Couch to ATHLETE!

You all know the saying, I am sure... 'Try Again. Fail Again. Fail Better'? Well I'm here to tell you sometimes the saying 'Lesson Learned' is more appropriate than any of the other optimistic phrases out there. You may all remember the story I told last year when my bicycle broke down, half way through a 25 mile bike ride? Yep, I was 12 miles from my car, my bicycle had challenges and I rode my friend's bike back to the car with my clip in shoes on her regular pedal bike, all uphill, straight into the wind. Then I dropped my wallet in the garbage can that was littered with bees, after trying to figure out where Sue was patiently awaiting my arrival in the coolish weather. Well, today we went out for a ride, and all I can say is that the Johnstown trail is the trail of doom... I will NEVER go back there because something always goes wrong. Long story short, from the moment I left my house until the moment I ate my dry cupcake that has the most delicious fro...

Isn't it the truth... We mostly talk about our bad service, rarely our good service and on occasion our outstanding service. I am going to change this. I am going to talk about the good and outstanding service from now on. Forget the crappy service, that doesn't matter anyways, I'll make a bigger impact by just not going back to the places that provide crappy services, you know, like Panera? Anyway, I have officially decided that I have two stores that are more stores for my athletic pursuits. Fleet Feet Columbus (running store) and Roll (cycling store)... If only I could find a swimming store! Well, I don't want to make a long story long, so instead I'm really going to keep it short. If you want outstanding service and a great experience, I totally recommend going to one of these stores. I had shoe issues and Fleet Feet took care of me in such a manner it only deepened my loyalty to the store. The only reason this stinks is because Front Runner is 2 minutes ...

Have you ever taken a step backward with something and then wonder if you were ever going to take a step forward again? That has been my athletic life since my half iron man. I got so wrapped up in my MS, that I literally didn't think I would ever gain my athletic competence/confidence again. If I am being totally honest, I literally gave up, took the back seat and became comfortable with the basic idea that I would do my half marathon every year and leave it at that. And then I made bigger plans by signing up for the Pedal to the Point MS ride and quickly came to the conclusion that I was officially nuts. I live with fatigue and exhaustion, so what business do I have signing up for a two day 150 mile bike ride? SERIOUSLY!!! And then this weekend happened... I met my running club out, and quite honestly wasn't looking too forward to our 9 mile run. It is a combination of a coach who runs way to fast and is unconcerned with the group, and wondering if I would ever be able...

Well, what did my weekend look like? Oh, you know, a typical Sarah weekend... I had a burger at Thurman's, watched the most exciting hockey game ever (Blackhawks won with three seconds to spare), ran a little, went to a Sheerer's potato chip factory, the football hall of fame, ate Amish, fell asleep during two movies and ate at Skillet, all the while spending fun times with the cousins and their technology! I am a true fan of visitors, but it makes it even better when the visitors are up for an adventure. I mean, I can't stand sitting around watching the world revolve around me without participating. So where are my bike adventures going to take me this summer? Well, all over the state of course, with field trips along the way. I mean, what better way to see the state than to use my athleticism to encourage trips to the Shawshank redemption jail, or Young's Dairy, or the world largest Amish buggy, or the presidential museum, or Kelly's island. The little road-s...