“Mrs. Jordan is  a 49-year-old female who appears in excellent health.  She was removed from the swim course at 9:04am and brought to the medical center.  She suffered what appears to be an acute asthma attack, triggered most likely by the excitement and anxiety of the event.  Race medics removed her from the course with protestations from Mrs. Jordan at buoy #18 (of 24) because of the severity of the symptoms.”

Then more medical speak about blood gasses, oxygen administration, and so forth.

And just that quick the race was over.

My version of it would include lots more drama, but this is good enough to give you a picture of what happened.  I’ve never had anything like this happen before, but it gives me new respect for those who suffer from asthma.  Even this morning my lungs, throat, and chest are still burning with the inflammation.

Disappointed.  Frustrated.  Pissed off.  Was that your next question?  And you know I’m never a person of just a few words, so here’s the expanded version of that.

Yesterday, I was devastated.  Today and this month, I’m disappointed.  Next month, and for longer term, I know that life is made up of what you make happen, and what you make of what happens.  And here’s what I’m making of this experience.

Ironman and I are not over.  Not by a wide shot.  I have decided that I will give myself 3 chances to accomplish this (3 strikes, 3 wishes, 3 guesses, so  3 chances seems good).  It won’t surprise anyone who reads this blog that I spent a lot of time last night on the internet looking for races.  China.  Brazil.  Utah.  France.  I’d like to tag on to this series of training, but these events are so highly structured, registration usually closes several months out.  I’d like to give it a second go before the end of this year (meaning my third go may even bring me back here next March).

Everything about this (with the tiny exception of the race itself) has been a wonderful experience.  Even the grueling days of training, even in the cold, has been challenging and satisfying, which for me is a good thing.  This trip to NZ has been fabulous, and it’s not over yet.  The people I have met along the way, the things I have learned about myself, the changes I’ve made in my body, these are all growth events that make up what I think life is all about.  So I will not call this Epic Fail, I’ll call this Epic Attempt.

Your kind words of encouragement here and Facebook have touched me profoundly; so much that I’m going to assemble them in some fashion of a hard copy and incorporate them into a training aid of some sort.  Thank you for your faith in me, your well-wishes, your patience as friends and clients, your generosity of time and effort to keep track of all my progress.

Pictures to come of our multi-day raft trip with Sam and Laura.  We’ll be out of touch a few days before heading back home.

Thank you for reading, and all that it implies – your interest, your participation, your involvement, your support.