Believe

Humph. It’s been a while.

Honestly I kept putting off writing my next blog because I thought I’d wait until I was all better; healed up and I could write about my return to regular training and competition with a bang! …

But that hasn’t happened yet, so I figured I better get my butt in gear and write!

In the early part of 2016 I suffered an injury. I don’t know what brought it on, and to date I am still not really sure what my injury is. My back was / is messed up and most likely the root cause of my tornado of symptoms. I’ve had more tests done than I can even keep track of, and have seen more specialists, doctors, and therapists to try and conquer this beast (most of whom look at me like I’m psycho because of all the wacky symptoms I describe).

To date, I feel strong in areas where I once felt weak and fragile; fragile to the point of fearing to take a step walking – yes, it was ugly. I have improved (greatly) and it continues to get better as time goes on ... 

It’s occurring at snail’s pace mind you, with a few steps forward and some back, but still better and still moving forward. When going through hell...keep going right?

So where the heck have I been and what have I been up to?

While I wasn’t able to run all these months, I was able to ride and so I did. I rode lots, and had lots of fun; I even raced fairly consistently (mountain bike and cyclocross).

I was also able to deepen my love for mountain biking; amazing rides with Javelin Daddy and Little Cheetah through mountains, well off the beaten trail.

Incredible, marvelous and awe-inspiring do not even begin to describe the beauty we witnessed and experienced throughout our rides together.

2016 finished up with a great season of cyclocross with my boys and a few winter mountain bike races in November and December just for fun.

2017 is going to be a “let’s beat this eff-ing injury” and run again kind of year. It's my year of belief and resilience. My constants of doing the little things; focusing on the simple goal to run. Starting each day knowing I am stronger than the day previous because of all the little things I’m doing everyday. I’m also working hard on my mental game – this is new and a real struggle for me.

Injuries suck, let’s not sugar coat it. Somehow, and for reasons I may never fully know, my body decided it was going to internally blizzard, hurricane and earthquake all at once. I can’t wait to get back to running and training normally again. And back to normal life. I miss it – a lot.

Not knowing when is the hardest part, but each day I fight because one day, I’ll knock this injury on its ass.