2014 Ironman Lake Placid
Dedication
When I was very young my Aunt Linda would chase me around our small house on the edge of Detroit. One of my earliest memories is Aunt Linda making newspaper pirate hats for my birthday. I must have been 3 or 4 years old. In 2011 my smart, beautiful, funny, creative Aunt Linda was diagnosed with Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma (AdCC). The battle she fights daily makes my battle over 140.6 miles seem trivial. This race report is dedicated to her and her continuing fight.
When I was very young my Aunt Linda would chase me around our small house on the edge of Detroit. One of my earliest memories is Aunt Linda making newspaper pirate hats for my birthday. I must have been 3 or 4 years old. In 2011 my smart, beautiful, funny, creative Aunt Linda was diagnosed with Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma (AdCC). The battle she fights daily makes my battle over 140.6 miles seem trivial. This race report is dedicated to her and her continuing fight.
Acknowledgements
First, to my wife Kelly, who’s love and support makes this
all possible. Thank you! I know that you
never planned on waking up alone 6 out of 7 days a week, having to wrangle the
kids, and manage the homestead. You are
amazing!
To my coaches, Adam Ostot and Steve Hennessy, this season
and the build up for this race was fantastic.
I had breakthroughs in every discipline.
I couldn’t have been better prepared.
Any failings were mine, not yours.
I love the training group we have built.
Adam, the “Hotshots” are growing and I am so proud to be one of
them. Steve, the Master’s program that
you started at Fort Eustis is very special.
We’re building a reputation in the region and it is all because of your
dedication. Thank you both!
To my sponsors - Snapple, Xterra, Osmo, and Sugoi -
maintaining a competitive advantage in triathlon is not easy or
inexpensive. Your support makes it
possible. My Xterra Vector Pro has kept
me in the mix in every wetsuit legal swim this year. Osmo nutrition has kept me hydrated and ready
to race. I blew up 12 months ago at IM
Lousiville because my nutrition plan wasn’t solid. Osmo fixed that and more. Thank You!
Sugoi – I am so proud to represent you as a brand champion. I wish that you had a stronger presence at
IMLP, but I understand the strong connection you have to IM Canada and your
fierce national pride. I have trained
for a decade in Sugoi gear and I can tell you that it truly is #irongear. I don’t quit and neither does my Sugoi
gear! Snapple Triathlon, I saved the
best for last, you have nurtured me and provided a forum for my
development. It has been another great season. I hope for many more.
To the Hampton Roads Triathlon community and the Fort Eustis
Masters Swimmers – I love you guys! You
challenge me and make me stronger. To my
gray beard panel – Adam Frager, Daniel Ballin, Chris Haas, Art Mathisen, Dave Holloman, Mark
Woolery, Jim Findley, Justin Highley, Tom Fugate, Adam Frager, Jack Tansey, Brian
and Rachel Jastrebsky, Dixie King, Peggy Neidig, Maurice Ashby, Shannon Titpon, and Joel Bell. At some point this season, you each have helped
me. Dave and Art, that nasty day riding
in the rain paid huge dividends in Lake Placid.
I have never thanked a group of riders for dropping me before, but that
ride helped my mental toughness more than I can express with words. Shannon Tipton – you provided the soundtrack
for my training. You rock!
Finally, my running group – Daniel Shaye, Michael Leech, and
Courtney Chapman. I was broken coming
out of the 2013 season. I blew up on the
run at IM Louisville and I missed my PR at the Richmond marathon. It was mostly in my head, but perception is
reality. Daniel, I can’t thank you
enough for setting up the Sunday runs at Newport News Park. Those early season runs helped me rebuild my
confidence. Courtney, stick with
it! You are an amazing athlete and
competitor. Racing with you was the highlight
of my early season. Michael Leech – I
hope you know how much I have enjoyed running with you! You were the perfect training partner at
exactly the right time. My success at
IMLP was in part because of my runs with you.
I can’t wait for the Newport News marathon!
Prologue
In all of my blogs about triathlon I have tried to convey a feel for the race, to put the non-competitor in the racers shoes and provide some insight into heart of the racer and the race. This report will be no different, but I am deviating from my normal in-depth race course description. Many, many racers and writers have described the Lake Placid Ironman course far better than I could. I leave it to the reader to go find those resources.
In all of my blogs about triathlon I have tried to convey a feel for the race, to put the non-competitor in the racers shoes and provide some insight into heart of the racer and the race. This report will be no different, but I am deviating from my normal in-depth race course description. Many, many racers and writers have described the Lake Placid Ironman course far better than I could. I leave it to the reader to go find those resources.
Lake Placid is located in the heart of the Adirondacks near New York's high peaks wilderness and Mts. Marcy and Algonquin. It is most famous for hosting the 1932 and 1980 winter Olympics. It also has the distinction of hosting the oldest Ironman competition in North America. After completing my undergraduate degree at Georgia Tech I had the wonderful opportunity to spend two summers running the backpacking and canoeing programs at Racquet Lake Boys Camp not far from Lake Placid. Those two summers sparked a love affair with the Adirondacks that will last until I expel my last breath. It is one of the most beautiful places on earth and the perfect place for North America's most storied Ironman.
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| Volunteering and spectating in 2013 |
Before I had completed IM Louisville in 2013, I had already volunteered at Lake Placid to secure my spot in the race for 2014. I'm sure that sounds crazy, I hadn't completed my first Ironman, and I was already planning my second! But that is the nature of endurance athletes. We are planners and goal setters. It was a wonderful opportunity and both my training partner, Adam Frager, and another friend, Cory Newman, traveled with me to New York to earn our slots for 2014. We packed three bikes in the back of my suburban and headed off to preview the course and support our fellow athletes. It was a fantastic experience and one of the highlights of my training in 2013.
Introduction
Make no mistake, a triathlon is a battle. It is a battle against the elements -the sun,
wind, and rain – the course – the current, hills, and road surface – and your
body – fatigue, nutrition, pain. Lake
Placid is a course that on a normal day can challenge the best of athletes both
mentally and physically. The 112 mile
two-loop bike course has nearly 7,000 ft of elevation change, with screaming
fast descents, leg burning long climbs, rollers and false flats. The 26.2 mile two-loop run course descends
abruptly out of the village of Lake Placid and then steadily for the next 4
miles. That means that in order to
finish the course you have to climb back up that descent twice. That long steep ascent coming back into Lake
Placid is known for breaking runners.
There are a lot of Ironman courses with tough bikes or hard runs. Lake Placid has both, and that is why the
IMLP course is legendary. Combine an
inherently difficult Ironman course with the volatile weather of New York’s
Adirondack wilderness and you get a test that can and will take your full
measure.
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| Alex and I jumping from the middle slot |
Getting Ready to Race
The week prior to Lake Placid was beautiful. The Family and I drove into town on Wednesday
and setup our campsite at the Whiteface Mountain KOA in the town of Wilmington,
just north of Lake Placid. This choice
was both economical and convenient. I had
reserved a campsite and a cabin. The KOA campground backs up to the Ausable
River and the Wilmington flume, which is a series of small falls with a swimming
hole at the bottom, about 15 miles north of Lake Placid on Hwy 86. It is great location with a ton of activities for the family in the days
leading up to the race.
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| The three of us ready to jump |
On Thursday I got up late, well for me anyway, at 0600. On a cool, clear, Adirondack morning I
knocked out a 90 minute ride with 3x10 minute intervals at my race power
(180-190 watts). The KOA sits on Hwy 86
which is part of the climb back into Placid on the bike course. I went out Hwy 86 North into Wilmington and
rode the top half of the bike course backwards, including the spurs on Hasleton
Road and out to Ausable Forks. It was a
great ride and a good setup for Sunday.
The rest of the day was spent at the swimming hole in the Ausable, with
my kids, cliff jumping for the first time.
I’m so proud of both Alex and Gavin – they didn’t blink at the 20 foot
jump off the rocks and both went right off the 30 footer. Gavin’s 3rd jump was off 40 ft cliff,
but Alex wanted me to jump with her.
It’s hard to explain to a 9 year-old that daddy can’t jump off a cliff
with you before the race because he can’t risk his season in the last
week. We went off the 30 footer together
and that was good enough for her. Great
job guys!
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| Practice Swim |
Adam came in Thursday afternoon and we ran into Lake Placid
on Friday morning to meet up with Rachel Jastrebsky, a professional triathalete
from back home, who has adopted Adam and I as good luck charms. Rachel came with her husband’s coach Jesse
Vondracek and another Hampton Roads athlete, Tyler
Coquelin. We met at the swim start
location on the Shore of Mirror Lake adjacent to the IM Lake Placid rock. We all threw on our wetsuits, well except for
Jesse, he stayed in a speed suit, and headed out for a lap of the course. It felt really good to be in the water. I hadn’t had my Xterra Vector Pro full
sleeved suit on since the Kinetic Half back in May, and it felt a bit tight in
the shoulders, but that loosened up as the suit shifted to fit my body. I started easy, but built into a good effort
by the mid-point of the first leg. I
paused to look around for everyone and I couldn’t tell who-was-who in the
water. I finally picked out Jesse because
he was the only one without a wet-suit and worked with him to the first turn
buoy. This was my first time on the swim
course and I was finally able to get a look at the famous line that you can
follow around the Lake Placid swim course.
It’s not a stripe on the bottom of the lake like so many people think,
it’s actually the line that the officials use to anchor the swim buoys. About 10 feet or more below the surface, the
fluorescent yellow cable leads you out and back along the swim course. I didn’t know it at the time, but this would
become really important on race day. I
finished the lap and found myself all alone.
Jesse swam up, then Adam, then Tyler and then Rachel, who took it super
easy. Winning the warm-up swim isn’t
always a good thing. Tyler looked at us
and said “you guys are fast.” I think I
almost laughed outright, but was a little concerned that I might have blown my
taper. We swam the loop in under 33 minutes,
but it felt super easy. I don’t think it
affected our performance on race day, but you never know. Tyler ended up swimming a super fast 58 minutes
in the race. Way to go kid, I wish I had
been on your feet.
Friday was a blur of activity. We hit athlete check-in and picked up our
race packet, walked through the expo, checked in at the Tri-club tent, made
signs with the kids at the Iron Kids tent, and picked up any last minute needs
for our race bags. We had lunch at the
campsite while Adam completed his 90 minute ride on the course. My parents arrived around noon, and we all
headed back to the swimming hole.
Friday night was for packing race bags and making any bike adjustments
before the bike check-in. Kelly cooked
up some ratatouille and risotto, while I grilled pork tenderloin at the
cabin. I got to bed fairly early and my
only concern was the weather.
On Saturday our coach had asked us to do 15 minutes of all
three activities. Adam and I had signed
up for the Ironman Tri-club breakfast which was hosted by Liz Kollar at the
swim start location. We packed up all of
our gear, Swim-to-Bike bag, Bike-to-Run bag, and our bikes and headed out to
the swim start. Once there, we met up
with our friend Cory Newman, who had just proposed to his girlfriend, now
fiancé, the previous day (Congrats Cory!
I wish you and Alicia the best).
Once more Adam, Cory, and I suited up and hopped into the water. I did a couple strokes of fly and then
settled into a nice rhythm. My shoulders
weren’t nearly as tight as they had been the day before and the half-lap easy
went pretty quick. I took this swim
really easy. We jumped out of the water,
grabbed our run gear, dropped our swim gear at the truck and headed out for a
quick 15 minute run down the hill out of Placid. I had run the hill the previous year when we
had volunteered to get our slots, but I had forgotten how steep the initial
descent was out of Lake Placid. It just
reinforced my coach’s mantra – “if the first 16 miles of an ironman run doesn’t
feel easy you are in serious trouble.”
Cory headed back to his cottage after the run and Adam and I headed to
the Tri-club breakfast. Thank You Liz
Kollar!! You did great! It was great meeting male pro’s Josh Rix and Balazs
Csoke. They gave us some great advice
that just reinforced everything our coach had told us to do in Lake
Placid. Take the first loop of the bike
easy, be patient on the run, and stay within your ability. We also saw fellow Snapple Athlete Holli
Finneren and Adam Stolzberg of the DC Tri-Club. After breakfast Adam and I strapped on our bikes, did
an easy 15 minute ride finishing going up the hill out of transition to get a
feel for it without having to descend it, and then completed a final check of
our gear bags before dropping everything off at the bike check-in. We rushed back to the KOA for the Kid's triathlon!
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| Alex running at the KOA Kid's Triathlon |
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| Gavin on the podium at the KOA Kid's Triathlon |
Main Event
Adam and his dad and step-mom picked me up from the cabin at
0400. I grabbed my dry clothes bag and
my two special needs bags and hopped in the truck. The drive in to Lake Placid took no time at
all. Adam’s dad was driving and he
dropped Adam and me off at the corner just outside the Olympic oval and went to
park the truck in the lot on Wesvale Road.
A shuttle was running from that lot into town. It had rained heavily overnight and it was drizzling
when we got out of the truck. Transition
didn’t open until 0430, but the body markers were already at work. We had them mark us and took the opportunity
to use the port-a-potties, before a line formed. Once transition opened we headed to our
bikes, loaded our binto boxes, filled our drink bottles, and pumped up our
tires. I added arm warmers to my
swim-to-bike bag hanging on the rack, stripped off my dry clothes, packed them
in my dry clothes bag, and hung them on my rack. I ran back to check on my bike tires one last
time and lost Adam in the crowd. I figured
we’d meet up down by the water and walked down to drop off my special needs
bags.
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| Lake Placid Swim Start |
I dropped my bags at special needs and I got in line at the
port-a-potties by the swim start for one last trip to the bathroom before
putting on my wetsuit. That done, I
sprayed tri-lube on my ankles, wrist, and neck and slipped into my suit. I found my mom and dad, Kelly and the kids, and
gave them all a quick hug before getting in line for the swim start. Adam was with me now and we set up just in
front the sign for 1:00 to 1:05 swim.
The music was thumping and the cannon went off for the male pro start.
Thirty minutes later the amateurs entered the water. Adam and I were in the second wave. I hit the water running and with two quick fly
stokes I surged and then fell into an easy stroke rhythm. My cadence was a little high and it usually takes
two to three hundred yards for me to settle down and get my breathing
right. This day was no different. I stayed to the left of the lay line and
worked on evening out my stroke and staying long. This worked to my advantage as the slower
swimmers that shouldn’t have been in front crowded the right side trying to
stay right on top of the buoy line. I
was moving up through the field without having to fight the swimmers in front
of me. I stayed slightly wide all the
way around the second turn buoy and found free water right on top of the cable
going all the way back to the beach. I
came out of the water and looked at my Garmin.
It read 0:00:00, I had forgotten to start my watch in the excitement of
the start. The clock read 7:01, so I knew
I had been around 30 minutes for the first lap.
I started my Garmin as I ran under the start arch to begin my second
lap.
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| Swimming up the race course |
On the second lap there was no free water. Slower swimmers were everywhere and I couldn’t
find anyone who would work with me.
Every time I thought I had a set of feet, they would slow abruptly and I
would end up swimming into a crowd. It
was impossible to find a rhythm. I made
the first turn in a crowd, sprinted to the second turn buoy, and finally found
free water on the buoy line. As I rolled
to breathe on my right side I saw a wall of water moving across the lake. The thunder storm had arrived. It was a good thing that I was on the buoy
line because the visibility under the water was better than above the water. I stayed on the buoy line and swam right into
the back of the slower swimmers just finishing their first lap. It was slow going, every third stroke I was
pushing between bodies, but I couldn’t leave the buoy line for fear of not
being able to sight in the storm.
Finally I came to the last red marker and slogged my way up the beach
and under the swim finish arch. Swim:
1:03:06 194 O/A 13 A/G.
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| A very wet T1 |
The rain was pouring down as I ran up the carpet the quarter
mile to the transition area. I didn’t
know it at the time, but as I was running to transition, lightning was striking
near the lake and the course officials made the decision to close down the
swim. Meanwhile, I grabbed my bag off
the rack and ran into the changing tent.
On went my beanie, then my sleeves (hard to roll sleeves on wet arms),
then my helmet, socks, and shoes. Last I
put on my riding glasses with my clear lenses and put a pill bottle of
enduralytes in my jersey pocket. As I
ran out of the tent a volunteer called out my number and by the time I reached
the row where my bike was racked a volunteer had grabbed it and wheeled it to
the aisle. T1: 6:50
I jogged my bike to the mounting line, my glasses already
beginning to fog up from the heat generated by my body. I mounted and eased out of the transition
area and down the steep hill that starts the bike. Gently, with the brakes feathered to keep my
speed slow, but also to start drying them out, I worked my way down the descent,
slowly, to the left turn that starts the slight up-hill that leads you out of town
past the horse park and the ski jumps.
As I climbed the first hill I shifted down to my small ring. Suddenly I was
spinning freely. Shit! I had just dropped my chain. Off the bike, I quickly slipped the chain
back up on to the big ring then shifted and got it set into the small ring, spinning
the crack by hand. I hopped back on the
bike and pedaled away. Crisis averted
with minimal time lost.
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| Riding in the Clouds |
The rain was still coming down in sheets. I was peering under my glasses to try and get
a clear view of the road and dreading the upcoming descent. With wind and rain, it was sure to be
treacherous. At this point I was
cruising out of town on fresh legs making 21 MPH on 170 to 180 watts. Traffic was light because I had a good, but
not great, swim. As I made the final
climb before the descent into Keene all I could think was that I would give it
my best shot. I hadn’t trained for 9
months to give up at the first sign of adversity. I crested the rise, picked a line, and
prayed.
The next twenty miles were the most terrifying and exhilarating
miles that have ever passed beneath my wheels.
I was tucked into my aero position, legs locked on the frame, hands on the
cross bar feathering the breaks (this seemed to have no effect), trying
to make very gentle movements to steer.
I was bombing down the hill at over 40 MPH, I was soaking wet from the
rain, the temperature was in the low to mid 50s and I was freezing. I was shivering uncontrollably and my neck and
hands had locked from the cold and staying rigidly in one position for more
than a half hour. (Check out Danny Royce’s
blog on his disastrous descent.)
I was miserable. In
every race you come to a juncture where your body and mind begin to doubt that
you can complete the race. I began to
despair. Despair is that voice that
whispers in your ear and tells you that it can make the pain go away, ease your
suffering, all that you have to do is give in, quit. It’s the same voice that whispers in the ears
of addicts and tells them to take another hit, the voice that told Eve to take
a bite from the apple and David to lay with Bathsheba, the voice that whispers
to the besieged soldier to lay down his weapons and surrender, and tells the
drowning man to let the water in. I’ve
heard this voice before, but never so early in a race. At IM Louisville I met despair at mile 16 of the run and
it nearly floored me. Here I was at mile
20 of the ride, I had 92 more miles to ride and 118.2 miles to reach the finish,
and I was nearly at my breaking point.
In the build up for Ironman Louisville in 2013 my training
partner, Adam, and I started a 100 mile ride in the early spring and got caught
in a sudden thunder storm. The
temperature plummeted and we ended up on a road frequented by log trucks. I was nearly crushed by a truck driver who misjudged
his pass and put the end of his load directly over my head. Adam and I were separated and for over two
hours I slogged through the rain, freezing, until I found a convenience store,
and as it happens, Adam. We called home
for pick-up, wet and disheveled. In the
spring of 2014, I drove across the James River to meet up with Dave Holloman and Art
Mathisen for a Saturday ride. Before we
got started a storm front passed through and we slogged through a 20-30 knot
headwind and a cold rain for three hours.
Because of the weather I brought my B-bike and I couldn’t hold
pace. Art broke away because he was
having trouble staying warm at my pace, and Dave let me suck off his wheel for
the last hour until he was sure I knew where I was and he pulled away too. I was cold, wet, and miserable and I promised
never to bring my B-bike to an A-ride ever again, but I got the ride done. The bottom line is that being cold, wet, and
miserable is nothing new – I had been there before. I knew I could handle the wet cold for about
three hours before I began to break down.
I held on until I hit the bottom. The rain let up and I made the turn to head
to Jay. I was climbing out of the Keene
valley and even though I had spent critical resources, I had survived and I was
still racing. The next section was
rolling and I could finally work hard enough to stay warm. As the storm cleared and the sun burned
through the clouds, the road began to heat up and the humidity became
oppressive. I had neglected my nutrition
on the descent and now was the time to get back on plan. I killed my first bottle of Osmo and started
popping enduralyte tablets every 15 minutes with my bonk breaker bars. I was through the worst and climbing back
into Lake Placid.
The rest of the first loop passed quickly. I held my power to the low end of my range
but my legs were fatigued. I finished the
climb from Wilmington into Lake Placid, cleared the three Bears and came through
the crowds downtown. The energy I had
spent on the first lap fighting to stay warm, and the climb into Placid had
taken their toll. I was riding 10 watts below my power target but the roar of
the crowd and the first chance to see my family since the swim gave me a huge
surge of energy. I yelled to Kelly and
the kids when I saw them and headed back out of town.
The second lap was uneventful, and I rode the second descent
much faster than the first. The descent gave my legs a break and I stayed
within my power band and stuck to my nutrition plan. I felt better at the end of the second loop
than I had at the end of the first, but I was fatigued. I rolled back through town and made the turn
into transition without seeing my family and I handed my bike to a volunteer. Bike: 05:42:49 157 O/A 17 A/G
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| Finishing the Bike |
Because of the abrupt turn in to transition I couldn’t get my feet out of my shoes before the dismount line. I hopped off my bike and then pulled off my shoes. I ran around the oval, grabbed my bike-to-run bag, and ran into the transition tent. I was flustered. I dumped my bag, and I knew that I wanted my sunglasses lenses for the run. I spent critical time changing out the lenses, when I could have done that on the run. It was a big tactical error. T2: 5:47
I came out of transition running strong followed by Leslie Lamacchia, a female pro, and Dan Johnson, an amateur in the 40-44 age group. My coach has told me time and time again, that If the first 16 miles of the Ironman marathon doesn’t feel easy, you are in big trouble. After the debacle in Louisville last year, I took his advice to heart. I looked down at my watch and realized that once again I had failed to start the timer. I hit start button and rolled through the first mile at 7:43. I tried to back off that pace and came through mile 2 at 7:23. I was leaving Dan and Leslie, but running faster than my target pace of 7:45 to 8:00 miles. I forced myself to back down and really go easy to the end of River Road. I was eating a Gu Chomp every mile and hitting a flask of concentrated Osmo active hydration before each aid station. I took water at each aid station and used water to keep my core temperature stable. After we hit the turn-around at the end of River Road I focused on keeping my pace light and even. I held 7:50 pace back to the turn into Lake Placid and focused on tempo through the climb.
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| Finishing at the Olympic Oval |
Dan, Leslie and I were rolling up the field. The second half of an Ironman marathon is
where you make or break your race. I was
particularly concerned with the second climb back into town, so I held back on
the first climb and the second descent leaving town. There is a spur on the run course that turns
away from the finish and takes the racers out along the edge of Mirror Lake
before returning to the start/finish of the run. It is about a mile out-and-back. At the top of the spur Leslie made her move
and started dropping 7:30 miles heading back out of town. Dan went with her, but I was patient. We had a whole second loop to go.
Down the descent out of town, out River Road to the turn
around – I held back and conserved energy.
I hit the turn around and realized that Leslie and Dan were coming back
to me. My coach told me that if I hit
mile twenty and felt good, I could go after it.
I caught Leslie at mile 16 and then Dan at mile 18. With 10K to go I began to push the pace. Gently at first, but then with increasing
intensity, I pushed the pace going back up the climb into Placid. I passed so many runners walking that climb
back into town. The spur seemed to take
forever, but then I was at the turn-around and I gave it everything I had. I held 7:20 pace for the last 1.2 miles. Run: 3:33:56 102 O/A, 11 A/G.
Finish Time: 10:31:58
Aftermath
I’d done it, I had met my pre-season goal. I fixed my run. Not only that, I had a really strong overall
race. I sat down and grabbed a coke and
a slice of Pizza. Dan Johnson finished
two minutes behind me and came and sat down with me. Leslie finished and we both walked over and
congratulated her on a great run.
At the awards ceremony the next morning I learned that there
would be 7 Kona slots in my age group.
One of the racers had already qualified, so they would go 8 deep. I missed the world championship by 3 slots
and 6 minutes. It was a great race that
had challenged me in every way possible.
I didn’t quit and I didn’t leave anything unfinished in Lake Placid.
Congratulations to Rachel Jastrebsky on her 7th place finish! It was great racing with Rachel and I know she will be taking no prisoners in Louisville next month.
Congratulations to Rachel Jastrebsky on her 7th place finish! It was great racing with Rachel and I know she will be taking no prisoners in Louisville next month.
Epilogue
#teamsugoi #IMLP #snappletri #osmo #otstotshotshots
Addendum
On 1 July 2016 Linda Van Alstyne breathed her last breath. The world is a little darker place and I mourn her passing. Her memory lives on in me. I know I will always cherish her witt, creativity, and passion for living life. May God bless her and hold her close until I can see her again.
