Oh boy!

I'm so thankful to have raced last Sunday at the Fall Creek Falls Triathlon! It was ultra fun, and I'm thrilled that my body is feeling healthy post-race :D
My race report will be pictures and captions. Thanks (!!!) to Stephen for being an amazing hubby, cheerleader, support groupie, photographer, and chauffeur (we woke up at 4am and drove 2.25 hrs to get to the race)!

checking out the transition

I hear Stephen & look back...



chit chatting with fellow pink-cappers

I was informed that the avg T1 time is 4:30. Yikes!

Swim...check!

First time to wear my TYR speed suit - felt great!

Oh T1, I'm grateful we get to wear shoes!

Not much aero about this action! Oh well...here I go.

Bike...check!

Socks & training shoes aren't ideal, but good precaution for the 1st race after foot surgery.

Click it or ticket!

 

Off to run!

 

Up-n-over the big, long crazy hill.

And down a hill...

...to the finish.

My love!

Thanks to the wonderful race director, volunteers, park officials, and others who put on such a fun, beautiful, and safe race!

Waiting & Grateful

Mild & wild outdoor "winter"...There were only a few days that I had to train inside on my bike this "winter"! Mr. Groundhog can prolong that winter any year and I will be excited. Building a base on my trainer was not something that I was looking forward to, especially since there are so many speedy people in Tulsa to try to keep up with! Usually I ride with some tri/cycling friends or with the Tom's Bicycles Team. Fun times!
My neck held up during many-a-miles on my bike (thanks Lord!). One fun thing that I discovered is that I really enjoy climbing. I've been learning how to descend better, so that's also becoming more fun and less scary.
The bike position is slowly getting more aero, although I still sit noticably more upright than... everyone else. ha. I have made friends that way though - everyone likes biking behind me!

A rekindled flame for the black line...
Swimming with the Tulsa Masters has been so much fun! Other than waking up at 5:20am, it's been the perfect way toget back into swimming while meeting lots of great new friends! The Lord has given me a feel for the water and it's been neat to enjoy it again in the midst of great company.

My favorite: running
The lack of running is what the Lord has used to remind me that training hard & racing are gifts and opportunities! Since January 1, 2011, my foot has given me off/on troubles....mostly 'on' troubles - ha. I could run for a couple months this summer...but other than that, I haven't been able to run - I've missed it!

2 days after surgery - sorry for the blurry phone camera pic!

1 week after surgery...ouch!

One of my new cycling friends (who used to play in the LPGA!), Suzie, told me about Dr. Willard who had successful foot surgeries and is an accomplished athlete. I went to her and she sent me to an athletic foot specialist, Dr. Baxter, at Athletic & Orthopedics & Knee Center. Although I had seen 6 doctors in Tulsa (including podiatrist) over the past 14 months, Dr. Baxter identified my problem and said that it was a classic case - an angry little nerve that needed to be released or plucked out. While relieved that it wasn't still a(nother) mystery injury, I wasn't excited about the knife on my foot!  I feel soo thankful that I had the opportunity to see him - he is ultra famous, and has helped out many-an-olympian including Carl Lewis and the list goes on and on...and on....one of the fun things about seeing him was that he's friends with (and has operated on or helped) many of my parents' friends since my dad was a top-caliber runner in the 1970s.

Tessa loves the extra playtime & naps!

Seeing him was a true gift that I didn't deserve...Needless to say, if anyone used a knife on my foot, he's my first choice! Two weeks after I saw him, I went back to get that nerve plucked out. That was a week ago, and it's still pretty sore. I'm logging lots of couch hours and I'm prrrrrretty sure that my cat is the only one hoping that my foot never recovers! haha. I bet she thinks I finally realized that playing with her + being a slug on the couch = fulfillment. (I don't think she's read Don't Waste Your Life by Piper.)  ;o)

Sophia & I both had a bum right foot! Her
stubbed toe didn't stop her from playing
outside, though! :o)

Thanks (!!!) to my Ma, the Pellas, Stephen, Amy, Beth, Kim & Suzie!
My mom met me in Houston to help and take care of me! My friends Teresa (I swam at UT with her) & her husband, Tyler, graciously opened their house to us and we also got to see and play with their two little beauties, Sophia & Madison! When I came home, I wasn't very autonomous...and Stephen has been so sweet and loved me so well - I'm beyond blessed to have a better half like him! Good friends in town have given me food & flowers and taken me places since my right foot is out of commission. I've been so encouraged by everyone's words & prayers - thanks!

I'll continue to close with...
I don't have a schedule planned out for 2012, but plan to fully train & race as a pro triathlete, keeping in mind Proverbs 16:9...
"A man's mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure."
Hope everyone is enjoying the gorgeous spring weather! Cheers!

Hello & Happy New Year!

2012 has been really fun thus far!

I've been able to swim & bike with no neck/upper back pain (whoa!). It's been so much fun to train with new cycling & swimming friends! Building up in endurance/speed with cycling & swimming lately has been very encouraging to me - I'm so thankful for the opportunity to train hard again! I'm lovin' it - truly a gift from the Lord. The winter here has been so mild that my trainer is collecting dust! Ha. Fine by me. It's nice to be outside on the roads putting in the base miles while exploring Tulsa.

Continuous Encouragement & Hope

Schlegel Bicycles has been a true encouragement for me during the entire time that I've been injured. I haven't been able to race the past 2 seasons, & they continue to sponsor me! Whether it's fitting me perfectly on my bike, tuning it up, or just encouraging words, it's definitely a place that I love going!

Dr. Seyoung Kim continues to support me as well, & I'm thankful! Every time I see him, I feel better!

I am thankful to have a great supply of Gu nutrition - especially now that I have been working hard again!

I'm excited to race with my suit that displays my sponsors. It has been tucked safely away the past 2 seasons, but I am looking forward to racing in it sooner than later!

I miss running...

with my friends at TU! My foot pain is back, so I haven't been able to run since early October. This problem originated over a year ago, and after seeing several docs/therapists, I'm in the process of getting sports orthotics to target my problems.

For now, I'll close this post the same that I did a couple months ago...

I don't have a schedule planned out for 2012, but plan to fully train & race as a pro triathlete, keeping in mind Proverbs 16:9...
"A man's mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure."

Happy New Year!

bethany

Thankful!

Teaching ESL at the University of Tulsa...
was so much fun! The students made every day a new adventure...and the teachers and my boss were also wonderful. I am very thankful that I had the opportunity to teach there this fall session! I taught 5 classes: 2 Reading classes, 2 Listening/Speaking classes, and one Writing class! It was a whirlwind!

Since I am able to bike and swim again, Stephen and I decided that teaching full-time, training to master 3 sports, being a wife, and maintaining a sense of sanity was not possible! It was bitter sweet to leave my job at TU since I realized what an amazing job it was!

For a while now, I have been ultra tired. I thought it was just because I wasn't fit, or the transitions in life: moving, new job, new house, new friendships....ETC. But last week, I got a follow-up blood test and it showed that my thyroid wasn't working properly. Since the thyroid is "the mother of wellness for your whole body and yours is from 3 times to 22 times slower than the normal range", that explains a lot.

As much as I would LOVE to be 100% back to health, I am still literally taking baby steps and feeling thankful for the fact that I can bike and swim without pain, which were things that i haven't been able to do for a while! Now that I'm taking some medicine to crank up my wellness o meter in my body, I will be feeling better soon.

The doctor said, "Affected patients who start taking medication and get back to normal levels realize what living life is supposed to feel like!"
I thought, "Wow - that sounds just like knowing Christ!" :o) Yay for parallels that surround me constantly in the physical & spiritual world!

This Thanksgiving season, as I look back on the past couple years of health drama, I am deeply thankful for the perspective it gives me. More than ever, I will view the opportunity to work hard = a gift from the Lord & any talent/abilities I have = a gift from the Lord! (...unless I take credit for choosing the right parents and creating my circumstances/culture/support to grow up!)...as well as the love & support of my husband, family, friends, & sponsors = a gift from the Lord!

Right now, I don't have a schedule planned out for next year, but plan to fully train & race as a pro triathlete, keeping in mind Proverbs 16:9...

A man's mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure.

Thank-FULL...
:o) bethany

A Tri-athlete Again!

I'm swimming, biking and running! After 16+ months of dealing with a pain in my neck, I can twist my head without it hurting, and I can ride outside for 70 minutes without feeling bad the next day(s). My heart is ticking along properly, and my foot is dandy. I can't swim in the open water yet, but I feel confident that my neck will strengthen enough to do that again.

To finish up the long doctor/therapist journey...
I came back from CO. Went through a couple more sessions with the doc/therapist...still wasn't feeling good enough to bike nor swim...and my foot was still holding me at about 10 min mile pace - the pain was too much to go any faster. I found a knot in my hip (that never hurt, but was from my heart procedure when I had the catheters in my groin)...rolled that out, then my foot felt instantly better. Started running with a couple TU ladies during the past 5 weeks...loved it! I was getting towed along in the 100+ degree Tulsan summer! I have a bit more fitness now and have been encouraged as I progress in training with the TU team now, but still have a ways to go.

As a last doc before my rope was singed (after CO, I applied to some ESL teaching positions since I needed a break from 16 months of focusing on getting healthy), I saw Dr. Kelley Joy at OSU OMM...After seeing her twice, I was back to swimming and biking. I am so thankful for her!

Interesting Timing...
Another simultaneous event that happened recently is that I started working full-time at the University of Tulsa's English Institute. This job will force me to ease back into swimming and biking at a reasonable pace. ;o) In the meantime as I train in all 3 sports, I'm thoroughly enjoying the classroom! The students are great - all 90 of them!

We're also having fun with our little kitty, Tessa.

Things are progressing swimmingly. I wonder what my update will say at the end of the fall...
Ciao!

Short & Sweet Notes (with a pinch of spicy & mellow)

Concerning my triathlete life, a few things should be added to the blog journey...

I went up to Boulder, CO. I saw Dr. Andy Pruitt, Sean Madsen, Cathy Fraser, & Sue Nakaoka at the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine. [Wow!] It was a fun, energizing challenge to talk with them. I was so impressed and thankful to have the opportunity to learn from them and benefit from their expertise!

My good friend, Amanda, lives up there. She graciously offered to share her living quarters with me all week. She's hilarious, genuine, & generous, and I'm so thankful for her friendship! Go Amanda!

My IT band was getting really tight. [Probably because of neglect - my neck hurts to crane it, so I try to avoid excessive rolling of my legs...and since my legs haven't hurt at all because I haven't done much running in the past 5+ months since my heart surgery (did I mention that my foot has killed me ever since the heart procedure?)]...anyways, I was lying on the foam roller to release my IT band and went higher into my hip around where the 3 catheters were put into my groin. Somewhere around there, I found a (naughty) knot hiding out! After several minutes getting that sucker to un-knot-itself, my foot has been dandy ever since. YAAY! I am soo thankful to be able to run again!

I visited my favorite (which happens to be the best!) bike shop, where Steve, Aaron and Joey all helped me configure my bike as the BCSM guys suggested. I love the (temporary) mismatched look - perhaps a bit of an eclectic, quirky, underdog mix. Maybe not-so-temporary?? ;o) It is always fun to see OK City friends who work at, drop in, and hang out at Schlegel's. :o)

Foot - check!
Heart - check! (supposedly - I haven't actually been able to test it out yet.)
Neck/back -  TBD. Probably each month, it's gotten slightly better. Cheers for progress!

I don't say it enough, but I am soo thankful for a wonderful, oh-so-supportive husband who loves me and wants me to get healthy as much as I want to.
xo!

Tax Day was the best! ;o)

I turned the big 3-0 last weekend & it was a fabulous celebration weekend, starting out with Stephen getting home Friday at 3pm - a great present in itself! :o)
That evening, he grilled trout - it was the most delicious thing I've ever had! We also had chocolate-orange cream cheese pound cake and red wine...yum!

Swimming, biking, and running continue to be impossible without debilitating pain. I'm still actively pursuing health though, and hope that my neck, back & foot work properly soon.
Until then, I know that (especially) my relationship with the Lord can grow even through the dark, (seemingly endless) trials that make up some seasons in life...
I'm thankful for the best husband, family & friends.
Cheers!! xo