Well guys, here I am. I am finally attempting to write again about the past few months in racing and life. Go ahead and call me a slacker- ITS TRUE!
A lot has happened since I last posted wayyyy back in August. The majority of it has been pretty freaking exciting! So excuse me if this is super long and you have to nap in between. I may have to nap while I write it.
1. I moved. You may have guessed it but I finally moved back to San Diego! It was an incredibly tough decision to leave USC and TriFit. The main reason I left was to be closer to my family. But, I did really enjoy the 3 years I spent in LA. I just didn’t see it as a place I wanted to live long term. It was SO tough to leave USC because I seriously loved my bosses. It was EVEN TOUGHER to leave TriFit and Bernard and Gina. I would not be where I am today as an athlete or as a person if it weren’t their team. Part of me almost stayed because of that reason alone.
2. I have a new sponsor. Okay so I’ve been holding out on this one for quite some time. It’s been in the works for awhile and if you follow me on Twitter, you’ll know that I’ve been traveling to Chicago A LOT. (I love it there by the way. Maybe I should move?) Chicago is home to Brian Tolsma and Midwest Orthotic and Technology Center‘s Chicago office. And MOTC is now one of my main sponsors and I couldn’t be happier. Since August, I have received a new running prosthetic, a biking prosthetic (eeep!) and soon, a new walking leg. The coolest part? I’ve learned a lot throughout this process because I get to watch it happened. I get to be behind the scenes and it is so cool to see! I ask wayyy to many questions but I’ve never really understood what goes into making a prosthetic. Case in point- I didn’t even know what type of foot I was wearing.
Okay another cool thing is that everyone I have met at MOTC is amaaazing. They care about their patients so much and I truly trust them with my prosthetics. The lines of communication are always open and I think that’s something I was lacking with previous prosthetists. I think it’s important to be involved in the making of your prosthetics and trusting your prosthetist.
Side note- I got to race Chicago Tri in August for MOTC and it was great! Chicago Tri is supposedly the biggest triathlon in the country. I can kindaaa vouch for that because never in my racing career (a whopping two years) have I screamed “ON YOUR LEFT ” so many times. I almost got taken out on my bike. Enough said. Still fun though!
Brian also was in Auckland for ITU Worlds and it was incredibly reassuring knowing that if something went wrong with my legs, he would be there if needed.
Check back in a few days (or weeks knowing me) and I’ll have a whole page dedicated to this! Yaaa.
3. I went to New Zealand yo. To race. Duh. Isn’t that the only reason I ever get out of this state? I was pretty freaking nervous going into this race. It’s been a tough year of racing. I know you’ve heard this all before but when I landed in New Zealand, I thought well this is where I leave it all out on the course. Apparently I was really stressing over this because I ended up getting shingles while I was there. So typical. But I raced hard and left it all out there and I took 2nd. And I wasn’t toooo far off of first. More details on this later. I WILL DEFINITELY DEDICATE A WHOLE POST TO THIS. Cross my heart.
4. Generation Why on Huffington Post. This may be the greatest thing I’ve seen in awhile. Someone FINALLY recognized that there is this diverse and unique population of Adolescent and Young Adult cancer survivors. And so they asked these AYA patients and survivors to write articles on the issues we face. It’s incredible to me because I can relate to EVERY article. I’d like to write an article for them so if you guys know someone who knows someone, try to hook it up! But in all reality, go to Huffington Post and read one or two of these articles. It’ll give you some perspective.
Speaking of cancer, last night I went to my first Stupid Cancer event. It was fun and the first time in a VERYYY long time I’ve been around that many survivors. I’m hoping to get more involved again so hopefully they’ll have a few more events.
5. Purpak launched. And I love it. I drink it every morning and it’s definitely changed things for me. Usually when I race I bonk a little at about mile 1 of the run. So basically I get off the bike and feel good and then I start feeling dehydrated but have to kick it into high gear for the run. So then I stop and try to grab water at every station. It’s stupid and drives me CRAZYYY. So before I left for NZ I started drinking Purpak daily and continued into NZ. The morning of the race I had half a bottle of it and went on to race. AND I DIDN’T BONK. Did not take in water on any of the course and felt great. It was fan-freaking-tastic. By the way, it is never advisable to change up your race routine before your “A” race. But I did and it worked.
Anyway, that is all thanks to Purpak. It is a unique combination of vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants, electrolytes, and supplements that was crafted to be an integral part of a balanced approach to healthy living. Visit their website here and try it!
6. The Chargers suck. Like maybe I’m a dreamer or something but I was under the impression that if I moved back to San Diego they would win for me. BOY WAS I WRONG. But I can’t stop watching. I guess that’s kind of okay since they actually beat the Steelers last week. I’ve worn my Rivers jersey once this year. It’s sad.
7. Off-season re-evaluating. This is the first year I’m going to have an off-season to train. Last year, I was prepping for yet another surgery. So this year, I’m training and enjoying it. I’m trying not to put too much pressure on myself and just remember why I started racing in the first place. But one of the big things I’m doing is looking into other sports. I’m focusing on rock-climbing and rowing right now. Don’t laugh but I’ve been fascinated with rowing for a long time and I could really use some upper body strength, so why not?
Alright folks, I think that is enough for now. You are officially caught up. My life hasn’t changed much since coming to SD clearly. I seriously hope you napped at some point while reading this blog. I did.
