I've trained every day since I've been home for Europe. I've been logging my food, complete with calories and nutrient percentages. I'm cutting back on my fat intake. I'm excited to swim again...
Could it be that I am turning back into an endurance athlete?!
I'm just going to put this out there - 2009 and 2010 were very rough years. Getting mono in January of '09 messed up my body way more than myself or anybody else could have ever predicted. I would sleep for 12, 14, 16 hours a day and still not have any energy. My immune system was shot to hell - I picked up every infection out there for months. I was, quite frankly, depressed and not myself because I couldn't do the one thing I truly loved - or at least, I could no longer excel at it, and I could no longer push my limits like I was once able to do.
I think every endurance athlete has a story to tell about the time in their life that changed their attitude towards their sport, and the last two years were mine. They confirmed my love for triathlon and for leading an active and healthy lifestyle, and even though my passion for the sport had its ups and downs as I tried to adjust to what my body was capable of doing at certain points, it never went away entirely.
While we were traveling around Europe, I had a lot of long train rides to do some thinking on (when I wasn't beating Ken at computer solitaire - yeah, we really are that lame - or sleeping), and what I realized was that even though the last two years were easily the most challenging of my life, if it weren't for them, I wouldn't be doing what I love full time. See, when I first got sick, I first had to quit my job, and not long after was forced to leave my graduate program, which broke my heart because I truly loved it. However, leaving these two things behind meant that when Coach Sean Thompson approached me to discuss working with him to start a youth triathlon program in the fall of 2009, I was 100% available to jump on board with him. The flexible hours and laid-back attitude of Coach Sean in the months that followed let me deal with being sick, while continuing to be involved in the sport that I loved. There were days where I would literally just leave bed for three hours - to train and to coach. It wasn't ideal, but I know that if I hadn't been in the situation I was in, I wouldn't have settled for something so part time, even if it was my "dream" job. When Sean had to leave the program in April of 2010, my own coach, Aaron, encouraged me to apply with Playtri... and the rest is history. Now, as a full-time worker in the triathlon industry, I get to work with people I love in a field that I love. I know that not a lot of people can say as much, and I am so thankful for that.
So here I am, two years later, and finally, finally starting to feel like my old self again. Actually wanting to train, wanting to eat healthy, wanting to work hard and excel in triathlon and my job again. And it comes at a perfect time, as I am about to move into an amazing new apartment right on White Rock Lake, only a 5 minute drive (or 4 mile ride!) to work, and as I prepare to leave to coach my first ever Playtri Hawaii Camp. My religious views are undefined at best, but, not to be cheesy, I can only describe where I am right now as feeling very blessed and thankful to whoever or whatever is running the show. Realizing that all of the fear, frustration, and uncertainty of the past two years actually had a purpose is about the best thing that could happen for me.
Before I was sick I was very happy-go-lucky about training and racing, always wanting to do everything to the umpteenth degree, always up for an early morning run or a long bike ride, and now the feeling of getting that back is absolutely undescribable. I honestly never thought it would happen, but I feel good - really good - for the first time in a long time. Happy with where I am and what I'm doing and how I feel - and I know that is translating into my renewed passion for triathlon.
Thank you to everyone who helped me through the last two years - I promise to make you proud in 2011.
Make sure to check for my next post from the Aloha state : )
No comments:
Post a Comment