! I have had chop and swells, so a millpond was very gratefully received. It was also my best ever sea swim yet - less stops and no panic attacks! I am starting to believe that I will survive the Tauranga swim, and if I keep the sea swimming up, it will become okish in time - did I say that? It will be slow at Tauranga, but I just want to finish it.

The other day when I was out with Liz, I was thinking "gee, it's me out here - I did it". Never in a million years did I think I would ever be out there in the deep, murky water bobbing around.

So, with some very patient friends, and a belief in yourself that "you can do it", it shows that you can overcome your worst fears in life. It certainly is a very satisfying moment. The mind is a very powerful thing.

I have started to get things in piles, and sort out what I am taking ... the weather forecast is for fine, sunny weather - which means hot and burning weather for my fair skin - the sunblock is already packed.

So - tomorrow I will pack it all in the car and head down with some of the family to Mount Maunganui. I do hope that the sea is flat and calm .... fingers crossed.

I have no idea of how I'll go - remember it's my first ever triathlon, so it is going to be a learning curve and a day of just surviving. But of course - I plan to enjoy it (maybe not every minute of it) and will try to remember to smile when coming down the finish shute!