A great loss.

Yesterday the world became a little bit of a smaller place. Jimi Flowers, Paralympic Swim coach, friend, mentor, loving father and husband died after falling while climbing Capitol Peak in Aspen, CO. Jimi was a 47 year old lover of life and the news was tragic and unexpected. It has deeply affected all that knew him as it was impossible for him to meet anyone without leaving a lasting impression. I really met Jimi in 2008 when I moved out to the Olympic Training Center. He believed in me the way not many people could and watched as we swam hundreds and thousands of laps shaping our strokes to make us the best we could be. But beyond the pool, he shaped us in our everyday lives. A dedicated family man who's love for his wife and kids shone through in everything he did. A follower of Christ, a man who is said to be a walking explanation point as anything small or big was the greatest thing ever!!! Peace signs and 'Yo's' a plenty he is a man who was always quick with a smile or a joke. He believed in me and at the Paralympic Trials he was the one I looked to for reassurance. After hearing my name announced as making the Paralympic team, his smile made the moment that much greater. And in Beijing when my performance was not up to par, he was the first to let you know that 'it is what it is' and it was going to be OK. He drove me to be the best I could be and without him, I would not be a Paralympian. Through all my Paralympic experiences I owe who I have become to him. Without him I would only have half my story. His smile and endless energy will be missed. In the short time I've knwn him he had become one of the greatest men Ive ever known and his memory will live on in all that knew him.

After hearing of his death, it makes everything else seem so much less important. Alaska is of course, still on the table, and I leave for that journey this Sat. I know that Jimi would want things to continue and encourage us to keep going. I will ride this race in honor of him and I know he'll be looking down from heaven screaming 'go, go, go' with his trademark shaggy hair and baseball cap. Training has been a plenty and I am ready and will be fine. To all the bear and moose out there; bring it on...

There was a week of backpacking through Olympic National Park. 17 miles of what we thought to be a beginner trail was one of treacherous rock fields, lots of sandy beaches and inclines so steep they needed ladders and ropes. After 17 miles I was amazed by what I had accomplished. My first real hiking experience with a backpack and I had made it. When I got back I wrote to Jimi to tell him of our adventure and I got a one line reply back saying 'Im proud of you'. That made the accomplishment that much sweeter.

Over the 4th of July Dick and I went out to SC to see my family. It's easy to take advantage of what life offers and family and friends until tragedy happens. I knew when I left SC and got to see my new niece and my nephews, my parents and sister that I was a pretty lucky girl. After loosing Jimi, I am beyond lucky to have them here and alive and to have had them around the last 29 years. it is now that I wish I lived closer to see them more and to be more active in their lives.

There have been more 5K's all of which my time has improved. The latest being yesterday in 33 minutes. It was hard. Really hard. I heard the news of Jimi as soon as I finished and was in shock. Yesterday was a day filled with tears and talking to many of my teammates. He is a great man gone much much too soon.

I am heading to CO at some point this week for the memorial service. I think some of the team and I will go out a day early to spend some time together and speak of all the good times we had with him.

To learn more about Jimi follow this link: http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=102018515921&h=kDIJx&u=1Y-pi&ref=mf

I hope you can all thank your lucky stars to be here and to be surrounded by those you love. Call your parents, hug your family and friends. Life is just too short.

As Jimi often said, Peace Out!

Long overdue.

My my am I long overdue for an entry. I have thought about writing multiple times in the past month and never got around to actually doing it. I think my writing may be less and less as time goes on so forgive me if I'm long overdue.

The past month had included much traveling as usual. A big highlight was the DC Soldier Ride where we got to make a trip to the White House and meet President Obama. After meeting him he sounded the horn to start the ride. That along with riding by Walter Reed and the Annapolis Naval Station made it especially memorable along with all the good times that come with it.

I competed in my first swim meet since Beijing. Due to some time constraints I was only able to compete in 2 events, the 50 free and 100 back. My 50 free time was only .5 seconds off my fastest ever and I was pleasantly surprised. My pool time has been lacking due to the amount of bike raiding I've been doing to gear up for Alaska. And I know it was just the 50 free but perhaps the hand cycling is in fact good cross training and there's hope yet. We'll see.
From the swim meet I went down to Orlando to compete in the 70.3 as a swimmer on a relay. It was an all female team and we rocked it. It was awesome. My swim felt fantastic and I was happy with my time. OPen water swimming seems to be growing on me...

For Memorial Day we were out in CO for a friend's wedding. We saw many old friends and it was an awesome time. I got to take part in one day of the Inaugural CO Soldier Ride and we got see Dick's family for an evening which is always a treat. Dick finished his Step 1 medical exam a few weeks ago and he has a whole month until school starts back up. To have him without his books is wonderful and I love all the extra time I am getting to spend with him.

Last weekend I competed in my qualifying race for Alaska. It was a half marathon and we had to average 12.5 mph. I was confident I could do it but still quite nervous before the race knowing I had to make a certain time. There was no need to be nervous as I came out well over the needed mph at 16avg. Even though it was only 13 miles as opposed to the over 50 mile days in Alaska, it gave me some added confidence.

In between all of the traveling I spent a day in NY to be a part of ABC's talk show The View. I got to met Barbara Walters, Whoopi Goldberg and the other three. It was myself and another wounded female to celebrate Memorial Day and represent the Wounded Warrior Project. I can't say it was the most extensive interview ever but it was a fun experience and getting the word out about WWP on any national TV show is always a good thing. Hopefully the viewers realized what an impact WWP has on the lives of wounded veterans and did what they could to help out. It was a quick trip but fun nonetheless.

My training is still on par. With work, training, a few local speeches and the traveling there seams to never be a free day. Most of the time I enjoy it but after Alaska the traveling slows down a bit and I am looking forward to that.

My running is coming along and I love it. My socket has gotten significantly better and even though there are still a few issues it is manageable most of the time. I ran another 1.5 miles without stopping the other week and was super happy. The goal is a 5K without stopping and I'll get my 2nd chance on June 18th.
Alaska is coming quick, a little over a month from now. We had to sign a waiver that talked about the danger of moose and bear. I guess I should have expected that but hopefully they come after me on the downhill as opposed to the uphill. Going up a mountain on a handcrank being chased by a bear would be no good. At all. We'll just hope that doesn't happen.

In a few weeks we are headed to Seattle to check out the area and to go backpacking for a few days. it will be my first backpacking experience with over 5 miles a day with a pack as an amputee. I'm a little nervous but I think I can do it. I'll keep you posted...

Sorry for the delay, hope all is well with everyone.

Little Leg turns 5

How has it been a month already. I feel like I wrote on here just last week but turns out it's been 5. Whoops.

So, here we go. And I thought last month was busy...

This past month I will term as the 'Vegas' month as I was in Vegas twice within 3 days of each other. The first trip was an exciting last minute opportunity that I couldn't pass up. WWP got 6 seats for wounded vets to attend the CMA's (Country Music Award) with a guest and I am a huge country music fan so the answer was yes. Trace Adktins and the West Point Glee Club perfomed a song that night called 'Till the Last Shots Were Fired' that was dedicated to both fallen Soldiers and Wounded Veterans. At the awards show there was a donation table set up for WWP and the support was incredible. If you download the song from itunes all proceeds go towards WWP so before you read any further, go listen to it on itunes and click 'buy'....
Thanks. Back to Vegas trip #1. I brought one of my best friends Megan and we had an absolute blast. We got to get all dressed up, see all the big country music stars we hear on the radio, see multiple performances by Kenny Chesney, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, etc.and we even got back stage at an after show performance. We kept pinching ourselves wondering if we were really there. It was an awesome time.

I flew back to Chicago on Monday only to fly back to Vegas on Thursday. This trip #2 had been planned since Jan and was a girls weekend in Vegas with 3 of my college friends. Eating, drinking, shopping, dancing, sightseeing, sunburns, spas, you name it, we did it. Saying it was awesome would be an understatement. I went back to Chicago that Sunday exhausted from two weekends in Vegas but I wouldn't have changed anything. You can't beat spending time with great friends you don't see enough of. Many memories...

I was out in CA for a CAF triathlon as well. The Oceanside 70.3 half Ironman where I did the swim on a relay. 50 degree water made for a chilly 1.2 mile swim but I was happy with my time. My goal was under 30 min and I did 31:00 I think so I was pretty close. We had an East Coast vs. West Coast relay team rivalry and my team came out on top. We were excited. I don't want to kee repeating myself with this but the people involved with CAF and Operation Rebound are such great people and I feel honored every time I am around them. They really do inspire me.

Now for the biggest even that took place this past month, Little Leg's 5th birthday. Yes, on April 13th it was 5 whole years since I lost my leg. I can't believe how fast time flies. It is always a special day to look back and reflect on what the years have brought. I can honestly say that knowing where I am in life now, I would go back and do it all over again. I am just so happy.
My boss, Dave, made the day extra special by asking me to join him at the Cubs opener at Wrigley Field. So LL and I spent the afternoon cheering on the Cubs as they won their first home game. Can't beat that.
On April 18th we celebrated the birthday and had about 35 people at the party. A good number of them flew in from out of town and I got to see some friends and family I hadn't seen in a long time. My battle buddy from the Army, Mandee, flew in from Seattle and it was extra special having her there. Two of my teammates from Beijing made the trip up along with my sibling in- laws. The usual drinking out of the socket took place which is always the party highlight. Now a week later, its hard to believe she is on her way to being 6. It will be here before we know it.

With all my travels it has been difficult to keep up the workouts but I am trying my best. I have done well at keeping up with the armbike and have done multiple 3 hour rides inside on the trainer. It's not as much fun as it sounds... 3 hours. Inside. Riding a bike. After hour 2 it is such a mental game to stay on the bike. Now that the weather is getting warmer hopefully those rides can be done outside but early morning ones will always have to be in the house. No fun at all.

I was having some socket issues for a while that was limiting my running. Fortunately I got a new socket and last weekend I ran outside and did a mile in 9min 48 sec. It was my fastest mile by 4 minutes and I was sooo pumped. I was so sore I could barely move the next morning but that didn't curb the excitement. This weekend I am attempting my first 5K and would love to run the whole thing. The mile wasn't easy, so 3 will be tough but I'm going to give it a shot. Dick ran with me last weekend and set a pretty good pace. He's going to do the same this weekend so that should help.

Swimming is what I am missing the most as I travel so much. I go as much as I can but at this point to get ready for my Alaska race I need to make sure I get all my armbike riding in which can cut in on my swim workouts. After Alaska, I will focus on swimming a little more and am looking forward to continuing the running.

The next few months don't really slow down for me too much. All this travelling gets exhausting at times but I always enjoy the events once I am there. I am writing this from Palm Beach, FL as I spoke to the JFK Medical Foundation today. My dad came to watch and it was great to see him. We got to sit and relax by the ool for a bit once we were done here.
Next week I am headed to DC for Soldier Ride, and then to Vegas (again) for a CAF tri, and then Ohio for a swim meet, and then and then and then....it seems to go on and on. I am looking forward to things slowing down at some point. Having a straight two weeks at home would be great but I think I'm into August before that happens.

Time for me to head to the airport now.
Until next time....

One busy month.

After a month of no blogging I figure it's about time for me to write something. Time is just flying by. I really can't believe it is the middle of March already...

The weekend after I got back from Soldier Ride I was in Jacksonville, FL for the Wounded Warrior Project board meeting. I don't know how many know but I am a board member for the project. With Beijing in there this was the first meeting I had been to in a year and I walked away feeling so proud to be affiliated with such an incredible organization. The number of wounded warriors that benefit from the project's services is astounding. If you'd like to learn more about it go to www.woundedwarriorproject.org. You will be impressed.

The following weekend I was in Vail, CO for the Vail Veterans Program ski trip. There were 26 wounded veterans many whom had never skied since there injuries and a few like myself who could lend a supportive hand. I feel like I say this about many weekends I have, but this is one of my favorite weekends of the year. Seeing familiar faces, meeting new veterans, seeing them progress in their abilities and become more confident as the weekend goes on. It is fantastic. Not to mention that the last night the Vail firemen let us use their firehouse, cook us dinner, let us slide down the fireman's pole and just have a good time. It had been a while since I had skied and I forgot how much I LOVE the feeling of flying down the mountain as fast as I can on the border of out of control. The wind in my face, the speed, it is such a rush and I love it.

In between the weekends I have been busy at work. I am really enjoying it and although it keeps me busy with the hours at work, the training and all the trips I attend I love it. I feel like I am getting more comfortable working with the patients and I am learning so much. We have gotten a number of patients up and walking for the first time since they lost a leg a few times in the past weeks and it is so rewarding. I really am enjoying myself there.

I am part of the Paralympic Mentor Program and just this past week myself and 40 other Para athlete mentors went to DC to advocate for support of the Paralympics. We each met with the Congressman from our state to ask for their support. Mine went surprisingly well as with Chicago 2016 in the running, they want to do all they can. We also made a trip to Walter Reed to visit with other returning vets and teach them of the Paralympics. That was my 2nd time back to the hospital this year and I always enjoy it. Seeing my old therapists and other employees, meting new veterans, etc. This time I went into my old room on Ward 57 and saw a young man who had just lost his eg. It was a bit surreal to be in my old room, much smaller than I remembered...
I stayed in DC a day longer than most to do some work for the documentary Warrior Champions that us coming out this summer. If I haven't mentioned it before it is a documentary profiling 5 of us that were injured in Iraq and our quest for Beijing. I saw a 10 minute trailer of it in DC and it is going to be quite the film. The full title is 'Warrior Champions, from Baghdad to Beijing' When it is out I will make sure you all know about it as I encourage you all to see it. It is being filmed by the Renaud brothers who have made a number of other films and they are extremely talented. I can't wait to see the finished product.

Training has been going well. It was a bit off this week as I was gone for 2.5 days and didn't workout at all. To be honest, I felt like a huge slob. But other than those 2 days, it is going really well. The armbike rides have gotten as long as 2.5 hrs, the running is improving and the swimming is still going well. I feel like I may actually be ready for the Sadlers Alaska Challenge when it gets here.. Today was one of my favorite days of the year so far. Mid- 50's and I was out on the bike path on my arm bike and it was perfect. I stopped halfway to just sit by the lake for a while and thoroughly enjoyed myself.

It's times like those when I realize how lucky I really am. I have many opportunities in my life and I try and take advantage of all that I can. Sometimes I feel undeserving of all the places I am able to go and the things I am able to do but I try to make the most out of them and impact as many as I am able. I couldn't ask for much more at this point in my life and thanks to all those that helped me get here. I love my life.

4 Amazing days.

I just got back from my trip and had such a great time I am going to wow all you readers by blogging again just 4 days later. I could go on and on about how much fun I had and how great it was but I will try and pick my favorite moments so you don't feel like you are reading a novel.

First and most importantly, the people on the ride. You get a bunch of wounded vets together and there is an instant connection. I met new wounded vets, re- connected with ones from a few years ago and was overly impressed by the attitudes and determination of them all. The ride was dedicated to the wife of a SGT Hart who was KIA in Iraq. She was along for the ride and to have her there with us made it that much more special. With her company, the number of other vets, all the people who make the event happen (Woody, Sean, Jb to name a few) and my incredibly awesome roommate and Sadlers companion, Susan Katz, I had a fantastic trip.

We started out in Santa Barbara where I met up with my CTS coach, Mike Durner and another rider Saul. I could write a whole new blog entry on Saul but to avoid another novel I am just going to pass along his website and urge you all to take a look at it. He is incredible. http://www.saulraisin.com
Mike, Saul and I spent the first day up in Buellton, CA where we did a 24 mile ride and then met with some of the other CTS coaches and riders. CTS was hosting a camp and a number of riders had gone out to ride for the week in Buellton. We then drove back to Santa Barbara where we met up with Soldier Ride. Coach Mike and Saul both joined us for the full Soldier Ride.

On Thurs we rode around Santa Barbara for about 15 miles and cut the ride short so we could drive up and see the ending of stage 5 of the Tour de CA. I have never been to a professional cycling race and the anticipation of waiting for the peleton to whoosh by at 40mph is exhilirating. It goes by in an instant but what an instant it was. After the race we got a meet and greet with Team Astana which is Lance Armstrong's team. We didn't meet Lance but we got to hold his bike and meet some of his teammates. A great, nice in a lifetime experience and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Fri was my favorite day. The night before we rode the bus down to Santa Monica and put up in a hotel right by the Santa Monica pier. In the morning we rode on the paved beach path right along the water, through Venice beach, in the gorgeous CA weather. The police escorts allowed us to set the pace and Katz and I were up in the front pushing ourselves to go faster. After the 20 mile ride, Coach Mike, Katz and I continued a but further and did some interval work that was VERY tough. 1 min on, 30 sec off 8 times. It was tough but Katz and I encouraged eachother and were motivated by the scenery and did great although Mike kicked my butt. A great workout it was.

We got to enjoy some of the Santa Monica nightlife that evening and got to meet the one armed Def Leppard drummer, Rick Allen. It was slightly embarrassing as I overheard him mentioning to someone he played the drums. So I turn to him and say, "Oh, you play music?" And he says, "Yes, I play for a small group know as Def Leppard". Yes, embarrassing it was. But he and his wife were extremely nice and supportive to join us for the evening.

Yesterday we started out at Balboa Navy hospital and took the ferry over to Coronado for a ride around the island. A teammate from the Greatest Relay team ever, Malcom, joined us for a bit and I was honored that he came. Thanks Malcom!
We ended the ride last night with a dinner hosted by some retired FDNY personnel. Always a pleasure to be in their company and they spoiled us with bagpipes, lots of food and free fat tire beer. Can't get much better than that.

Katz and I both had an early flight this AM so after a short 4 hour 'nap' we headed to the airport. I, of course, slept the whole way home.

One other piece of exciting news is that Woody, the head of Soldier Ride, is allowing me to borrow a hand cycle from now through Alaska. I have one already but it is much older and after riding this new one all weekend I realized how great it was. So he was generous enough to let me bring it back to Chicago with me and it's already set up and ready to go on my trainer.

I was worried about being gone from home for 4 whole days but as suspected, they went by fast. I was honored to be surrounded by the other riders there and can honestly say it was the best SR I have ever been on. Not to mention almost 80 miles of good training for Alaska.

I am now home for only a few days and I head down to Jacksonville, FL for the WWP board meeting. More warm weather. Yeah!

Soldier Ride!

I am currently sitting in the LAX airport waiting for my flight to take me out to Santa Barbara for the beginning of Soldier Ride. This is my first time out of Chicago in over a month which may be a record and I wasn't a fan of saying bye to Dick early this morning for 4 whole nights. But now that I am in LA, I am more and more excited for the next few days. When I get to Santa Barbara I am meeting up with my CTS coach Mike and I think I'll be meeting a few other CTS folks as well. Mike is going to take me on a ride and then we will meet up with the Soldier Ride www.woundedwarriorproject.org crew tonight. I am pumped to see my Sadlers buddy, Susan Katz among may others. Tomorrow the ride will start and we will make our way down the coast to San Diego. I am riding only an arm bike this time as part of my Sadlers training. I didn't even bring my clip in shoe to avoid any desire to ride a normal bike. It is about 25 miles a day and then we drive the rest but we have multiple events to raise awareness for wounded vets. It never fails to be a great time.

Since I've written last there have been a few exciting things along the way. First, I have officially started my residency. It will be a 15 month one opposed to the usual 12 month one to allow me to do things like Soldier Ride and other events I have planned. I am really enjoying it so far and am glad Scheck and Siress is willing to be so flexible with me. I really enjoy the patient contact and the more I learn and remember in the lab the more fun it is.

It was Dick and I's 6 year anniversary this past weekend. 6 years, I can't believe it. We went up to Lake Geneva, WI to a B&B for the night and it was fantastic. It's so strange to look back and see how far we've come and how much has happened since that trip to Vegas in 2003. I am so lucky to have such a supportive and loving husband to spend the rest of my life with.

The training hasn't let up. I have decided that if I have to do anything over a 1.5hr ride it's best to get up early and do it before work. So last week I was up before 5am two days in a row and on the bike. it's nice to have it done but I am so exhausted by the evening that I'm ready for bed as soon as I walk in the door. As far as swimming, I did 100 x 100's for the second time in my life last Sun. My plan was to swim about 5,000 but I started doing 100's and then kept going. It got tough on #80, physically and mentally but I was so close I had to make it to 100. It was difficult to do on my own and was supposed to wake up early that AM and do it with a team but it was on a Sun so I slept in. Of course. I was proud of myself to finish them on my own.

I've been to a few speaking engagements, one at Oswego high school were I got to speak to the swim and dive team as well which was fun. They could relate with all the swimming so I got to talk swim times with those that understood them. I enjoyed myself.

I'm going to get some lunch before I head to my flight. Hopefully next time I'll have some fun Soldier Ride stories to share.

Motivated by chocolate.

Well, it's that time again. Time for another update.

I have officially started my residency and it's great. It keep me busy, real busy in fact, but I love it. I feel productive, I enjoy learning more about prosthetics, I love the patient contact and I love my co- workers... it is just great. It's been working out well with the part time. I am able to get my workouts in and still work a good amount. Last week it was about 35 work hours so more than part time which is good. My goal is to finish my 2000 hours and take the board exams next summer, 2010. So I need to work more than part time to do that especially since I will be gone for a few weeks in there.

I have turned 29 since I last wrote and it was a good day. Dick had a test on Monday so I thought he would be studying all day. He surprised me with taking the day off of studying and spending the whole day with me starting with a 0 degree sunrise on Lake Michigan. He had a whole day of plans ending with the now infamous Chocolatefest. Chocolatefest is exactly as it sounds and was absolutely wonderful. 200 people, 200 pounds of chocolate, 50 pounds of butter, and 30 of heavy cream made any and every type of chocolate dessert you could imagine. Now take that amount and multiply it, By three. That was the glorious amount of chocolate that was there and what a way to celebrate a birthday. It was sooo tasty. It was a well worth the 5 pound weight gain. The picture on your right is 1 of the 10 tables filled with chocolate.

At Chocolatefest I ran into a friend who just broke the above the knee amputee marathon world record by 40 minutes. Yes, 4-0. Impressive to say the least.
She gave me some motivation and on Monday I got on the treadmill and ran for 30 min and actually ran 2.1 miles. When I say run, I mean run a few min, walk one, run a few, walk one, etc.. But I was so so pumped about it. Hard, yes. Sweaty, yes. But the out of the pool sweaty feeling that I've missed was there and that was great. I have run 2 more times since then and am progressively getting faster. Just a little bit, but today I ran 2.19 miles in 30 min so that's progress. Little be little right...

I have been on the armbike quite a bit as well. The intensity is only going up and it's getting harder. Since I'm working now I have to do some of my workouts after work and that makes it more difficult as well. But I'm sure the last day or two in Alaska will be pretty tough too, so that's OK.

I think that's about it for now. This week I'm going to speak at a high school assembly and to there swim team. Then this weekend it;s Dick and I's 6 year anniversary. 6 years since we took the ride in that helicopter. Seems like it was only yesterday.

Until next week, have a good one.

I'm a flip- flopper

Well it's official, I have become a flip- flopper. Not in the political sense as you may be thinking but in what I am wanting to do with my life right now. Originally (and in past blogs) I have written about how I am going to train full time and do speaking engagements when they come up. Sounds glamorous huh. That's what I thought...

I have been doing just that for a few weeks now and it is much different than I was expecting. I was expecting my life at the OTC where I ate, slept and swam. It is much much different at home and it admittedly gets a bit boring and a bit lonely. So you understand what I mean let me tell you a typical day: Wake up at 5am. Swim from 5:30-7:30. Come home. Eat breakfast, watch Regis and Kelly. At approx. 10am I get on my armbike for 1.5 hrs and watch The View. 11:30- shower. 12- lunch. And then it stops. A few times a week I will swim in the afternoon as well and I will leave the house at 4:30, returning at 7:30 to eat dinner watch some TV and in bed by 9:30 to get up and do it all again.

Now this may sound like a great life to many of you and who am I to complain about having nothing to do. After all from 12:30 on I can do whatever I want. Read a book, see a movie, watch TV, sit on the couch, Anything. And I get caught up on my celebrity gossip with all my TV shows. But THAT is exactly the problem. Dick and the friends I have here all work or are in school so I am by myself this whole time and it gets rather lonely. Not to mention it can get a bit boring. I also feel very un- productive in the world. I am getting myself physically fit which is great. But as far as having an impact and doing something meaningful on a day to day basis..not so much.

I have also come to the realization that I'm not too fond of travel. Especially for multiple nights as being away from Dick isn't fun. I am going to be traveling so much for athletic events this summer that if I add speaking engagements in there I will be gone at some point every week. And I really don't want that. So, I have actually made a decision (WooHoo!) in that I am going to limit my speaking to the Chicago area unless something that comes my way that is really appealing. In March and April I will be out of town for speaking engagements I have already committed to but I am going to limit them from now on.

Now, to get to the point. You may want to brace yourself but I am actually going to be starting my prosthetic residency in the near future..gasp...I actually made a decision.
Scheck and Siress is such a great company to both be a patient at and an employee that I would be really stupid to not do my residency with them while we are still living in Chicago. They are willing to be flexible with my schedule, allowing me to do all the events I have already planned on and I will be starting on as a resident as early as next week. I will still be able to swim in the mornings and then other workouts will be pushed until after work. If I have a particularly long one I may take off from work a few hours early. The typical residency is one year long but with all the days I will be gone it will take me up to 18 months to complete. I am very excited for this and happy to have finally made a decision. I have been in to help out in the prosthetic lab the last 2 days I feel so so much more productive. I get to start my residency out under David Rotter and he is my prosthetist as well. He is so passionate about his work and his patients (he even came to Beijing to cheer me on) that working with him will be fantastic. He's the one in the picture. Check out the company at http://www.scheckand siress.com.
Starting in the end of Feb I will be out of town frequently through the end of June and then a week in July. But Scheck and Siress is so gracious to accommodate my schedule and I feel lucky to be affiliated with them.

I keep thinking that perhaps I made a wrong decision a few months back but had I not made that decision I always would have wondered what this 'so- called' glamorous life was like. I am happy I tried it even if just for a few weeks and that I have the resources that allow me to flip flop. What can I say, I'm a flip- flopper.
So, that's the latest from my end.

Swimming is good but hard, armbike is good but hard, running is plain hard but prosthetics is fun. I can't wait to get started...

Filled with pride

Yesterday history was made. I was so filled with pride as I witnessed on TV the inauguration of our new president, President Obama. Just to thinking about how far we have come as a country and watching him give his speech the parade and all the other coverage, it gave me chills and I was just bursting with pride. What a day.

I have finally started on a training routine. Last week was my first week and I swam 5 times and actually got my handcycle out of the basement and set it up. It was quite the achievement... I am working with Carmichael Training systems (www.trainright.com) with Mike Durner as my coach on my training for the Sadlers Alaska Challenge. He puts my workout online and I check it off everyday as I do it. I started with 3 1.5 hr rides last week. When I first saw the schedule I thought he was crazy to start with 1.5 hrs and the first ride was challenging but the others 2 were a little better. I have ridden twice this week and am getting the hang of it. Hopefully by July I'll be all set to not only finish the race but feel as though I had trained well and was ready for it. That and not getting attacked by some sort of wildlife is the goal. This week I am stepping it up to 7 swim practices a week and a little more on the handcycle. I think I even get on the treadmill this week.

I have my race schedule mapped out for the rest of the year. I won't go over all of them but it is with the ultimate goal of completing a full triathlon on my own, any distance, but where I do the running portion as a run instead of on a handcycle. I am doing a few half ironman's but they are all as relays and I am usually the swimmer although one I will be biking as well. The full one I am going for is the Chicago triathlon which is in Aug. Hopefully I will feel comfortable running by then. I plan on starting with a few local 5K's once it gets warmer and seeing how it goes. I did just sign up with 2 others for the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon in June. I am again the swimmer and my two other relay members are those that I did the CAF triathlon with last Oct. We affectionately call ourselves 'the greatest relay ever'. Which we are. This is quite the challenging race starting with the swim which includes getting on a boat at 4:30am, riding out to Alcatraz, jumping off the boat at about 6am into freezing water with a huge current and swimming to 1.5 miles to the mainland all the time praying that you out swim the sharks. It's a blast. Once I successfully Escape from Alcatraz (it IS possible , David Lee will move onto the grueling bike course and then pass on the chip to Malcom will run up sand stairs and all around San Francisco to finish up. So why do we do we put ourselves through this torture you may ask. Because the greatest relay team in the world can do anything. That is why. The picture you see above is of my teammates and I at the CAF race. Alcatraz here we come.

I am excited about this race (Alcatraz) in particular because it is during one of Dick's breaks from school after his 1st board exam. So not only will he be with me in San Francisco but we will leave from there for a Hawaiian vacation. Hawaii is one of the places we may have the opportunity to move for Dicks residency so we are anxious to check it out to see if we would like to live there for 5 years. And it's Hawaii, who wouldn't want to go there for a week.

Aside from training, I was in Lake Tahoe for a speech to some Oklahoma bankers last week. I was only there for one night so I didn't get to explore much but I saw the most beautiful sunset from my hotel room. It is so gorgeous there, mountains and a lake, it can't get much better than that.

I just got done with an exhausting swim practice this morning and it's time for me to make my coffee. Until next time, stay warm.

Our Roman New Year

So much for the once a week post...

The highlights of my past few weeks were the holidays. Duh. I guess that's a given. Mine were especially great since I got to spend time with Dick without his textbooks and we had a great time.

Before I begin with the holidays, I got to go to NY and attend the Heisman awards gala. I ended up leaving my dress on the plane and had to make a quick dash to Macy's to get a new one. But other than that it was a fun time. Getting to spend the evening with some friends was the best part and we got to meet Geraldo Rivera himself, big mustache and all.

We started off the holidays in Colorado for the New Year. His parents just finished their new house and had the whole extended family over. 17 people one day, 13 the next. The house is awesome and spending time with his brother and the rest of his family were the highlights.

From CO we came back to Chicago for a night and then headed off to spend the New Year in Rome. After a few difficulties with Alitalia and our flight there we had such a great time. The Colosseum, the croissants, the wine, piazza's, the pantheon, the weather, Tuscany, and of course the good company made it one of our best New Years ever. We had seven days and got to spend it with our friend's Brian and Jen. My favorite sight was the Colosseum and just hanging out in the piazza's with the markets of fresh vegetables. I love the pizza, gelato, cheese,the good tomatoes. We started out everyday with a cappuccino and a proceeded to snack and eat a number of foods throughout the day ending with a dinner #2 at about 11pm. I had to brace myself before stepping on the scale yesterday.
I have never seen a more rowdy New Year. We spent it in the Piazza de Popolo where there is this big statue in the middle. We stationed ourselves by the statue and as midnight approached mobs of people came but they surrounded the statue leaving a large 'zone' in the middle of empty space. This was where all the fireworks went off, cherry bombs and more. There were all these fireworks that would be illegal in the USA that kept going off. In order to get to the bathroom we had to run through this 'zone' and we would look for a firecracker that had just gone off and go that direction as quick as we could. It was crazy. But a great way to bring in 2009!

On New Years Day we rented a car and drove to one of the hill towns in Tuscany which was awesome. Just to see another part of Italy and experience a small, local town was great.

We are now back in Chicago and Dick has started back up with school. We are busy moving, just a few towns closer to his school and to the city so it's only about 15 min away. We are taking a trip or two every day and will move all our large furniture on Sat and be fully moved in. It is a much smaller place so we are making many trips to Goodwill but the place is great and we can't wait to move in.

I swam for the first time yesterday in a few weeks and boy am I out of shape. I am going to ease myself in lightly by only swimming once a week this week and starting out with a few doubles next week. I am going to be here for most of Jan which I am excited about. I have a number of different things I am doing in the Chicago area and then only one night gone for a speech in lake Tahoe. I am anxious to start in some sort of routine once we are moved.

Right now it's back to continue packing up the boxes. Such fun.