Gasparilla half Mary- Di's point of view....

Well, The race is over and I don't want to rush to the natural ending of this entry but, Bigun did Awesome!!!!! Amazing! Fantastical!!!! Phenomenal!!!!

4 am comes early no matter what day it is. When it's Sunday and you have a cold it's still way too early. I have to confess I almost did not go to this race. I felt so crummy this morning trying to fight off the watering eyes, sniffles and slight congestion. Yuck to say the least. What made me feel worse than this crummy cold was the thought that I would miss a race. So, I bucked up and got dressed ( slowly).

We piled all of our stuff into the truck and hit the road. Now, we are only 15 minutes away from where we needed to be so what "stuff" could we possibly have to pack you ask? Let's see, my camera bag, a canvas bag with a change of clothes for Bigun, a cooler bag with breakfast(bagels, cream cheese, salmon and coffee creamer) and a good book (for the hour between start time and when I can wake up our friend and race hostess, Hope). Let's not forget my purse...That's a lot of junk.

On the way to the race I had to stop for some Kleenex. Talk about miserable. Being the great guy that he is, Bigun didn't complain even when we had to make 2 stops because the first quick stop didn't carry tissues. Can you believe it?!?!? Who ever heard of a quick stop that doesn't carry tissues? I never.

Arriving downtown we start looking for a place to park. Tons of lots everywhere and tons of garages. We decided to try our luck at finding a place near the "Start" of the race. Our luck was amazing. We nabbed a spot practically 50 feet from the start. Awesome. It's still O'Dark thirty (5:30 am in Tampa) and wicked cold. Did I tell you that we are FREEZING in Florida right now? FREEZING. GLACIAL. (see word of the day) FREAKIN COLD. Anyway, I digress.

We mosey over to the starting point and it's really chilly and the wind is whipping itself up into a mild frenzy. Not too bad yet, it proved pretty soon afterward that it could indeed be worse. It's still dark, the race is delayed by about 10 minutes on the start because of the torrential rains we received during the night. Bayshore Dr and Davis Island both have a habit of flooding whenever it rains harder than a mist. That happened to be the race route. I know, it all sounds dismal doesn't it? It wasn't soooo bad really. The race started with a bang. I watched the start from the back of the Avalanche and I have to tell you, it was a GREAT vantage point! If I had only been given a ray of daylight I might have been able to get some shots of Bigun at the start. Unfortunately because of lack of light, I couldn't get a focused shot. I was bummed. After the athletes run by I get back in the truck and crank up the heat. It was nice and cozy while I read Ludlum's "The Bancroft Strategy". At about 7:15am I started gathering up our "Stuff" and locked up the truck. The spot we parked in was only a block away from our friend Hope's condo. The sun is shining. Not too bad on a warm sunny day, but as you all know... that isn't what we had going on this morning. Brrrrrrrr.

Hope was up and at'em and ready for the fun. She has an amazing view from her Balcony. It was really nice to be able to watch the festivities from a warmer vantage point. As 7:45 rolled around we thought we should make our way downstairs to the curb so we could cheer Bigun on as he ran past us heading towards the finish line.

We didn't have to wait long. When he came running toward us, his gait was strong. I could tell by his posture and his face that he was still feeling great after 13 miles. It was really exciting to see him finishing so strong! I was so proud of him! He has been training hard and it really showed this morning. Bigun is well on his way to being ready for his Ironman goal. Well on his way.

Bigun crossed the finish line and collected his finishers medal then made his way back down Bayshore ( about a 100 yards) to where Hope and I were standing. Hope and I gave him due props and oggled his medal and then hightailed it back to the door of the lobby. We quickly retired to Hope's lovely condo and enjoyed a light breakfast with a view of the finish line. What a truly nice way to start the day. I am so glad I didn't allow myself to stay home this morning. So glad.

After a couple of hours we left our Wonderful Race Hostess to her quiet Sunday and we made our way home. Today was a nice day. Did I say that already? Sorry, it was. Despite my crummy cold and achy muscles. I'm so proud of my man.

Today turned out to be a bright, sunny, (wicked freakin' cold) wonderful day at the races.