T minus 3 days     Running morning.  Biking evening.

Today I started packing for Stone Harbor.  And I felt a lot of stress.  I have never associated stress with Stone Harbor before.  Stone Harbor is fun, family, vacation.  The most stress I have ever felt in Stone Harbor is when I am next in line at Springers and absolutely have to decide what flavor ice cream I want.  (Well, except for that one summer when we buried Julie in the sand up to her neck.  And the tide came in.  Fast.  aka the summer we almost lost Julie).  I was stressed out thinking about the "what if's" of the triathlon.  What if this happens or what if that happens.
I took a break from my packing and went for a bike ride.  I started to feel better.  The more I biked, the better I felt.  Because I started to realize something.  I have come a really, really long way.  I have already been through the what if's.

What if:  The starting gun goes off and I panic?  I will remember I dueled with a deer and won.  I can do this.
What if:  I start swimming and get a mouthful of water when I breathe?  I will remember my swim angel and rotate my shoulders.
What if:  I see lots of choppy water in front of me?  I will  remember merwoman and swim in circles around it.
What if:  I am biking for five miles and get a flat tire?  I will remember Doctor Dave, get out the lotion and change it.
What if:  I am biking  and a group of kids run into the street?  I will shout "clear" and ride past them.
What if:  I am biking and a horsefly makes a beeline for me and throws itself down my throat?  I will make the universal bug in throat bike gesture and receive help.
What if:  I am running and a seagull decides to swoop down and take the cup of gatorade right out of my hand?  (not that a seagull would ever do such a thing in Stone Harbor).  I will give it my now tried and true give-me-some-peace-and-quiet-baby-hawk-yell and he will fly away asap.
What if:  I am running and my legs start to give out after two miles?  I will channel my inner Meryl Streep,  become a queen and dance my way to the finish line.

Stone Harbor.  Fun, family, vacation.  Triathlon.