I just need to take a deep breath

It is Wednesday evening and I am finally packed and ready to head to Portland. It has been a very long 10 months since last November when I had shoulder surgery. And I am so thrilled to have made it to September healthy, happy and rockin to race! The last couple of days I have really struggled with focus, energy and the fake drama of pain in every joint and muscle. I swear that I have more aches, pulls and pains in the last week...the great part is that I know none of them are real and if I could only stop the wheels from turning I would be able to chill. Yesterday I learned the best way to chill is to babysit for my friend Paula's new little boy Samuel. He is 1 month old tomorrow and he is the sweetest thing I have ever seen. Paula came over to go for a run around the lake so I held Samuel while I made calls and sent emails. It was the calmest I have been in days. His little quick breaths, his little squeaky noises and his sweet baby smell all helped me get a grip on reality. Thanks Samuel.
John and I leave for Portland tomorrow morning and then we will spend the next 1 1/2 days getting organized for the race and trying to stay grounded and relaxed. I need to conserve energy and stay inside myself more than I usually do. Last year when we were in Portland I spent the first hour of the race cheering people on as they came out of the water and went out on their bikes....just blowing my energy all over the place. This year I am going to save all that energy for my race.
I was thinking about last year in Portland so I decided to check out our pictures and share a few to make me laugh between now and 8:40 AM on September 20th. Soon I will be posting a whole new set of pix for your viewing pleasure!
By the way, I highly recommend that you check out this link so we can start to plan for fun and food for Australia! http://www.gold-coast.net/restaurants/index.html
So now I just need to take a deep breath and have a great weekend of fun, friends and LAYING IT DOWN!