Let's try again

Wow! Sorry for the extended sabatical, but it was necessary. Last year was a rough one. It was rough for a lot of people I know, as well. However, this year started out pretty tough with the loss of my oldest friend, Tigger. She got me through a lot of heartache and hard times, especially when I was on my own. She never questioned anything and all she ever really wanted was to just fall asleep on my shoulder or the crook of my arm. She just slept all the time for the last week of her life. In fact, the only time she was awake was when I had to force a pill down her poor little throat. That felt particularly awful to me. Her kidneys were shot and she had developed a heart murmur. So goes the cruelness of aging. She would've been 18 this month.

I've also been nursing an injury that got insanely out of hand because I, like so many athletes I know, just ignored signs that I needed rest. I suddenly heard what I tell everyone when they get sick or injured resonating, rather loudly, in my head, "If you do not take time to recover, rest and heal, your body will eventually force you to stop". Well, I finally took my own advice only after hurting myself so badly that I couldn't walk without pain. I've been seeing a sports therapist who has been doing myofascial release on my lower body. We've gotten great results and I have no pain except for this inflammation in my heal. Ah, I just love progress. Again I'm hearing myself say to massage clients, "It didn't get this way overnight, so you need to be patient and gentle with yourself because it's going to take awhile to disappear, too". I'm signed up to do Ironman Louisville and it's very spooky to see a lot of similarities with 2009, which was a good year. It too started with an injury that I was very diligent in the healing process.

Okay, so let's start some good news! Yaaaaay Good Neeeeews! I now have a website. It's a work in progress and I'm learning a lot about the technology side of things. Well, it's a lot to me. Nonetheless, Chris White, 3 Wire Designs, designed it and it's fabulous! I feel so professional and organized now. I feel like a...like...ahhhh...what's that word? ADULT!!!! Yes, I feel like an adult. At least a little more than I did. Seriously, you should check it out: foreverintraining.com
I'm so excited about it. There are all the services we offer listed, some recipes and a link to this blog. Did I mention it's pretty snazzy?

My good friend Erin Taylor (she and her husband are co-owners of a fantastic local running store called Go! Running) has started a group of supportive and inspiring women called the Go! Go! Girls. I've met a lot of great women in the last three weeks and the bonds of friendship between women is so necessary for our longevity. We went out and supported at the Little Rock half and full marathons today. I've never been on the spectator side of this event and it was an incredible sight to see all those people working hard to reach their goals. We cheered and yelled and clapped and stomped our feet for everyone and had so much fun! It was such a different perspective to look into the eyes of those runners, every shape and size, from every walk of life. I wanted to give them what I know I need when I'm a participant. You need to feel like you're being lifted up and carried when you start to think you can't take one more step. No one realizes really how vitally important it is until you've been on the the other side. There is no half-assing the support of someone giving all they've got right in front of you. They need you to be a lifeline or you don't need to be out there at all!

I will end this blog entry here and try to be back this week sometime. I will be taking a seminar next weekend. So hopefully I'll have my brain in gear and learn a lot.

Time forge ahead and soak in the essence of what will be an epic year...2011!!!!!

Thanks for reading.