ironman

I'm having a MAJOR proud sister day!! I could not wait to do this post. There are so many things that I want to say and share and I hope I remember them all. So, in case words get lost in the shuffle, bottom line first: My brother, Travis is a machine - and is now an Ironman.

This is my account of the day that has been a long time in the making.

My alarm went off at 4:50 am and I jumped right up because I was so excited to get to downtown Louisville! I knew that my brother and Jenny had planned on going down around 4 am. Ouch. That is stinkin' early!!! My sister and I drove over together and followed my parents and our aunt and uncle that came in from Indy. We were all sleepy eyed, but very excited! Now, to those of you who are new to the Ironman lingo, like I was, here is the breakdown: Each athlete swims 2.4 miles, bikes 112 miles and runs 26.2 miles. Travis had 2 goals...to finish and to finish in under 15 hours. {Yes, 15 hours of constant exercise.}

After we parked, we walked what seemed like forever to get to the starting line. We had a great view of where the athletes would jump in. The countdown clock was running and the excitement was thick!!! After hearing My Old Kentucky Home and The National Anthem, they blew the horn and the line of athletes took off. One by one they started jumping in the water. I did not know that so many people would be participating! 2800 people!

Now, I have to tell you about this next picture. After watching for a few minutes, we turned around and realized that the athletes were coming down a hill RIGHT BEHIND US. Had NO clue that they were there!! We hoped that we hadn't missed Trav!! So, we kept looking for him and then I spotted him. As soon as he rounded the corner, we all screamed his name. He raised his hand and then saw us. He cut out of line and ran over and hugged my mom. They were both crying. {Yes, I can say that about him because he is an Ironman now! Ha!}

Then, he went on through the line and was headed to see Jenny who was at the bottom of the hill right before he would jump in.

Here he is on the platform...second green hat from the bottom. {Funny tidbit...as we were watching for him, mom, trying to help, said "I think he is wearing black swim trunks." Good, a man, with black trunks and a green swim cap. We'll find him easily! ha!}

Once he jumped in, we left and headed for the first transition where he would get on his bike. He thought the swim would take 1 1/2 to 2 hours. He did it in an hour and 17 minutes!!! Woot!

Saw this shirt.

I totally missed getting a good picture of him on his bike because I was too busy screaming my head off! We were right behind the barricades and when he heard us, he looked over, gave us a smile and a nod and we could tell he was off to a strong start!!

The day seemed to be flying by already. I don't know what this means exactly, but everyone kept commenting on how good his bike splits were. I guess that meant he was going pretty fast. I just nodded and acted like I knew what they were talking about! Ha!! {Insert about 6 hours here where I went home, ate, played with the kids, took a nap - yes, I napped for about an hour and a half!!! I got up EARLY people! - and ate again.} Eric and I headed back out for his run. He had been running for about 3 hours when we got there. Let me say that again. He had been running for about 3 hours when we got there. Insanity. We were there just in time to see him pass by for the 10.5 mm. I love this next picture because it shows his great attitude.

He stopped briefly, shook hands with all of us, cut up a little, asked me not to spit on him, gave Jenny a kiss and was off again. We wouldn't see him again until he passed back by at around mile 17 or 18. What I love about Jenny is that we still stood there the whole time, rang our cowbells, clapped and cheered for all the other athletes. She was there, not only for Travis, but for everyone else too!

Coming back around, I think about 90 minutes later. Still running. Looking strong.

And I love the next picture, too! Elizabeth (one of his friends) took this and caught the moment beautifully! Gimme a kiss and get your rear to the finish line!!!!!!!!!

And we were off! We headed to 4th Street Live to wait and cheer him on there. Travis had a lot of friends there to support him. Some of them were in the streets and on their bikes. They would "report" to Jenny when they saw him and update her on his status. I remember "22" and waiting. He was struggling. Then what seemed like FOREVER {I'm sure forever + eternity to him!} "24". My legs were hurting. ;) Person after person after person kept crossing the finish line and bursts of cheers would ring out around us. One girl passed that had a bike wreck and she had made a homemade sling for her right arm. One man passed that was 69 years old. One man passed and walked over and put his metal around his little boys neck. The anticipation was killing us! Then we heard "one mile left". The cameras were ready and we were watching on the big screen for a man in lime green.

And there he was. We heard the announcer "Travis Miller, YOU are an Ironman." He did it. He was incredible. He finished and beat his goal by 15 minutes!

If you are friends with my sister, check out the video she posted on facebook of him as soon as he crossed the finish line. It was priceless. There were lots of tears, a few moments of him looking like he might pass out from exhaustion, but mostly just lots of smiles, hugs and high fives!

Here is the whole gang - I think I can speak for everyone in saying it was an honor to support Travis!!

Proud sisters!

Super proud parents!

And one awesome Team Miller!

This was probably one of the most exciting things that our family has been a part of. I am so proud of my brother and I know he is an inspiration to so many!! I do have to say that my brother texted me today to see how I was doing, since my legs were hurting yesterday from walking and standing. ;) Such a good big brother! He also thanked me again for not spitting on him. In all seriousness, Travis - you rock. I'm so happy for you!! Congratulations, Ironman.