I can't believe the day is finally here! I've longed to leave Michigan, to live in a new state, to explore new places and enjoy a respite from the bitter cold of a Michigan winter, but now that the time has finally come for me to leave, it's certainly bittersweet. I will miss this home state of mine. My family was born and has lived here for generations. In fact, my grandma just moved back to Michigan after nearly 20 years retirement in Florida.
I'll miss my friends and co-workers, new and old. I'll miss my volleyball teams and my spinning and yoga comrades and instructors. I'll miss biking to work (though I won't miss the rude drivers!). I'll miss walking around downtown Ann Arbor, sipping a margarita outside at Prickly Pear, browsing through Falling Water, eating Aloo Palak at Madras Masala. Concerts at the Ark and movies at the Michigan.
I'll miss the beaches of Lake Michigan, my favorite place in the world, a place I've always found solace and peace. I'll miss the changing colors and driving through the tunnel of trees near Traverse City and Petoskey. I'll miss the Mighty Mac and my favorite lighthouse. I'll miss biking around Mackinac Island, eating fudge and hearing the clip clop of horses.
I'll miss Detroit sports and the motor city. I'll miss ice sculpture festivals (yes I realize it has to be cold for these to happen) and drinking hot cocoa after snowshoeing.
I was just saying yesterday that I feel a sense of loyalty to Michigan. It's been good to me and my family over the years and I do what I can to give back. I feel guilty "jumping ship" with so many people leaving the state because of the poor economic conditions and the tank of the automobile industry. Part of me wants to stay to help rebuild, to take pride in our state, to buy local and build it back to what it once was. I see the potential the mitten has. And it's good.
But for now, my calling is elsewhere and I'm excited to explore, meet new people, discover new places and have adventures. I'll dip my toes in the ocean, bike to the Duke gardens and hike through the Smokies in the coming months. But I know one thing is for sure... My heart will always be in Michigan.
July 30, 2009
June 5, 2009
May 15, 2009
I Hate Running and Other Reasons to Run a Tri
I dislike running. It's monotonous, it's slow, it's damn tiring and it gives me way too much of an opportunity to ruminate in the fact that I hate it. With every step I hear a mantra of hate, pain, dread, and boredom. The pavement jars my joints, cracks in the sidewalk wait silently in my path for their chance to trip me, it takes me ten minutes to reach the same damn lamp post I've been staring at for the past mile and my lungs want to burst out of my chest - seriously - what's not to love?
So why am I doing it every other day? To finish my first triathlon and not be carried away in an ambulance.
Why do I tri? For several reasons...the challenge of new activities and experiences...the competition with myself, and as I get better at the sport, with others...the camaraderie between women of all ages, sizes and athletic ability encouraging each other to keep working toward the finish line. If nothing else, simply for the chance to prove to myself that I can do it.
So those are the serious, heartfelt reasons to run a triathlon, but there are several other reasons that I would have never known about until I had "tri"ed myself.
Top Ten Reasons to Run a Triathlon
10. To learn the power of positive self talk. "I will not drown, I will not drown..."
9. For the free water, bananas, trial-size peanut butter and t-shirt.
8. To perfect the art of saying "excuse me, I'm sorry" with your face underwater.
7. So photographers can catch you rounding the corner looking like Lance Armstrong.
6. Because you haven't experience biking until you've done it in wet bike shorts.
5. Because you look positively stunning in black permanent marker.
4. To never come in last place (that's reserved for the sponsor athlete)
3. For the green light to eat anything you want since you're "in training."
2. For the cool medal.
And the number 1 reason to run a triathlon...
1. You get to keep your swim cap to wear at parties and impress your friends.
So why am I doing it every other day? To finish my first triathlon and not be carried away in an ambulance.
Why do I tri? For several reasons...the challenge of new activities and experiences...the competition with myself, and as I get better at the sport, with others...the camaraderie between women of all ages, sizes and athletic ability encouraging each other to keep working toward the finish line. If nothing else, simply for the chance to prove to myself that I can do it.
So those are the serious, heartfelt reasons to run a triathlon, but there are several other reasons that I would have never known about until I had "tri"ed myself.
Top Ten Reasons to Run a Triathlon
10. To learn the power of positive self talk. "I will not drown, I will not drown..."
9. For the free water, bananas, trial-size peanut butter and t-shirt.
8. To perfect the art of saying "excuse me, I'm sorry" with your face underwater.
7. So photographers can catch you rounding the corner looking like Lance Armstrong.
6. Because you haven't experience biking until you've done it in wet bike shorts.
5. Because you look positively stunning in black permanent marker.
4. To never come in last place (that's reserved for the sponsor athlete)
3. For the green light to eat anything you want since you're "in training."
2. For the cool medal.
And the number 1 reason to run a triathlon...
1. You get to keep your swim cap to wear at parties and impress your friends.
A Long Three Months
I knew I was crazy for signing up for this race without even knowing how to swim, but I didn't fully realize the amount of time I would have to put in for training until I actually started training. Every day I was running, swimming or biking, sometimes both, before and after work, volleyball, and hockey. Half of the time my lungs screamed, my muscles ached and my body hated me for what I was putting it through. The other half of the time I was more or less a zombie going through the motions, following my training schedule, getting that 23-minute swim in before the pool closed at 10pm on a Monday night. I had time for nothing else. I'm lucky that most of my friends supported my training and understood my neglect.
I suffered injuries and setbacks that I hadn't planned for. My torn MCL in my left knee set me back weeks and then I was only allowed to swim and bike for another two weeks before I could attempt to run again. A brief stint of tendinitis in my patellar tendon in my right knee from volleyball suddenly sprung into play and strained ligaments in my right foot thanks to an hour-and-a-half-long African dance class made me limp for a good two weeks and curbed my running once again. And it seemed like every time I went swimming I ended up with a sinus infection or a nasty cold. Migraines, cramps, stomach flu - you name it, I pretty much had it during that three months!
And there were tears. It seemed as if every time I started to gain momentum in my training, something would happen to set me back and make me work a little harder and start all over again; as if someone was telling me that simply training for the race would be too easy, that somehow I needed a bigger challenge.
I persevered. I found strength in my goal of finishing the race and in my resolve to be a part of something bigger than myself. And when I couldn't find that strength, I had someone training next to me pushing me to fight and encouraging me to keep going. Even though my "just go on without me" attitude got the best of me at times, she wouldn't leave my side and I honestly couldn't have done it without her. When I crossed the finish line last Sunday and she flung her arms around me screaming "you did it!" tears stung my eyes and I was more joyful than I ever remember being.
It was a long and challenging three months in preparation for 113 minutes of sweat and ten seconds of complete and utter joy. And worth every second of it.
I suffered injuries and setbacks that I hadn't planned for. My torn MCL in my left knee set me back weeks and then I was only allowed to swim and bike for another two weeks before I could attempt to run again. A brief stint of tendinitis in my patellar tendon in my right knee from volleyball suddenly sprung into play and strained ligaments in my right foot thanks to an hour-and-a-half-long African dance class made me limp for a good two weeks and curbed my running once again. And it seemed like every time I went swimming I ended up with a sinus infection or a nasty cold. Migraines, cramps, stomach flu - you name it, I pretty much had it during that three months!
And there were tears. It seemed as if every time I started to gain momentum in my training, something would happen to set me back and make me work a little harder and start all over again; as if someone was telling me that simply training for the race would be too easy, that somehow I needed a bigger challenge.
I persevered. I found strength in my goal of finishing the race and in my resolve to be a part of something bigger than myself. And when I couldn't find that strength, I had someone training next to me pushing me to fight and encouraging me to keep going. Even though my "just go on without me" attitude got the best of me at times, she wouldn't leave my side and I honestly couldn't have done it without her. When I crossed the finish line last Sunday and she flung her arms around me screaming "you did it!" tears stung my eyes and I was more joyful than I ever remember being.
It was a long and challenging three months in preparation for 113 minutes of sweat and ten seconds of complete and utter joy. And worth every second of it.
A Look Back at Week One of Training
This is a short entry I wrote after my first week of training for the tri back in February. A week later I fell in hockey and tore my MCL and my training took a serious halt even though it had hardly begun! (See my February entry entitled "MCL - My Crappy Ligament")
WEEK ONE
I'm in my first week of training and I'm exhausted! Swimming is a thousand times harder than running and I can barely do two laps! I can't remember ever being this winded, my heart pounding this fast - and I'm not even sweating. Yeah, swimming is tough. There's so much to remember - the stroke, the kick, the breathing, all while trying to stay afloat. It's like running a marathon and you're only allowed to breathe every four steps and when you do get to breathe, you get half a second to get as much air as possible into your lungs before they are filled with water and you drown. Good times.
I do like the floaties though, especially the fun curvy one that fits between my thighs so I can work on proper arm form. I fly with that thing between my legs! (I realize that last sentence opens me up for a few jokes) But it's true. If I could swim the entire race with the floatie and just my arms, I'd be golden.
Running this week got progressively harder. I think it's because the first time I ran my body had forgotten how much it hates to run but by the second run, its memory was fully restored. Still, I gasped my way through 25 minutes thanks to my awesome, kick ass playlist.
Biking was a piece o' cake. :-)
Week one down, 13 to go!
WEEK ONE
I'm in my first week of training and I'm exhausted! Swimming is a thousand times harder than running and I can barely do two laps! I can't remember ever being this winded, my heart pounding this fast - and I'm not even sweating. Yeah, swimming is tough. There's so much to remember - the stroke, the kick, the breathing, all while trying to stay afloat. It's like running a marathon and you're only allowed to breathe every four steps and when you do get to breathe, you get half a second to get as much air as possible into your lungs before they are filled with water and you drown. Good times.
I do like the floaties though, especially the fun curvy one that fits between my thighs so I can work on proper arm form. I fly with that thing between my legs! (I realize that last sentence opens me up for a few jokes) But it's true. If I could swim the entire race with the floatie and just my arms, I'd be golden.
Running this week got progressively harder. I think it's because the first time I ran my body had forgotten how much it hates to run but by the second run, its memory was fully restored. Still, I gasped my way through 25 minutes thanks to my awesome, kick ass playlist.
Biking was a piece o' cake. :-)
Week one down, 13 to go!
Back II Life
Back to life... Back to reality... Back to the here and now, yeah...
I'm a disgrace to the world of blogging. Two entries for April!? Two!? Sigh... All I can offer is my sincerest apologies to all three of you who read this blog and beg for your forgiveness and understanding. For the past two to three months my days have consisted of waking up, working, training, sleeping and repeating in preparation for my first triathlon race which took place just five days ago. I'll be blogging about my training and the race in upcoming posts, but for now, I'll just say that I'm sorry that I've neglected everything in my life that didn't have to do with swimming, biking and running, including my friends and this blog, and that I vow to get back to life starting...now. :-)
I'm a disgrace to the world of blogging. Two entries for April!? Two!? Sigh... All I can offer is my sincerest apologies to all three of you who read this blog and beg for your forgiveness and understanding. For the past two to three months my days have consisted of waking up, working, training, sleeping and repeating in preparation for my first triathlon race which took place just five days ago. I'll be blogging about my training and the race in upcoming posts, but for now, I'll just say that I'm sorry that I've neglected everything in my life that didn't have to do with swimming, biking and running, including my friends and this blog, and that I vow to get back to life starting...now. :-)
April 22, 2009
That's One Way to Celebrate Earth Day...
Some people plant trees for Earth Day, some grow them... inside...
Last week a 28-year-old Russian man complained of chest pain and a horrible cough and x-rays showed that he had a mass in his lungs. His doctors thought the mass was indicative of cancer and operated, but what they found was something quite unexpected.
Just before the surgeon removed half of this young man's lung, he decided to stop and do a biopsy of the mass first. Well praise Allah, thank the Lord, etc. he did that because the man didn't have cancer after all. Nope... he had a tree branch GROWING in his lungs. The branch was about five centimeters long! The spiky needles of the evergreen were piercing capillaries in his lungs, causing severe pain and blood when he coughed.
Scientists think the man must have inhaled a spore that germinated in his lungs and began to sprout a tree. And you thought you had allergies!
A strange phenomenon to be sure, but not as strange as the infamous "Tree Man", Dede Kasawa, an Indonesian fisherman who's hands and feet have literally sprouted branches. His body was slowly overtaken by the wart- and branch-like growths causing him much pain and suffering over the past seven years. Baffled by his condition, a dermatologist finally pinpointed that the Human Papoloma Virus (HPV) was at the "root" of his troubles and after nine months of operations and the removal of 13 pounds of warts from his body, Dede regained the use of his hands. Unfortunately, his warts started to reappear within the year and doctors reported that he would have to undergo surgery twice a year for the rest of his life to keep the warts at bay. Apparently he has what's called epidermodysplasia verruciformis, an abnormal susceptibility to HPVs of the skin. Don't believe me? Check this out.
So on this Earth Day 2009, plant a tree, inhale one, or heck, become one, but do your part.
More useful earthy, green tips to come later this month. :-)
Last week a 28-year-old Russian man complained of chest pain and a horrible cough and x-rays showed that he had a mass in his lungs. His doctors thought the mass was indicative of cancer and operated, but what they found was something quite unexpected.
Just before the surgeon removed half of this young man's lung, he decided to stop and do a biopsy of the mass first. Well praise Allah, thank the Lord, etc. he did that because the man didn't have cancer after all. Nope... he had a tree branch GROWING in his lungs. The branch was about five centimeters long! The spiky needles of the evergreen were piercing capillaries in his lungs, causing severe pain and blood when he coughed.
Scientists think the man must have inhaled a spore that germinated in his lungs and began to sprout a tree. And you thought you had allergies!
A strange phenomenon to be sure, but not as strange as the infamous "Tree Man", Dede Kasawa, an Indonesian fisherman who's hands and feet have literally sprouted branches. His body was slowly overtaken by the wart- and branch-like growths causing him much pain and suffering over the past seven years. Baffled by his condition, a dermatologist finally pinpointed that the Human Papoloma Virus (HPV) was at the "root" of his troubles and after nine months of operations and the removal of 13 pounds of warts from his body, Dede regained the use of his hands. Unfortunately, his warts started to reappear within the year and doctors reported that he would have to undergo surgery twice a year for the rest of his life to keep the warts at bay. Apparently he has what's called epidermodysplasia verruciformis, an abnormal susceptibility to HPVs of the skin. Don't believe me? Check this out.
So on this Earth Day 2009, plant a tree, inhale one, or heck, become one, but do your part.
More useful earthy, green tips to come later this month. :-)
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