Couch to ATHLETE!

I don't really like running without my running buddy, but it is necessary from time to time. Yesterday was one of those circumstances... 9 miles with my running club, but my running buddy (awesome friend) was no where to be found! With very good reason though!!! I have this whole long post about sportsmanship, but it is about the demise of sportsmanship, but based on what I experienced yesterday, I do think it more important to talk about the positive influences first! I woke up at 7:35 for an 8:00 run with my running club. I debated even going because I literally did not think I had the energy and I didn't want to park very far from the finish of the run. We were advised to arrive early because of a competing event that would take up a big portion of the parking lot, and I woke up AFTER our advised arrival time. Anyway, I left my house about 8 minutes before 8:00 and made the decision that if I got there and the parking lot was full, I would drive on and try to get my 9...

Mmm... Cookies! I like cookies. Do you like cookies? Well, actually, I LOVE cookies. You know what I like more? A good deal... Now, I'm not a big shopper, and try to do it only when I have to, but I can tell you that when I see a good deal, I like to take advantage of it. For instance, if I can buy two cookies for four dollars or ten cookies for eight dollars, I will always choose the 10 cookies... Wouldn't you? Similarly, If I find an awesome pair of pants that are on sale, and fit well, I'll search for a different color and buy a few pair. So, when I'm training for an event, and I'm putting in mile after mile, I may as well train for several, don't you think? It is kind of like getting a good deal. Train for a half marathon, but squeeze in a 10 miler and a 5 k while I'm at it? Why not? First of all, I am a finish line lover, not an addict because I don't need a finish line every weekend, but it certainly feels good when I cross a finish line...

I was trying very hard to keep my two blogs separate. I honestly did not want to turn my athletic blog into something that it wasn't, a focus on multiple sclerosis, but I'm learning that the only way I can share my current athletic story is by acknowledging that having MS has impacted my athleticism. So, any good merger requires a name change. I had a ton of wacky names run through my head... Well actually only one; I was thinking of calling my blog the clumsy athlete, and then my friend put me in check, and so the name which was carefully selected over several hours of discussion... OK, OK, so it was a three text, text exchange... 'The Determined Athlete' was born. As I move forward, I will be posting about the determination is takes to tackle various athletic pursuits. I will also cover topics related to multiple sclerosis, because it is important, at least to me! So, why waste time... Let's just dive in! The next few posts are already in process. Get ready...

Two of my three favorite sisters! If you know anything about MS, you know that it is a progressive disease that attacks the nervous system causing physical and cognitive challenges to people who are impacted by the disease, and so it may be a surprise to you that there are MANY athletes who have MS. Here is a short list: Stan Belinda - Former MLB player, played for two years post diagnosis. Josh Harding - NHL Player, has his best of his career one year after being diagnosed. Lori Schneider - Mountaineer, first person with MS to successfully climb Everest. Chris Wright - MBA player, who currently plays basketball professionally in France. Kelly Sutton - NASCAR driver, and was diagnosed when she was sixteen. Demitrius Omphroy - Soccor player and star of a Justin Beiber video. Kayla Montgomery - A high schooler diagnosed and then joined the track team. Click on her name, watch the video. And my favorite? Sarah (Me) of course - Former couch rider with a discovered ...

I'm about to say something sacrilegious if you knew where I work... Good thing I keep my work life separate from my blog? Perhaps... But I've never been into awareness weeks, or months. Why? Because the day/week/month comes and goes, and very few remember it. I'm assuming most of you are totally unaware that this is MS awareness month/week depending on what source you are looking at... which perfectly illustrates why these awareness periods don't excite me, since we can't even agree on whether it is a month or a week!!! Here's the thing, I get down on these weeks and then I remember the ice bucket challenge that tore through all social media news feed for weeks. Basically that was one guy making one statement and not realizing the impact it would have to raise awareness for ALS. I honestly don't think anyone was expecting the world to take it by storm in such a way. I watched people's reactions to this challenge and simply chuckled. Some people were angr...

I'm fairly certain that I have written about this before, but here I go again... Every good story has a beginning, middle and end. The reason I enjoy a good movie, a good book, etc. is because there is always a conclusion! When I was first diagnosed with MS, I got increasingly annoyed by the statement "at least you don't have cancer." OK, I get it, MS is NOT going to kill me, but there isn't really an ending to my MS story. Really, there isn't an ending to anyone's MS story because there isn't a cure and it isn't fatal. With cancer, there is an end; not always favorable, but some sort of conclusion. What does this mean? Every day, I get to wake up and acknowledge that it is just another day with MS. Why? Because being diagnosed with MS is 'til death do us part'... although admittedly I'll forever be poking around for some sort of conclusion to my MS story. I need to acknowledge that 90% of the time I am no longer bitter about the fact t...

I'm not a big Ed Sheeran fan. As a matter of fact, when I hear his songs come on the radio I'm fairly quick to change the station, and along came  Thinking Out Loud,  and my Ed Sheeran disdain subsided. It is kind of like my relationship with Bruno Mars... I am embarrassed to say that I like his music, but am not embarrassed by the creativity and thoughtfulness of the lyrics. This is where I should mention that Ed Sheeran was not alone in writing  Thinking Out Loud . Amy Wadge, a songwriter, helped write this song. The opening lyrics of the song immediately spoke to me. When your legs don't work like they used to before... Boom! I'm intrigued. And so I listened intently... It turned into a love song about the world of unconditional love. Life experience has taught me that unconditional love/friendship does not come along daily, and so when it does, it is a true gift For those of you who have a chronic disease, doesn't matter what disease, you will likely understand ...