How am I doing?

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How am I doing?

It has been 3 months and my life is finally returning to a state of normalcy, after weeks of being primarily homebound, unable to do much besides sit in a recliner chair. I can drive again, so I don’t have to rely on a chauffeur (mom and dad), to take me to work or to doctor’s appointments. More importantly, I am regaining my wellbeing-both physical and psychological, as I am able to run and ride my bike, and I am back in the pool at 5am Master’s swim practice. 

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Giving Back

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Giving Back

After several years of needing to be fairly selfish with my time and energy in order to train and compete at a high level in triathlon while in medical school, I finally have time to give back and pay it forward. Participating in sports has been an integral part of my life since I was a little girl, and I would not have had many of the wonderful experiences or opportunities I have had, were it not for my participation in athletics. I have traveled across the country for races and met so many incredible people, including some of my closest friends who are teammates both past and present. Athletics has also provided me with a meaningful identity, self-confidence, and innumerable other life skills that have helped me to be successful on the track, the race course, as well in the classroom and in my clinical rotations as a medical student.

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Putting the Past Behind Me-Peace out 2015!

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Putting the Past Behind Me-Peace out 2015!

Happy New Year! And I am putting a BIG emphasis on happy. There are probably very few people in the world that are as joyful as I was to say goodbye to 2015, not that I want to turn it into a competition, as that is not exactly one I really want to win. 2015 was a year where loses outnumbered the gains, and by no small margin. Of course I celebrated my achievement of a lifelong dream when I graduated from medical school in May, and I valued my first (abbreviated) season as a professional triathlete, but even these great moments could not really fill the void of all that was lost, let go, and left behind.

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Thankful. Happy.

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Thankful. Happy.

I love Thanksgiving, a day filled with food, family, and festivities, and a day to express gratitude for all that we have. This year I feel exceptionally grateful for all of the wonderful things in my life because I have had a shift in my attitude and mindset. In the past I focused on all that I did not have or could not do. My heart and mind were soaked in negativity. I did not choose happiness. But now I find joy in each and every day, and for that I am thankful.

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Trying to Tell the Story of a Year with Numbers

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Trying to Tell the Story of a Year with Numbers

For many, a picture is worth a thousand words, but in the data-driven world of science and evidenced-based medicine it is a graph that tells the story of a thousand words. In an effort to objectively tell the story of this past year, I created numerous graphs depicting weekly training hours, number of training sessions per week, and the percentage breakdown of S/B/R during the phases of my training through injury, progression, re-injury, progression, and finally being healthy and training at full volume and intensity.

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Challenge Florida-Debut Professional Race

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Challenge Florida-Debut Professional Race

This was a race that was more than a year in the making, my debut professional race at Challenge Florida. I knew since Eagleman in 2014 that I would be turning professional the following season, making Kona my last race as an Age Grouper. A year ago I would not have predicted that this year would unfold as it did; I was expecting to pick up training in December and start racing in the spring. Well things did not quite go as I expected, but everything happens for a reason. After all of the turmoil of this past year, it really is a miracle I made it to the starting line of this race.

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Miracle Marigolds

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Miracle Marigolds

I call these flowers my miracle marigolds, as the flowers overcame adversity and came back to life, after being on the brink of wilting away and never displaying their vibrant oranges and yellows ever again. In lieu of training while I was injured, I took up a little gardening to help fill my days; I first planted a half dozen marigolds in two long rectangular containers at the end of May. The beautiful colors brightened the deck and my day, I felt very proud of my mini garden.

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I am not in Kona, and that's OK.

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I am not in Kona, and that's OK.

The social media feeds of triathletes everywhere are being inundated with pictures of six-pack abs, lava fields, and the crystal blue waters of Kailua Bay. It can feel like watching ESPN around the holidays with the endless commercials for luxury cars and diamond jewelry that leave you thinking to yourself, “Haven’t I seen this a million times already?”  With new episodes of Breakfast with Bob coming out every single day and those scenic Korupt Vison photos and videos, for those of us who are not actually there it is easy to feel a little bit of jealousy and FOMO.

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Quakerman Olympic Plus-Making Progress

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Quakerman Olympic Plus-Making Progress

Another race in the books for 2015! This local (I love local races!) was a last minute addition to the schedule, as I wanted to get another race under my belt to test my fitness and make some improvements from the Lake George Triathlon before I make the final push to the last race of the season (it is going to be a surprise). In the past, I feel like I have made a big jump in performance between my first and second races of the season, and this race was no exception. The swim was short and very, very choppy so it is difficult to compare times, but I my bike and run showed improvements from the race just three weeks ago; just another sign of things to come.

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