And so, it begins. I have closed the book on a lasting struggle with my health that started in the summer of 2009 and concluded with the removal of my gallbladder in March. Along the way, I fought daily nausea and vomiting, a weakened immune system, the inability to ingest enough calories, sapped energy levels, a lack of focus, and ultimately, depression. And yet during that time, I attempted two 150 mile rides to benefit multiple sclerosis research and treatment, ran a dozen 5K races and one 10K, did the Warrior Dash, and joined a flag football league. I finally succumbed to the symptoms when they continued, unabated, to worsen, despite my best efforts on my own and with the medical community to fix them.
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| March 2012 |
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| September 2009 |
As I write this, it's laughable how sore my butt and hamstrings are from the 1.1 miles I ran three days ago. My body certainly hasn't forgotten how to run, but it also won't let *me* forget that we have made couch-sitting an Olympic sport over the past half-a-year.
Well, I'm back. Take that, legs! Couch, it's been real, but it's time for me to move on.
Speaking of which, I'm going to need these legs to help me a LOT over the next 8ish weeks. Well before my surgery, before things got unbearable, I committed to the Cape Cod Getaway, which is a 150 mile bike ride that benefits the National MS Society (support me!). As I mentioned above, I've attempted a similar ride twice while in Florida, but now I'm tasked with cruising down the Cape for two days, all the way to Provincetown. Not only am I starting from zero in terms of fitness, but this ride will be much different from the ones before it.
Do you know what Massachusetts has that Florida doesn't (besides a temperate climate, great sports teams, and most of my family and friends)? HILLS.
It should be interesting! I've joined a team, Team Summit, which will beneficial in supporting me physically and mentally over the coming weeks. You, dear reader, are more than welcome to join me on this journey, as well. I'll be posting periodically, probably bitching about how sore I am, but here and there I'll try to get something funny in there and maybe a few "life lessons" ("Don't bike with your mouth open" and "Always assume cars are trying to hit you" are good ones to start with).
As always, feedback is appreciated. Your dollars are also appreciated since I need $500 of them to even get to the starting line. But, you know, no big deal :-)
Momentum trumps inertia... don't stop moving!
