by Coach Christa

As Joe and I spent many hours driving to Florida from Illinois to celebrate our #ironmoon at Ironman Florida 2024 (because who doesn’t celebrate their honeymoon by racing in an Ironman together?! : ) I had the chance to reflect on the journey to this Ironman. This would be my second Ironman – two years after my first Ironman at Ironman Wisconsin 2022 – a day that lives in IMWI infamy as one of the most treacherous weather days in the race’s history (with relentless rain from the start of the race well to the end of the race, 20mph wind gusts, and temps topping out in the mid 50’s). That race will forever hold a special place in my heart not only as my first Ironman, but one that was so physically and mentally challenging that to have gotten across that finish line was a badge of honor – one that I (and anyone who crossed that finish line that year) will always wear proudly! Finishing that race made me feel like there was nothing that I couldn’t take on…until Ironman Florida was quickly approaching and I was getting more and more nervous about taking on my first ever ocean swim! This trepidation and nervousness I was experiencing made me reflect on a recent talk I had with one of my athletes who is contemplating doing her first long-distance running race but is nervous about being able to complete it (I of course have full belief she can absolutely do it!) I ended my positive encouragement to her by saying “If your goal doesn’t scare you a bit, is it even worth it?!”

Reflecting on this statement made me think through what was about to happen in a few days at Ironman Florida. It made me grateful that I am healthy enough to train for something that is so challenging physically, but most importantly, that I had the opportunity to face my fears and to face the mental battles that an Ironman inevitably presents. I knew regardless of the outcome – I would experience personal growth. We go through much of our lives as kids and young adults facing our fears because of so many “firsts” in our lives, but how many opportunities do we get as adults to truly face our fears, to push our limits, to challenge our mind when our mind is trying to tell our body that “we can’t?” An Ironman day provides many opportunities to do all of these things. I felt profound gratitude to have the opportunity to push myself in those ways again, especially because this time around I would get to race for the first time with my husband (and coach extraordinaire : ), Joe! He has made ALL the difference in the athlete that I am, and so much of that has been the way he has taught me – through his own example and through his coaching – how to adapt and flow through the challenges, face them head on with calmness and determination, to not let the mind control the body, and to stay positive. It’s his #ETsn80 way : ) How special that I would get to race with the person I admire the most and who also happens to be the love of my life!

Our #ironmoon was also special thanks to our dear friends, Chris and Rebekah, who traveled all the way to Florida from Illinois and Tennessee to sherpa for us! I cannot begin to thank them enough for supporting us the days leading up to the race and throughout race day – their kindness, spirit, and humor were SO appreciated and settled my nervous heart a bit for what was to come before race day and on race day. (They also managed to sit through an entire karaoke performance of me trying to screech out Guns N Roses’ “Sweet Child Of Mine” in my best Axel Rose voice and swivel moves at a local Italian diner the night before the race – so they truly are very special people! : )

The morning before race day Ironman held a practice swim. There was an ongoing riptide warning the days leading up to the practice swim and on the practice swim day. At the hotel that morning Joe left it up to me whether I wanted to do the practice swim or skip it due to my nervousness about my first ocean swim and the riptide warning. I told him one of two things will happen: “I will do the practice swim, struggle, and that will freak me out more on race day” or “I will do the practice swim, it will hopefully be worse conditions than race day conditions, I will survive it, and that will give me confidence for race day.” I obviously had no crystal ball to know which way it would go so I said, “Let’s go there and see what it looks like and I will decide there.” Our superior #ironsherpas met us down at the beach and greeted us with their positive spirit. We looked into the ocean and saw MASSIVE waves (probably at least 10 ft.) People going into the water were just getting slammed with the waves over their heads. This moment would end up being my most nerve-wracking of the entire Ironman Florida experience. Again, “If your goal doesn’t scare you a bit, is it even worth it?” We inched our way sideways into the water and tried to stand steady as the big waves broke. Joe held my hand the whole time as we inched into the water. I nervously asked when we were going to “go” and he said as soon as we see an opening. I was watching other swimmers get slammed by the waves as they tried to enter but there were also swimmers that were out there swimming. Joe ended up getting knocked down by a breaking wave but he got right back up and held onto my hand once again. At this point I was a little in front of him and standing there waiting for the moment to “go” was making me even more nervous. I saw a potential opening and decided, “F’ it!” and dove forward and started swimming. He swam behind me and we were on our way! We were quickly carried with the strong current towards the pier, but we managed to swim back out towards the buoy. We got near the first buoy and decided that was more than enough swimming (or battling) for our practice swim and we swam back to shore. We helped each other stand up once we got shallow enough and we stood up triumphantly hand in hand! I felt like I just won the Ironman by getting through that practice swim! I was on cloud 11 and knew that I could and WOULD get through my Ironman swim the next morning!

On race morning I felt surprisingly calm. Joe and I got our bikes all set up in the transition area and I had a few visits to the bathroom before the race started (which is a “choirs of angels singing moment” before any race – IYKYK!) We suited up and walked a long way from transition to the beach in our bare feet. We lined up on the beach which at that point was still dark – it was eerie hearing the waves but not being able to see them. The sun eventually came up and we could see that although there were still some big waves, it seemed a bit calmer further out than on the practice swim day. It was a red flag day, but thankfully the riptide warning had expired overnight. The singing of the national anthem was very emotional (the presidential election day was just 3 days after our Ironman). I had been to many race and sporting events over the years, but this was the first that I can recall in a long time where many people were singing along with the national anthem – I always softly sing along under my breath. More and more people joined in singing as the national anthem grew to a climax and I was in full voice by that point. It was such a profoundly moving experience that I couldn’t help but let the tears stream down my face. As we waited to enter the start corrals there was a woman doing her first Ironman who was crying because she was so nervous. I along with a few other women swooped in and tried to help calm her fears with hugs and positive words. I was thankful at that moment to be able to provide her with some calm and to “give back” in a way to all those people that helped calm me as I waited to do my first Ironman in Wisconsin two years prior.

Joe and I were able to comfort each other and support each other with many hugs and kisses as we waited to enter into the start corrals. It was comforting to stand there holding hands as we watched the waves crash in and as we got closer and closer to the start corrals. As we approached I put my goggles on my eyes and they were all fogged up. I did the “graceful” spit into your goggles technique but then there was too much spit in them and I had nothing to wipe them off with. Luckily Chris and “Sharky” (Rebekah) were right outside the start corrals and I hugged Chris and said “I need to use the sleeve of your t-shirt!” I then used his t-shirt sleeve to wipe off all the saliva inside my goggles…again, true #sherpaship right there! I told the Ironman announcer that we were on our #ironmoon and he announced it to everybody right before we started. Joe and I got offset in the corrals so I had to cross the starting mat before him, but I walked down to the edge of the beach and waited for him to come down so that we could at least start the race together (our plan was to both race our own races and to try and have our best days that we could have on that day, so we never intended on trying to stay together throughout the race, but it was nice to kiss each other once more before we started the swim and our Ironman Florida day).

When all is said and done, I think my favorite part of my Ironman Florida day was the ocean swim! It was the thing I feared the most going in, and we all know how AMAZING of a feeling it is to CONQUER our fears! It was still wavy, but not as bad as the practice swim. I stayed inside the buoy line on the way out. I got bumped a few times but that usually doesn’t bother me. Some swimmer kept bumping into me so I had the “Move B-, get out my way” song going on in my head for some time. I just took it one buoy at a time (some seemed to come up quicker than others). It seemed like there was an ENDLESS amount of yellow buoys before I could see the first red turn buoy. I knew I had to make my way outside the turn buoy so I was trying to start cutting over to outside the buoy line. There was a very large man in front of me blocking my path. I also had all the swimmers swimming outside the buoy line coming towards me so I knew my window was narrow. I was patient with the very large man waiting for him to swim faster, but he was just too slow. Another swimmer closed up the gap next to him. There was a very narrow path so I said to myself “Move it Big Boy!” and I swam over/in between them. I made the first turn and was pleasantly surprised to see that the 2nd red turn buoy was within sight! The way back into the beach seemed maybe a little faster on the first loop…I still didn’t have a good feel for which way the current was going. I got to the point where I could stand and made sure I quickly made it to the beach because I didn’t want to get knocked down by a wave. I was excited for the Aussie swim style of running up on the beach in between loops. I started running but that made my HR go up so I took it to a fast walk because I didn’t want to enter the water for my 2nd loop with my HR elevated. I swigged a cup of water and rinsed my mouth out with another and made the turn to go back to the water for my 2nd loop. I saw Chris and “Sharky” and asked Chris how long it took me for the first loop because when I looked at my watch I saw that it had been stopped somewhere in my first loop by one of those swimmers that bumped into me…how rude! LOL! I was pleased with what he reported for my timing. He also said Joe had just gotten back in the water about 30 seconds before me, and told me to “go catch him.” (There was no hope for that because Joe had a FANTASTIC swim day out there in those rough waters – he was flying!) As I went into the water for the 2nd loop I immediately felt my swim cap sliding off of my head. I tried to keep swimming but was afraid I would lose it and didn’t want to be in rough waters without a brightly colored swim cap. I ended up stopping three times on the first segment of the 2nd loop to try and pull it back on. I didn’t mess with it from turn buoy to turn buoy, but as soon as I made my final turn to head back in towards the beach I immediately felt like I was in a washing machine. The water definitely felt more choppy. I tried to swim faster but that just made me slower and “fight” the water more. I had to stay relaxed and tried to keep calm and glide. At one point I looked up to sight and realized I was even with the TOP of the next buoy (meaning I was swimming on top of a VERY large wave). Luckily, those waves were heading in towards the beach so it was a matter of timing the breathing and trying to relax. My swim cap was still sliding off. I was trying to make it through to the end without stopping to adjust it again but I had to stop as a wave knocked it completely off as I was trying to get to it to pull it back down. If you are a swimmer with a big head (I have a big Irish head : ) and a lot of hair, you know that putting your hair into your latex swim cap on dry land is hard enough, now imagine being in a choppy ocean and trying to get it back on! (I just didn’t know if I would be able to see if my hair was in my face without the swim cap so I made the decision to get it back on). The final leg of the second loop seemed slower going, but I could begin to hear the announcer and see the Ironman arch at the swim exit and was getting closer riding the big waves in. For as scared of sharks as I was coming into the race, I didn’t even have any time to think about them during the swim with how technical it ended up being! It also helped that the water was so churned up by the waves and current that you couldn’t see anything below the surface of the water – “out of sight, out of mind” worked for me : ) As I got closer and closer to the beach I started kicking my legs to wake them back up – girl does not kick with a wetsuit on. I was feeling a little tightness in my right hamstring throughout the swim but was elated that I had ZERO calf cramps on this Ironman swim! (I got two in the final stretch of my Ironman Wisconsin swim). I got up to the beach and again felt like I had just “won” my Ironman day! I conquered my fears, I stayed calm the whole time, and just swam as steady as I could. I was PUMPED! So much so that I stopped a few feet in front of the cameraman and struck my best “air guitar” pose! The volunteers laughed and cheered, they definitely got a kick out of that – I’m certain they didn’t see much of that happening throughout the morning. : )

The run back to transition up the sand was fun as there were spectators lining the way. I gave many high-fives and got to the wetsuit strippers where I had to politely deny them of their stripping duties – I didn’t want to risk a calf cramp with aggressive stripping tactics. I ran under the shower but didn’t really rinse much and ran to transition. It’s a bit of a hike to the transition area, the pavement felt hard and warm and did not feel too great on my feet but I kept smiling. I ran towards our bike rack in transition and was happy to see that Joe’s bike was gone and that he had a strong swim! I also joked with him that morning before the race started that if this scenario happened that he could be certain that I would try my best to catch him on the bike! ; ) I spoke with the nicest volunteer in T1 who helped me with a few things – (Gwen). She said she was waiting for her daughter to come through who was doing her first Ironman. She told me that her daughter was supposed to do it three years prior but she got hit by a car and was injured badly on a training ride…this was her redemption race. I told Gwen that I would be thinking of her daughter as I raced and that I wished her all the best. I took my bag back to the rack with me (different procedure for this race), grabbed my bike, and was off to the races!

I rode pretty strong for the first half of the bike. I played “cat and mouse” with a lady from Austria (Sonja). We enjoyed taking turns and talking briefly as we passed each other – I was riding by power and it seemed like she was going by speed. I eventually pulled away from her. I had been looking up ahead the whole time to see if I could see Joe and hoped I would eventually catch up to him : ) Around mile 30 I heard “Go baby!” and it was Joe riding back from the first turn-around segment. I was so excited to see him and knew I was within reach of possibly catching up to him at some point. A few miles later there was an aid station and I stopped to get one of my bottles refilled. As I was pulling away from the aid station and about to ride past the porta potties there was my #ironhubs coming out! I quickly pulled over in front of the portas on my bike and gave him a hug and kiss. We asked each other how we were doing, we both said “good” and I told him “that’s great, ok I’m going to get going now” and I pushed on. We both would end up mis-judging the special needs stop at mile 50 where they only had water and not any electrolytes. (At every other aid station the water was first and then the electrolytes so I blew right past the water and then realized there was no electrolytes at this stop). I now only had about ¼ of a bottle of electrolytes left to get me 15 more miles to the next full aid station – it was FULL sun and mid-80’s at this point. Here was really the first stumbling block of the day. I had to adapt. I rationed my sips of water and took several salt pills instead. The 15-mile stretch to the next aid station would prove to be one of the most grueling of the day with a constant slight uphill and riding into the headwind. It was also in this stretch where I began to get really uncomfortable on my seat and was not tolerating riding in aero position anymore (which is really needed in a flatter race with a lot of headwind like Ironman Florida).

The bike is typically my favorite segment of triathlon, and usually my strongest, however on my Ironman Florida race day the bike portion would prove to be the most mentally and physically challenging part of my race. About five weeks before my Ironman (right before our amazing private wedding in the Porcupine Mountains : ) I took my bike in to get fixed to address some lingering front shifter issues. What was predicted to be about a two-day fix, ended up in an unfavorable scenario right at peak training time before we would start to taper. In trying to fix the shifter issue, the bike became unfixable and in turn unrideable. Definitely a heartbreaking moment – especially so close to your only race of the season. This was a bike that became part of me – it wasn’t new and flashy, but I had spent four seasons dialing in the fit and I felt like it was part of me. Joe and I had done hundreds of miles riding in the flats of the western burbs this season and I could ride in aero all day on that bike with no issues. Because my bike was unfixable and unrideable we had to quickly figure out an alternative. Luckily there was a Cervelo tri bike in my size with a power meter and electronic shifters – which I did not have on my prior bike. We ended up buying this bike and quickly working to get it fit right for me. (Joe spent so much time on this and I will FOREVER be grateful for all he did and is continuing to do to try and get me comfy on this new bike!) With our wedding trip, the shifting fall weather before the race, and continuously trying to dial in the fit, we didn’t get a lot of long outdoor riding with the new bike. I survived a few multi-hour trainer rides on it so I thought I could make it through my Ironman day bike ride.

While I did end up “making it through” on my Ironman Florida bike ride, it was a bit disheartening as it was happening because I know I could’ve done better. This was the point in the race that I had to fight my mental battles. “The Edge” was presenting itself to me in a big way. My mind was consistently telling me how much pain I was in going down into aero. I fought “the good fight” for a while and just decided that I would ride the rest of the Ironman bike ride (about half of it) as if I was on a road bike, up on the hoods. This worked for a bit, but as more and more people pushed past me while they were in aero I went to a dark place. I was upset that I wasn’t on my old bike at that point because I knew I could ride it comfortably. I let myself be in that dark place for a minute or two then I told myself, “Pull your head out of your A$$, Christa, this is NOT helping!!” Instead of feeling mad about the situation, I started to adapt and come up with a plan. I tried to do intervals of aero to make it through – I told myself “Just try and make it for five minutes in aero.” That physically was proving to be very difficult so I cut the time down to two minute intervals. I rode this way for about the next 30 miles. I tried to stay positive and just do what I could to get through.

Around mile 95 of the bike I decided to dig deeper and cross over “The Edge” that I had been teetering on for the last 30 miles. In his Chapter 7 of “Beating the Demons,” Coach Joe states “The Edge is a place that I think I can’t get past. A place where I think there is a limit to my capabilities. A place that I instinctively know is the only true source of growth and progress.” I have heard many stories of him doing this and have seen him do this in his own racing – he has inspired me in more ways that I can count! I made the choice to embrace the pain, hunker down, stay in aero as much as possible for the last 15ish miles of the ride, and cross over the threshold of “The Edge.”  I found that if I moved forward in my seat and didn’t move, that it would let my soft parts go numb – the key was I had to stay still – any adjustment in position flared up the pain again. I knew I was fighting the physical pain with every ounce of mental energy I had, but that I was BECOMING a better athlete, a better person, a better ME in those moments. As I rode down the street that ran along the beach, getting closer and closer back to the transition area, I found so much joy and pride in what I just battled and conquered. It’s imperative to always celebrate the small successes and victories both in training and on race days – even when they are paired with trials and tribulations. I was definitely celebrating what I had just gone through and overcome!

My goal for the Ironman Florida marathon run was CONSISTENCY. I was beyond proud to just get through my first Ironman marathon at Wisconsin, but this wasn’t my first Ironman anymore and I know I had improvements that could be made if my body and the conditions allowed for it. I was so elated to be off the bike that as I ran the first mile of the run I must have been beaming because the spectators were like “you look great!” (they thought I was on the second loop of the run and looking strong which I thought was entertaining). I followed the strategy that Joe and I set for the first mile…I was feeling pretty good during that first mile but somewhere in between mile 1-2 I started to get very dizzy and was running sideways when I was trying to go straight. I started walking and was again veering left when I was trying to go straight so I found a pole of a nearby tent along the route and held onto it to get my balance. I was thankful to have my running belt with me because I immediately downed several salt pills and some electrolytes and started walking. I was able to walk in a straight line so I decided to just shuffle jog and see how it felt. I made it to the second aid station and started my strategy of putting ice in my hat and in my bra to cool me down – it was still mid 80’s, full sun, and humid. I would utilize this strategy for the rest of the run. I was able to run at a consistent slower pace to allot for the heat/humidity in between aid station ice stops. My body did not react well to the on course hydration (Mortal) and I was feeling very nauseous for the first half of the run – I really felt like I was going to puke at any moment but tried to stay calm. I adapted my hydration/nutrition plan several times throughout the run to what worked for my stomach at that time (at times it was just chewing on ice chips from my bra – yes they were easily accessible, LOL, and a pretzel or two). I did what I needed to do to get through!

During the run I was anxiously looking out for Joe, Chris, and Rebekah. I was elated to see Chris and Rebekah around mile 4 on the first loop and gave them hugs and high fives. I asked Chris to give Joe the update when he came through about me getting dizzy during the first part of the run but that I had adapted my pacing and that I was doing ok now. I saw Joe after the first loop turn around and we embraced and both told each other we were “ok” (even though we were both fighting through our own issues). It gave me great joy to see “my person” out there on the course with me – I knew that we would both get it done no matter what! The run course in general was enjoyable, running alongside the ocean was beautiful, the spectators were plentiful in sections, and probably the best part of this run course is that it is actually FLAT! : ) I didn’t think I would like the double-loop situation, but it really helped me break the run up into 4 doable chunks and helped me stay consistent. The tricky part about the IMFL run is running side by side on the side of the road with out and back run traffic – it gets pretty tight at times, especially when it gets dark.

The 6.5 miles out and 6.5 miles back of the second run loop was full of focus, fight, and fun! I saw some of those same spectators who I saw on the first loop that told me I “looked fresh” (again, they thought I was one of those superior athletes already on the second loop at that point, LOL) and let them know NOW I was on my second loop and that I was “still truckin’! I was also super pumped about my “bathroom wins,” so much so that when I saw Chris and Rebekah again on the second loop I shouted excitedly to them that I had not been to the porta potty once as of yet! (I was already more than 13 miles into the marathon run – my previous Ironman Wisconsin marathon run had me as a “frequent flyer” to the porta potties – I was in there at least 5 times for that race). This was a major run goal for me for this race so I was super amped! Once the sun went down I was able to pick the pace up for a bit (although still utilizing the aid station “icing” method at every mile). I added some sips of coke to my ice chewing and little bites of pretzel/chip strategy. Getting to the turn around of the second loop at mile 20ish was SUPER emotional. I knew I had it, I knew I was going to get it done, I was proud that I was one of the few out there still running consistently at that point, and I was profoundly THANKFUL for the blessing of being able to train and race (especially with my #ironhubs). The tears were flowing after I made that turn around but I tried to hold them back and just stay focused as the last 6 miles of any marathon run can be tough physically and mentally – especially the last 6 miles of an Ironman marathon run! There was an aid station around mile 22 and shortly after that Joe and I crossed paths one last time. I gave him a hug, quickly sobbed on his shoulder, thanked him for everything, gave him a kiss and I was off to complete my last few miles before the finish. The tears continued to flow a bit for the next mile or so – my heart was full of gratitude and I was continuing to conquer my mind – such powerful, powerful stuff. The last mile or so of the run was lined with spectators on both sides of the road and I was soaking in ALL that “spectator love!” I was high-fiving, fist bumping, giving the “rock on” hands to all that would engage with me. I made the final turn into the shoot which had the music blaring and the crowds lined up…I was amped! I saw the lights toward the finish line and my feet felt weightless and I began to sprint toward the finish. I had my arms up in triumph as I crossed the finish line and ran right into the arms of the volunteer who medaled me. Rebekah and Chris were right near the finish standing outside and I just broke down with emotion when I saw them. I hugged Chris and Rebekah and just sobbed on Rebekah’s shoulder…I was just so grateful for them making the trek all the way to Florida to sherpa for us and for being such a saving grace to getting me through my Ironman run. They are two of the most selfless and kind people I know. After I got through the initial hugs Chris told me my marathon run time was under 5 hours which I was really proud of! (I messed up my watch tracking during the run so I didn’t quite know where it ended up). He told me my overall finish time was 13:07 – I was floored and so, so proud. Again the tears were flowing and I cried on his shoulder (this was an Ironman PR for me by almost 2 hours – different types of courses and conditions yes, but this one was tough too in different ways – I am beginning to think that is the Ironman way : )

After the hugs and debrief I went to the food tent because I was STARVING! I really had not been able to take in much nutrition on the run and having been working out for 13+ hours straight, I was famished, LOL! The Ironman Florida food tent was like a “choir of angels” moment – they had a plethora of HOT food! I first stopped at the pizza station, the fact that they had pizza was life-giving! I showered them with compliments on the HOT pizza and told them that although I love Madison, the post-race food options there (soggy sub sandwiches and chips) really were sub par compared to the Florida options. They had hot fries (if you know me, you know I need #allthefries after I race), nachos, and several other things. I walked out of the food tent double fisting coke, pizza, and french fries in my hands and hobbled over to Chris and Rebekah like a kid in a candy store and INHALED that food!

We were tracking Joe and we saw that he was on track to make the podium in his age group if he held onto his pacing! I sent Chris out to try and find him so that he could let him know. I don’t think he was ever able to find him, but Joe did hold his placing and finished 4th in his age group, earning him another Ironman podium spot! The finish line volunteers let me hang out there and wait for Joe to finish so that I could put his medal on him which was so incredibly meaningful. I was so proud of him for fighting through his challenges of the day and completing his TENTH Ironman race. I broke down in tears again as soon as we embraced – it was just so special to race together on our #ironmoon and I was just so proud of both of us making it through a tough day out there! We went over and took our finisher’s photo #together, more hugs with Chris and Rebekah, and I took Joe into the glorious food tent : ) We hung out at the finish line area for a while, let Joe eat, and then Chris and Rebekah helped us hobble back to get our bikes and get all of our stuff out of transition – they were the best #ironsherpas!

The next morning we attended the awards breakfast to see Joe get his age group podium award! This was so touching to see in person and I couldn’t have been a more proud wife and athlete to see my hubby and coach up there being awarded for all his hard work! At this ceremony is where they award the slots for the Ironman World Championships (which would be in France the following year for the men). Each age group is awarded a certain number of slots and they “roll down” from the top of the age group depending on who accepts the slot. Joe earned a roll down slot but declined it since he hopes to be able to return to Kona to race again at the World Championships there. It was super emotional to see him up there being honored because he is my inspiration in triathlon, coaching, and life

Our Ironman Florida #ironmoon was beyond special in so many ways. To be able to train and race for an Ironman as husband and wife was a huge blessing. To be able to have our great friends there to sherpa for us was a huge blessing. To be able to do what we do and what we love and to have the opportunity to help others achieve their dreams and goals is a huge blessing. As I approach my third Ironman race in Wisconsin in less than a week (yes, it took me that long to finish this Ironman story – better late than never : ) I am BEYOND grateful, thankful, and blessed. I am still facing goals that scare me a bit and that is what makes it exciting! You never know what an Ironman day will throw at you…you have to be ready to face the challenges head on. For me, those challenges are best met with a grateful heart and fighting spirit!