Category: Community & Lifestyle

The language of can

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I grew up in a household of caution. My parents were loving and supportive, but they were cautious and quite often very fearful of doing anything that was too far outside of their comfort zone. As a result, I spent much of my childhood and young adulthood setting safe goals, avoiding anything that was too far outside of my comfort zone. My parents didn’t discourage me, but they often talked in the language of “cannot,” rather than the language of “can.  I learned at a young age to be fearful of goals that seemed outside of what was “normal.” Then, …

No matter how big, how old, or how skilled: Your body is amazing

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If you’ve read my blog for any length of time, then you probably know that I have struggled with body image and disordered eating. You may also have figured out that endurance sport (both distance running and triathlon) has helped me to appreciate my body for what it can do.  For the most part, I’ve learned I don’t have to look like the tall, thin women on the covers of magazines. (Yes, there are times I catch myself poking and pinching my body, wishing it was different. I imagine that will always be the case for me.) Despite my misgivings …

We’re running, Mom. We’re running.

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“She’s at peace now,” my Aunt Val consoled me on Tuesday. My mother had died just hours before this phone call. “Your mom fought a tough battle, and dealt with a lot of pain–way worse than any Ironman.” I was at my mother’s bedside during her final hours. They were a challenge for her, and for my nephew and I, who were on-duty that night. While we knew her end was coming, no one in my family thought it would be that night. I was unprepared and shaken by what happened in those final moments. My aunt was right: those …

Lessons about pancreatic cancer and triathlon

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When I started this blog several years ago, my concept was that I would write about my training and racing, and all of the lessons I learned from it. Hence, my tagline: Learning about life while pushing the limits of the body.  At the outset, there was no way I could have understood just how significant some of these lessons would become. Today, I’m writing from my mother’s bedside. She’s been hospitalized, again, as a result of the complications of pancreatic cancer and its treatment. This time, it’s dehydration, which is not uncommon in cancer patients, nor is this the …

Is this really happening?

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Monday, November 28th. It was the day after Ironman Cozumel. John crossed the finish line in 9 hours and 35 minutes, a whopping 33 minutes faster than his Ironman Lake Placid time (which was only 5 months ago), and good enough for a 10th place in his age group (of over 300 athletes) and 49th place overall. This impressive showing was not enough for automatic entry into the 2012 Ironman World Championships, held each year in Kona, Hawaii. There were only 7 slots available in his age group, so we had to hope for a roll down slot.  Yet, this …

A series of stressful events

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The last month has been stressful. Now, I know that “stress” is a word that can be overused and misapplied. So, let me be clear. According to the American Institute of stress, a basic definition of stress, originally coined by Hans Selye in 1936, is “the non-specific response of the body to any demand for change.” Change, in and of itself, is not naturally or automatically good or bad. An appropriate amount of stress can aid in human productivity, as the graph to the right illustrates. For example, training sessions are carefully calculated to introduce an appropriate amount of stress …

Extraordinary Moments

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Life offers precious few truly extraordinary moments. These opportunities are particularly limited if we do not seek them out.  We cannot wait for the extraordinary to come to us. We must make the extraordinary happen. But, it is hard work that brings with frightful challenges and frustrating barriers. Yet, meeting the challenge and overcoming the barriers lead to a reward so rich, so deeply fulfilling that I cannot help but seek these moments. Let’s face it: I’m an addict. Endurance sport is the fix. The challenges of training for and racing Ironman push me past my comfort zone and are …

Go Team Crazy!

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It was Monday night, 11 p.m. EST, and I was in a panic. Earlier that day, John had brought our bikes home from the Pro Pedals Bike Shop, where they received their final tune up and check over before Ironman Lake Placid, now just 10 days away. Normally, I go to bed at at 9 p.m., but I had drank a foolish amount of green tea, and couldn’t sleep. So, I wandered over to my bike, which was sitting in the living room (a.k.a., the CompuTrainer room), to check out the new tires the mechanic Jason put on my rims. …

On butterflies and fathers

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Tuesday would have been my dad’s 78th birthday. He died 12 years ago, when I was only 25 years old. I had taken his presence in my life for granted. My dad would be around for a while, right? While I was young and naive in these thoughts, I was old enough to recognize the enormity of the almost suffocating loss his death would bring to my life. To say that he would have enjoyed being a part of the running and triathlon community is a gross understatement. An athlete in his younger years, he understood the dedication of working …

It’s not all about me

Training makes me selfish. As the volume increases, the focus on “my” training increases as well. I open my eyes, and the first thought is that day’s workout. I close my eyes at night and think about what I did that day to get closer to achieving my goals. Last week, I spent a lot of time brooding because I didn’t have a great week of training. Physically, I wasn’t feeling so hot. I had tight hamstrings, general feelings of fatigue, and problems achieving my training targets on the bike. Psychologically, I was starting to doubt my decision to run …