Why??? That is a question I have asked myself over and over this past year. Why am I doing this? Why am I trying to push myself through injury? Why is my body not responding like I want it to? I am a bit too excited to begin my taper leading up to the upcoming Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Vegas. - 2 weeks, I keep telling myself... I can make it 2 more weeks. Of course for me, it seems that much of the summer training has been a bit of a taper in one discipline or another.
1st, my calf starting tightening up in the Spring just before the Mountain Madness 1/2 Iron distance tri, then, my hip began giving me painful fits after a self-driven session of yoga (yoga, is a wonderfully good healer for the body if done correctly... apparently, I did not do it correctly and ended up straining my psoas and hip adductor). Since running and biking aggravated those injuries, I focused on swimming in the pool and lake. As luck would have it, something got in my ear and began "growing" in there. I am convinced it was a tree - there is no telling in Lake Peachtree. After wobbling through the Tri the Mountains Sprint and XTerra Tri in Knoxville in July, I kept my ears out of the water for a couple of weeks. Time off, plus 2 rounds of antibiotics, ear drops, prednisone, a steroid shot, and finally antifungal medication invaded my system with no relief. Last resort - I went back to my massage therapist and visited my former chiropractor, Tony at "Healthy Habits Chiropractic" up in Marietta, GA. Guess what?! - they fixed it! Within an hour of seeing them, I could finally hear again! Oh the joy! - 4 long weeks of not being able to focus on what others were saying to me, including my kids, not to mention an overload to my system of all the drugs, was finally behind me. Well, maybe not too far "behind" me. My GI system has been a complete mess since the start of antibiotics - uugghh! 2 weeks out from one of the biggest races in my life is not the time to be running to the restroom every couple of minutes. I truly feel for people who have to take so many medications on a daily basis. I think from now on, I am going to opt for the natural remedy approach... and wearing ear plugs during a swim.
So, why not throw in the towel? I have nothing to prove, no one I am trying to beat, and have completed this distance before. When I start to fill my own head with doubt, I realize there are many more reasons as to why I should continue to push onward rather than give up. God may be testing my body and my mental limits, but He is also showing me through little signs along the way why I need to keep going.
How can I let a couple of injuries, an ear infection, lack of sleep and training keep me from going to Vegas for my race? I can't. This race and journey is not about me. I have believed that from Day 1. I started this endeavor to raise money and awareness for my little angel. Along the way, I have met other incredible people, athletes, parents, and friends who have helped keep me going during the tough days and inspired me with their own stories.
2 more weeks... let the countdown begin!
1st, my calf starting tightening up in the Spring just before the Mountain Madness 1/2 Iron distance tri, then, my hip began giving me painful fits after a self-driven session of yoga (yoga, is a wonderfully good healer for the body if done correctly... apparently, I did not do it correctly and ended up straining my psoas and hip adductor). Since running and biking aggravated those injuries, I focused on swimming in the pool and lake. As luck would have it, something got in my ear and began "growing" in there. I am convinced it was a tree - there is no telling in Lake Peachtree. After wobbling through the Tri the Mountains Sprint and XTerra Tri in Knoxville in July, I kept my ears out of the water for a couple of weeks. Time off, plus 2 rounds of antibiotics, ear drops, prednisone, a steroid shot, and finally antifungal medication invaded my system with no relief. Last resort - I went back to my massage therapist and visited my former chiropractor, Tony at "Healthy Habits Chiropractic" up in Marietta, GA. Guess what?! - they fixed it! Within an hour of seeing them, I could finally hear again! Oh the joy! - 4 long weeks of not being able to focus on what others were saying to me, including my kids, not to mention an overload to my system of all the drugs, was finally behind me. Well, maybe not too far "behind" me. My GI system has been a complete mess since the start of antibiotics - uugghh! 2 weeks out from one of the biggest races in my life is not the time to be running to the restroom every couple of minutes. I truly feel for people who have to take so many medications on a daily basis. I think from now on, I am going to opt for the natural remedy approach... and wearing ear plugs during a swim.
So, why not throw in the towel? I have nothing to prove, no one I am trying to beat, and have completed this distance before. When I start to fill my own head with doubt, I realize there are many more reasons as to why I should continue to push onward rather than give up. God may be testing my body and my mental limits, but He is also showing me through little signs along the way why I need to keep going.
2 weeks ago, Dave, the girls and I volunteered at the Peachtree City Sprint Triathlon. I was honored and blessed to witness a living miracle race. JD Holmes, a 70 year old local fitness guru, owner of Club Peachtree- our original fitness center in town, and one of the founders of our Tri-PTC triathlon club, fought his way back from a skiing accident in Colorado this past Spring that originally left him with 20 broken ribs (the human body has 24), a punctured lung, broken collarbone, slight concussion, and compressed vertebrae. He spent months following the accident undergoing strenuous rehabilitation. To see him come out of the water, lay his bike on the ground, step over it and lift it up vertically between his legs so he could mount it to begin biking, then dismount and start the 3.1 mile walk - a marathon walk for him - with a cane, lower leg braces, a slight wobble balance, yet smiling ear to ear, brought uncontrolled tears to my eyes. He finished his race, greeted by his wife Varner and a crowd of cheers as he approached the finish line. To come back, to fight, to never give up... he is a living testament of God's greatness and perseverence of the human spirit.
2 more weeks... let the countdown begin!
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