The first thing I want to say this week is a big huge THANK YOU for the many positive comments on Facebook and here on this blog for the post I did last week about being a one breasted bionic endurance athlete. It took a lot of courage for me to write about the body … Read more
Breaking my ankle twice in two years makes me feel old. I rarely feel old. My approach to aging is to generally remind myself that most of aging is a state of mind. I rarely talk of aches and pains. I am very committed to keep my body moving. Then, I break my ankle and … Read more
Have a vision for doing a race or event this summer? Wonder how in the heck to get started? If so, you are not alone. Dreaming about an event you’d like to do is something lots of aspiring endurance athletes do. I love to dream. Moving from dreaming to action is the tricky part. After … Read more
Two weeks ago today, on June 3rd, I successfully rode 107 miles on my bicycle at the Tour de Cure Twin Cities!! Because of the 80 mile ride I successfully did on my birthday on May 12th, I had excellent confidence that I could do the ride. Much of endurance exercise is mental confidence and … Read more
Tomorrow, May 12th, is my 52nd birthday and as you likely know, I’m not married and I don’t have any children. At this moment in time, I don’t have a boyfriend. (Yes, I would like to have a boyfriend!) I also don’t have a particularly good relationship with my biological family. I do have wonderful … Read more
Yesterday I was brave. I confess, I am a bit of a penny pincher these days and I my bravery was motivated in part because I had already registered to ride, meaning, I had paid the fee, better show up. The weather wasn’t good, and that’s putting it mildly. Granted, it wasn’t snowing, and it … Read more
I went to Mexico and I had a wonderful experience! It was so fun, that coming back to my part-time job as the Internship Coordinator at the University of Minnesota, my substitute teaching at Great River School, my side gig of helping people with their LinkedIn profiles combined with training for my 100-mile bike ride … Read more
Saturday, June 4th was intended to be the day that I rode my bike 100 miles alongside a few of my friends at the Tour de Cure Twin Cities. I’d trained for 16 weeks and then, when I was out walking my dog as I explained in my last blog; I fell and broke my ankle. No bike ride for me on June 4th, not with my leg in the air boot.
On Monday, May 16th I was walking my dear dog Echo. We were on a perfectly flat sidewalk. The weather was perfect. Echo was not pulling. I was wearing new boots that I had never walked very far in before. These boots have rubber soles. I think what happened is the rubber caught on the cement of the sidewalk, and caused me to trip and wobble. So badly, I fell hard to my left. As I fell, I relaxed as I learned years ago from my cycling coach. Nonetheless, as I hit the ground I heard a very loud snap.
I’m about to celebrate 35 years of living with type 1 diabetes. Every now and then I take a deep breath and reflect on what it’s been like to have this disease that allows for zero vacations. It’s not been an easy road. That said, there are a few bright spots.