Checking In

This past weekend was IMWales and this upcoming weekend is Leadman 250.  Being sandwiched between these races leave me desiring to be out there again- swimming through another world, climbing mountains, and running to the sounds of my breath.  I told Dave last night that we would definitely be back in Europe one day for another hidden jewel of a race.  One day.

My husband always knows how to cheer me up.  After some tough weeks, he figured a Camaro would make a great addition to what the doctor ordered.  It was only mine for the weekend, but I drove it like I owned it!   If I can't race triathlons, I can drive a fast car. :)  Of course, being of semi white-trash personality, I wore white pants after Labor Day, as they were the only clean ones in the closet, they matched my unwashed/greasy hair, and I completely forgot it was a big no-no.  Thank you Denise for calling me out. 

I find that I am feeling the need to blog about the health issues I am having, a little for myself, and also for other athletes that might be having the same struggles.  I am oscillating between being a private person and a public one.  It is obvious by the fact that I have a blog that I don't hide too much from others.  I know I scour blogs and learn from them, and I hope mine can be a resource for others as well at times.  Yet, I am also feeling a little pull towards being more private on this front, at least for a while until my own spirit calms down. 

Mainly, I don't want to be dramatic about this as we know far to many friends and people with real serious injuries and diseases- none of which I have.  I don't want this blog to become a breeding ground for negativity about something that really is just a solo endeavor to restore health and not anything over which my friends need to feel concern.  I just don't want this blog to be about "sickness" for the next few months.  I am "sick" but I am okay.

I think right now I am still in the learning process of what is going on here.  I finally have a good doctor that ran me through all of the testing I had hoped the other 6 would have done.  We have some answers- and lots of them.  The road is long and the solution is not simple.  The best news to come out of this is the fact that I do indeed know my body, and I was not "burned-out" or "over-trained" or "training too hard" or "not resting enough" or any of the other things people tended to tell me as an athlete.

Knowledge is power!  So, when I get a little better grasp on everything and feel a little more educated, I will share and hopefully be able to bring it all together in a meaningful way.

Until then, I am forwarding a couple of lessons my friend, Lucia, shared with me this weekend.

Lesson 1: 

"The highest form of ignorance is criticizing something you know nothing about."

Wayne Dyer

Lesson 2:

"If you are busy criticizing, there isn't enough room for love."

I thought these were super lessons, and I can add Lucia Colbert as a role model to my list.  She has won 6 Xterra regional championships, and is now on her way to compete in Nationals again in the 55-59 AG.  She has the most serious relationship with her spirit, health, and performance.  She is a good one to emulate. 

Over and out!  Have a great week of work and or training!