Couch to ATHLETE!

Peace, Promise, and Hope All of the feels those words spark in my heart are present; in fact I have been heard saying that peace and promise are washing over me for the past week or so.  Every single one of us has likely experienced that fleeting moment when we feel absolute contentment, and then wonder where that moment went 30 seconds later. It is the feeling I strive for in life, and always feel when I trot across a finish line. I've been an avid Beetles fan growing up. I'm not the type of fan that knows every detail of every song, the details of every band member, or that sequencing of their albums, but I'm the type of fan that can sing along to almost every Beetles song that comes on the radio. A couple of weeks ago I was listening to Jon Bon Jovi sing one of my all time favorite songs, Here Comes the Sun , and my first thought was no one should cover this song (Sorry Jon, your rendition just didn't do it for me), and then I started singing along and the lyrics hit...

Video: Sam Cooke & Cric Clapton - Somebody Ease My Troublin' Mind I have been meandering about in my brain trying to figure out the thing that really brought order to my life many years ago; you know that time I ran marathons and lost 130 pounds? I always thought it was exercise, but then why has it been so hard to get back to my exercising ways? This week has been one of chaos, sadness, anger, rage, and everything in between. I don't mean what we all watched on TV, but also internally. I've been dealing with some tough/heavy shit everywhere... When I say everywhere, I mean EVERYWHERE. It used to be when my life at home was hard, I could bury myself in work; when my life at work was hard, I could bury myself in exercise; when exercise was hard, I could bury myself into friends; when friends were hard, I could bury myself at home; and the cycle would continue, but in a very healthy way. What the F*CK do you do when it is all hard? Add to it that I was torn apart watching...

 *Video displayed above:  https://youtu.be/BGLGzRXY5Bw You say you got a real solution Well, you know We'd all love to see the plan It's a hard thing to acknowledge and accept falling back into old bad habits. It is also hard to accept when tools used in the past no longer work, AND when tools used in the past are necessary. I'm going to acknowledge something here that can be an uncomfortable topic for some people, including me, but really shouldn't be. After being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis I went through some serious depression. I remember sitting on the kitchen floor of my kitchen sobbing over the fact that I MIGHT lose my mobility, I MIGHT lose my livelihood, I MIGHT never run a marathon again, and so on. What I had to come to terms with is I might NOT, and that I wouldn't know until it happened. Shortly after diagnosis, I ran another marathon, I got a couple of cool promotions, and I am still mobile. Part of my progress in recognizing the fact that I cou...

Some say it takes 21 days to establish a habit, and then 66 days to make it a strong habit. Look it up and you will find many studies about it. What's interesting is that you will find research that indicates the 21 day path to a habit is a myth, but you will also find research that supports the claim. What I know as true: My mind is a powerful organ, and regardless of what research says, I can make a decision and stick with it. I mean, I did quit drinking Diet Coke awhile ago and even when put in right in front of me I push that pop away every time.  There are seven pillars of self care that I have learned over the years. The Pillars include: Knowledge Mental Health Physical Activity Healthy Eating Risk aversion Good Hygiene Rational use of Products Seven pillars has always been WAY too much for my brain, and I prefer to categorize and put these pillars into broader pillars for myself. I like to focus on: Mental Wellbeing Physical Wellbeing Spiritual Wellbeing This 3 pillar approa...

I used to take tremendous pride in my athleticism; so much so, I got a tattoo to celebrate some of my accomplishments. My friend Chris stood in a doorway watching when the needle first pierced my skin to etch my pride, my joy, what I lived for, on my leg. Chris is a friend that has been by my side at every pivotal moment from my teenage years, to this day. She shows up for me, always. In fact, the first night she spent away from her kids was to support me during my second Half Iron distance triathlon, so it only made sense for her to be there when I got the tattoo. People have invested so much into me and my athleticism. I invested so much into me and my athleticism, so to let it all go is, quite frankly, embarrassing. To go from self propelling myself 26.2 miles by foot, and 70.3 miles by swim bike run, to struggling with getting out of the house with my sneakers on is not a good feeling. It sucks... So how does one go from Couch to Athlete back to Couch? I wish I could put my finger ...

We all know exercise is good for us, and necessary, but doing it is another story. As I stated just a couple of weeks ago, I want it... I want it so bad!!! If that is the case, why is it so damn hard? Well a wise woman once told me, several years ago when I was struggling so hard, "you must not want it bad enough." Oh, and the truth hurt... I mean, how could she be so flippant with my feelings of despair? Well, I decided to show her how wrong she was; I signed up and did half ironman number two. So, was she right? Well she was right about one thing, I wanted to prove her wrong bad enough, and I did... However, her point was not lost on me. You have to want something bad enough to choose to do it, change it, manage it. I'm unhealthy and I want health bad enough... I'm not exercising much and I want that next half ironman bad enough...  I can't bend and tie my shoes as easily as I used to and I want to take care of myself bad enough... I get fatigued quic...

I just watched Iron Cowboy... Not that you need my life story, but to impress on you the importance of what this story just did for me, I must start with mine! On June 12, 2013, three days before my first half ironman distance race I received a dreaded phone call from my doctor. The staff member on the other end of the line asked me if I wanted to wait until my doctor's appointment in two weeks for the results of my testing or get my results over the phone. I asked to receive them over the phone. She spent time confirming my identity and then told me what I had suspected from my first appointment with the neurologist... She said, I'm really sorry I have to tell you this, but you do have Multiple Sclerosis. That was the first day of my new life and I had a choice... Show up for 70.3 miles on Sunday, or wallow in this new information. You see, many years before this, in 2003 to be exact, I did my first sprint distance triathlon. I was grossly over weight, barely tra...