The Great Paceline of Life

I didn't feel well this week.  It rained a lot, and the forcast for the Pawling Triathlon on Saturday was rain.  On Friday night, I called Annie, my friend and swim coach, to see how she was feeling.  She had also been feeling down all week, but she was ready to go.  Knowing she was going to be there, I suddenly felt much better about everything. 

You see, sometimes in the middle of the night I start cramping so painfully it wakes me up.  Sometimes my ear buzzes and I get a spinning feeling in my head.  Sometimes my fingers go numb and turn white. I don't know why these things happen, but I know they are common MS symptoms.  Add to these the simple facts of getting old, wrinkles, gray hair, fat, etc.  Sometimes I feel sorry for myself.  Sometimes I am stricken with a profound sense of self-doubt. What do I think I'm doing- pretending to be an athlete?  Who am I kidding?  I just want you to watch this video:

OK, so now you get it right?  Annie, and so many other women I know, are getting up each day, and facing down their demons with so much love and positive energy they create a wave that lifts me up and pulls me along in a celebration of life. 

Take my fellow Tarmac racers: Alexandra was also at Pawling yesterday.  Her knees were bloody by the end, but she did the race and then got up and did another race on Sunday!  Eve did the Rev3 triathlon, also in the rain, and got on the podium!  It's hard to believe that just a couple of years ago she was suffering from a brain tumor.  Jodee, who was on the podium with me at the Berkshire Classic, is doing the Tahoe Century this weekend and raising thousands of dollars to fight leukemia.

Eve takes 3rd place in Olympic distance

Kate takes 2nd at sprint

I am proud to be a part of a community of wonderful and supportive people. You may have noticed the symbol at the top of this blog- a wheel triskelion- my own version of the ancient symbol that is so old nobody really knows what it means.  But I believe it's about this: true happiness comes from the mind, body and spirit connecting and spinning together- interwoven cogs- moving forward in cycles- a great paceline of life.

Speaking of wonderful and supportive people: my fellow Tarmac racers, and Tarmac sponsor Steve Magnus of Iron Bridge Consulting, have donated money so that I can compete in the UCI World Championships in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa this summer! Wait, it gets better: Jodee was qualified too!  We need to raise more money for her and Meg to join me for this wonderful opportunity.  We hope that this will not only be a great adventure for us, but also inspire others.  There is nothing special about us- we are just like you- facing down our demons with love and positive energy, moving forward together in cycles, the great paceline of life- KahKaKaw!

Please click to contribute to the fund to send Kate, Jodee and Meg to the World Championships!