The Long and Winding Road (ahead...)

It's been 6 weeks since the surgery. What a great week! I did 6 workouts, and managed a total of 16 miles of running. I did two strength workouts, stretched 6 days and on the foam roller 6 days. There were many painful moments and reminders (shoulders down and back...breathe...feet straight...work through the pain to the end...). Today was my first adventure outdoors in the park. I loved every step of the 3 mile run. It marked the true beginning of my training for the 50. Rick rode alongside of me, which is also part of my plan. I really need him to support the longer runs, and what better way for him to do that than with a nice bike ride with his wife? His presence gives me a sense of comfort I cannot get running alone.

This week is also the first full week of working with my new program. I've talked a lot about my trainer, Keith. If any of you watch the Biggest Loser, for me, Keith is my Bob Harper. When you click with a trainer, never leave that person. I "clicked" with Keith the very first time I met him in Hawaii. A trainer/coach relationship is about trust. Not only trusting your trainer, but allowing him/her to instill trust in yourself. When you have full and implicit trust in the program,your training and your own abilities, you can achieve anything. I don't say that lightly. This was probably the most important take away from my Ironman. Trust. For the new reader, you should know that I did not know how to swim when I started my Ironman dream. I did not own a bicycle. I had only dabbled in 5 and 10K's. I was hardly the vision one had when thinking of an Ironman. Today, I am a changed human being. I have learned to trust.

So, when the email arrived from Keith announcing my new program, I remembered that I had to trust. He is as passionate about his work as I am about mine. We both have a role to play in this adventure, and we both trust each other to execute to the best of our abilities. I can't even begin to tell you how much I learned from him during Ironman training. Now, I trust that I will learn so much again about myself, and what it means to be human. My body has evolved and aged, and I have gained much wisdom since Ironman, but I remain fearless and fierce in my determination to trust both Keith, and myself. I am so excited for the next chapter, and to start down that long and winding road to the finish line.