They Call Me Seashell

I am returning from a long hiatus in the sport and I sit here thinking... wow. This is so much more difficult that I remember it being. And I do not mean it in a sarcastic funny way.. I mean that the struggle for me is real. This is going to be a hard fought return. However, I have the opportunity to see this as a re-do. When I left the sport to focus on my personal development I was at an all time high for me. Happy Ironman finisher, 2015 TeamUSA Long Course World Championship Qualifier (declined my spot due to school), and overall having the time of my life feeling fit and fabulous setting PRs all over the place. I felt and operated like some form of well oiled machine. I was in the zone and figured that I could keep doing something while in school, only that never happened. I decided to reach for the stars instead of digging myself a hole. My healthy lifestyle came to a screeching halt. Now here I sit, tired, out of shape and overweight looking at how far I have slipp...

Today I hit 'send' on my race season form with my coaching team.  I decided to do a 2-part season, one in focusing on my return to racing, the other on focus on prepping for the work ahead of me in 2018.  We will see what coach says about my part 2, however for now I have a solid race schedule for my grand re-entrance into triathlon! Triceratops Tri - June 21st Motor City Sprint - June 25th Pterodactyl Tri - July 19th Ironman70.3 Ohio (Relay) - July 30th The Bavarian Inn Experience - August 5th Swim to the Moon 5k  (Open Water Swim) - August 20th T-Rex Tri - August 23rd Detroit Marathon - October 15th It feels good to have something on the radar now, some goal to work for. The hardest part of coming back from a long time off is taking that first step knowing that it is going to hurt, that it is not going to feel the same as it once did, that it will be something I have to work at and that it is not going to be easy.  Nothing worth working for...

It feels so good to shake off the dust, stretch out the arms, inhale a fresh breath exhaling in the final yawn of coming out of a deep sleep, rubbing eyes clear of slumber and seeing clearly what is in front of you.  I needed the break to finish my degree and to find a fresh perspective on my fitness.  A lot has come to light in the last few years than I had ever imagined.  With that a refocus on fitness and health has commenced.  In 2017 I am very excited to be working with people I know and love, as well as to represent a new team that I have been wowed by over the past year in how they support the community at large, and how they stand up for the right thing, not the easy thing.  Their products are pretty amazing to boot, and without them I would not have been able to survive the death-march that Ironman70.3 Ohio turned out to be for me.  Here is the dream team, MY dream team - the teams that I am proud to be racing and training with and repres...

As of September 11, 2016 I am officially done with my Master's Degree academic work!  I have taken and passed my comprehensive exam, and now just need to finish my clinical trial and then in a few short weeks I will have my degree in hand. In December I expect to be able to obtain my State Certification in Nutrition, so another huge milestone is about to be cleared.  What an amazing past few years it has been on my goal of inspiring others to live a healthy and active life. However what has not been so amazing in the past few years has been how far I have fallen out of a healthy and active life myself as the demands of work and school took their toll. The weight my body now bares is the proof of how we must work on health as part of our lifestyle, not a crash fad.  Ironic that I am a certified health coach with a Master's degree in nutrition... and I look and feel like I need to see one myself. I am starting the journey back to consistent workouts and self ca...