OK, so we are about to head off to Zurich for the Ironman.

I am a bit overwhelmed by it all to be quite frank and am close to tears as I think about it. David (and other friends too) have been training their little legs off since the beginning of the year. 6 months of training - a massive commitment. Along the way for him there have been a couple of running injuries as well as his first marathon. I was proud as anything when David ran past us at mile 22 - the tears were there but I suspect there will be more this weekend.

It’s been hard to be honest. I have missed seeing David when he has gone out for his 100 mile bike rides - he has tried to time them as much as possible to days when I was working and it has helped him not having to work full time anymore ;) He bounced back brilliantly from running the London Marathon and was pretty much back into full training mode straight away. Anyone who thinks training for this is easy is mistaken. It takes serious self-motivation and dedication.

We have had some fun along the way though too, it’s not all about intense training. Watching them slog up White Leaf hill (during the Chiltern 100 Sportive) was more fun for me than them, I suspect. As was the sportive in early spring when there was snow…though I only heard about that one. Lots of fun was had at Bala, just like last year, but was less stressful this time for some reason. Maybe because I knew a few people and David had trained more. There were some seriously awesome Pirate times that day - the ladies were 3rd team and the boys were 4th team. Not bad eh? I have also just about perfected my Bike Flapjack recipe…and will be baking a batch tomorrow for Sunday’s race. That’s one of my Sherpa duties.

I am so hoping for everyone to perform as I know they can. They have all trained so bliddy hard and I am desperate for nothing to go wrong on the day. I am going to be a wreck until I see David cross that finish line. I know that there is a chance something will throw a spanner in the works but I know that the spanner will not be a lack of training. Realistically, everything else is beyond his control and he has done all he can.

Now for the slushy bit (sorry!).

I am so proud of what David has done to get this far. It’s funny really, lots of people are saying he is mad, asking why is he doing it and (my personal favourite) asking what charity he is doing it for. I think that because of the people we hang out with, doing an Ironman almost seems normal. It’s not. I try and remember that. No matter what happens on Sunday, I am still proud. I want more than anything for David’s race to go as he wants it to and how he deserves it to go and I would love for his time to be the time he wants it to be.

He is stepping into the unknown. He has completed each individual component but it’s all about stringing it together and somehow getting through it. I suspect he’ll be OK on the mental strength aspect, in the 18 years we have been together, I have never known him give up on anything.

So, come Sunday night, it will all be over. Somehow though, I suspect David’s Ironman adventures are only just beginning…