Word count: 23,693.

Hopefully today was the last day this month where I won’t be able to find the time I need to write. Today was the day of my sister’s Half Ironman in Shepparton, VIC. It’s not her first Half Ironman, and she has completed a full Ironman previously, but this was the first I’d been to.

The day of the spectator at one of these Ironman events is not as easy as you might think sitting on the sidelines is. And if you take into account that at the end of the day, spectators don’t get the endorphin rush that the competitors get, it may just be harder … at least, that’s what my sister says – I intend never to see if from the perspective of the competitor.

The start of the day is not quite as early for the spectator as for the competitors. If you’re keen, you’re there for the beginning of the swim (about 7am). Unless you are right at the start, you probably won’t be able to pick out your spectatee (ie, person you are there to watch … I love making up knew words!!) from all the other bodies thrashing around in the water, even if you know what colour cap they may be wearing. You might get to have a few words with them as they are transitioning onto the bike leg, but then, depending on number of laps being covered, you might only see them twice in the next few hours as they whizz past at 30-40km/h. And you better be quick if you want to get a photo of them. Then again, a few words at transition if your lucky, and they are off for a leisurely 21km run. See them a few more times for a brief 30 seconds and then you wait around for them to finish.

So in the course of 4-7 hours (depending on the spectatee), you may only see them for 5 minutes all up between the start and end of the race. A lot of time to squeeze in a day’s worth of writing, you might think. But no … somehow, the day gets filled up very quickly: chatting to your parents who are also spectating, comparing photos to see who’s are best, and moving from place to place. And then at the end of the day is the 2.5 hr drive back to Melbourne.

Now that I’m back, I’ve written almost 700 words, but I am just sooo tired, and miserable due to a burgeoning sunburn, I’m giving up and going to bed – and it’s only 9:30pm. For anyone that knows me, they’ll know that that never happens…