Rev3 Williamsburg Bike Check-Drop

There was a bit of a walk through some rough trail to get to transition with our bikes from where we parked.  Alan was worried we were going to puncture our tires, so he decided to carry our bikes!  The big one is Tina's bike...it is a tandem because she is a visually impaired athlete.  He also carried mine.  Yep...he is pretty awesome!

Bike MS: Ride the Riverside

 I had the opportunity to Ride the Riverside today with Team Strike Out MS.  I think it is an awesome organization, and supports a very important cause that is near and dear to my heart.  

One eventful thing happened on the ride...my bike cleat broke!  I could only use my right leg!  This is slightly ironic since most of the time it is my right side (including my leg) that doesn't always work right.  Thankfully I was able to finish what I set out to do...and ended up getting a medal as well!  I sure do love race bling. :)

UPDATE: Did I ever complete an Ironman?

I recently received 2 emails asking for an update on my triathlon training status!  They caught me a little off guard because I hadn’t updated this blog since spring of 2011!  I couldn’t even remember what my password was!  But here I am, updating it…hope to do a little more of that over the coming months.

The biggest question I get is:  Did you ever complete an Ironman?

The answer is a little complicated.  The easy answer is yes…in November 2011, I finished all 140.6 miles of an Ironman Triathlon.  However, I injured my ankle coming out of the swim portion, and it slowed down the rest of my day.  I’m not sure how much you know about Ironman, but for it to count, and be official, it must be completed in less than 17 hours.  Unfortunately, it took me a little over 20 hours…making me an unofficial ironman finisher.

I am currently training to do the same race again this November.  Hopefully it will turn out a little better!  The good news is I don't turn 30 until May of 2014 so there is still time to make it official!

One thing I will say about training for triathlon and suffering from fibromyalgia is that I feel a million times better when I am training!  Training helps me to sleep better, which helps me to feel better!  Training also helps my joints and muscles to stay moving!  If I take more than a day or two off, my body starts to really lock up…and hurt a lot worse than it does when I train. 

I can honestly say from personal experience, I know how hard it is to make that first step and start training!  Your body hurts, and it tells you that lying in bed will feel better…but your body is playing tricks on your mind.  The opposite is true!  The less your body moves, the worse it will feel!  So as hard as it may be to get out of bed some mornings, make it happen!

I HIGHLY recommend triathlon training to anyone with fibromyalgia.  It is great because of all the cross-training.  I think with fibromyalgia, it is important that we mix things up.  Some days will naturally be better than others…by training for triathlon; you can substitute a swim day for a run day if you are in more pain than normal.  But again…get to the gym, and get your body moving!  Especially on the days you are hurting really bad!

I really hope to be better at updating this thing…and hope other people with fibromyalgia will stumble across this blog and be motivated to start moving…and maybe even motivated enough to pursue triathlon!

I wanna see you be brave!

I am in LOVE with Sara Bareilles' new song - Brave!

"I wanna see you be brave!"

Here are the lyrics:

You can be amazing
You can turn a phrase into a weapon or a drug
You can be the outcast
Be the backlash of somebody's lack of love
Or you can start speaking up

Nothing's gonna hurt you the way the words to when they settle 'neath your skin
Kept on the inside and no sunlight
Sometimes a shadow wins
I wonder what would happen if

You say what you wanna say and let the words fall out
Honestly, I wanna see you be brave.
What you wanna say and let the words fall out
Honestly, I wanna see you be brave.
(I just wanna see you) x3

I wanna see you be brave!
(I Just wanna see you) x3
I wanna see you be brave!

Everybody's been there
Everybody's been stared down by the enemy
Fallen for the fear and don't start dissapearin'
Bow down to the mighty
Don't run
And stop holding your tongue

Maybe there's a way out of the cage where you live

Maybe one of these days you can let the light in
Show me how big your brave is

Say what you wanna say and let the words fall out
Honestly, I wanna see you be brave
What you wanna say and let the words fall out
Honestly, I wanna see you be brave.

Innocence, your history of silence won't do you any good
Didn't think it would
Let your words be anything but empty
Why don't you tell him the truth

Say what you wanna say and let the words fall out
Honestly, I wanna see you be brave
Say what you wanna say and let the words fall out
Honestly, I wanna see you be brave
(I Just wanna see you) x3

I wanna see you be brave!
(I Just wanna see you) x3
See you be brave
(I Just wanna see you) x3
(I Just wanna see you) x3