My Bittersweet Evotri Montage Soundtrack

I found out this morning at 7:20am that I didn't make the Evotri team. It was 5 minutes before I was supposed to leave for my epic Ironman Training day. What could've been a day to sulk turned into my best training day yet! I'll recap in detail tomorrow, but I blasted a 105 mile ride in 17.5mph average and ran 7 miles with an 8:40 overall pace. I couldn't be happier with those efforts!

Of course I'm a little disappointed that I didn't make the team, but very happy for Charlie from Louisiana. A bittersweet ending wouldn't be complete without a video montage...so I present:

Memories of the last two weeks of Evotri competition. :-)

1.) Meeting Sara who was just excited as I was about producing this video. After all, she agreed to meet me at Barton Springs at 6:30am on a freezing cold morning!

2.) Getting the phone call from TriBoomer letting me know I had made the Top 10.

3.) Posting it on my blog and getting so many positive comments, emails and votes.

4.) Checking out other videos and "sizing up the competition." Damn--everyone's video was so good and inspirational.

5.) The incredible support from my T3 teammates, Gilberts Gazelles, Austin Fit Marathon training group, The Austin Buckeye Alumni Group, Castle Hill Fitness, Austin 360.com, Runtex and so many other friends,family, friends OF family and strangers who spread the word.

6.) The Austin Media world also came through with huge support! Thanks to ClearChannel, Emmis, Entercom, espn radio, BMP radio, AWRT, all of the TV groups and several magazines who pledged their support for the "local girl." It was flattering to say the least.

7.) Thanks to the Austin chapter of the Ohio State Alumni group for putting it in their newsletter. It still stings that I was beaten by an LSU Tiger fan--AGAIN! :-)

8.) Even the property managers of the building I work in sent out a newsletter to the tenants to "vote for one of our own!"

9.) Sitting on the airplane on our way to Cabo and recruiting flight attendants to vote for me.

10.) Bringing our laptop to the hotel bar and showing my video to vacationers.

11.) Stopping in an airport Borders to buy a book and leaving my blog information with the manager.

12.) Going to our favorite restaurant, Galaxy Cafe, when we returned home from Cabo and getting the manager to post voting information in the back where all the workers would see it.

13.) Chatting with friends and joking that I was in the FINAL FOUR for In Vitro! (since they couldn't remember evotri)

14.) Calling and emailing my family every 3 days to rally the troops again! That's the most often my parents have heard from me in years!!

15.) JB from MorningCoach.com mentioning my cause on his podcast and in his newsletter.

16.) Waking up to the Statesman On-Line article!

17.) Shawn passing out flyers to all of his co-workers, nurses and (I'm sure) patients at the hospital.

18.) Standing in line to do our own early voting and having Shawn recruiting votes for me from people in line to vote. Hillary, Obama and Carrie!

19.) Watching my hands shake as I scrolled down to see if I had made it to the Final Four.

20.) The excitement of each new email, phone call and text from someone telling me that they had voted and were spreading the word!

Thanks again to all! Even though I didn't make the team, I had a blast!