Saturday, January 14, 2006

Florida Ironman Powers Unite

Finally got to sit and chat with Trimama and her Kahuna-esque husband. Having met the Kahuna personally I can vouch for it.

Mistress, Mighty Mo and I met them for dinner at a swank Brewery and Eatery on their way to watch some football at relatives.

Trimama is very funny, engaging and can down a beer and talk football with aplomb.

I mostly spoke with TriDaddy since Mightly Mo was hogging all the Trimama time with his dinosaur imitiations, and he is a really great guy. I didn't know he was running the half as well, must have missed that post somewhere. Anyway we got along great.

So now I have met one, two, three, four actual Triathlete Alliance Bloggers and an assorted cast of characters mentioned about online and I am truly blessed. I had no idea that putting myself out into the Blogesphere a little over a year ago, by just commenting on Tri-Geek Dreams, that I would have been so touched by those others that took a chance and spoke up like me.

This is a great world.

Trimama brought something up at dinner that really resonated with me. I sit at my terminal and I post up my training and my thoughts towards Ironman. I connect online with dozens of bloggers going to or supporting Florida Ironman. No one from my area, that I have a personal, physical connection with is going there to be with me.

Meeting Trimama and TriDaddy tonight made realize one thing. A big thing. Even though a great big group of us are going to Florida, most of us will have never met. We made commitments to each other and personal and financial sacrifices with our families based on a ethernet relationships. Meeting them tonight crystalized this point- I won't be there alone.

Ironman Florida has been counting down on my site for over 200 days. My commitment started the day I paid the entry fee. The connection of relationship started at dinner tonight with the clinking of fresh pints of ale.

And we will eat again, Trimama and I, on November 5, 2006, toasting margaritas and saluting our success and to the success of all our other Florida bound Ironmen and maidens.

And numbing the pain of the M-Dot tattoos we got hours earlier.

Cheers.

7 Comments:

At 9:47 PM, Blogger Nancy Toby said...

Count me *IN* for margaritas. But, um, probably not the tattoo....

 
At 10:35 PM, Blogger Ann (bunnygirl) said...

Yes, isn't it great that we can become friends even without necessarily meeting IRL? My DH scoffs at the idea, but it's been going on for as long as there have been pen pals. We just have faster technology now.

I hope I get to meet you someday!

I'm looking forward to everyone's stories tomorrow!

 
At 3:23 AM, Blogger Cliff said...

CMS,

I am pretty sure the only time we tri bloggers will meet is on race days.

I don't plan to just race in Canada....there ain't a lot of Ironman races up here you know ;)

 
At 6:37 AM, Blogger Born To Endure said...

Oh yeah..we'll all meet at the finish line..no one goes home till all of us cross that white line!!! I for one can't wait to meet everyone in FLA!!

 
At 7:59 AM, Blogger Chris said...

Man, I hope I can make it down to Florida this year to see all you guys. I've got a ton of travel coming up this year, but I'm going to try and squeeze it in. If I can't swim, ride, and run beside you all maybe I can still join you for the tattoo. ;)

Hope you're kickin' ass and taking names out there right now in AZ!

 
At 8:13 AM, Blogger Nancy Toby said...

Um, Shelley, you might be waiting an awfully long time for some of us....

 
At 1:32 PM, Blogger Bolder said...

I had this discussion on Friday with another blogger, many people blog, even take on personas other than their own, and make commitments/statements they never intend to keep, and never intend to meet their fellow bloggers...

We, on the other hand, have every intention to meet our fellow bloggers every chance we get, and back up the commitments/statements we make.

Profound.

 

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