D*rrrrty South Weekend

I am back in Colorado and slowly recovering from an exhausting weekend in the greater-ATL area (Dacula, GA to be exact).
Friday afternoon I departed the COS airport on a non-stop Delta flight into ATL. I was so glad to just sit down and relax...my entire morning was spent training, eating, packing, and doing all sorts of other things that needed attention before I left for 48+ hours. The plane arrived a few minutes early (around 8:30pm) and I caught a ride to the IronKids Staff hotel where I promptly walked into my room, fell on the bed, and went to sleep.
On Saturday morning, I had an alarm go off at 5:45am...remember, that is 3:45am Colorado time!...so that I could get into my running gear, hop on the hotel treadmill, and pound out a 1 hour up-tempo run. Once I got started with the TV blaring music videos and the AC cranking out cool air...it was a great workout and I was so happy that I completed it!
The Hampton Inn had a large breakfast buffet that I took part in...had to restock energy from the run session and fuel up for the many hours of race-set-up to come. We all got to the YMCA/Park area around 9am and didn't leave until 6pm that evening! Basically, it was a 9 hour session in the heat, humidity, and sunshine that has been rocking ATL all summer. From 1-5pm we registered, checked-in, answered questions, and solved problems for over 350 race participants and their families (yes...there were over 350 kids in the race)!
By 7pm, all the IK staff was showered, changed and sitting in a restaurant for dinner. I chowed down on a steak and cooked veggies while chatting with my friends that I only see four or five times a year! We couldn't party long because everyone knew what times their alarms would be ringing the next morning.
On Sunday, there was NO time for me to complete a training session before reporting for work...we were at the race site by 6am and already there were families waiting to start setting up their race gear! At 8am, our first group of 14-year-old athletes were in the water...and by 11am, the final wave of 7-year-old athlete were out of the pool. I was on the pool deck with a microphone directing the kids, starting the heats, cheering on the athletes, and entertaining the crowds (at least I think I provided entertainment:). The awards ceremony took place around noon...not many families braved the heat long enough for the awards, but we appreciated the crowd we had. After a few more hours of tearing down the race site and packing up the semi-truck, we were released back to the hotel for a refreshing shower, lunch, a nap, packing and then departing for the airport.
My flight home departed at 8:30pm. I purchased some food to get me through the three hour dinner-time flight...but once I got on the plane, I fell fast asleep and didn't wake up until we landed in COS! I loaded my bags into my car, paid the three-day parking fee, and carefully made my way back to the OTC. I was in my room and asleep again within an hour! This morning I find that I am still on East-Coast time...awake and hungry around 6am and already blogging by 8am!