Couch to ATHLETE!

Susan, Me and Sue - Pre Race I am a person who likes to have plans. I typically choose an event and beg Sue to join me. This time? Sue chose an event, mentioned it and I said OK. I also dragged another friend into this race. This weekend was all about OSU. Now, I went to the University of Colorado at Boulder. I wouldn't say that I was a huge football fan, actually my friend and I were talking about the fact that I was more annoyed by football because the traffic made getting to the mountains difficult... But I am a loyal lover of the Buffs, from affiliation alone. So when Sue asked me if I would do this race with her, my natural answer was yes, but that was more because she wanted to do the race, and less because I got to cross the finish line on the fifty yard line. So, yesterday, Sue and I were heading out to get our packets, and I expressed to her, that I wanted to be like the Amish this weekend. What does that mean? I just wanted to fit in with the crowd (the Amish do ...

I have been told that I don't know how to live in the moment because I am always making plans for the next moment. I like to argue that I am good at living in the moment, except when I am planning for what comes next. What is the difference? I don't know... Do you live with your cup half empty or half full? Same thing, right? Well, I'm learning that I am somewhat wrong. I still stand by the fact that I live in the moment, afterall, I will stop to appreciate the snowfall, stars in the sky, the most recent household accomplishment, but that is between planning away my life. When you have MS, there is this underlying knowledge that you may someday be disabled, thus a fear may develop. Is it rational? Some may argue that it isn't rational, afterall, I can walk out the door on any given morning and get struck by a bus, or fall and break my back, thus resulting in the exact same affliction of MS, potential paralysis. The difference between these circumstances is that when you...

I'm missing Pedal 2 the Point... What a brilliant weekend that I got to experience with all of the people I love. I most recently had a run which I didn't drag my leg at all, until after the run! Thank goodness for the cooler weather. I have so much to share, but need a break this week. Please hold until I come back next week...

Ever hear the quote, "A body in motion, stays in motion?" I live by that these days. My friend Sue and I were running on Sunday, while we were running, we were having a conversation about my gait, and how it changes step by step through a run. My first step may be strong with both legs fully engaged, and my final step, my left leg can be fully disengaged and dragging behind me. I have come to accept that my body is the perfect specimen for Newton's Law of Motion. One of the things I am learning from reading various threads in on-line MS support groups is that people who have stayed active over the years after being diagnosed with MS, are still active. Their activities may have changed, and in some cases change day to day, but ultimately, they are able to maintain some semblance of activity. I am now convinced that I need to keep this body of mine in motion. Here is where Newton's Law really comes into play for me. Although Newton's law states that an object will r...

I'm lost for fodder this week. So I'm going to go with a random post. Random events from a random week? That sounds like fun, right? Piper I have this little friend named Piper/Pipes/Piper bug/Piper Diaper, and she is my cat. I love my cat!!! Piper keeps life interesting. Between her interest in taking showers and playing fetch with paper or socks or hats or bras, she has picked up a new hobby this week. Want to know what this hobby is? She drags clothes around my house. Yesterday, I went to celebrate a friend's wedding. Before that, I was out riding with my friend Sue. To say my Piper Bug was a little neglected for the day would be an understatement. Anyway, I got home from the day and clothes were strewn all over my living room. At first I thought my house was ransacked and someone had stolen all of my worldly possessions, but my computer was sitting right on my chair, and so were my running shoes, so I knew it wasn't that. I then walked down to my basement and...

The Tree House! I spent the week at my sister's house, and pre-dinner they either say a prayer, say itadakimasu or do gratefuls. I particularly enjoyed the gratefuls because I got to hear about the things that really interest my niece and nephews, it also gave me the opportunity to let them know how much I enjoyed my time with them. It was an interesting week because two of the kiddos learned that I have Multiple Sclerosis, and the other one learned that I take a shot every day. My oldest nephew asked a couple of questions, but didn't really show much interest, and my other nephew asked a bunch of questions and then moved on with the activity for the day. My niece was really only interested because she saw the pile of pills and the shot I take every day laying around the house, without any regard, on my part, to hide it. You see, they are all old enough to know they shouldn't touch pills, and so I could leave them around and talk about them from time to time. So why is this...