Finding the Courage Again

Find the Courage Again

We all have courage. The courage to face our fears. The courage to challenge ourselves. The courage to redefine what is possible. The courage to be ourselves. The courage to be vulnerable. The courage fight back.

This past racing season I was unlucky one day on a training bike ride. A white work truck decided that the laws pertaining to sharing the road and giving cyclists space didn't apply. So I was hit by that truck. The sad piece was that the driver didn't even stop to make sure that I was okay. My heart broke that day. Thankfully, I was able to ride my bike home but after I was back on my bike all I wanted to do was push and race like the wind. So I did. It was the best way I knew how to deal with my emotions about being hit and the driver not caring enough to stop and make sure I was okay. After that day I became so much more timid on when and where I road. That day I not only came back bleeding but I came back more fearful.

I have noticed it not only in the way that ride but also in the fact that I ride when I know someone is available to help and tend to stay closer to areas that I know. To be honest sharing this with the world is a vulnerable place for me. To admit that I have become more scared rather then more confident with as much training and passion that I have. But I promised that I would be honest in this journey and share the good, the bad, and the ugly so here it is.

I opened this post by talking about courage and that is what I hope to find again and take back what I lost that day.

Motivational Monday 12/4

Rudolph Ramble 2017

Rudolph Ramble 2017

How often do you have the opportunity to say that you saved Christmas by helping to find Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer?

Well the Rudolph Ramble gave me just that opportunity this year. Denver is one of Rudolph's favorite places and he was seen rambling around the city again this year. Sadly, he was not answering his Claus North Pole version red nose 1 cell phone so Santa sent out an email asking for help rounding him up in time to make sure all the prep work is done in time for Christmas. Santa Claus had received good elf intelligence that Rudolph had intentions of hanging around his namesake event.

Sure enough Rudolph and Santa both showed up to one of the most festive 5k running racing. All of us racers were graced with beautiful running weather which made spotting Rudolph all that much easier and Santa helped kick off the start of the race bringing smiles to racers of all ages.

This race kicks of the Run Denver Series timed and produced respectively by Hal Sports and BKB Limited. They not only do a fabulous job with making their events fun and exciting but also inviting for everyone whether you are out there for a PR or to just enjoy the event. Each and every participant is cared for out there.

My race was not one of my best races, but I can say that I still had a good time and was reminded of something important. I am still working through an injury. I thought after taking 5 days from doing anything over the holidays would help and by the end of the holidays I was feeling good. I was walking without limping and felt good enough to cycle and hit some yoga classes. But this weekend showed me that whatever I had done is not fully better. This race was painful. One of my friends who ran the race with me told me afterwards that she noticed my limp. Not a good sign. But....

Instead of worrying about my not so fantastic time I remembered to stop and enjoy the race environment. A running race is so much more then just the race. Each race is a chance to be with the local running community and be inspired and encouraged. Races are also a chance to be the one who encourages someone. There are vendors there giving away free samples and there are ample opportunities for photo ops. Plus, depending on the race, there are other activities to take part in and in the case of this race there was face painting!

I know for myself I sometimes get lost in worrying about my race and forget to enjoy the whole experience. For the Rudolph Ramble this year I remembered. So maybe this injury was a blessing in disguise. Timed just to make sure that I have the opportunity to enjoy all that the Christmas season has to offer rather then letting it race by. No pun intended.

And I can say that this year I helped save Christmas. Not a bad weekend at all.

Colder Bolder 2017

Colder Bolder 2017

A Colorado tradition - the Colder Bolder! This race happens the first weekend of December and for me marks the start of the running holiday season.

What I love so much about this race is that each invitational wave is organized by the times from the Bolder Boulder so that everyone is racing against people who have similar times and there are awards for the top three men and women. It is like mini races within a big race. Then at the end there is an open wave for anyone who would like to register who didn't race the Bolder Boulder. The course is run entirely on the University of Colorado at Boulder campus and finishes in the field house. At the end there is usually some pretty neat finishers food! Just a bonus to an already great event.

This year they opened with The Original Charles Dickens Christmas Carolers for each wave. It really brought the holiday spirit!

This race for was not one of my best races nor was it one of my worst races. I had not run in two weeks because of the need to take some time off from running to let my leg rest up a bit. So I had some choices about how I could approach this race and I picked the me against me option. I think remembering the me against me is a good reminder for us no matter if we race the best race of our lives or the worst race of lives.

It is so easy to compare ourselves to other in a race and feel discouraged when we come in last or even boost when we win. Neither of these reactions are "bad." They just are. It is nice to win. It lets us know that we have done our training. It hurts to lose and reminds us that we may have work to do. But at the end of the day our biggest competition is really ourselves. Did I go out there and race to the best of my ability? Did I go out there and have fun? Did I go out there and show myself of what I am capable of?

That was how I approached today's race. As racers ran by me instead of worrying about them I worried about my race. I knew I wasn't going to be the fastest out there, but I also knew that I had my running form to work on. So in the end when I didn't even come close to finishing in the top of my wave I wasn't disappointed. Instead I was proud of the fact that I had run MY race and worked on my running form. What made me the most happy was that I held myself accountable at the end of the race to keep pushing rather then letting myself off the hook. At the end of the day the only person that I am accountable for how I race is myself and I can sleep well tonight knowing that I had a good solid race. Winning isn't everything. Trust me. I know. :)

Beginner's Mind

Beginner's Mind

Beginner's Mind. I first learned about this concept when I was in school and it has stuck with me throughout the years because of the value that it brings in my training and especially in life. Beginner's Mind or Shoshin comes from Zen Buddhism and refers to one having an attitude of openness, eagerness, and lack of preconceptions when learning a subject, even when having had experience and studying at an advanced level. Simply put, it means learning just as a beginner would when the mind is open and not closed off thinking that things are already done a certain way.

This concept while extremely valuable can be so much easier said then done. It is hard to approach something we may have been doing for so long with the mind of a beginner. We may finally feel like we have a sense of mastery or a semblance of competence and then asking the mind to look at something like cycling, running, or swimming as if it was the first day. Sounds scary to me and to be honest it can be. But in the end it is worth it.

Cycling is my weakest out of the three sports and I am very well aware that I have work to do. Swimming is my favorite and I learned this past season that my stoke needs tons of work. Running is the sport that is most freeing to me and I learned that my stride and running posture need so much help. So it would seem that I have a lot of work ahead of me, and it is my decision on how I approach the learning a head of me. Do I dig in and let me ego rule the roost or do I let go of all preconceptions and listen to my coach and others who are trying to help with a Beginner's Mind?

The other day when I was at bike clinic the coach in charge of the clinic was talking about cadence and suggesting drills and images to think about making the most out each pedal stroke. At that point, it would have been so easy to tune her out. We all know that we need a nice cadence and that we can derive more power from focusing on all parts of the pedal stroke. Thank you to whoever came up with the idea of being able to clip into the pedals! In that moment, I made a choice to listen to what she was suggesting and I learned something new that has helped improve my cycling. Had I not listened I might have missed the image that has made a difference and that will hopefully help me next racing session.

I'm choosing to approach my training with a Beginner's Mind and I hope that you will join me. It is the road less traveled (pun intended) and I know it will make all the difference. (Hint: This line is a play on a great poem a good friend once shared with me.)

It's Time We Love Our Bodies

It's Time We Love Our Bodies

During my last yoga class I heard a great quote that is worth sharing.

"Did you ever realize how much your body loves you? I mean its always trying to keep you alive. That's all your body has to live for. Your body is making sure your breathe while you sleep, stopping cuts from bleeding, fixing broken bones, finding ways to beat the illnesses that might get you. Your body literally loves you so much. It't time you start loving your body back."

I fell in love with this quote the minute I heard it. Why, you may ask? Because I think it is super easy for all of us to forget how much our bodies do for us on a daily basis, not just in training and racing. Even if we don't forgot how much our bodies do for us do we truly love our bodies. This quote is such a different perspective from much of what I have heard or have experienced in my journey.

Especially around this time of year when we may be indulging a little bit more than we normally do it is easy to start judging our bodies.

Daily, we ask our bodies to engage in strength training, swimming, biking, running, or other activities so that we can accomplish our goals.

I know that recently I have been guilty of judging my body so I put it through a hard week of work when I should have been smarter. Now I am paying for it, bordering on the edge of injury and had to take a few days off to hopefully prevent the injury. Maybe I would not have ended up in this position if I had shown my body a little love instead of judgement.

Our bodies truly are gifts. I don't know about you, but I can't find any other creation that can take grapes, turkey, etc. and use the components to create bodily tissue like muscles, bones, or organs. And that is pretty cool. As the quote says our bodies fight for us to make sure we stay well. They fix bones so that we can move. We don't ask, they just do, because they love us.

So, especially during this time of year when things might a little hard, I am going to show my body a little love instead of judgement.

Please share below any ideas you have for showing your body a little extra love. We can all benefit from the collective wisdom.

Racing for Hope

Racing for Hope

"The next moment of recall came in our 20th week of pregnancy during what was supposed to be a routine check up to finally confirm that I was going to have two Daddy’s girls. The ultra sound technician didn’t say much and paged the doctor to come in immediately. The doctor came in and there were whispers. Next we were being sat down and told that we were being affected by TTTS (Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome). TTTS is a disease of the placenta that causes one twin to receive all the nutrition and blood and the other none or very little. The diagnosis was confirmed by the ultrasound that showed one of our babies with too much fluid and the other with none. She was literally “shrink wrapped” to the placental wall without any fluid to move around in. All our doctor could tell us was he had only gone through this once before and the outcome was not favorable. I remember him telling us that we just need to get them further along alive so we can deliver them and give them a chance to live. Our care was now being transferred to a high risk specialist."

This is only part of the story of one of the founders of the Fetal Health Foundation, Lonnie Somers. Their story has a happy ending. However, they are not the only parents who hears receive news of a fetal syndrome diagnosis. No parent wants to hear that their baby is at risk. As Lonnie described above they were going in for a routine check up to hear that their twins were doing fine and instead left with something a little different.

Because of Lonnie and Michelle's (Lonnie's wife) love for their twins they help found the Fetal Health Foundation to help other parents around the world. The mission of the Fetal Health Foundation is to:

Support families receiving a fetal syndrome diagnosis, fund life-saving research, increase syndrome awareness, and share leading medical information on fetal syndromes.

To honor the mission of the Fetal Health Foundation and to raise funds and awareness I will be dedicating my 2018 race session to the Foundation and would like to invite you to come along with me on the journey. I will be documenting my training throughout the season sharing the highs and the lows. And hopefully there will be a few other stories and events to share along the way. In addition to following along please consider supporting the mission of the Foundation with a donation. This will be Fundraising Link throughout the year. Together we all can work towards a world where every parent will be able to take home their healthy baby!

I encourage you to visit the  Fetal Health Foundation website to learn more about the wonderful work that the foundation does in the community.

So it begins....