Melissa Stockwell (www.melissastockwell.com)

ROMP, Orange Crush and Marathons.

2011-11-08T11:23:00.000-07:00

Well, hello there.

There's been two big events since I last wrote so I'll start with those. The first being the annual trip to Guatamala with the Range of Motion Project and having the opportunity to fit Guatemalans with artificial limbs. This was my second trip but just as rewarding as the first. Many of us who went last year made the same trip, so it was good to see familiar faces and to meet all the new ones. The trip was a total of 8 days and we stayed in a hotel in Zacapa, Guatelama. The entire trip was 60+ people from Hearts in Motion but every morning there were about 12 of us in the ROMP group who headed over the the prosthetic lab. Similar to last year, we pulled up and there are Guatemalans piling up outside the door waiting to get cast and fit and go home with a prosthetic arm, a leg, or sometimes one of both. It is a fully functioning prosthetic lab managed year round by the always smiling Luis. So the patients that are fit by us have continuous care throughout the year if needed, but it's our job to have as many successful fits as we can in a week. The first 2 days were spent casting the patients and I was able to get my hands in on 6 above the knee amputee castings and 1 hip disarticulation. There are all types of amputations, many upper extremity, but I had decided that my focus that week was going to be on the above the knees, as I wanted to get some good practice in.

A trip highlight is a patient that returned from last year, the 84yo man in this picture who we made a below elbow prosthesis for last year. He resembles Gandhi with a cowboy hat and I quickly adopted him as my Guatemelan grandpa. Speaking very little spanish I would often just sit or stand next to him with no words spoken and just hang out. He was still wearing and using the arm we gave him last year which was extremely rewarding to see. He got many hugs (mostly from me) and it was great to see some of the toothless smiles he gave. He may just keep me going back year after year!

After the 2 day castings, we have 2 days to modify those casts and then 2 days of fitting. I modified 4 of my own and I seemed to get better as I went. There were two woman who were both in their early 40's, a 14 year old boy and the most memorable, a 3 year old girl. With some modifications and a few changes all the sockets fit pretty well and after finding appropriate feet and knees, all the patients were up and walking with an assistive device before they left the lab. The little girl was not a fan of me at first. And every time I got near her she would cry and glare at me with as much anger as she could muster. At one point when I was putting her leg on she reached out and took a swipe so I got a good hit on the head. This isn't uncommon for kids, especially when you are trying to put a piece of hard plastic on a leg they are used to having nothing on. But what made this little girl so great is that even through the crying a hitting, she would stand up and take small steps. And by the end of the day she was walking, holding only her mom's hand, with a huge smile on her face. She even gave me a kiss on the cheek when we left. So to go from the crying anf hitting, to the walking and laughing was so rewarding and was one of the many instances of the week that reminded me why we do this.
So I left 8 days later, having fit 5 patients myself and the team fitting a total of 30. A once again humbling experience and I came back so thankful for what I have. It's a trip I hope to back to year after year as the novelty of it never gets old. An fun addition to this years' trip was that a bunch of us woke up early many mornings and would go on these morning runs through this back road that led up to a waterfall. It was so cool to see the local Guatemalans starting their day by making tortillas on the fire, walking to work with their machetes, herding cows and just being immersed in some of the culture. Not to mention the awesome waterfall we saw a few times. So it was an overall awesome trip and I can't wait for next year! Oh, and I can't forget the Orange Crush. It's delicious and even more so out of a glass, recycled bottle after a long day at the lab. Yum!

The second big event was just 2 days ago where I completed my first marathon on foot, the NYC marathon. I signed up for te race many many months ago knowing that it was on the heels of Paratriathlon Worlds. In typical Melissa fashion, I figured I would worry about that later and who really needs to train for a marathon anyways, right? I had done the NYC marathon on a handcycle in 2004 and 2005 and I wanted it to be the first one I did on foot. the hard part was the timing as after Paratri Worlds the last thing I wanted to do was get out there and do longer 13+ mile runs. So I did a 'few' longer runs, only one over 14 miles and a bunch of short ones just knowing that all 26.2 was going to hurt. So last Fri I flew to NYC, not really prepared to 26.2 miles but knowing I'd make it to the finish with whatever it took to make it there. I was part of the Achilles group and they put us up in the accommodating Union League Club who donates rooms and food to all the Freedom team members for the marathon weekend. They really go above and beyond and since Brian had flown in for the race, we all had a great few days before the race hanging around the city, meeting the other veterans taking in the excitement leading up to the race.

For the run I was assigned 2 guides. one my friend Becca and the other my friend Marc. Their jobs were to first, keep me company and keep me moving forward and second, to make sure no one got real close on my left side so I didn't trip them and they didn't trip on my running leg.

The morning started early with a 4am wake- up to get on a bus and over to the Verazzano bridge where we waited until or 8:55 start time. At 8:55 the horn started and we were off, on a beautiful fall NY day. Since we had an early start we almost had the bridge to ourselves and took in every sight we could. As we came down off the bridge we felt the excitement of the crowd for the first time and realized how powerful it was. The cheers, coming from a crown a 5+ deep were even better than I imagined. And as the day went on, those cheers are what pushed me to the end. But we took it all in and moved forward. At mile 4 we saw the pro women as they passed us a sub 6 min miles. At mile 8, we saw Brian and my friend Jen and Jake and a big hug and a kiss gave me some added encouragement. Mile, 9, 10, 11, and we were moving. Slowly yes, but always forward. At mile 13.1 I couldn't believe we were only halfway. This was going to be tough. My left leg was having some issues with a neuroma that was causing some pain, but at the 14 mile point I realized that it was just going to hurt, so there was no need to focus on it. Mile 15 was up and over the very long 59th street bridge, mile 16 leads you onto 1st Ave and the crowd was once again electric. At mile 18 we saw Brian and Jen again, and the realization that we still had so far to go would set in and i had to hold the tears back becasue it was just so dang hard. We walked a minute, then ran 3 minutes, or 2 minutes, or 4 minutes and we stayed strong. Mile 19, mile 20, each mile feeling like they were 5 miles apart. The crowd though, wow, the crowd. They chanted Melissa, they chanted USA as we passed and I felt it down in every bone of my body. They inspired me. Becca and Marc kept me moving and got me water when I needed it, chapstick, the motivation necessary to get to the end. And when we had slowly made ourselves till the 25 mile mark, it was so overwhelming. I understood why marathoners have such bragging rights as 26.2 miles is long. And it's hard. And it takes every ounce of physical and mental determination to keep moving forward. But the crowd cheered, Becca and Marc stayed at my side and we crossed hands held high, me having conquered one of the hardest things I have ever done. We saw Brian and Jen and Jake and it was a proud moment to realize that we had crossed that finish line. There was laughter, there was tears, we took in the sights of NY and the cheers of the crowds and we did it! 5 years ago, a marathon was a joke. 26.2 miles, no way. But on Sunday it was made a reality, and thanks to my guides, thanks to Achilles and thanks to all the others that helped this dream unfold made it happen. I once again realized the importance of training, knowing that it would have been that much easier if I was prepared for it. But that will be for next time and I'll be able to look forward to a big PR. But for now, I'm a marathoner, a true, real- life marathoner and I'm so proud. And there's no where else to go but up, so I'm excited for what the next one will bring!

So there you have it, 2 big, exciting adventures since I last wrote. There's been speaking stuff, working, a few small trips, my first Michigan State game with Brian (Go Green!) and really just enjoying life. With Veterans day coming up on Fri remember all our past and present men and woman that allow us to live a lief so free. Thank the veterans you see, not just on Friday but everyday. And fly your flags high and proud as usual.

The next few months keep me busy. Some skiing, a little more speaking and the holidays where I'm looking forward to seeing family. Oh, and running a 1/2 marathon with my sister in Charleston, SC which will be her first and a great time.

But until next time, remember all you have, hug your loved ones and Peace Out!

Melissa

World Champion. x 2.

2011-09-22T14:48:00.001-06:00

Based on the title of this post, you may have alreadyassumed this next statement. But I won, I won! Yes, making me a two time WorldChampion which is still a little surreal at the moment.

The race went as well as it could have. We woke up to thefirst actually clear day we’d had in China. We could actually see the sun, andthe humidity was down. The race wasn’t until 3pm so the morning was spent withmy roommate Danielle, sitting around going over and over our race, packing andre- packing our transition bags and trying not to be too nervous. We got to therace site around 1 to check in, get our equipment checked and set uptransition. There was a big question of whether to wear a wetsuit or not. Thewater temp was 80 degrees so it wasn’t needed. And trying to figure out if theextra minute I would gain by wearing it would accommodate for the time it tookto get it off. I decided to wear it which, in the end, proved to be the rightdecision and possibly got me that top podium spot.

The swim felt great and I was out of the water in 12:30. AsI moved to transition my handler Caroline helped me strip the wetsuit and I gotmy biking leg on and was off on the bike. Now the bike course was no easy feat.A two loop course which was probably the hilliest and most technical course I’dever been on. It started with this killer hill that went up, and up, and steep,and gradual and then steep again, and for most of it I was sub 5 mph whichisn’t the best confident booster. But the benefit of being out first on the swimand out on the bike has an extreme mental advantage. I knew that the bike wasmy weak point so I pumped my legs as fast and as strong as they would let mewith a keen eye out on who was passing me. I knew I was doing OK, as I didn’tget passed by some of my faster teammates until mile 9 or 10 when this usuallyhappens much earlier on. As I got into transition I was pumped that I was stillthe lead Tri 2 female. But that quickly faded as I put on my running leg andsaw my competition come into transition. After a quick panic, I made thedecision that this was my race and set off on the run. The run was unique as itwas 4 laps in front of the spectator stands and the announcer so you could hearthe crowd, the announcer and more importantly see your competition the wholetime. My plan of descending each lap quickly passed as I sprinted the first lapto try and get a good lead. Around every turn I would gauge where she was inhopes that she wasn’t closing the gap. At one point the announcer called outthat I was only 2 min ahead of her and this caused a noticeable increase incadence as the gap slightly closed. But as I rounded the corner to the finish,with a new 5K PR, I knew that thisrace was mine. I pumped my arms a bit before the finish and threw 2 big peacesigns up as I crossed the finish. I could feel the love from Jimi showeringdown knowing I had made him proud.

Team USA sweep!

Turns out I won by a mere 59 seconds making it quite therace and I couldn’t have been prouder. I was beaming with pride knowing I hadwon, and not only that, but my teammates came in 2^nd and 3^rdmaking it a 1-2-3 sweep by USA. It can’t get much sweeter than that. And as westood on that podium, watching 3 American flags go up hearing the nationalanthem, it was a moment I had long dreamed of. Back to my days as a gymnast anddreaming of the 1996 Olympics, to the Paralympics in 2008 and now back inBeijing, finally achieving something I’d dreamed of since I was a child. Ohwhat a moment it was. A proud American once again.

Team USA won a total of 8 medals. Danielle won her categoryas well so we went back to our room after the race, the room of WorldChampions, as proud as ever of each other and representing the USA.

The remainder of the trip in Beijing was spent with myteammates enjoying our accomplishments and each others company. Some sights,some tasty Peking duck, lots of walking, lots of laughing and good times thatwon’t soon be forgotten. After Beijing 5 of us made the trip to Shanghai for afew days. We stayed in a hostel and spent a few days exploring the much moremodern city. Lots of shopping, bartering, taxi rides, cheap massages and goodlaughs made for another memorable trip. My favorite place was this beautifulpark that had old, cute Chinese men sitting on every bench, and women dancingand doing Tai- Chi and playing cards. The looks we got being a group of 5Americans, 3 of us with 1 leg, was pretty hilarious. The language barrier wouldmake us laugh as they would come up to us, gesture to our legs and talk to uslike we understood. We would respond with a friendly ‘Ne- how’, meaning hello,and they would look up, smile and continue chatting like we understood as wesaid Ne’how over and over again because we didn’t know how to say anythingelse.

After 6 days in Beijing and 4 in Shanghai, I was ready to gohome and after some logistical trouble making that happen, I’d never beenhappier to touch down on American soil and sleep in my bed. Of course made evenbetter with my new purses, sunglasses, watches and scarves that I brought withme from the silk market…


Keri the Iroman, coach Stacee and a World Champ. What a team.

My homecoming was made that much sweeter as my boyfriend(yes, I have a boyfriend) Brian planned a welcome home congratulatory surpriseparty. So he led me by the hand to our local pizza place where 20 friends werewaiting to celebrate with me. Such a thoughtful and memorable way to come home.And once again, as I laid in bed that night, exhausted from the travel Ithought about what a lucky girl I was.

Things haven’t slowed much since then. Dare2tri put on ourown triathlon last weekend and ABC was there to film it, which took up most ofthe weekend. The following day I flew to Vegas to be the keynote speaker at theProsthetic AOPA conference and now, I’m finally flying home. Again. It’s onlybeen a week since returning from China but it feels like it was monthsago.

The next couple months don’t slow down too much either. I’min and out a few random days for some speaking, a week in Guatemala for theProsthetic Humanitarian trip with the Range of Motion Project and a little thingcalled the NYC marathon. I say this and I don’t think people realize the extentof that statement as never have I run over 13 miles, even with 2 legs and hereI am signed up to run 26 in a little over a month. I was focused on trainingfor the sprint tri in Worlds so my focus was short and fast training. Now thatthat’s over, I’m attempting my 1^st longer than 13 mile run thisweekend. My friend Becca is going to be my guide in NYC so she’ll be doing itwith me but I think I might be crazy for signing up for this one. In 2004 and2005, I did the NYC marathon on a handcycle and always told myself I’d go backand run that as my first marathon. And apparently this is the year.. I’m doingit with the group Achilles, as they supported me on my days on the handcycleand want to show them my thanks back.

As my coach Stacee told me, it’s gonna hurt and it may takeyou 8 hours, but you’ll get to that finish line. And so it goes. But if I getthrough this, and am still alive to talk about it, I may, just may, think aboutan Ironman in the near future. There, I said it.

And I can’t sign out until I brag that Brian is competing inhis very 1^st triathlon this weekend. This time I’ll be the onecheering at the finish line, thankful that he is in my life.

Until then, life goes on. A charmed life that I am proud tolive.

My awesome boyfriend Brian.

Peace Out!

Melissa

A World Away. Again.

2011-09-08T20:26:00.000-06:00

So, I’m over 2 months from writing my last entry but forgive me if I focus on what’s happening today instead of what’s happened in the past. You see, I’m in Beijing China, yes, again, and competing at the Paratriathlon World Championships in about 6 hours. Am I nervous? Yes. Am I excited? Yes. Do I want to win? Yes. But more importantly I will do my best, trust in my training and see how far that can get me. This race today is dedicated to my late swim coach Jimi Flowers. 3 years ago I was here with him for the 2008 Paralympics. As I swam in the water cube it was a moment of my life that I will never forget. The crowds, the meaning behind it all, my family and friends but my performance was not what it should have been. And as I left Beijing with no best times, no finals qualifications, it was hard not to think that I had let this man, my mentor and my coach down. So today I am here with Jimi in mind. And regardless of the place, I will cross that finish line, holding up my peace signs (and my flag) as high as I can, knowing that he is looking down with a smile on his face. A chance to redeem myself, to him and for myself. Today will be the day.
I got here 4 days ago, along with about 13 other Team USA teammates. To say I love my team is an understatement. We have such a fun time together as we travel to these strange countries and explore them together, compete together and wish each other well along the way. I am rooming with Danielle, a below the knee amputee who lost her leg to cancer about 7 years ago. After starting triathlons less than a year ago, she is the national champion and today she will become and world champion. We are staying close to the race site with many of our other teammates. Not at the same hotel but close enough to eat together and hang out when we choose too.
On Tuesday we went to the Great Wall of China. For the second time, I was amazed at the magnitude of it. It really is a wonder of the world. It turned out to be quite the day when we got on the wrong express bus which took us farther from hotel than any of us would have preferred. We saw lots of pigs, locals selling unrecognizable objects, lots of people staring as 5 Americans with shorts on and no legs go sauntering by laughing at any possible thing we see. After finding the right bus and making it back, it’s something we’ll laugh about for years to come.
Yesterday was down to business. We went to the race site, got to swim on the course, bike the hard, hilly course and take in the beauty of the course. We are competing today on the same course that the 2008 Olympics used. The setting is gorgeous and there are these grandstands that all 4 loops of the run, run by and if they are filled, it will be quite inspiring. I’m a little nervous about the bike course, as hills are not my thing. But those hills are for everyone and I’ll just go at them my hardest and hope for the best.
So today after a 750m swim, a 22K bike and a 5K run, I hope to write tomorrow and say that I am the reigning world champion. How cool is that gonna be!

So let’s see, the past 2 months. I’m going to be brief. There’s been some racing. Some 5K’s including a new PR, some triathlons, including a first place finish in NY where I became the 2011 Paratri National Champion, my 2nd full ½ Ironman in Racine, WI, which I did with my friend Keri. A hot day and a few IV’s. but a new PR as well. And after Worlds today, I’ll have a little over a month to train for my first full marathon which is early NOV in NYC. Am I crazy to attempt a marathon with a month to train and only 13 miles in the books so far? Probably. But it’s what I thrive off of, so I’ll get to that finish line, even if it takes me 9 hours! And then I’ll finish out the season with a 1/2marathon with my sister in Charleston, SC. I’m extremely proud of her as she made this as a goal for herself after having 4 kids and is sticking to the plan. I can’t wait to be there with her for it.

Dare2tri has continued to expand well beyond what we ever imagined. National exposure, an ever increasing athlete and volunteer list and our last race of the season on Sep 18 which is being profiled by ABC and will be shown later this year nation wide. We are pretty pumped and amazed as what it’s become and love that we are getting athletes with disabilities doing things they never imagined.
The Challenged Athletes Foundation also continues to be a big part of my life as they have sponsored me to a number of races and I am so thankful for their support. There was a camp in San Diego I went to as the camp mentor and I fall in love with the organization every time I participate in one of their events. So a big shout out to them for all they do and the athletes they support.

There’s been days spent at work, which I still love, a great Chicago summer, think tennis, kayaking, camping, the Air and Water show and just enjoying the company around me. There’s been some speaking stuff, hours spent throwing the ball to Jake, and really just living the good life.

I forgot about the ESPY’s. I did not win but that didn’t take away from the star studded, fun and memorable weekend that was hard. The pre and post parties, the awards show, the first class trip and accommodations, it was fantastic. An experience that I was honored to be a part of and won’t soon forget.

So there you go. My life over the past few months leading up to today. So here we are. Wish me luck as I compete today, and I’ll keep you posted on the results sooner rather than later. Until then,

PEACE OUT!

ESPY award, needing your vote!

2011-07-01T10:33:00.001-06:00

Hello again! Twice in a week, I'm sure you are all impressed!

I found out late last week that I am nominated for this year's ESPN's ESPY award for a female athlete with a disability. For those of you unfamiliar with the ESPY's, it's like the Oscars for athletes and the winners are determined by popular vote, just like American Idol! I had no idea that I was in the running as a nominee and was pretty shocked to find out.

To vote, go to http://espn.go.com/espys/#!/voting/ click on vote by category, female athlete with a disability and you'll see my picture there. You can only vote once from every computer so if you have 2 computers, or a cell phone with internet, you can vote on all 3! The voting closes on July 9 and the awards show is July 13th in LA. Whatever the outcome, I am honored to be nominated for this prestigious award. It is a competitive category with other female athletes with disabilities that have had incredible careers and athletic achievements.

Please vote and pass this on to your family and friends.
And since July 4th is only a few days away, Happy 4th and fly those flags high and proud!

Peace Out!

Galas, and bike rides and plane rides, oh my!

2011-06-22T21:46:00.026-06:00

It’s been so long, where do I even start. Maybe it’s best to go grab a cup of coffee before you keep reading as this may be a long one. If it’s possible to say, theses past few months have been some of the busiest I’ve ever had. I’ve traveled the nation, and some of the world, and as much as the travel can get a little much sometime, I am beyond thankful for all the opportunities I have. So know that my lack of writing here is not about the lack of activity, but the abundance of it. I am happy to say that currently, I am home for 3 full weeks and have the time to sit down and write. And even buy groceries! Although I could barely even remember where the grocery store was anymore, ha!

First off, I should have posted this long ago, but in March/ April timeframe there was a frenzy of media surrounding the Hartford commercial I posted in my last blog. A few weeks after, I humbly graced the cover of USA Triathlon, which is shown here. If you know me, you know I’m not one to show myself off, but as I am representing all the female amputees out there, I was especially proud of this one. So there you have it.

One of the most exciting things I’ve done was in Landsthul, Germany with the Wounded Warrior Project. Every year, WWP brings 4 wounded veterans over there as part of their Resiliency Program. A little background so you understand: Every soldier injured in Afghanistan or Iraq, goes through the hospital at Landsthul. The serious injuries, go through in 3-5 days before being sent to the states for care, and the less serious stay there for treatment, and then get shipped back downrange. The goal of our trip was to go over and say thank you to the hospital staff who get our recovery off to a good start. When these doctors, nurses, surgeons and other staff work on us, is often at the lowest point in our lives. Some are on comas, others come straight from the sands of Iraq, loosing limbs just hours before. They do their job, and do it incredibly well, but they never get to see what comes of us. Until now. Until every May, 4 of us show up, successful after are amputation and show them what their care did for us. We walk the hospital wards, see Ramstein air force base, the whole process of off- loading and loading these newly injured soldier from downrange into the hospital. We even got to get on the flight line and say thank you and good luck to 10+ newly injured personnel that were headed back stateside. For all of us, it closed a circle in the wonder of our recovery and what happened at the first stages of our treatment and was a moving, emotional trip and one that will not be forgotten. Not only is it healing for us, but we got stopped multiple times, to be told that us being there lifted the morale of the staff to see what could come of all they do.

We got the chance to interact with many of the soldiers that were over in Germany just for a brief stay before they headed back to the Middle East. My favorite story was an Army guy who got hit when an RPG hit his dining hall in Afghanistan. He came to Germany, thinking he was going to be sent back over in a matter of days. During his surgery, they found cancer, which had already spread to his lungs. You may wonder why this morbid story could be my favorite, but it’s the simple fact that if he hadn’t of been hit, he may have died from the cancer. Being hit by an RPG saved this man’s life as by the end of our trip they had removed most of it and were confident chemo would stop the rest. And his spirit was unbreakable. Just like many others, he walked around thankful for all he had, instead of what he lost, looking to move on with his life. And that is just one of the stories that you hear and look at your own life and realize how lucky we all are. As I flew back to the states at the end of the week, I reflected back on the wonderful life I live and how I want to live for those that no longer can. If only that man, over 7 years ago now, would have known that instead of taking my life, he was giving birth to a new one, with a renewed love of life, I think he would have thought twice. So as usual, thank the soldiers who keep us safe at night, but also the medical staff that allow us to keep on living as we do.


Lee Greenwood


WWP Gala

LaGuardia seems like it’s my second home for the summer. I’ve been 4 times in the past 2 months. There’s been a number of gala’s, CAF, WWP, Tower of Hope and an event for US Paralympics where I got to bike around central park with Olympic Triathlete Hunter Kemper and a number of other supporters. Nevermind that I got dropped on the first hill, as my fastest pace can’t remotely begin to keep up with Hunter’s leisure pace. But luckily a few stayed back and we had a great ride. At the Tower of Hope gala, the organization where I got Jake from, Lee Greenwood was the guest performer. Any of you that know me, know that ‘God Bless the USA’ is one of my favorites and I get chills and often tear up when it’s played. To hear him sing it in person left me in a state of emotional shock at how powerful it was. It got even better at the end, when he sat down at a piano, sat a chair for myself and 2 other veterans next to the piano and played it again as we all sang along. It really couldn’t get any better than that and in the 7 years since loosing my leg, it was one of the most meaningful moments.


The Coaches

If you recall, I wrote about our dare2tri Paratriathlon club that was co-founded by myself and my good friends Keri and Dan. Since I last wrote, we have only grown in both experience, motivation and numbers. We put on a highly successful 3 day camp where we had 5 amputee athletes and 5 in wheelchairs. After a major financial sponsor backed out at the last minute we had to struggle to pull it off, but it couldn’t have gone any better. We had 2 days of instruction in swim, bike and run and then the last day we put on our very own super sprint triathlon and 8 of these 10 athletes completed their very 1st triathlon. We couldn’t have done it without the volunteers and coaches and everything came together wonderfully. Since then, we have started weekly run and bike practices and have our first full triathlon with the club this Sunday. What we thought was gonna be a club of 20 athletes, we currently have over 65 registered for the club. We couldn’t be more excited. Check out www.dare2trichicago.com to learn more about it and you can see us on facebook too for those that are on it.

As far as my own training, it’s not easy to keep it up as much as I would like with all the traveling. And I was admittedly in a workout rut for a month or so since I’ve written. Whether it was all the events that have happened in the past 8 months, the traveling, or just the motivation level, I was struggling to enjoy any part of it. Luckily, that has come full circle and I’m back in the groove. Before the downward fall, I was competed at the Oceanside 70.3 with CAF’s Operation Rebound. I did the swim and the run only, no bike this year, but it was my fastest 13.1 mile run by a full 20 minutes and was super pumped. In the past month, my runs have gotten increasingly better and I competed in this crazy all night running race from Madison, WI to Chicago. Think 12 people, 3 legs of running each, 197 miles and what turned out to be 28 hours. I was on the Elite Athletic Development team with my friend Becca and 11 others who I had never met before. We had 2 vans, comprised of 6 people each and throughout the night we would rotate running and hang out in the van in between runs. We each ran 3 separate times and my total combined mileage was 15.5 miles. My favorite part was my second run as it was at 1am on an unsupported course, meaning we had no van support. It was a misty/ rainy type of night and it was me, all alone, on a desolate bike path, with this headlamp on ant tunnel vision through the misty night. I didn’t bring my ipod in fear I wouldn’t hear some hungry animal running up from behind so all I heard was my breathing and let me tell you something, I felt badass. I felt like I was the last finisher in Kona and running through the night to make the official finish time. It was definitely a trace highlight for me. But 28 hours of running, smelly vans and little sleep turned out to be an incredibly fun time, especially because I met 11 new friends along the way. I’m hoping to make it that way again next year..


Oceanside 70.3

Other than that, there have been a few running races in Chicago, a few 5K’s with our Blade Runners running group which is always inspiring. I have my first triathlon of the season this weekend and then am attempting my 2nd full 70.3 in July. My goal there will be to not come in as the last official finisher as I did last time, and to find one person I can beat.

My big race is Paratri nationals in NYC on August and if all goes well there I’ll be headed back to Beijing for the Paratriathlon World Championship where I am hoping to defend my title as World Champion. Many swim, bike and run practices will happen before then so no need to get too ahead of myself. But it sure would be nice!


Blade Runners

There was another trip in there with the Wounded Warrior Amputee softball team, which took place in DC in May. It was another inspiring weekend to watch these wounded soldiers get out on the ball field and play some softball. They inspire myself and all of the crowd that gathers to watch these heroes play.

And lastly, for those tat are wondering, I do still have a job! I am incredibly lucky that Scheck and Siress have supported me over the years and allow me the opportunities to continue to do these things I am passionate about. When I am home, I am in the office and working with patients or getting my leg worked on. A day doesn’t go by where I don’t think about how lucky I am to work at such an incredible, supportive company. I love the patient contact and the rewarding sight of seeing a patient stand up on one of the legs I have made for them. It really doesn’t get much better than that.

I think I’ve hit on all the major events that took place these past few months. As usual, I need to give a shout out to so many organizations and people that make my life stay as great as it is. Even through some continued ups and downs of what the past many months have brought, I am a happy girl. Thankful for so much and the ability to live my life to the fullest. To all of you that have any impact in that, thank you.

And one last thing I almost forgot (thanks Jessie)! On Memorial Day I was asked to come back to Eden Prairie to speak and be honored at the Eden Prairie Veterans Memorial. It was wonderful to be back at a place I can call home and see so many familiar faces in the crowd. As much as I've moved and traveled around, I get this calm, reassuring feeling when I am in MN. It was great to be back and catch up with many old friends.

As we reach the end of June, we are closing in on the day where my swim coach and mentor Jimi Flowers passed away 2 years ago. This weekend there is a swim meet in CO in honor of him and although I am unable to attend, I am there in spirit. And as Jimi often said when things didn’t go our way, ‘it is what it is’ and that holds true everyday of my life. He taught me that we have the ability to change our lives to move in the direction we want them too and I hope we can all live like that in his honor.

I’m sure by now you are all sick of reading about my where- abouts so I’m going to sign off. Until next time, as Jimi often said,

Peace Out!

CP and TV

2011-03-25T20:31:00.008-06:00

Dear World:
I passed.
Love, Melissa Stockwell, CP

See the Hartford's commercial here and throughout the NCAA basketball tournament through April 4th. To support US Paralympic athletes like myself, go to the The Hartford facebook page and click 'like'. Every click will donate $1 to US Paralympics to help Paralympic athletes achieve their dreams!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmoyho8H6yo

And lastly, check out the CNN interview from earlier this week:

http://amfix.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/22/injured-army-2nd-lieutenant-becomes-paralympic-swimmer/

Wow, life is good.

Peace Out!

A certified, single, well- traveled triathlon coach!

2011-02-27T19:03:00.035-07:00

To avoid a way too long of a post, I'm going to recap the most exciting things that have happened over the past few months.

First, Megan Briese got married!! A trip to MN and a beautiful New Years Eve wedding turned Megan from Briese into a Mrs. Aaron Soper! The wedding was gorgeous and I couldn't think of a better way to ring in 2011 than with my parents and friends dancing the night away. Congrats to the Sopers!

Next there was a trip to TX to take my 3rd and final board exam to become a certified prosthetist. The make you wait a long, grueling 2 months before they give you the results so I'm still waiting. And waiting. In the meantime I'm continuing my job at Scheck and Siress and love it. My patients, the people I work with, the skills I learn, it may just be the best job ever. That will of course be made that mush sweeter if I could put that CP at the end of my name. Stay tuned for that one...

A trip to Steamboat Springs with Adaptive Adventures was a fun filled week and renewed my love of skiing. We did the Nastar course, met fellow skiers with disabilities and went on an incredible back country cat skiing trip. There is a special ski cat (the machine that grooms the ski hill) that has seating in the back of it equipped with heat and a sound system. Imagine riding one of these vehicles up the mountain to a place where no one has skied. It was my first experience in fresh powder and match the snow with the beauty of the mountains and it was an experience I won't forget. Luckily it was a nice day as I fell so much I might of well have been a living snowball but I loved it and hope to get the chance to do it again sometime.

I turned 31! Yes, I am officially in my early 30's. Two of my best friends, Andrew and Keith came into town to help celebrate and it was a birthday to remember. Lots of
dancing, eating and yes, even a few drinks, made for an awesome weekend. Top that off with the annual Chocolatefest and it couldn't have gotten much better. And I have to say, I think the idea that the early 30's are your prime years may be the case. Ive been feeling pretty dang good!

I got the chance to go out to LA for a few days and film a commercial. Such an
experience that was! As a major sponsor for the US Paralympics, the Hartford decided for the first time ever, to use actual Paralympians fr their commercials that will be shown during the march madness football and into the final four. A 10 hour photo shoot for a 30 second commercial that made me feel like a rockstar. We're talking my own trailer, a director chair, a personal assistant. Pair that with Jaunis, the director who filmed Schindler list and Saving Private Ryan, and there was smoke machines, underwater cameras, scuba divers, lights to look like the sun, and more. I did the same thing over and over again with different lenses and angles and they actually had that little device that they push down and say 'action' and 'cut'. I couldn't believe the production that it was! I've seen the rough cut of the commercial and I really like what they did with it. Look for it with the basketball but once the final version is out I'll try to find a way to post it here. The coolest part was just learning all about the process they go through to make everything happen. I can't even begin to imagine how intense a move must be to film!

In some bittersweet news, my divorce was final this week. It was an emotional day just realizing how permanent the event was. I've said before and I'll say again that I know I'll be OK and love will eventually happen again, but its difficult to realize the enormity of the event. I will forever be thankful for all that I gained in my marriage. I'm living my life in a way that would never be possible without the love and support I had from Dick over the years end I wish him nothing but happiness. Even through all the emotional times, I still feel it's better to love even knowing the heartbreak it can bring. It is afterall, what makes the world go round.

I am excited to say that I am an official certified triathlon coach. WooHoo!! Myself and a few others started a Chicago based Paratriathlon club called dare2tri that we are so so excited about. Our motto is 'One inspires Many' as it is out belief that getting these athletes out into the community will inspire all sorts of psopl to do things they never thought possible. You can read all about it on www.dare2trichicago.com but it's a club for athletes with a disability and visual impairments to get them involved with the sport of triathlon. The response has been incredible and we have 40+ athletes in the area that are hoping to compete in their very first triathlon this year. We have planned races, training and even a weekend camp to get these athletes ready. Check out the website if you'd like to help or show your support.

Allright ,I think that hits the major events. Other than that, I've continued the training for some races that are coming up quick. My first one is in Oceanside, CA. The same 1/2 Ironman I did last year but I'm doing it as a relay this year. Other than that, there are many running races in Chicago coming up this summer. My big races of the year will be the Door County 1/2 Ironman in July, triathlon nationals in NY in August and if I qualify there, Worlds will take place in Sep in Beijing. Then if all goes as planned I'll attempt my first marathon in NYC in Nov. A bunch of running races and smaller triathlons and I it's going to be an fun, active season!

The next few weeks are busy ones. A trip to Vail for the annual Vail Veterans ski trip which is always a highlight of my year. Then it's off to Arizona where I am acting as one of the team prosthetists for the first standing, all amputee, all veterans, softball team. From AZ, it's a trip to FL and then, after almost 2 weeks, I'll be back home. well, for a few weeks, until I'm off to CT and then CA and jeez, it just never ends. But I love it and as always, feel incredibly lucky to have the opportunities that I have. I've been doing a little speaking here and there too. There never seems to be a dull moment, that's for sure.

Jake is doing well. I love him more than ever. He still enjoys a good daily tail chasing.

SO there you go, my long overdue update.
Until next time,

Peace Out!

Just the two of us.

2010-12-09T22:54:00.005-07:00

Three months already, wow. Based on the title of this post, ‘Just the two of us’, you can hopefully realize the past few months have been a little rough and forgive me for taking so long. In case you are still confused, the ‘two’ of us in the title is pertaining to Jake and I. Jake, as in my dog Jake. I’m not going to go into much detail other to say that it’s been three months of many mixed emotions and many ups and downs that I imagine will go on for months to come. If you are still confused, let me be blunt in that Dick and I are getting a divorce. I can truly say that our marriage of almost 8 years was wonderful up until the very end. I’ll never forget or underplay all that Dick did for me in my recovery and in my life and ultimately getting me to where I am today. I can never underestimate the love he gave me in the times I needed it most. Unfortunately in this life we live, people change, for the good or bad and in our case we grew apart and ultimately decided we wanted different things out of life. It’s a hard concept to grasp and with a few other added factors in there I’d by lying if I said it hasn’t been rough. But three months later I am beginning to see the light on the other side. I realize that I can and will be better off either on my own or with whoever else is out there. I feel lucky to have had someone I could call my best friend by my side for so long and I hope in the future that friendship can be re- kindled and continued. To any of our friends and family that may read this, know that I truly appreciate all you have done for me and there is a hole in my life where you once were. And don’t think this blog is the last you’ll hear from me (hopefully I’m not totally of key by even putting this in here) but I’ll be sending more your way eventually, once the wounds have healed a little more.

If someone were to ask me which was easier, loosing a leg or going through a divorce, I’d go back and loose my leg 10 times over. But as we all know, life is all about the curve balls and different paths we find, and I am confident I’ll move on with my life and be happy. It’s too short not to be right?

So, aside from all of that jazz, I’ve had a few pretty exciting adventures these past months. Guatemala, Ecuador, TX, GA, SC and of course, the ever great Colorado to name a few.

I throw Colorado in there because not only is it one of my favorite places in the entire world with all it has to offer and all my friends out there, but it’s got 52 of these gorgeous mountains that rise over 14,000 feet. In college I climbed a few of them, maybe 6, but since I lost my leg I’ve wanted so badly to get to the summit of another one. I got my chance in late Sep with my bff Tiffany and my incredibly awesome cousin Katie. The mountain, of choice, Mt Bierstadt, which is known to be one of the easiest ones. We were told it was 7 miles roundtrip and 5 hours would be a good time. Putting in some extra ‘leg’ time, I predicted we’d be down and back in about 6. We didn’t start until around 10am but we were off, Katie, Tiff, Jake and I, hiking poles in hand. It started great as the terrain isn’t to steep but the further we got, the steeper it got and we slowed quite a bit. Since I’m unable to propel myself over my left leg on steep inclines I have to do double the work with the right leg and do the occasional side step. Up and up we went above treeline and to the boulder fields. The boulders were a challenge and Jake was awesome, he would come down and hang out by the boulder with a frantic look on his face, trying to help, but not real sure what to do, and then run off once I got on top of it. As always, he proved to be the best and most loyal dog ever that day. Hours later we hit the summit and felt like we were on top of the world. Above the clouds and nothing but miles of mountain tops against the blue sky. It was incredible and a huge sense of accomplishment not to mention that mountain air is good for the soul. It ended up taking almost 7.5 hours but was well worth it. Climbing a mountain with the good weather, spectacular scenery, good conversation, even better friends and the world’s best dog seems like a cakewalk once we were done. I plan on that being the first of many I climb in my future days, but it was a special moment as we stood on that mountaintop. After the loss of my leg, I did always tell people I would climb mountains, I now I can actually live up to it.

My next stop was Guatemala. A 10 day trip with an organization called the Range of Motion project (ROMP) whose mission is to fit the people of Guatemala with prosthetic limbs that cannot afford them. This is a group that was started by a guy who used to work at the company I currently work at, Scheck and Siress prosthetics. ROMP has been around for the past 7 or 8 years and every October there is a big trip down there where a week is spent making limb after limb. I signed up months ago for the trip and when the time came I was more than ready to get away from all that was happening here, gain a little perspective on life and help a few people out along the way. ROMP is a sub group of another organization called Hearts in Motion and there were about 50 total volunteers with 8 of us that would be working with ROMP. We all met at various airports with the ultimate destination of Guatemela City and then a short bus trip to the town of Zacapa where we would be for the next 8 days. Every morning after a wonderful breakfast of beans and eggs, the 8 of us ‘ROMPsters’ would hop into this little micro bus and head to the prosthetic clinic which was located next to the main hospital. Keep in mind that this is a fully functioning, full time prosthetic clinic with full time employees. They see patients year round but during the weeks of these particular trips, the patient volume triples. The first day we pulled up at the clinic it was a little overwhelming as patients and their families were out the door waiting to see us. Over the next few days, we took a cast, modified and fit a total of 25 prosthetic patients. It was beyond incredible and as I am still a resident myself, the experience is unmatched. We typically stayed in the lab until 6 pm, once as late as 8:30 to finish all the work we had. All the work and long hours pays off when you see these guys and girls get up and walk out the door. The mentality there is so different. Someone comes in on crutches to get cast for a new leg. Within days they are walking out crutches in hand, with no complaints. Are they the best components, no. The latest and greatest materials, no. But it doesn’t matter. What matters to them is that we are helping give them back a life they may have thought was lost. My favorite patient was a man named Sabatino (I probably spelled that wrong) but it means, young one. This man was 86 years old and lost his arm in a sugar cane accident when he was 7. He had gone 79 years without an arm but he heard of the program and came into check us out. He was old, and wrinkled and looked a bit like Gandhi. He patiently sat there all day waiting his turn and when it finally came, at 4pm that day he slowly got up and walked over in his cowboy boots and hat. We helped him get his arm on and showed him how to open the hook. The smile he had when he opened it for the first time was priceless and I had to walk away as the tears came. 79 years without a hand and here he was learning about what he could do. That’s just one of many incredible stories from that week. And the team we had that week was just as incredible. I met some awesome people that I’ve continued to be in touch with and there couldn’t have been a more fun, inspiring atmosphere. My plan is to take a Spanish class and go back every year if I am able to.

When the week is over, the whole group went to Antigua for two days of sightseeing and R&R. Antigua is this modern, almost American like town in Guatemala. Cobblestone streets, historic landmarks, awesome

food, markets with the most colorful purses and scarves I have ever seen, awesome coffee and of course good people. It was a great end to my week as a ROMPster and I can’t wait until next year.

We said goodbye on a Sunday and my next stop was Ecuador. You’d think there would be a quick flight

from Guatemela to Ecuador but it turns out I had to go back north through TX only to go back south again. I

was going to Ecuador for a week vacation with my friend Dani and her husband Dave. Dani is from Ecuador and I met her when she did her Orthotic residency as Scheck and Siress. Her husband Dave is the one that started ROMP all those years back and they got married and now live in Quito, the capital of Ecuador, working at their own O&P shop. To sum it all up in one word, Quito= awesome. First the town itself. It’s set in the middle of these mountains so anywhere you look you get the most gorgeous view. Second, the surroundings. Dani was so kind to take off of work the whole week and hang out with me to make sure I got the most out of my trip. It was beyond cool. We went 2 hours one way and were way up in the mountains driving on the most gorgeous roads ever, passing the indigenous people of Ecuador in their almost bare feet, walking towards their mud homes with who knows how many pounds of grass or plants or food on their hunched over backs. Talk about an eye opener. That particular trip we went to this big crater that you were able to walk down into. We hiked about 40 min down and then took a mule back up. I loved every minute of it. The next day we drove 2 hours a different direction to the rainforest where we went zip lining through the forest. 6 zip lines, a small hike from one to the next and fresh lemonade at the end. FOR ONLY $15! Can you believe that? Then the next day we drove and shopped in the markets, the next day a trip to Old Town and climb the ladders to the top of the cathedral and I could go on and on and on. Overall it was such an incredible trip and both Dani and her husband Dave are two of the most wonderful, good- hearted people I have ever met. Not only do I hope to make it back to Guatemela, but Ecudaor too.

Back in Chicago now and back to work. Well work and a move into Chicago to my very own apartment ever. Talk about a big change which I’m learning to

embrace.

Thanksgiving has already come and gone. I got to go to my parents and see my sister and her newest daughter, Charis. In times like these, I realize how important family and friends are and I realize that I have one of the most wonderful families ever. My sister Amanda, her husband Gavin, their 4 kids and my parents. I truly am a lucky girl.

Most recently, I was in TX for my second ever ½ marathon. This one was a little different, as I didn’t train, well, at all. I had big plans to train and be prepared but with all that was going on I did a cumulative 2.5 miles in the two months leading up to the race. Maybe I shouldn’t even admit that but who needs to train for 13.1 miles anyways? It actually ended up going great. They allowed Jake to run with me and he and I completed all 13.1 miles. I am learning that slow and steady is the way to go. In my first ½ in July I started out fast, finished extremely slow, lost two toenails and couldn’t walk for two days after. This one I went in with the attitude just to finish. Slow and steady, no lost toenails and I could even walk the next day. Success! It was no PR but I was happy with my time and gave me a much-needed renewed love of running. Even at mile 12 I was thinking, wow, I really like this. So of course I’m looking for the next one and hoping for a full marathon sometime next year.

As we end out the year I have learned once again that life is always full of surprises. As when I lost my leg, I look back and am so thankful for all that I’ve had and continue to have. I wouldn’t be where I am today with all the people and my soon to be ex husband by my side through the hardest of times. I will forever be thankful for him and my family and friends that are always at my side. Soon a new year will be among us. New year, new beginning right? And the more time that passes, the more I am looking forward to what it will bring. I say goodbye for now as a soon to be single, still strong and confident woman. Life can be tough but it’s how you persevere through the hard times that define who you are. And I’m as determined as ever to get through this bump in the road and come out better on the other side.

So until next time, until next year, PEACE OUT!

World Champ!

2010-09-21T14:23:00.024-06:00

I'm way overdue. It's been over two weeks since Worlds and I haven't even shared the good the news yet. Brace yourself... I WON! I came home with a gold medal around my neck and a new title of World Champion. How sweet is that you may ask? Very.

My plan was to tell you all about the trip to Budapest, the details of both the trip and the race. Since it's been a few weeks I will keep it to what I remember most when I look back. The first being, of course, the race.

As I mentioned before, the race was a sprint distance triathlon. There was a total of 88 paratriathletes which was a record and very exciting. My category had a total of 4 above the knee amputees. Compared to last year's 1, that was pretty exciting too. The race was on Saturday Sep 11th and the days before were wet and rainy and we all braced ourselves for a rainy race day. The day before the race we (meaning me and my other 15+ teammates) went down to check out the transition area. We were required to drop our bikes off the day before the race and a few of us opted to ride down to transition from our hotel instead of jumping in a cab with our bike. Now let me tell you, riding a bike through the streets of Budapest = precarious, dangerous and thrilling all at the same time. Somehow, we all made it down there alive and began the process of setting up our bikes. Did I mention the rain? Um, yeah, trying to keep our bikes dry then and overnight was almost a joke, but we put plastic bags on the seat and the gears and headed back to the hotel. Unlike the previous nights of 2+ hour dinners with 20 people, we had a quick dinner and was back in the room by 8pm to get ready for the race the next day.

Trying to sleep before a big race is always a struggle. I was kept awake by ideas of how I could be just seconds faster, and the idea of finishing first and the meaning behind doing it on Sep. 11th. So when the alarm went off at 3:30am, it wasn't a big surprise as I had been watching the minutes tick by throughout the night.

Dick and I met my teammates in the lobby and we were off to the races. Let me throw in here that my teammates are beyond awesome, all 20 of them. And awesome is an understatement. I got to know so many wonderful people on this trip and really, really enjoyed hanging out with everyone. Jon Beeson and Justin Model acted as our honrary team managers and we couldn't have been there without them. They helped us in every aspect, from getting to Budapest, figuring out what to do once we got there, the race itself, etc, etc. Two very kind and incredible people and a big thanks to them. As a team we were together constantly and shared many laughs and good memories. I really felt honored and proud to be a part of the team.

Back to the race. We got to transition and got set up. There seemed no hope that the rain would let up and everything was so soaked that it really didn't matter anymore. Instead of trying to keep dry, i just put it all out there. This race was going to happen, rain or not.

The swim was an in water start and we started promptly at 6:30am. The water was, um, cold. Like take your breath away kind of cold. When the gun went off to start, it was a struggle to keep my face in the water and keep moving. As usual, people were kicking each other in the madness that occurs at the start. I eventually got moving and tried to keep a pace. It was a 750 meter swim that I believe I did in about 15 min. Coming out of the water is always somewhat confusing as you're not sure where to go, or where your handlers will be. But I was assisted out of the water, carried up to Dick, Justin Model and Jon Beeson (the fabulous 3) and they helped me strip my wetsuit, get on my running leg and I was off to T1.

In T1 I saw that of the other 3 above the knee amputees, I was the first out of the water. This is always a huge mental advantage and I felt confident as I got onto the bike. The bike was a 2 loop, 13 mile course. It was set up in a way where you could see your competition 5 times depending on where you were on the course. I picked a good pace, a high rpm as not to wear my leg out for the run, and went on my way. On the first turn around I took not that I was a few miles ahead of my nearest competitor and I was thrilled. I was feeling great and was confident I could keep it up to post a good, final bike time.
Let me mention here that one of my favorite competitors, Sarah Reinersten, had gotten sick during the swim and had pulled out of the race. I knew that something must have gone wrong when I didn't see her, as she was the one I was keeping my eye on. When I pulled into T2 and was told she wasn't going to finish I was heartbroken. Knowing the training, time, money and effort to get to Budapest in the first place, and to be stopped early on by getting sick is not a happy thing. I wished more than anything that she was out on the course with the rest of us. Especially knowing that she was not only my best competition, but her actions throughout the years had motivated me to be there in the first place. I owed and owe a lot to her and I would have love to be finishing the race out with her.

The 3.1 mile run course was on a path along the Danube river. All along I'd hear spectators with their thick accents from around the world, yelling go USA, go Stockwell. Talk about awe inspiring. Here I was running in the World Championship, down the Danube, passing gorgeous bridge after gorgeous bridge, it was almost like a dream. Thankfully, the rain had stopped at this point and the damp air, the meaning of the moment and the race itself took over. I felt like I was running on air not to mention I was making great time.
The race finish was across the Chain bridge which is this huge bridge with lion statues on each end. If you've ever seen pictures of a bridge in Budapest, it is probably this one. As I neared the bridge, I knew that the race was mine, and I would cross that finish line first. It was my time to shine. I stepped onto the bridge and was flooded with emotion. Here, on Sep 11, wearing the USA uniform, and I was going to be a world champions. A freakin' world champion! Could it get any better? Yes, in fact it could. Halfway across the bridge I saw a man handing out American flags. He handed me one and as I took it, held it high and sprinted what was left of the race with tears in my eyes finishing first with a 1:39. It was one of those moments that was so meaningful and so full of emotion that I know I will look back on it frequently and remember all that came with it. What a great day it was.

I stayed at the finish as my teammates came in one by one. We talked and laughed with our stories of the race and tried to keep warm huddled together in our space blankets. I had a permanent smile on my face and it was a moment I will never forget. Me, World Champion, really? Ha. Life really is good.

After that excitement the trip ended on another good note. The next day the rain stopped and it was beautiful. Much of the team went up to the castle overlooking the city and attended a wine and jazz festival on the castle grounds. We could look down
into the city and see the pro athletes competing. Match that with good company, good wine, good weather, overlooking the city of Budapest and it was almost perfect.
To top off the day and make it perfect we went to the awards ceremony and I got to stand on top of the podium and raise my hands and flag high as they called my name out. A gold medal! Nice, of course, but mix that with the red, white and blue and once again, things were perfect. It was a glorious moment and a glorious end to what had been a fantastic, memory making trip.

A huge heartfelt thanks to all that believed in me and helped me get there. My friends and family, the Challenged Athletes Foundation, the Wounded Warrior Project, CTS and many others. I realize now more than ever that surrounding myself with people that believe in me is the only way I can live my life. So thank you.

We got home over two weeks ago now and I've been on the road since. Working out a little, but really wondering what is next for me athletically. I haven't signed up for anything yet and am taking some time to just sit back and figure out what I want to do next. In the meantime, I've been to Seattle, Atlanta, Colorado and Maryland for various things. In a few weeks I'll head off to Guatemala and Ecuador for a prosthetic mission trip with the Range of Motion Project. But not before I head out to CA next week and get to see the wonderful Mrs. Stephanie Doan among others. Jake has become an expert traveler.
On a high point when I was in CO, I climbed my first 14er (14,000 foot mountain for those non- Coloradans) with one leg. It was tough, tougher than I thought, but getting to the top and looking out at what seems like the top of the world made it all worth it. It was awesome and even more awesome that I got to do it with my bff Tiffany and my cousin Katie. I swear the mountain air is good for the soul.

As of now, there doesn't seem to be much slowing down. As far as races, you're guess is as good as mine. The last Blade Runner 5K of the year is this weekend and I'm looking forward to that. But after that, maybe I'll take a break, maybe I'll pick some crazy race to do next year, maybe a half- ironman, maybe an Ironman, who knows. But whatever comes along, I'll be sure to keep you posted along the way.

Peace Out.

Budapest or bust.

2010-09-08T07:18:00.004-06:00

Apparently I do my best blog updates on the plane so here we go again…this time I am headed over to Budapest, Hungary for the ITU Paratriathlon World Championships. Today is Wednesday Sep 8 and the big race is this Saturday Sep 11. More on that later…

Let’s see, I last left off after the NYC triathlon where I qualified for this weekend’s race. So we’ll get the race briefings out of the way first. I’ve had a few races since NY, a sprint triathlon in LaPorte, IN with a few friends and the Chicago triathlon just two weekends ago. The sprint one was a good gauge for how this weekend will go as it was also a sprint tri. I felt pretty good and have a goal time in mind for Saturday that I’ll shoot for. I did this same race last yar and it’s so easygoing compared to the madness of the bigger NYC/ Chicago type races and it’s very enjoyable. You can actually get to the transition area 30 min before the race starts and still make the start of the race instead of the 5am transition time and a 9am start time for the Chicago tri which is pure craziness.

Unfortunately, the Chicago tri was a different story and it turned out to just not be my day. As an Olympic distance race, I was trying to better my time from NYC by going sub 3:30. The swim started off great, the bike was a whole mph faster than last year and I felt OK going into the run until I hit mile 1. Yes, ONE. Then I sucked, just pure and simple suckiness. The heat had much to do with it as it was easily in the 90’s that day and I walked more than I ran on the run wondering why on earth I subjected myself to the misery of the day. Luckily I had an early start time as the race ran out of water and the later waves were stuck with none, which may have been enough for me to end it early. I finished at a 3:42, 12 min over my goal time of a 3:30. I was told over and over not to let that discourage me from Worlds and it honestly hasn’t. I’d rather I have an off day in Chicago and save the stellar performance for Budapest so I’m perfectly fine with how it went. Plus, I’m learning that I can’t get a personal best at every race and that’s just how it is. I do have to give a shout out to Susan Katz, who totally rocked the race, to Keri for coming back and finding me after she finished and motivating me to get to the finish line and of course, my bff Tiffany who finished her first full Olympic triathlon with no water and blisters on her feet the size of Texas.

I’ve been doing some decent training in between the races and really trying to prepare for this weekend. I threw in my first 1/2 marathon and managed to cross the finish line a little over 2:30. It was a last minute decision to get in and at mile 10 I was wishing my goals weren't so ambitious at times. But I crossed the finish line and can check my first 1/2 marathon of the bucket list.
I have a new bike setup that I absolutely love. For a weekend before the Chicago tri I was out in San Diego at an all amputee triathlon camp put on by the Challenged Athletes Foundation. It was a great weekend with top-notch coaches and being able to train alongside fellow Paratriathletes. If you ever need some motivation, go on a ride with 10 above the knee amputees through the rolling hills of San Diego. You’ll push yourself harder that you have in a long time when you watch these athletes grind their way up a hill. It’s incredible, it really is. While I was out there we adjusted my bike for a more efficient set up and pair that with a new biking leg that Dave and I worked on and viola, I actually feel like I move now when I’m on the bike. It’s quite nice. Add that in with a good amount of swimming and biking and I’d say I’m ready for Saturday. Of course there is always more training that could have been done. The mornings I turned off my alarm and stayed to bed, the evenings when there was something better to do, but as Jimi Flowers would say, it is what is it, and ready or not, here I come.

In other non- athletic news, Dick was out in Washington DC for a month doing an away
rotation in radiology. After many months of wondering what specialty is for him, it’s come down to radiology and we’re both pretty excited about it. As a 4th year medical student, it is common to rotate for a full month at the programs you hope to match into for residency training. As a radiologist in the Army, Dick will have 4 possible programs he can go to. Walter Reed in DC, Madigan Army hospital outside of Seattle, Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio and Tripler in Hawaii. In Oct we will rank our top choices and in Dec the Army will tell us where we will be going. Dick enjoyed his month at Walter Reed and after Budapest he’ll head out to Madigan in Seattle to see which program he prefers. Keep in mind this is a 5 year residency so wherever we go it will be for a substantial amount of time. So for all you wondering why not Hawaii, that is why. Plus, we’re scared of sharks.

I got the chance to go out to DC for almost 10 days while Dick was out there. I made a few visits to Walter Reed to see my old PT’s and others around the hospital. A highlight of the trip was meeting a recent female who is also an above the knee amputee like myself. We have a good amount in common and she was highly motivated and ready to get back into life, which was great to see. She will be at a military sports camp later this year that I’m helping with and I can’t wait to see her again and see how much she’s progressed. I fully enjoyed my time there and seeing all the old and new friends we have in the DC area. An early morning run on the national mall one morning reminded us just how awesome DC can be. The monuments, the history, the running and biking trails...I think it will be up pretty high on the rankings list.

In early August I took my first 2 board exams on my way to being a certified prosthetist. There are 2 written exams and a practical exam. The written tests are offered in Chicago several times a year but the practical test is only offered twice a year in FL or TX. So I’ll be traveling to TX early next year for that one. I’ve never been a stellar standardized test taker and I can’t say I felt overly confident on both of the written tests. They are each 4 hours long and I chose to take them on separate days back to back. I knew some of the material, but some I didn’t know at all and was guessing blindly. I walked out pretty unsure of what the results would be. They make you wait about 4 weeks for the results and...drum roll please…I passed them both. I actually passed! I had to look at my score sheet about 20 times to make sure it was really my name and really a passing score, but I am now 2/3 towards becoming a certified prosthetist. I still can’t really believe I passed my first go around but the results are in, and I’m thrilled. Hopefully it’s similar results for the last practical exam and I’ll be Melissa Stockwell, CP by early next year. Yeah yeah!

I think that leads me to this weekend’s race. To recap, this weekend is the ITU World Championship. ITU stands for the International Triathlon Union. All the big name triathletes from around the country are headed to Budapest to compete this weekend. The pros, age groupers, elite athletes, and of course, the best group of all, the Paratriathletes. I am told there will be approximately 70 Paratriathletes competing, which would be a record in terms of numbers. That encompasses all 6 of the paratri groups and both male and female. As far as above the knee women, I know of 4 others at this point but there could be more. This is a huge step in the Paratriathlon movement as last year there was only 1 above the knee female and many less overall. In Dec of this year we will find out if Paratriathlon will be a Paralympic sport in 2016 but it seems we are already moving towards that direction.

This weekend’s race is a sprint triathlon for us Paratriathletes. It will be a 750 meter swim, a 12 mile bike and a 5K or 3.1 mile run. For me, this is both good and bad. Bad, because the swim is shorter and I usually get my best lead with the longer swims. The shorter the swim, the less of an advantage I have. Good, because I usually hurt at mile 3 of the run and for this race, I’ll be finishing at mile 3 of the run. It is a much different race than an Olympic distance as there is a big focus on speed and transition times as opposed to the slow and steady mentality. I’d be lying it I said I didn’t have high hopes for myself here. I really think I can do well and surprise myself with the results. It is that much more important as we race on September 11th. There is no better way to honor those that have lost their lives, on and since Sep 11, 2001 than racing to my fullest potential with USA on my back. On Sat, my race is dedicated to all those that are no longer here with us and as I cross that finish line, regardless of the results, I’ll be thankfull that I can represent this great country.
I am flying on my own now as Dick had to work until Thursday. On Thursday, he’ll fly over for the race on Sat and then we’ll both leave on Monday. It will be a quick trip for him and once again, his support in all that I do is incredible. A 12+ hour flight, for a 3 day visit, only to turn around an head back to Chicago for less than 24 hours before heading to Seattle for a month…I truly am a lucky girl.

So, for now, that is all. I will update with results as soon as I am able to get some time to sit down and write it out. Until then, remember the troops on Sep 11th, Go USA and God Bless America!

Peace Out.

The NYC triathlon.

2010-07-19T20:23:00.006-06:00

Yesterday was a great day. The NYC triathlon, also known as the National Championships for the sport of Paratriathlon was the qualifying race for Paratriathlon Worlds taking place in Budapest later this year. With a total of 70, this was a record year for the number of paratriathletes that competed in the race and hopefully a great continuation of the ever-populating sport of paratriathlon. These athletes include amputees, paraplegics, visually impaired and any other disability out there.
For a little background, Paratriathlon is currently not a Paralympic sport but is working towards inclusion in the 2016 Paralympics in Rio, and perhaps as an exhibition sport in London 2012. The more athletes we have, the better chance we have to get that spot and 70 was a great start.

I got to NYC on Friday and had to be classified into my Paratri classification. Similar to swimming, each athlete is classified based on their disability. There are a total of 6 classifications, instead of the 13 with swimming, and they try to make the competition as fair as possible. As an above the knee amputee, my classification is pretty cut and dry (my leg s not growing back) and I was classified into the Tri 2 category to compete against other above the knee amputees. There were 5 of us that would be competing against each other in NY and there was some pretty decent competition among all of us.

This was my second full Olympic distance triathlon with Chicago being my first last August. If you need a reminder an Olympic distance tri includes a 1500m swim, a 40K (26 mile) bike and a 10K (6.2 mile) run. The golden time needed to qualify for Worlds was 4 hours. Complete all 3 events in under 4 hours, and you’d earn a spot to Budapest. So going into the race, that was my goal. Or one of them at least. I also wanted to get under a 3:44, which was my time from Chicago last year and would give me a personal best. A time of 3:30 was going to make me a very very happy girl. Some say it’s unfair to compare race times from race to race as no course is the same. For example, Chicago is completely flat, where NY can be quite hilly so the bike and run times can vary considerably. However, the swim in NY is known to be one of the fastest since we swim in the crystal clear Hudson river (that’s a joke) and with the current. In my mind, this meant everything evened out and since I’m a numbers girl and always way more concerned about my times than I should be, I wanted to beat my Chicago time pretty bad.

I was once again lucky enough to have an awesome support crew at the race. My boss, prosthetist and good friend, Dave Rotter had come to NY to cheer us on with his girlfriend and of course, my lovely husband had flown in for a combined total of 18 hours to be there for the race. Yes, I’m a lucky girl. Not to mention the awesome Susan Katz, who was also competing, and her family who would be cheering us on along the way. The night before the race we all went to dinner and to say I was pumped for the race when I went to bed would be an understatement.

Transition opened at 4:30am and I tend to be a little paranoid about getting there on time and getting my things set up so the alarm was set for 3:15. It came early, but I wasn’t sleeping much anyways so I guess the time didn’t really matter. We got to transition around 4:45 and I met up with my handler Jen who was helping me with my equipment and really anything I needed before, during and after the race. Jen is well, awesome, and I was honored to have her help. The high of the day was a solid 94 degrees (barf) with way too much humidity so she made sure I stayed hydrated before the race as it was going to be quite hot by the time the run came along.

I left transition about 5:20 to get on a boat that brought us down to the start. The swim is a point-to-point swim so you have to get down a mile to the start before you jump in. As I mentioned before, this was a swim in none other than the Hudson River. Imagine some of the dirtiest, nastiest water you can and that’s the Hudson. Trash is a frequent sighting and it’s not unusual to come out of the swim with dirt all over your face and 1 or 2 random pieces of trash stuck to you. Trash and all, our wave was set to go off at 7am sharp. It’s an in water start and before you jump in everyone lines the dock to get their place in the group. The Hudson is known for its especially strong current, which is much stronger the further you get from the sea wall. It was visibly stronger on Sunday and as we lined up, we were all crowded by the outer dock hoping to get that extra push from the current.
7 came around, the horn started and we were off. My attempt at staying away from the sea wall and with the current failed early on and I soon found myself right next to the sea wall in the ‘calm’ area of the river. I could see swimmers to my right with the current but at that point it was too late and I just swam as hard as I could. I was the 2nd female out of the water in a time of 19 min. I had help getting my wetsuit off, Jen handed me my running leg and I was off to T1. T1 went smoothly as I put my biking leg on and as I left transition I was right on track.

I was told the bike course could be pretty hilly and had many areas of false flats, where it looks like it’s flat but it’s actually uphill. The majority of my training was in Chicago so any slight rise in the road felt like a hill. The course started with some good uphill but then gave into some good downhill. Overall, I think it’s a pretty even course, both up and down with a couple of really steep hills. For many of the hills I was in my lowest gear wishing I had a smaller one. I’m double thinking the granny gear for next time. It is an out and back course on the Henry Hudson highway that is very scenic. We were along the river for much of the course, got to ride through a toll way, over a few bridges and other than the real steep hills it was pretty enjoyable. My goal was to average over 15mp but with the hills in there, I only got to a 13.8mph avg making an overall time of 1:48ish. I pulled into transition knowing I was currently second in my category, not really knowing how far ahead or behind me my competitors were. I switched from my biking to running leg and got out of T2 in less than 3 minutes, which is my fast transition time ever. At this time things were heating up a bit and I was anxious to get out on the run course and across the finish line.

The run took us out of transition and into Central Park where we did a 5-mile loop and ended up in the park on Dead Road (ironic). As I ran out of T2 and was making my way into Central Park we ran down a street where the crowd was just awesome. I’m one that benefits significantly from the crowd and those New Yorkers really know how to cheer a girl on. It helped that I was wearing my fancy new tri suit that has my name on it. So I got many many, ‘Go Stockwell’s’ or ‘Go USA’s’, which was very encouraging. I also saw Dave and Dick in the crowd and Dave was going wild cheering me on which was awesome. I gave he and Dick a good thumbs up, as I was feeling great. I had been a little nervous about the run as it’s the last event so you’re obviously tired but I’m also still not fully comfortable running that far. But as I started out and got to mile 1, I was feeling incredibly confident and relaxed. I was right on track with my time and settled into a pace I felt like I could hold for a while. Before I knew it I was at mile 2, mile 3 and still feeling pretty good. Central Park has some decent hills but the benefit to a hill is that there’s always a downhill, so I tried to use those as much as I could. Again, the crowds were awesome. There were thousands of people in the park on a run or bike or walk, and they would stop to cheer as we went by. By mile 4, I was starting to feel the heat a bit and that is usually where things start to go bad. I slowed down and kept telling myself to just keep moving. I was dumping water on my head to try and stay cool as much as I could but was really just ready to be done at mile 4. I kept shuffling along and mile 5 came up slowly. As I kept moving, the crowds were increasing and I knew I had to be close. For the last mile there was a crowd 10 or more people deep and as hot as it was, I got chills as I ran through because I was so inspired by their cheers, their ringing cowbells and all their enthusiasm. I saw Dave and Dick again 100 feet from the finish and decided to sprint it in. I crossed the finish line with a total time of 3:32 with my arms held high and a big smile across my face. I was a happy girl.

Overall, I got 2nd place, behind Sandy Dukat, a phenomenal athlete and person, who I can only hope to someday be as fast as. Since I reached my goal time of under 4 hours, I’ll be headed to Budapest in September to represent the USA in hopes of it someday being a Paralympic sport. This will be my first Worlds competition ever and I’m pretty pumped about it.

So overall, the weekend was a huge success. Not only was it great athletically, but being there with my other teammates and seeing the new faces and the potential of the sport was awesome. The people of New York put on a great race and the crowds and spectators there are like no other. As usual I wouldn’t have been there had it not been for a few certain people. CAF of course with getting me to the starting line. But WWP, CTS, Jen (the best handler ever), Accenture, Dave, Dick, my family and the countless others that have helped my dreams become reality. Thank you.

Until next time, Peace Out!

A board eligible Paratriathlete.

2010-06-18T15:16:00.014-06:00

Wow, It's been almost 3 months. I think that's a record.

So. let's see, there's been some exciting happenings over the past 3 months. Let's start with the most exciting being that I made the Paratriathlon National team! Last year was the first year there was such a team and I applied for the team not really thinking I would actually make it. It is a team comprised of 15 para athletes that will represent the US at various triathlons this summer. It was thought that only 1 female and one male from each classification would make the team so I was going up against my hero, Sarah Reinertsen, among other above the knee amputees. As it turns out, 3 female above the knee amputees made the team and I was proud to be one of them. Check out this link for more info. http://www.usatriathlon.org/news/2010/04/30/usat-names-2010-usa-paratriathlon-national-team/35703
The first race is the NYC triathlon on July 18 which is also the national
championship. If I do well enough in NY I will qualify for Paratri worlds which are in Budapest this September. The short term goal is to make it to Worlds and we'll see what happens from there. An additional race in there is the Chicago triathlon which is at the end of August. Since triathlon is not yet a Paralympic sport, this is one of the highest competitive levels you can get to as a paratriathlete. I am proud to say I'll be representing the US again at these races. So as I've said numerous times, GO USA!
With all this excitement, I have stepped up the training again. I bike and run considerably more than I ever have. I joined the Oak Park runners club and am loving the weekly track workouts I do. This week was mile repeats around the track. Never though I'd actually do those! But with the help of my coach Mike Durner at CTS the running group, the computrainer classes with the awesome Stacee Seay, and swimming with the Chicago Masters team I feel like I'll be ready for NY which is amazingly, only one month from today.
I'm finding that running races are becoming my best training and have done a number of them so far.

I did my first 10K a few weeks back in 1:02 and was extremely happy with my time. I also completed the Soldier Field 10 miler on memorial day and was extremely happy just to finish that one. My awesome friend Keri is typically my 'guide' for all these races and she paces and encourages me along the way. I even competed at a track meet with the Great Lakes Adaptive Sports Association. Brought me back to my high school track days and the good times we all had there.
Tomorrow is out first Blade Runner 5K of the season. We have 2 new amputees who are doing a 5K for the first time and is should be a great race.

On another note, and as equally exciting, I have officially finished my prosthetic residency. The usually 1 year residency took a solid 3 years but I am now a Board eligible resident and continue to work at Scheck and Siress prosthetics. There is a 3 step board exam and the first two, the written and written simulation, I'll take this August. The practical is only offered twice a year and I'll take that in TX next Jan. As excited as I am to be finished this means I need to hit the books and study up again. I'll be happy when they are over and I'm officially certified.

The Chicago Warrior Champions premier was earlier this week and it was a wonderful evening. Pam Redding did a phenomenal job putting it together and I think we had a total of 200-300 people show up. It was nice to have a local showing and a big thank you to the Italian American Sports Hall of Fame for hosting us all for the evening. If you are interested in purchasing the movie you can go to www.warriorchampions.com and you can order on there.

I participated in the Chicago Soldier Ride this past weekend and as usual I had a blast. I have forgotten how powerful the ride can be and as we were escorted through downtown Chicago on our bikes (I know, rough huh) I was continually inspired by the riders encouraging each other up the hills. One rider in particular who was thought he wasn't going to complete 1 mile on his bike, completed over 100 miles throughout the ride. Talk about inspiration. And as usual, the community support and cheers through the city as we went through were awesome. I wish I could take the time to go on all the rides. I was also lucky to attend the Wounded Warrior Projects annual gala in NYC. It was such a great evening honoring the men and women who have been injured and their families. Big timers like country singer Trace Adtkins, Bob Costas, Bill O'Reilly and country top 40 Bob Kingsley all came out to support the cause.

Dick and I made our way up to Door County, WI over a long weekend. If you've never
been I highly recommend it. The roads are a bikers dream and if I hadn't of been so sore from the 10 mile run we would have ridden around all weekend. Instead we drove around taking in the gorgeous sights. We even made our way over to Washington Island on a ferry and became a part of the Bitters club in the longest standing pub in the US. That's success right there! We stayed in this tiny cabin by the water and I wish we would have had a few more days to explore. Hopefully we'll make it up that way again before we leave IL for good.

And how could I forget that Little Leg's 6th birthday was in there! 6 years, can you believe the girl is SIX YEARS OLD? It was another great turnout held as a local bar this year instead of the home. This helped significantly with the cleanup time and even better that they allowed Jake to roam the reserved room and behind the bar all night. When we went back the following weekend, the staffers kept saying hi to Jake. Apparently he was a hit. But yes, LL is officially 6. She'll be a teenager before we know it.

In other exciting news, Dick is one week away from being done with his 3rd year of medical school! To me it seems as though the time has flown but I'm guessing he would would beg to differ.
In his 4th year he will head to Walter Reed for a one month away rotation and work with some of the doctors that worked with me when I was there. Oh what a full circle it has come. And it is highly possible that come next May we'll be moving back that way for the following 4 years. We'll find all that out in December.

I think that's all there is to report for now. Jake is still the best dog ever and still loves his ball more than life itself. I'll try to keep everyone posted on the NYC tri results before to many months go by. Until then we'll be at my parents house for the 4th of July and I'll make a brief trip to CO for the Jimi Flowers swim meet.

Until next time,

PEACE OUT!

I am a HALF- ironwoman. Barely.

2010-03-29T18:57:00.009-06:00

As I sit down to write this I'm sitting on the 14th floor of the Hale Koa hotel in Waikiki overlooking the gorgeous Pacific on an 80 degree perfect day. After Saturday's race I couldn't think of a better place to be to relax and enjoy the accomplishments of last weekend.

So, yes, I did finish the Oceanside 70.3. A day mixed with multiple emotions, physical and mental challenges, got me to that finish line a mere 3 minutes before the official race cutoff. So when I say 'barely' that's no joke.

Transition opened at 4:45 and being the somewhat paranoid person that I am about being places on time, I arrived at the transition at precisely 4:45. I think I was one of the first 10 to the racks which resulted in a pretty sweet spot for me to set all my stuff up. CAF and Operation Rebound had a few racks reserved right at the front of the transition area which always helps immensely.

My wetsuit was on and I was ready by the 6:40 pro start time. Jill Prichard from CAF had graciously volunteered to help me after the swim and she had crutches in hand and a chair set up for me to sit on once I got out. Our wave was to go off at 6:47 and at 6:45 I was set to get in and head to the in- water start. I put my goggles on before I entered the water and of course, the goggle strap broke. I started to freak out a little and frantically called for Jill. She ran over, attempts to calm me down and ties my strap together saving the day. All was good and I was at the start by the time the horn blows. The swim felt fantastic. I told myself not to go too hard to save myself for the rest of the race and I did just that. I finished the 1.2 mile swim in about 34 minutes when Jill ran down to hand me my crutches when I got out of the water. It is preferable to have the wetsuit off before heading to transition so I sat down in the pre- arranged chair and as Jill helped pull it off she proceeded to pull me and the chair both over and we toppled to the ground. We all got a good laugh about it before I got up and headed to T1.

I tend to take my time in transition. On Sat I wasn't at all in a hurry as I knew I was just doing it to finish and not trying to beat anyone. I think my T1 was somewhere around 6 min. Yes, that is very slow.

I finally get on my bike which is the first time I had actually been on the bike outside since last summer. The day before my front tire randomly popped while my bike was in the back of Jill's car. Other than another slight freak out, that prevented me from getting on the bike the day before the race as I also found out I had the wrong size tube. I used the first few miles to get accustomed to the gears and riding on the road again. By mile 6 I was thinking, these next 50 miles are really going to suck. But as I kept going my legs warmed up and by mile 10 I was chuckling to myself about the post- swim events, talking to people and really just having a great time. The first 28 miles were relatively easy. A few hills here and there, a little wind but I was pumped to get to the halfway in around 2 hours as I initially thought I was going to need all 5 hours to complete the bike. Then at mile 28.5 came the first large hill. I say large but it was huge. Not horribly long but incredibly steep. I tried to get a good head start but got not even 1/6 of the way up when I stopped and had to step off quick to avoid falling. This means I had to walk the rest of the way up the hill as there was no way I'd be able to get back on without falling. It was a little consolation that a large number of other people were walking too. This was no little hill. I got to the top, clicked back in and started off only to get back off the bike a few moments later when I realized my leg was about to come off. So again, I dismounted, re- applied my leg and I was back on. The next 28 miles had a number of other hills and major crosswinds that made me feel unsteady. None of the hills were as steep at the first one, but large gradual hills that weren't that fun. I passed absolutely no one except those that stopped to change their flat tires so I was continually being passed. Not that I minded as I would often get a 'keep it up' or 'good job', which raised my spirits. On one of the hills I was excited as I saw two people walking the hill and I made it all the way up without walking. So I consider that beating them. Well, at least on that hill. At mile 45 things got better again and it was a fast flat finish to T2. At mile 47 I did get stung by a bee on my right thigh. I haven't been stung by a bee in like 20 years so I wasn't sure what to do. I hurt quite a bit but I figured unless my throat started closing up I wasn't allergic. Thankfully it didn't and when I get to T2 I pulled the stinger out and that was that.

I finished the bike in 4:32 I think which I was still pretty happy about. I again took my sweet time at T2 but was feeling pretty good after the bike and was excited to get the run over with.

I headed out of T2 and started running and immediately thought, 'Uh oh'. It wasn't quite as easy as I was hoping it would be. The run was 2 loops, so 3.25 miles out, 3.25 miles back, times 2. Dick was going to meet me at the halfway point for a new running liner and I assumed I would get to him in 1.5 hours making my total run time about 3 hours. That wasn't the case. I started out and ran the first mile. A solid 17:30 pace. (Yes, you can barf now since that is so slow. Especially for the 1st mile) After the 1st mile I started to run from one point to the next, walk a bit, run some more, etc.. But I really wasn't feeling so hot and exhaustion started to set in. By mile 3 I was at a straight walk and ran a minimal part of the 3 miles back to Dick. As I got closer to the turn- around people would yell out a Congrats that I was almost done. Little did they know I was on my first lap and still had SEVEN miles to go. I hit the turn around, saw Dick and got a towel from him to wipe off my leg. It had taken me 1:50 to do 6.5 miles. I turned around slightly demoralized since I could see the finish line but I still had 6.5 miles to go. I really thought at this point I was going to be the last one on the course. But I turned and kept going. Only walking at this point with a somewhat bouncy pattern when I could get the energy up. Everything ached. My back, my legs, Little Leg and as I tend to do, I wasn't eating or drinking enough to keep me going. But I walked and I walked and I walked. And at the turn around, with 3.2 miles to go, I saw a few others still walking behind me surprising me that I wasn't the very last one. Many of them soon passed me as walking with my running leg is not the easiest thing to do and I don't move too fast. I don't have a knee on my running leg so I was circumducting it to the side step after step. With 3 miles to go I briefly stopped which was an immediate mistake when I started to cramp. So I vowed not to stop again ans kept going and I'm sure I looked horrible and worn out and defeated. With 1.5 miles to go I saw Dick ahead of me who was coming to make sure I was OK. At this point there were so few people on the course, he was able to walk with me. We kept walking in silence, step after step. Then a few minutes later I saw Nico, head of Operation Rebound, with the OR flag and his dog Tally who were coming to walk with me also. So the three of us walked on, Dick on one side, Nico and Tally on the other. At some point a group gathered behind us and started clapping, following us for a few minutes. Even in all the pain, it was incredibly motivating and I wish I could thank them. At a mile to go someone called out that I had 20 min to finish before the course was going to close. I had been averaging 21 mph and knew to make it I was going to have to (gasp) jog a little. I started the little bouncy thing, made it to this bridge and I knew the end was close. Dick told me to run across the bridge. And he ran with me. Across the bridge I could see the finish line and I kept going. As I neared the end, the cheers were incredible. Across the finish line I could see the whole CAF and the Operation Rebound team cheering me on. I crossed that line with my arms raised, 3 min before the official cut off.

I couldn't help but get a little emotional seeing all these people that had waited a full 9 and a half hours to see my finish standing at the finish line. I got my finishers medal from Cody and felt such a sense of relief. I had done it. Never did I think I would be cutting it that close to the official cut off time. And as disappointed as I am with my run time, I can now say I finished a half- ironman. It's even official.:) The victory was that much sweeter having all those people there with me and having Dick right there to hug and thank for his support. If he and Nico wouldn't have come to to meet me, I don't know if I would have finished. I do believe I was the last person to make the time cutoff which puts me in dead last and makes me chuckle a little bit.

The only place to go from here is up and to improve. As I ran the race my respect doubled for those that have completed the full Ironman, especially for a specific one- legged woman. It is an accomplishment that only the strongest can brag about and if I'll ever be one of them is left to be decided. As I finished the run I thought there was no way I would ever do a half again. But given some time, and this awesome Hawaiian vacation to recover, I may be convinced to change my mind..
I do plan on doing a few Olympic distance triathlons for the rest of the year. New York, Chicago, and maybe a few others in there.

So for now, I say goodbye. Time for me to shower after my beach side cabana massage and get ready for tonight's Luau. Rough life huh:)

But really, thanks for all the support and believing I can make it to the end. After 70.3 miles and one bee sting, it's official. I am a HALF- Ironman. Thanks CAF and Operation Rebound for getting me to the starting line!

The only way to finish, is to start.

2010-03-26T00:10:00.002-06:00

Well, I’m sitting on the plane headed to one of my biggest races yet. The Oceanside 70.3. On Sat I will be a part of a group of 5 disabled athletes, and 1000’s of able-bodied athletes that will attempt this 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike and 13.1 mile run with the goal of making it to the finish line. No time goals are needed here; making it to the finish line will be an accomplishment in itself.

I am representing the Challenged Athletes Foundation and their subset called Operation Rebound. It is a group of athletes that were wounded either in Iraq or Afghanistan or as a police officer of fire fighter. I have done a number of races with them throughout the year, but I am usually part of a relay team, and most often the swimmer. I’ve felt for a while now that I needed to step up and do the entire race, being my own team. Just doing the swim is great, but while I sit around and wait for my teammates to complete the race, I always wish I was doing more. So one day last summer, when I was no doubt in a great mood, wondering what my next big challenge could be, this race came up, and I jumped on it. And here I am, 7 months later, wondering what on earth I was thinking. At the time I wasn’t thinking of the dreaded Chicago winter and that much of my training would be done inside, either on a treadmill or on a stationary bike. Because of that, my training has suffered a bit and I really only have myself to blame. I have this awesome coach, Coach Mike, from Carmichael Training Systems that has been giving me my weekly workout schedules in preparation for the race. I’d be lying if I said I completed them all, and I too often used the excuse of being too tired, or it’s too cold, or really just preferring to sit on the couch with my husband. But whatever the reason, it was pure laziness on my part and I’m sure I will feel it on Sat. I am confident that I have done enough training to finish the race, it just won’t be pretty and I probably won’t look all that happy at mile 10 of the run.

We’ll start with a lovely 1.2 mile ocean swim with the first dip being at 6:45am. From there we start on the 56 mile bike course that I’m told can be a bit hilly. I’m not a huge fan of hills, the only having one leg thing, makes them a little difficult. If I go to slow, I’ll actually start rolling backwards. No joke. But the one thing I have done over the past few months is really step up my bike training. And thanks to my rocking computrainer coach, Stacee, I feel as prepared as I can be at this point. After I get off the bike, I’ll start the 13 mile run course, which is a 2 lap course with periods of sand you have to run through. Again, not too much a fan of the sand especially after the bike. BUT, at the end of it all there will be a glorious finish line where I will run, or crawl, through in my moment of glory of having completed the race. My motto of the race is, The only way to finish it to start, and start I will bright and early on Sat morning. Please pray to the wind gods that they take it easy on us.

There are some cutoffs that have to be made throughout the race that allow you to stay on the course. We have the fortune of being the very first swim wave, which will give us the maximum time available to make those cutoffs. Once I make the bike cutoff I will make it to the finish, even if the finish shoot is torn down by then.

I’m lucky that I’ll have my husband, the awesome CAF peeps and many other athletes and supporters there for the support. I’m a sucker for people cheering for me, and I’m told there’s a crowd at this race with some loud cheers along the way. Plus, my husband is going to meet me halfway on the run with a towel and a fresh liner for my running leg and there’s nothing like a sweaty hug and a kiss to keep me going for 7 more miles. Oh and did I mention that Dick and I will be flying to Hawaii the following day for a week of R&R. So as I become near the point of exhaustion it will be thoughts of hula skirts, and mai tai’s on the beach that will get me through those last miles.

But really, as much as I talk about how long it is and how much it’s going to hurt, the bottom line is, I’m thrilled. Thrilled, really, to have the opportunity to compete in such a race. To have the people behind me who believe I can do it, and to prove to myself that I really can.

So. Wish me luck. I’ll send a race update as soon as I’m able to move my fingers long enough to type it out.

Peace Out.

A new decade.

2010-02-14T12:29:00.011-07:00

3 months later and I'm back again.
Lets see since I last wrote there's been lots of turkey, lots of snow, a great Christmas, the beginning of a new year, some skiing, a 30th birthday (yes, mine) and some pretty freaking good days mixed in there.

Christmas brought us to CO with Dick's family and it was a good time as always. We drove up to Breckenridge for the New Year and rented a condo with about eight other people. If you've never been to Breckenridge, it's awesome. The town, the mountains, the food, and spending our time up there with good friends made it even better. We only skied 1 day due to the overly spendy lift tickets but walking around the town, eating too much and spending time in the hot tub filled our time just fine. As we rang in 2010 it was hard to believe we were about to enter into our 4th decade.

A few weeks later, that's exactly what I did. The big 3-0. Only instead of acting my age, a bunch of us went to play laser tag and have a pizza party. It was like I was turning 13 instead of 30 but I wouldn't have had it any other way. For a suprise, Dick brought me up to Grand Haven, MI where I was born. I had never been back for a visit and had been wanting to make the trip. He contacted my parents and found out the first house I lived in, where I was born, where I was baptized. We went to each place and took pictures as I stood outside with a sign reading what each place was. It was incredibly thoughtful and was super cool to go back 30 years and be in the exact place at the exact moment I was born. It made it one of my best birthdays ever and I've entered into my 4th decade with style. Determined that I've yet to hit my prime, I'm ready for whatever comes my way.

My Brother in laws wedding brought us back to CO where I gained a new sister in law. Yuiko from Japan is the lucky lady and she is great. They make a great couple. We realized just how much we miss CO. Boulder, Denver, Colorado Springs, Breckenridge...I think we'd be happy just about anywhere in the state and am pretty sure we'll end up back that way eventually.

I've been home an unusual amount over the past few months and have loved it. Since I've been home more, I've been working more and learning more and am finally feeling more comfortable with what I do. I have the best patients and love working with all of them. Jake is with me at work everyday and my patients are getting to know him as well. He even had his first patient on Friday. This adorable little girl whose family requested that Jake be there for her appt. as he takes her mind off of her prosthetic legs that we are fitting her with. I think he enjoys the work almost as much as I do.. I am done with my residency in May but will have to wait until Dec to take my board exams since they are only offered twice a year. I am hoping to be able to work at Scheck and Siress until we move in Spring of 2011 but that is to be determined.

My big half ironman race is coming up in a little over a month and I've been slacking on my training a bit. I've been a bit un- motivated and as much as I like to blame it on the old weather and the snow, I think it's pure laziness. For my birthday, Dick surprised me with a treadmill and having that at home has helped. It's pretty awesome actually, even Jake runs on it a few times a week. I know the triathlon is going to hurt regardless of how much I train. I mean who wouldn't hurt after a 1.2 mile swim, 56 miles on a bike and a 13 mile run. But I'll survive. And the goal is to finish, I'm not really too concerned with my time. I average 8 to 9 hours of working out a week when for a race this big I should be up in the 11 to 12 hours a week. After this half ironman I'm going to stick with the sprint and olympic distance triathlons for the rest of the summer. I just need to cross the line in this one first... Knowing that we leave for a Hawaiian vacation the day after the race should help.
Running has become my favorite activity of the three lately. In my running high I've signed up for two 10 mile running races and am debating a half- marathon. But I'll wait and see how long this running excitement lasts before I get to that one.

The traveling picks up more than I would like in a few weeks but there's some cool things in there. A speaking engagement in TX, a board meeting, the half ironman, the Hawaiian vacation and the excitement of attending the Paralympic opening ceremonies as part of the Presidential delegation. I got a call a few weeks from the White House asking if I'd like to be part of the delegation and attend the opening ceremonies for the paralympics. I was not only honored to be asked, but absolutely ecstatic that I'll get to be there. The delegation includes three other Olympic/ Paralympic athletes, a few heads of state (think Eric Shinseki) and myself. I'm pretty pumped about it. Unfortunately, I won't get to stay to see any of the events but I'm happy to be there at all.

As I sit here right now writing this and watching the Vancouver Olympics I can't beleive it's been a year and a half since I was in Beijing. Seeing the athletes and hearing their stories is motivating me to put down the cookies and get on the treadmill imagining that perhaps I can be the Apolo Ohno of a sport someday.
I hope you can all get that motivation and get out there and enjoy the days ahead. Until next time, Go Team USA!

Running, a dog, and a rocking documentary.

2009-11-23T19:23:00.030-07:00

Well, I guess you could say I'm a little past overdue. Seems to be the trend.

Where to begin...how bout mid- October and the Bucktown 5K. This was a pretty big day for a number of amputees that are patients with me at Scheck and Siress. My boss Dave started this group a few years back called the Blade Runners. Basically, it's a bunch of his patients that get together once a month to run together around a track. We met throughout the summer with the goal of doing a 5K together and the Bucktown 5K was it. We had about 20 total participants with 7 amputees and it was awesome. We had a whole tent, t-shirts, banners and definately raised some amputee awareness that just becasue you're missing a leg doesn't mean you can't get out and run. For a few people it was their very first 5K ever and the goal was to make it to the finish line. I'm happy to report that everybody who crossed the starting line, made it to the finish and it was quite the accomplishment for all of us. My goal was under 30 min but I made it through at 32:00. It was still an improvement so I was happy but still shooting for the 30 min mark.

I've been running a significant amount lately and really really enjoy it. So much that at the annual half- ironman Challenged Athletes Foundation triathlon in Oct I swam the 1.2 miles, did a little on the stationary bike and then set off for a 13 mile run. It was my longest attempted run by 5 miles and I'm happy to say I crossed the finish line at all. After running in Chicago I wasn't too prepared for those San Diego hills and it was a bit rough. I ended up having to walk the last bit but I made it to the finish line and can really only improve from there. The event as usual, was a hit. It ranks up there with my favorite weekend of the year and this year there were 190 Challenged athletes competing in the event. Quite inspirational.

To continue with the running bit, I finally ran a 5K fast enough to put me under the 30 min mark, a goal I've had for the past few months. A solid 29:50 at the Veterun 5K to celebrate Veterans Day. It was tough, real tough near the end, but that put me at an 8 minute 5K improvement since April and I am pretty pumped about it. I'll go for the 29 min mark next..

Enough about the running... In other exciting news, the documentary Warrior Champions (www.warriorchampions.com) premiered in Austin, TX and then went onto the world theatrical premier in Little Rock. The film is extremely well done and I am so honored to be a part of it. I have to admit I'm not a huge fan of seeing myself on the big screen. An admitted self- critic I think I look a bit dorky but hopefully others don't see it that way. The film is planning on being shown in 10 to 15 different cities around the nation but the places and dates are to be determined. There is always a DVD option but I can keep you all posted on the cities it's in. I urge you all to see it. It's a phenomenal film that will leave you inspired. I really am honored to be a part of it.

Now for the best news ever. WE GOT A DOG. Jake, a black lab/ golden retriever mix who has quickly become part of our family. I got Jake through an organization called VetDogs based out of NY. They give service/ companion dogs to Wounded veterans and I was lucky to be paired with Jake. I went to NY for a 4 day class and then a trainer came here to Chicago and worked with Jake and I here. Jake goes everywhere I do, work, the pool, the gym, on planes (yes, he sits at my feet) and anywhere else. He can fetch me my crutches if need be and is the best companion ever. Minus my husband of course..:) Speaking of, it was love at first sight for he and Dick. I can't believe we waited so long to get a dog. They are always happy to see you, and can put a smile on anyone's face. He is just awesome. Pure awesomeness.

I've been working quite a bit when I'm here in town. I am really enjoying it and have some wonderful patients. I am finally feeling like I know how to do a few things on my own and am loving it. Seeing people get back on their feet and get their lives back is incredibly rewarding. Not to mention I have the greatest employer and boss EVER.

Other than the above, I've done a few speaking engagements, a few other smaller races and am looking forward to being home for a little bit.
Can't wait for our fried turkey this Thursday. If you've never try it, try it and you'll never go back. It's delicious.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Triathlons and lobsters

2009-10-03T15:11:00.018-06:00

I'm way overdue for an update. I say that every time so I guess it's no surprise but thanks HALEY for the friendly reminder.

If you read my last blog, you read that I was gearing up for the Chicago triathlon. That is almost a month ago now so instead of remembering back to the race, I am going to copy and paste my blog from another website I blog on. This other blog is that of Carmichael Training Systems and as one of their athletes, I write something after my races. So below is my race update from a few days after the race...

For those that didn't read my last post, let me start by saying this was my first Olympic distance tri (1 mile swim, 26m bike, 6.2 mile run). I went into it wanting to just finish and would have been thrilled with a 4 hour time. I am in what's called the PC (Physically Challenged) division and in Chicago there were about 20 others in my category. I compete in the severe leg impairment division against other above the knee amputees. Of those, it was myself and two others. Doesn't seem like many but these were a big 'two others'. One of my competitors was Sarah Reinertsen who was the first Above knee amputee to complete the Hawaii Ironman. She was conquering her Ironman feat as I was at Walter Reed learning to walk again and she became my role-model. I looked to her for complete inspiration in imagining all the things I someday hoped to do. I had met her a few other times and she is such a genuinely nice person which made me look up to her even more. She went on to compete on the Amazing Race and is a key spokesperson of the Challenged Athletes Foundation. Needless to say, as a very seasoned triathlete, I was going to to my best to keep up with her.

I got to transition around 4:30am for a 7:30am start. As the PC division we are spoiled and get to start right after the elite level athletes. A smaller wave, less people in the lake... it really is nice. At 7:32 we were off. The water temp was warmer than the air temp and it felt awesome. I had a great swim and jumped out of the water in about 24 min, well ahead of most of the PC pack. I had help getting my wetsuit off and made the 1/4 run to transition getting there in about 28 min.Our bike rack was positioned close to the swim in and run out, but as far as possible from the bike out. This didn't bode well for us amputees because walking in our biking legs is never easy. So I switched to my biking gear, put my biking leg on and slowly made my way to the bike out. 6 min later, with a quick delay to find my lost chapstick, I was on the bike.

My goal for the bike was under 2 hours as I am not a fast biker. As we started there was this enormous headwind and for the first 10 miles I don't think I got above 10 mph which I was not happy about at all. Then we turned around and I shot back at over 20mph and absolutely loved it. We had to 2 two loops which meant that damned headwind again but I also got to see my competition. I could see that Sarah was behind me by a few miles and I really booked it on the way back to try and keep it that way. I got back to T2 in about 1:40 with a 15mph average and I was pumped. I looked at my watch and saw I had a full 1:40 to finish the 10K and was feeling good about it.

Again, the slow transition but I was finally out on the run. Before this race my longest run was 4 miles without the bike, so a 10K after the bike was a bit worrisome. I started to plug along at my snail like pace and told myself to just keep moving regardless of how slow I was going. The first 2 miles were OK and then I started to get a bit tired. I had made the rookie mistake of eating a total of 4 sport beans and 2 sips of gatorade up to that point and started to think how dumb I was. I did my best to stop at the water stops but I was a bit too late on that decision. I made it to the turn around and things were going downhill fast. My snail like pace became even slower (if that was possible), multiple times I had to walk but would get all dizzy so would start up with a jog like shuffle. The passing runners and crowds did their best to keep me motivated and I tried hard to make it work. I had seen Sarah at the turn around and she was about 1/2 mile behind me. With my pitiful attempt at running I kept expecting her to be the next one to pass me. But apparently, Sunday was my day and I made my way to the finish line 2 min ahead of her. It wasn't this glorious fist pump as I crossed the finish line as I was frantically trying to make my way to the side thinking I had to puke. I waited a good few minutes, drank some water and realized that not only did my final time of 3:44 exceed my what I thought to be a lofty 4 hr goal, but I had won my division! I couldn't believe it. Especially knowing how bad my run sucked. I was so unbelievably pumped. I kept imagining what I could do with the proper training and a better run.

We stayed around for awards as the ParaTrathlon sponsor, Accenture, graciously gave out these large silver platters to the winners. See the picture of myself with Sarah and Scout. You'll notice that I tower over them and I am a measly 5 '4'.

So, my first Olympic tri was a huge success. I still can't believe it. My next challenge is the Challenged Athletes Foundation half- ironman in San Diego in Oct. I'm doing the swim and the run. 13 miles of running will be the challenge there but I'm still on my winner's high so I'm up for anything.

So there you go. And a month after the race, I still can't believe it.

So lets see, since then, Ive gotten in many days of work which has been nice. It's always busy but I enjoy it especially when I get out of there in time for an evening workout and to make it home by 7:30 for dinner with Dick.

The half- ironman run is fast approaching and I have been running much more. I have done an hour or more twice now. That doesn't compare too well to the 3 hours it will take me for 13 hours but I know I'll finish. How long it takes me and how bad it will hurt is to be determined.

Dick finished his first 12 week rotation of his 3rd year and had a week off. We took advantage of it and went to Maine as we've both always wanted to go and it was a great opportunity. We ate lots and lots of lobster, saw the gorgeous leaves changing colors,went sailing, hiking and loved every minute of it. We stayed in B&B's in Acadia National Park, Portland and the White Mountains. I could definitely see us living there someday. Every town we drove through just seemed so nice. It was a great time.

We came back home in time to be here for the big 2016 announcement on Friday. I have been a part of the Chicago 2016 team for a few months and have gone to a few events to show my support for having the Olympics and Paralympics here. Leading up to yesterday, I was so convinced that we were a shoe- in. I mean, why wouldn't we get it right? I was even more excited because with all the talk leading up, there had been mention of both the Olympics and the Paralympics. The Paralympics was finally getting some recognition and I truly believed that having it in Chicago would have moved the Paralympic movement forward giving the Paralympic athletes the recognition they deserve. So along with the 10,000 other people at Daley Plaza yesterday, you can imagine the stunned faces and shock when we were out on the first round. I don't get it and at that moment nobody did. I still think we would be the best city for it but unfortunately it's not up to me. But as a good sport, congrats to Rio. Having it for the first time in the southern hemisphere is exciting. I guess.

Lastly, the documentary Warrior Champions is being premiered at the Austin film festival at the end of the month. I am so excited to see it. After the premier, it will be shown in a number of cities, Chicago, Colorado, DC to name a few. To learn more about it go to www.warriorchampions.com. You can wait and see if it comes near you or you can order a DVD. I think after the premier and showing it may be shown on TV as well. I'll keep you posted.

That's all for now. Until next time, Peace Out.

Lots of mud and free- falling.

2009-08-28T07:00:00.007-06:00

I really don't know where to start. The past 30 days have been filled with all sorts of adventures and I'll do my best to tell you about them.

First, it never felt so good to get home after Alaska. To see Dick, sleep in my own bed and not worry about riding in the rain. As I've said a number of times the trip was well worth it and rewarding, but I was ready to be home.

The following weekend my best friend Tiffany came into town for a fun filled weekend. We did the Muddy Buddy and the LaPorte sprint triathlon two days in a row. The Muddy Buddy is this 5 mile race that is done as partners and one 'buddy' runs while the other 'buddy' bikes through a mtn bike terrain. You leap frog through the race doing obstacles along the way. We managed as Tiffany would hold my running leg as I biked and she ran and then we would switch real quick if there was a hill I couldn't get up. No doubt we were quite the comedy show. It wasn't competitive so w just had fun doing it. At the end you crawl through this mud pit, more like a pool of mud and get absolutely covered in mud. See pictures...

The sprint tri was my first triathlon where I did swim, bike and run on my own. It wasn't easy but I did finish at my turtle like pace. Tiff, my boss Dave and another friend Sara all did it. Dave stayed with me through it all even though he could have lapped me by the time I was done. It was a 3.4 mile run and I finished it all without stopping so I was proud of myself.

The next adventure was the Chicago Air and Water show. I was selected to skydive with the Golden Knights into the show and represent the Wounded Warrior Project. I jumped at the chance and it may have been one of the coolest things I've ever done. I went tandem with a Golden Knight on my back. We jumped at 13,000 feet and had a 30 second free fall. I'm convinced it's called a free fall because you feel so free up there. The feeling of being above the clouds, jumping out of the plane with Lake Michigan below you and landing on the beach of Lake Michigan...wow..I can't really say too much more other than it was the experience of a lifetime. I understand how people can get addicted to the rush of skydiving. It is incredible, I'd do it over and over again...

This weekend will mark another first for me. My first attempt at an Olympic Distance triathlon, the Chicago tri. A 1 mile swim, 26 mile bike and 6.2 mile run. I've been training for the past few weeks but my few weeks of laziness after Alaska won' help me on Sunday. The swim will be fine, the bike I'll finish at my slow pace, but it's the transition from bike to run and the run that I'm a bit nervous about. My furthest to date run is 4 miles. And even though my running has dramatically improved and I'm becoming real fond of it, 6.2 miles after that bike ride, won't be easy. I know I'll get to the finish line. My goal of 4 hours may be a stretch and realistically 4.5 may be a better estimate but I'll just see what I can do. There was a short news piece on last night and follow this link if you'd like to see it. CBS Chicago triathlon

I have been home much more this past month and I've been loving it. I did one quick trip to NJ to speak to the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore which was a good time. Since Ive been home more, I've been at work more, and even though there's never much down time, I really enjoy it. Out patients are awesome and it really is rewarding to work with them.

Dick is well on his way as a 3rd year med student doing hospital rotations. He has completed pediatrics and currently busy delivering babies on his OB/GYN rotation. I don't think he'll choose either of those as a specialty but good to get the exposure.

I'll let you know how this weekend goes. We're still 2 days out and I already couldn't sleep last night. I just want it to get here already.

Taking Alaska down, one mile at a time.

2009-07-26T18:28:00.009-06:00

Stage 8 and Sadlers Alaska Challenge: Done!!! Today was no joke. We went a total of 30 miles, and 4500 feet of climbing up Hatcher Pass. It may have been one of the most physically challenging things I have ever done. The whole race, both physically and mentally, was a challenge but today even more so. For 8 miles it was an extremely steep incline, sometimes 16% grade and at times it was a struggle to keep the bike going forwards, and not start rolling backwards.

Katz and I stayed together up until the start of the climb and then I got ahead by a little bit. I didn't think I was much of a climber before this race but come to find out I actually enjoy it. I think. We both managed to stay pretty positive throughout the race, instead of cursing the hills as we've done in previous days. We were on day #2 with no rain and the scenery was gorgeous. Especially as we kept going up and up, and oh, up some more the views got better and better. We ended at Independence Mine with a decent size crowd to cheer us on. As I passed over the finish line I pulled out my flag for a little wave and the reward of crossing that finish line was awesome. The view for one thing, but knowing that we had overcome the physical and mental challenges of all 250 miles, the rain, the bugs, the little sleep...we had done it and our race motto of 'Taking Alaska Down One mile at a time' was as apparent as ever. I finished in 3rd but after the race today it's so much more apparent that it's not about the place, but about the finish, and that we both did. There was a short awards ceremony after the finish where I got some flowers and a huge check like you see on TV. To be honest, I felt weird standing up there without Katz. She's the one that got me into this crazy insane adventure and I never would have done it without her. She's the one that helped me get up many a hills and the one who rode by me on those sucky, rainy days. We both won, we really did. I know I'll look back on this in a few years and be amazed at what we accomplished here. We rock. We just do.

We drove back to Anchorage and stopped at the first Starbucks we saw. We were deprived after 8 days without Starbucks. How we did it, I don't know. We have an awards banquet tonight and then our journey back home begins at 1:30am. Through Pheonix and then I'll be off to Chicago and Katz back to CO. We are more than ready to get home, bringing our sore muscles with us.

Right now we are back in the same hotel we started out in 8 days ago. Although the days went slow, and the races even slower, it's crazy to look back and have it be over. Just goes to show that life goes by too quick. Good thing I have these crazy adventures and good friends like Katz to share them with.

So, this is the end of my Alaskan adventure. Thanks for tuning in.

Peace Out Alaska!

There is hope for Alaska yet.

2009-07-25T20:15:00.003-06:00

There is hope for Alaska yet. We woke up to sun, blue skies, and a perfect riding day. We wondered if we were really still in Alaska.

Today was a tough ride with 56 miles of what I consider a lot of climbing. 3000 plus feet. From mile 1-45 I was feeling pretty good and then the sore muscles and tired arms started to set in. These long rides are not my favorite and I'm much happier when the rides end before mile 30. Today Katz and I stayed together for the entire race. With the sun out and the perfect riding weather we were having a good time often commenting on how luck we were to be alive and be in Alaska with the ability to ride our bike. It was one of those kind of days.

Other than cursing a few of the hills as they kept coming and coming, we were rocking the race. Around mile 48, the hills stopped being as frequent and there was more rolling hills through to the end. At some point during the race my odometer sensor flew off my bike but Katz said we were going around 40mph, my fastest ever. Since Katz and I had worked together so well, we made a deal that we were going to have a tie for the day. At mile 48 I started to feel a bit off and was struggling to keep up. Katz is able to get more momentum on the downhill so I often fall behind on the descents. I kept us as best I coud and Katz really helped me by pushing me to keep going as hard as I could. We came across the finish line at the same time but Katz held back a little bit so I could catch up to her. A real teammate. So the day's results are Katz and myself: tie for 3rd.
We've got some good laughs as many of the male riders don't like being beat by us girls. TYpically, the men start ahead of us and Katz and I do our best to catch up to them. Today we caught up and passed at least 5 of them. You always get this "ohh, heyy' as you pass on by. Sometimes its a leap frog as they get a little motivation as we cruise by and they pass us a few miles down the road. That's when Katz and I try our hardest to pass them for a 2nd time and stay ahead. It's great fun and us girls rule, obviously.

If you look on the www.sadlersakchallenge.org website the results are incorrect. For some reason, the times of Katz and I are switched around on a number of stages. Going into our toughest and last day, tomorrow, I have a few minutes up on Katz. But with 30 miles and a 4500 foot climb up and over Hatcher pass anything can happen and it's really anybody's race at this point.

We are in Palmer, AK for the evening at the Peak Inn Motel. We checked into our room at the China Buffet next door. Turns out it's better than expected with a big room, fast internet and good cell phone reception but we were a little weary at first. We head to dinner at the Palmer Salvation Army soon. Every town we've been through has been so warm and receptive to us. We all come and invade their town for the night and we've got nothing but a great response. It's been fantastic.

Katz and I keep reminding ourselves that the goal is just to finish. This week has been tough, both physically and mentally, and finishing the race tomorrow will be huge for both of us. It's one of those things that we'll look back on and be amazed that we did it. I can't say either of us are eager to sign up for next year, once just may be enough.

As I said before, both of us will be ready to get home. After tomorrow's race, we have an awards dinner and then our flight leaves at 1:30am Alaska time. Back through Pheonix and finally home in CHicago Monday afternoon. Now that will be a good day.

What is that big burning ball of gas up there?

2009-07-24T22:03:00.007-06:00

Today was a long day. We had an early wake up of 5:45 to be back on the ferry by 7. A 3 hour ferry ride and a short drive landed us in Valdez and to the start of our road race for the day. Before yesterday, today's race was 55 miles up and over Thompson Pass with an elevation gain of 3000 feet. After yesterday's race and the trials that come along with the rain, cold and wind the race was shortened to only 25 miles. We still had to do the 3000 foot climb but that's where we ended. If we would have kept with the original plan we would have descended that same amount and with the rain and cold, it can cause some safety and health concerns, as 2 people got hypothermia yesterday during the race.

So, a shorter course it was. We started at 11am and were told we had 18 miles of a few hills but mostly flat before we got to the real climb. Katz and I started off together and for the first 18 miles we helped each other and switched off drafting every 2 miles. I appreciate drafting more then ever now. You get a few good minutes to rest a little, get some food, and take in the scenery. Today, even with the rain, the scenery was beautiful. We were in this winding canyon and there were waterfalls all around. It was gorgeous. A true Alaska moment.

The climbing started around mile 18 but the real serious climbing began at mile 20. By real climbing I mean a 9% incline for 5 miles. Yes, that is steep for those not versed in the incline %.
I was feeling pretty good so I got ahead of Katz and did my best to climb hard. Rain and wind still present, I felt pretty good throughout the whole climb as I watched the odometer creep up oh so slowly. I finally reached the finish in around 3 hours and did my best to get warm and into some dry clothes. There were some locals that came out to watch the race and one mom and her cute daughter had made an awesome sign that I got a picture with. I'll make sure to post it. I'm also posting a picture of the 9% incline but the picture really doesn't do it justice.

I finished a few minutes ahead of Katz and come to find out it was enough to bring me into 3rd place overall, about 8 minutes ahead of Katz. That's the beauty of a stage race, we can flip flop times every day and just see who comes out ahead at the end. But today was a tough one, and I give props to all that finished.

We have much much more climbing to do in the next 2 days so it's really anybody's race. Tomorrow is the longest day at 54 miles and it has a substantial amount of climbing. Then stage 8, the last day is around 30 miles with a 4000 foot climb in there over Hatcher pass. Something to look forward too (sense the sarcasm)

On a good note, the sun does actually shine in Alaska. Of course it waited until after the race to end and while we were driving to the hotel but the big burning ball of gas actually came out for once. There were even a few blue sky patches in there. It was a miracle. And even more of a miracle is that the forecast for tomorrow is cloudy, but no rain. Hallelujah. Cross your fingers it stays that way.

Onto stage 7 tomorrow. Already. The week is going by fast and as fun and challenging as it is I'll be more than ready to go back home once we're done. I'm missing my lovely husband at home.

Bedtime now.
Peace Out Glennellen!

P.S. The woman in the 2nd picture is Yasuka, our support vehicle driver. The 3rd is me finishing the race and the 4th the female racers lined up before we start. And last, is a picture of the only bear Katz and I hope to hug while we're here.

Surprise!! It's still raining!!!

2009-07-23T17:29:00.005-06:00

I think I'm going to start off my blog's by saying, see yesterday. For the weather at least. I'm getting sick of writing about how much rain and wind there is because it seems to be the same everyday and today is no exception.

The race started at 10am and we set off into a wet 38 mile road race. I learned yesterday that the town of Cordova is accessible by only boat or plane and in the actual town there are only 38 miles of road. Today, we rode those 38 miles. I started off and was feeling great, in fact, I felt great almost the whole race. There were some gradual climbs at the beginning that led into a long 15 plus mile flat stretch. I was ahead of Katz until the turn around which was close to mile 27. We worked together for the next 8 or so miles, drafting and giving each other a bit of a break. With 3 miles to go, I fell a bit behind and was working frantically to try and keep up with her. I never caught back up and finished about 20 seconds behind her. She did awesome. In fact, we both did. With an average of 14 mph for 38 miles in these rough conditions we are pretty proud of ourselves. I beat my time from two days ago by a good 30 minutes and the course was 2 miles longer. It was a good day. It was cold and wet at the finish so we hurried back for a shower and some lunch and we feel like a million bucks.. or maybe just a nap.

The town of Cordova is so small and much of the town came out to see the race which was awesome. All along the course we had people cheering for us. Near the end there were a group of guys with cowbells that rang them and ran alongside us for a few seconds. We felt like we were in the Tour de France, riding through the Alps. Only we were in wet and windy Alaska instead.

As the rain came down today I was thinking a lot of Jimi. He was looking down on me today and helped me finish strong. With all this rain I tried to keep thinking of his motto, it is what it is. As much as we may try and do rain dances all night, its not going to stop. I've decided that I don't so much mind the rain and being wet, it's more the cold, especially in the hands. ALl the wind and rain can make them go a bit numb. Nothing like riding and changing gears with hands you can't feel. It's lovely.

Now that we are all showered up, we are going to head into town for some shopping. We are staying at an old salmon cannery right on the water and sleeping in what used to be the quarters for the workers. it's pretty neat. Although better cell/ internet reception would help things a little...

Tomorrow is a busy day. We wake up, get on the ferry early and head to Valdez. At 1pm we start the longest day of riding, at 55 miles. But it's not just a flat 55 miles, as there is an extremely difficult pass we have to go up and over and there is actually a time limit in which we have to do it. When I came I had two goals, one not to come in last, and the other to finish every day on my own. So making the time cut off and not getting picked up by the slow rider van is a good goal.

For now, we get to relax. Until next time...

Weathering the storm.

2009-07-22T23:48:00.000-06:00

Today was a much much better day. Not so much the weather, but the race. I woke up with a much better attitude than yesterday. Even though the rain was still coming down I’m beginning to just accept and deal with it as we can’t really do much about it. I learned late last night that my old college crew coach, Kate Brandon, was in Girdwood (where we stayed last night) for the summer. So when we got to the course start this morning I saw her smiling face and that started the day off great. Kate is all around awesome and she totally inspired me to get out there and do my best. Thanks to her my weekly motto is ‘Weathering the storm, Alaska style’ Thanks Kate for getting me off to a good start..:)

Today was an 11 mile time trial along a bike path in Girdwood. Since the path was so narrow we started out fastest to slowest to have minimal passing along the route so I started in 4th, 30 seconds behind Katz. I was feeling great and ended catching Katz around mile 2. We are learning pretty quickly that the time trial is my kind of race and not so much hers. Like hills, I have better luck at the shorter races where Katz is the opposite, and she rocks it on the long rides and climbs, where I struggle. (See yesterday’s blog) Being that this race was only 11 miles I knew I couldn’t make up too much time from yesterday but I was gonna give it a good shot. I passed mile 2 and continued on my way to the turn around at a decent pace. Right before the turn around there was this big hill to go down, just to turn around and go right back up it. Halfway up the hill Sherry, the other female racer, and I passed each other and she yells out, “I just saw a bear on the path, be careful” I’m not going to lie, that freaked me out a little. Until that point I was all about seeing a bear but I got a bit nervous to know that there was one lurking nearby. I think it actually made me go a bit faster to try and get off the course. Come to find out it was a baby bear which is even worse, as I’m sure the mom was just waiting to attack. The rain was coming down so hard making it extremely difficult to see so I doubt I would have seen it if it were right in front of me. I kept thinking I was going to run into it with a friendly bump on my part. What a story that would make, bumping a bear with my bike. Thankfully that didn’t happen. So with no bear sightings to report, I kept going strong and finished in about 55 minutes. I’m not sure how many minutes I finished ahead of Katz but after yesterday, I think I closed the overall time gap between us by a few good minutes.

We got to go back to the hotel to shower before leaving Girdwood which was awesome and we made some time for the gift shop as well.
From the hotel we headed for Whittier and got to go through the longest tunnel in North America. I have no clue how long it is.

So now we are sitting on a ferry crossing over to Cordova on the Prince William Sound. We were told we would see some sea life, but the excitement so far has been sea lions. It was thrilling.

We are in Cordova for two nights, which makes us happy. We don’t have the greatest cell/ internet/ anything service while we are there so there won’t be any pictures but hopefully a blog each night.Tomorrow is another road race, this one 38 miles. We were told it was flat but after looking at the course, it’s definitely not. I think I’ve learned to embrace the rain and after yesterday, I think I can handle the elements. Or at least work with them.

So until tomorrow, Peace Out!

Dear Rain, please go away. Love, Melissa

2009-07-21T23:22:00.009-06:00

Today was a tough one.

The race started at 10:30 am in Hope, AK. It was a 37 mile road race that was 17 miles down and then back to the start. On the drive from Seward to the start in Hope it was pouring and we were crossing our fingers that it would end before the race started. No such luck.

We got on the bikes around 10:20 for a 10:30 start. At this time it was raining lightly and quite chilly. But due to a delay in course set up the race didn't start until 11 and we were sitting out in the chilly rain.
At 11am we finally set off and the 1st half of the race was a lot of downhill. Right before we started the rain got real heavy and by mile 2 we were all soaked a literally sitting in a puddle of water. Not to mention it was difficult to see the road. As usual, the kneelers took off pretty quick and Katz and I decided to attempt our first drafting experience. The benefit to drafting is that the person in front blocks the wind and pulls you along a bit while you stay close behind on their wheel and get a little bit of a break. We were switching off every few miles and it was awesome. Around mile 10 the rain even started to let up a bit and we were going good and making some good time. There were a few hills and Katz is a better climber than I am so it seemed like she was pulling me up the hills which I felt a little bad about. We decided that at the turn around we would go at it on our own as I didn't want to ride on her wheel and make her do all the work.
At the 17 mile mark we turned and started heading back. Around mile 19, on a hill, Katz got ahead. I was attempting to keep her in my sight in hopes I could catch her but that didn't work out so well. Things were OK until mile 22 or so and then IT started...the howling winds the rain downpour, the hills... and for much of it I was alone, seeing no riders ahead or behind me. I am the first to say that I'm not a fan of being alone, especially in Alaska on a back road. Not to mention that I love crowds as the cheers motivate me. Luckily the support vehicles came by every so often to make sure all was well. But from mile 23 to 36 I was not a happy camper. It was like I had a split personality, ranging from "This is great, I can do this" to "Melissa, what the f--- are you doing here, this sucks, I should quit" and then back to "Wow, Alaska...this is amazing"...and it went on and on all the while the tornado like winds and the rain kept coming. I think I even hoped for a bear attack at some point.. that must have been my low point.

I finally reached the end in 3:08, 13 minutes after Katz and I was spent. The rain was still coming and it was freezing and windy enough to blow Katz's wheelchair down a hill and into a ravine. Luckily she wasn't in it.
Katz rocked the race coming in in under 3 hours. I'll need to work hard if there's any chance of catching her. But my goal was not to come in last, and I think I can make that happen so I'm happy. After today, just finishing this thing will be a miracle.

We got into the car and changed as quick as we could and moved onto our hotel. The hotel is this awesome resort on the mountain side and the hot tub made it that much better. We went to dinner at the CHallenge Alaska ski lodge and the food was awesome. They did a raffle and the guy missing both legs won socks. It was awesome.

Today was one of the most challenging I've had in a long time. Physically and mentally as I'm feeling pretty sore. Already. And it's is only stage 3. I am really starting to wonder what I've gotten myself into..
I'm not too happy about being so pessimistic today as it typically takes a lot to get me that way. But it is what it is, and it's over. Thankfully. And tomorrow is a new day.

Speaking of tomorrow, although there is no chance of the rain ending, its bound to be better than today. It's only an 11 mile time trial, so it should be fine. After the race we get on a ferry and go to Cordova for the next 2 nights. The ferry is supposed to be awesome and the scenery even better. Hopefully there will be a little break in the rain so we can see some of it.

I have n pictures from today, I wasn't really in the mood, but I'll post some from yesterday.
I'm off to bed now. Tomorrow is a new day.

Day 1.

2009-07-20T22:43:00.006-06:00

Today was an awesome day. One of many firsts, beautiful scenery and just an overall great day.
We started off the day with breakfast served at 7am by the Salvation Army in a pkg lot surrounded by the Alaska mtns... can the day start much better than that?

We headed to the race start after bfast which was right underneath a glacier on the mountain side. Glaciers actually look blue if anyone was wondering... I was set to start my time trial at 9:10. This was my fist time trial and for those not in the cycling world here is how it works. Each person starts a minute apart and you go as fast as you can for the set distance, today was 14.5 miles. The goal is to beat the clock and it's even better if you catch the person in front of you. I started first for the women so I had no one to catch but that was OK. I was on my own until about mile 5 when the women kneelers passed me at a pretty speedy pace. Like I said before, they are a bit out of our league... some of the best handcyclist in the world in fact...Katz had started a minute behind me and she passed me around point at mile 6. I kept her in my sight and managed to catch back up and pass her at about mile 10. I held her off until the end but didn't make up the minute I had started ahead of her. The final results were Katz, 3rd and Me, 4th. I had come in 18 seconds slower than her. The 1st and 2nd place kneeling riders were 9 and 12 minutes ahead of us. Um, yeah. They are speedy. The 5th woman Sherry, came in a few minutes behind Katz and I so we were holding a retty respectable 3rd and 4th place. To explain a little further, throughout the week all the riders times are added up and the fastest overall time at the end is the winner. And to add to the course, in true Alaska style we saw a coyote on the course. No bears yet..

We got a quick break for lunch and a little rest before we headed into downtown Seward for the criterium. Like the time trial, this was my first criterium. What it is is a .67 loop that you do 20 times. The top 3 people in each category get bonus pts. For example the 1st place female gets 30 sec taken off of their overall time. The 2nd place, 2o seconds and the 3rd place 10 seconds. Keep reading for better understanding. The clock started and the two kneelers immediately took off leaving us again to 3rd and 4th. The course was a bit hilly with a few good turns in there and I was feeling pretty good. I was having a blast and ended up in 3rd gaining 10 bonus seconds. The 4th and 5th place riders got no bonus. So, this morning I was 18 seconds behind Katz but since I came in 3rd and her 4th, I am now 8 seconds behind her. It's a bit confusing but it works out. The end of the day's results are Katz, 3rd and me 4th, behind by 8 seconds. Its going to be a good race between Katz and I. We are both very competitive people and as much as we want to win on the course, we will both be genuinely happy if the other wins. After all, out goal is to have fun and to finish. So far so good. Plus, we have some pretty sweet looking jerseys. We had some made for the race and love them. Thanks Soldier Ride..:) Look for them in the pictures.

After the criterium we had dinner in the town of Seward and met some of the locals. A town of 3000 located right on the ocean, surrounded by mountains. You can't beat the scenery. The weather was pretty decent all day. A bit wet as it's supposed to be all week but luckily it didn't pour on us, just a little sprinkling and wet roads. Let's hope for no worse tomorrow.

Each of us riders are assigned to a support vehicle. Katz and I were given a team name of Team Diva with our driver Yasuka from Japan. Yasuka doesn't speak much english and we were a bit hesitant at first as she drives us everywhere, helps with our stuff, the course, etc.. and the language barrier was a slight issue. However, she has grown on us and now we LOVE her. She literally runs to get the things we need and helps us with everything and anything and we totally lucked out. We all make quite the team.

We just got back from our nightly 30 min massage. Yes, we learned today that there are massage therapists with us along the trip to work on us every night. We were PUMPED. So to finish the night off, Katz and I went and got outdoor massages, under a canopy, listening to bongo drums, in Alaska. Oh, what a day.

Tomorrow we head to Hope, AK for a 36 mile road race. There is definate climbing but it's not too too bad. If anything today was a bit of a wake up call that this week is going to be a toughy. Today was supposedly the easy day. But what's life without a good challenge...

And lastly, many of the pictures I post will be of Katz and I doing the peace sign. Those are in honor of Jimi in hope that he's smiling down on us. ANd speaking of pictures, the internet connection is a bit spotty, so if there are no pictures it's becasue they wouldn't download.

Time for a shower, then to bed. Good Night.

Love you mom.:)

p.s. Only 1 picture today. I've tried for hours and this is all I get. I'll try more as soon as we get better service..

Alaska eve.

2009-07-19T23:55:00.006-06:00

I'm writing this from Seward, Alaska where stage 1 of the Sadlers Alaska Challenge begins tomorrow. The travel was quite the journey as I traveled from Chicago to Phoenix to Anchorage yesterday. A total of 20 hours from door to door as Katz and I arrived in AK around 2am relieved to see both bikes and bags, finally hitting the sack at 4am. This morning we to to met some of the other riders and drove the 2 hours to Seward, AK with our support vehicle.
Let me just say that Alaska is gorgeous. Even with the rainy, cloudy day, the mountains and the lakes and the green is just beautiful. The weather forecast doesn't look so hot this week but I'm hoping for 1 good day not just for the race, but for the scenery as well.

Katz and I checked into the Seward Lodge and went to our nightly logistics meeting. TOmorrow is both a time trial and a criterium, both which will be a first for me. The time trial is 14 miles starting at 9:10am. Katz starts a minute behind me at 9:11. Then the criterium is 20 .67 laps around the city of Seward starting at 2pm. It will be interesting just given the fact that I've never done either of them. As I've previously written, there are 5 women racers. Two of them are super fast, both Paralympic medalists and ride what's called a kneeler where they kneel as they ride. One is from Germany, the other from the Netherlands. The remaining 3 of us are all from the US and we ride longseats where we ride sitting down with our legs out front. The kneelers are typically much faster but given the experience level, I think they may be faster in either.. My goal is top 4 and for those not so hot with math, that means not last. We'll see how it goes.

Katz and I have been appropriately named Team Diva. There are 39 total racers and all are quite serious as this is a big time handcylcing race for all of us. However, Katz and I are here to have fun and really just to finish. We gave our bikes a kind of once over and called it a night while other are out there meticulously making sure everything is right. We get a good laugh out of ourselves. Makes it more fun.

Tonight at dinner we did learn how to fend off a bear. No joke. Act big and talk to it in a stern voice. "Bear, please don't eat me" Let's hope I don't have to try that.

After dinner we got to get on our bike and make sure everything was A-OK before tomorrow. So far, so good. I was a little worried as my method of traveling with my bike may be a bit, well, ghetto. Instead of a bike case, I use a big roll of saran wrap. But hey, it worked just fine. Hence the Team Diva.

I'll update as much as I can. If you want real results the website www.sadlersakchallenge.org is having close to real time results. We aren't guaranteed cell phone reception and internet access everywhere but I'll do my best.

I'm can't believe Im actually here with day 1 tomorrow. I know I am ready. With all that's happened this past week I haven't been on my bike in 6 days. We'll just consider it a heavy taper... But that being said, this week is for Jimi. All 267 miles.

Well, here we go... Wish me luck.

A great loss.

2009-07-12T13:02:00.011-06:00

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.

2009-06-07T19:20:00.007-06:00

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

2009-04-23T14:27:00.007-06:00

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.

2009-03-21T14:37:00.009-06:00

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.

2009-02-22T16:20:00.009-07:00

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!

2009-02-18T10:37:00.005-07:00

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.

2009-02-09T18:29:00.010-07:00

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

2009-01-29T15:35:00.007-07:00

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

2009-01-20T16:24:00.005-07:00

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

2009-01-06T08:55:00.008-07:00

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.

Update...

2008-12-14T08:05:00.009-07:00

It's time for another update. I am going to try and attempt a weekly entry from here on out but we'll see how that goes.

Where to begin...well, Dick and I spent Thanksgiving at my parents house in SC. It was great to see my parents, my sister Amanda and her family. Amanda's kids get so much bigger everytime we see them and they are so much fun to be around. I wish we all lived closer so we could see them more.

From SC I went to MN for my 10yr high school reunion. The reunion didn't bring as many people as we thought it would be I went with 4 of my best girlfriends from high school. To all be together with them again was worth the trip. I made a quick trip to Grantsburg, WI and got to go around with my friend Brandi, the vet, to all her appts which was awesome. I visited my first real farm, saw Brandi fix up some cows and gently shove a uterus back into one. It was thrilling to say the least.

I've done a few speaking gigs along the way, one in DC and one this week at Thornwood high school in South Chicago. Craig Renaud, the guy shooting the documentary Warrior Champions was there to film my high school talk so I assume I'll be seeing part of it on a big screen at some point. Hopefully I sounded OK.

I finally went and tried a few organized swim practices at UIC swimming. It is a masters/ college team where at certain practices a week everyone does the same workouts. I did one of the college ones and thought I was going to die. It was the hardest one I had done since Sep and I felt it. I am way out of shape. After the New Year I plan on starting up again in full force with that team. I'm thinking 8 in pool practices a week along with some weights and other training.

Speaking of other training, I am starting to get a little nervous about this Sadlers Alaska Challege I signed up for. My friend Susan Katz who is also doing it has a blog of her training (http://idontlikefunpeople.wordpress.com) which makes me feel like such a slacker. She has been at it for a while and I'm thinking maybe I should have started by now. Luckily, I have a coach with Carmichael Training Systems that is going to help me with workouts after the New Year and get me ready for the race. I'm thinking I may at least get my bike out of the garage sometime next week. That's a start right...

Dick has finals next week and is busy studying all this weekend and next week. I am SO looking forward to next Fri when he will be finished and we can go away without his textbooks. We are headed to CO for Xmas and then to Rome for the New Year. We haven't had much time to think about Rome but are really looking forward to it. We are going with another couple and are super excited to see them for a week of too much food and too much wine. I'll really need that training to get rid of those extra pounds when I get back...

Tomorrow I am headed to NY to attend the Heisman awards gala/ dinner thing and then to DC to take part in a study at Walter Reed and to help with a swim clinic with Jimi, my OTC swim coach.

But today, it's time for some Xmas shopping. Time to go battle the crowds. Wish me luck.

Living in the moment

2008-11-22T10:11:00.007-07:00

I figured its about time for an update.

Let's see, let me start with a new development in my life. Until last week I had plans to start my residency with Scheck and Siress in Jan. After lots and lots of thinking, going back and forth and a slight early mid- life crisis I have decided that I am going to postpone my residency indefinitely. This is for a few reasons. First, I am at a point in my life where I have a lot of opportunities to do many things that I enjoy including; motivational speaking, various events with non- profit organizations such as the Wounded Warrior Project and the Challenged Athletes Foundation, and continuing to train for swimming and other athletic events. All of these events that I go to, athletic and others I enjoy so much and by doing a full time residency I would be unable to go to most of them. I am trying to live in the moment and do what truly makes me happy. And for the time being, it is being able to attend these races, speaking and other veteran events. This is not to say that I will never go back to prosthetics as I do want a career at some point, but its not my time quite yet. I feel unbelievably lucky to have the opportunity to be at this point in my life where I can do what I enjoy in the moment.

That being said I have decided that 2012 is the long term goal for now. After watching the NBC Paralympic special and seeing myself race on USN I realized just how unhappy I was with my performance in Beijing. I don't want to go out that way and although I am going to take it meet by meet and see how my times are, 2012 is the goal.

I am in the process of looking for a competitive swim team here in Chicago. It is hard since I have been traveling so much but I have a few ideas. Once we get back from the New Year I will start in full swing. Hopefully with a good swim team, weight trainer, possible triathlon coach, etc...If my job is going to be to continue as an athlete I might as well put everything I have back into it. I am also a definite 'in' for the Sadlers Alaska Challenge so training needs to start for that as well..

So, yeah, that's the latest...

This past week I was in NY for a WWP/ DSUSA dinner. My mom joined me and we had two days as mother and daughter in NY which was nice. We went to Central Park, saw Chicago on Broadway, saw the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes, got to go on the floor at the NY Stock Exchange and attended a wonderful dinner put on by the Wounded Warrior Disabled Sports Project. It was a dinner celebrating the success of veterans and athletics and I thoroughly enjoyed being a part of it. General Petraeus was there as well and it was a huge honor to meet him. (See above pictures)

I am heading out tomorrow to visit a friend in TN and then go to my parents for Thanksgiving. I doubt I will write again before then so Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Oh and if you get the chance on Thanksgiving night watch CNN with Lou Dobbs at 7pmEST. You'll see my smiling face.

Veteran's Day

2008-11-11T18:40:00.007-07:00

Today is Veteran's Day and I wish I could personally thank all those who have sacrificed and continue to sacrifice for my freedom. I know a simple thank you is never enough for the loved ones of those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice, and to them I owe a lifetime of gratitude. It's days like today where I sit back and think about just how good we have it. The freedoms we have that are much too often taken for granted. I will fly my flag high and look at the red, white and blue of which I respect so dearly, and in my heart thank all of those who have served and continue to serve this great country of ours. Thank you.

Since I have last written I have been to DC where I got to attend a book release party for a book titled Returning Wars Wounded, Injured and Ill. If you look closely you will see that I am on the cover with my physical therapist from Walter Reed, Bob Bahr. The book can be viewed and purchased on many sites, just type it into the search engine. I enjoyed being in DC to speak at the release party and met lots of wonderful people.

This past week I was in Little Rock, AR and Memphis, TN as a part of Soldier Ride, a program with the Wounded Warrior Project "http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org". Soldier Ride events take place nation wide throughout the year and it's where a number of wounded vets all come together and ride our bikes from one place to the next to raise awareness for WWP and the vets coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan. This particular ride we started out in Little Rock, AR where we rode 25 miles and ended up at the Clinton Library for a nice reception. I got a nice certificat being honored by the Daughters of the American Revolution which added to th day. We then drove to Memphis where we began the ride the next day. I cut out early to be home for the weekend but the ride continued onto Nashville the next day. As usual, the support was awesome and I had a great time. I am going to be joining in on another ride this Feb. in order to train for this insane event that I, with the help of Ms. Susan Katz, got me involved with.

The Sadler's Alaska Challenge it's called and it's 267 miles of hand cycling across Alaska from July 19- 27. The longest wheelchair and handcycle race in the world. Now Susan Katz currently works at the OTC and is a former wheelchair basketball Paralympian. I met her for the 1st time a few months ago and knew from the start that she rocked. She announced that she was doing this race and I glanced it over a few times thinking it would be pretty cool but never thinking I would actually do it. Well, turns out there is 1 spot left for a female hand cyclist. After going back and forth and making Susan reassure me I would not be left in the wilderness to be eaten by a bear I have sent out the email that I would like to fill the last slot. I guess it's not a guaranteed yet, but the email is out.
Before I go any further you should all go check out the course. go to "http://www.sadlersakchallenge.org". Find the race route and look at the elevation changes. We are climbing mountains, pure mountains, on a bike with our arms. Challenging, very. But it is doable and the feeling of accomplishment of finishing each day will be worth it all. And really, what's life without challenges anyways?
Normally I would sign up for something, maybe train a little and hope that I can finish. This, however, is a little different. In order to not embarrass myself and be miles and miles behind, I will need to put in the proper training. Until now, the furthest I have gone is 26.2 miles and that hurt. bad. Jumping up to 55 miles in one day with a mountain thrown in there... It's gonna be tough but I'm excited for the challenge. Thanks to Susan for encouraging me and giving me a friendly push to do it.

I am continuing to train in the pool and do weights, but now I'll be on my hand cycle a little more as well. I'll keep an update on my blog as to how training is going once I find the right coach to push me along.

Until then, I hope you all said your thanks to a soldier, past or present, at some point today. We owe all that we have to them. God Bless America. And good night.

Chicago marathon

2008-10-21T14:56:00.007-06:00

I had a friendly reminder (thanks Alisha) that I forgot to mention the Chicago marathon in my last White House post so here it is.

This past weekend I competed in the Chicago marathon on an arm bike. It was my 3rd marathon, the other 2 being NYC. This one was especially awesome because fellow veteran Tammy Duckworth and another friend, Alisha Middel did it as well. And it was a flat course which is always nice when you ride a bike with your arms. We did it with a group called Achilles and a number of other wounded vets. We all finished the marathon, completing all 26.2 miles and got the reward of the medal put around our neck.

I had a slight issue at mile 8 when my handle broke off my bike. Luckily one of the crowd was able to wheel me into his garage and fix my bike so I could continue. Then on mile 24 I took a turn a little sharp and fell off my bike hurting my leg (the short one) in the process. Luckily it's feeling better after some relaxing this past week. This was the first I had been on my arm bike in about 2 years and I felt it. My shoulders started to burn pretty bad about halfway through but it was an awesome day with a ton of crowds to cheer us on and I did my best. My time was 2:08 across the line.

It was a great time and I enjoyed myself. Being in that atmosphere makes me realize how much I want get better at running. I would love to cross the finish line on my feet someday...

The White House

2008-10-20T08:29:00.010-06:00

I've been home for a month now and I wasn't planning on continuing my blog but decided I would update it occasionally and when anything exciting happens.

I'm a week and a half overdue in my something exciting but I have to share it anyways. Every four years after the Olympics and Paralympics the entire Olympic and Paralympic teams get to go to the White House. This year Mr. Bush gave spoke to all of us and since I was one of the flag bearers I got to present a gift to him and his wife. Never in my life did I think I would say into a microphone, Mr. President and Mrs. Bush, but that is exactly what I did. He shook my hand a number of times and gave me a hug and a kiss on the head which is what the pictures are. In the few minutes I met him he expressed gratitude and seemed genuinely appreciative. I was impressed... Along with meeting the president we got to see all sorts of other Olympians and got pictures with Shawn Johnson, Nastia Luiken, Ryan Lochte, etc... It was a great trip with the main highlight being the chance to see my teammates again.

Other than that excitement I we have been to MN for a wedding, to visit some friends and family in NC and SC, camping, etc... This Wed. I am leaving to go to CA for a military sports camp and the annual Challenged Athletes FOundation triathlon which I look forward to every year. I have no doubts I will come back inspired by what I see as I do every year.

The days I am back at home are a little strange. Since I'm not starting work until Jan. I don't really have anything I have to do so I tend to sit around a lot thinking abut the things I should be doing. I have been back in the water a few times but I'm not committed to it again yet. We'll see about that.

All right, that's it for now. Have a good day.

Pictures.

2008-09-22T17:23:00.005-06:00

I have been back in the states now for a few days and getting over the jet lag has not been easy. I think I brought something back from Beijing with me as I haven't been feeling that well since I've been back but I am getting better as the days go on. I am still in CO but am leaving tomorrow to drive back to Chicago. I am really looking forward to finally being at home. Since we can post pictures now I wanted to post a few of my favorites from my time in Beijing. I can't figure out how to put captions on them but they are of opening and closing ceremonies, our time in the cube and one of my room in the Olympic Village. Enjoy.

My last days in Beijing.

2008-09-17T09:09:00.007-06:00

Tonight was closing ceremonies. I was nominated to carry the flag for the US delegation and got the honor of doing so. It was such an honor, I can't even explain it in words. Standing in the tunnel with all the countries and walking out into the sold out stadium carrying our flag was amazing. It adds even more to the whole experience and was the perfect way to end the trip.

Our team finished up in the water cube on top of the medal count. We got the most overall medals in the meet ahead of China and Ukraine. It was incredible, I only wish I could have added to the count. But being part of the Team has been the experience of a lifetime.

I finally got to get around and see some of China. I went with my parents and a tour guide who showed us the sights. We went to the Great Wall and it was sooo cool. We took a gondola up most of the way and then walked the rest of the way up. What a sight to be on top of the wall. It was a for sure highlight of the trip. After the great wall we went to this back alley restaurant and got some Peking Duck. We walked in and saw the ducks roasting in the fire. The cook brought them over to our table and we got 4 plates of duck meet that we wrapped in these real thin pancakes with cucumbers. It was soo tasty. Then we had quite the experience at the silk market. It's this indoor mall with hundreds of stalls that have anything you can think of and you barter back and forth for the price you want. I got a few knock off purses and some jewlery. I enjoyed myself there. It was an overall great day being able to get out of the village and spend some time with my parents.

We already had to pack our bags and turn them in for the flight tomorrow. We leave here at 12:30 for a 4:30 flight. As much as I am looking forward to getting home I am not looking forward to the long day of traveling tomorrow. From here to Chicago, to Denver, 2 hr. layover and then finally Colorado Springs. We will all be exhausted once we finally get back. I will be in the Springs for 4 days while I pack up and then make the drive back to Chicago. I can't wait to get back there.

I doubt I'll be writing too much anymore once I get back. I will post pictures and post the website where you can go to see those.

Thanks for all the cheers and the support from you all throughout this journey of mine. I wouldn't have gotten here without it.

My last swim

2008-09-12T00:34:00.007-06:00

My best time going into prelims was 5:03. That time would have put me in finals. My time today was a 5:09. That put me 11th. As I got up on the blocks I saw that a girl in the heat ahead of me had gotten DQ'd. She was one of the ones ahead of me in the rankings and I thought, this is my chance. The 1st 200 went well but then my body and my muscles got tight and I slowed down. I was ranked 3rd in my heat and could see a girl across the pool getting close to me. I tried to hold her off but it didn't work. I came in 4th on my heat and knew right away that my time wouldn't be fast enough for finals.

I am disappointed. I knew medaling was going to be tough but I thought for sure I would make finals and even more sure that I would get 3 best times. I only got a best time in 1 event. This just wan't my meet. Trials was, this wasn't.

I am trying to put it all in perspective since my main goal was just to make it here to Beijing. I am here and swam on the biggest athletic stage I've ever been on. I'll take the memories of it all back to the states with me. Opening ceremonies, the village, my AWESOME cheering section, wearing the USA uniform, the great swims of my teammates... I will carry them all with me and they can only make be stronger on whatever I decide to pursue next. Everyone here has the dream of standing on the medal podium hearing their national anthem. I've dreamed it a hundred times. Maybe it will happen for me somewhere down the road, Beijing just wasn't my time.

After my race I got to see Dick and my family. I've never wanted and needed a hug from Dick and my family so badly. The tears flowed from all of us and it was with a mixture of emotions. For me, it was mostly disappointment in myself and my times but also that the journey to and in Beijing is over for me. It has been an unforgettable one filled with both ups and downs and I would do it all over again. But hopefully with better results this time...:)

I had so much support here. 20 incredible family and friends that came all the way here to see me swim (and check out the sights of China..) I am trying not to feel bad that they didn't even get to see me swim in finals. But it is what it is...

There are 3 days left of swimming and I will be there to cheer on my teammates. After that we get a day off before closing ceremonies. We get to go with our families to see the city so I'll be out with my parents for the day. I'm sure we'll see the Great Wall and hopefully I'll get to see the some of the city and try some authentic Chinese food. I am looking forward to that.

SO, my time swimming in the cube is over. I wish I could go back and redo all my swims but that'll have to be done in my head. When I take a bigger look at things which will get easier as the days go on, I am still honored to have worn the USA uniform over here and be part of Team USA. This has been an incredible experience and I am proud to have made it this far.

GO USA!

Sept. 11th

2008-09-10T20:20:00.004-06:00

I got to sleep in today which was awesome. The 400 free is tomorrow so it was decided that some extra sleep might do me some good. I thought 3 days off in between my races would be so long but my race is tomorrow already. How time flies...

The past 2 days have been as exciting as the first few with the races of my teammates. I believe the USA is ahead in the medal count for swimming. China has gotten the most golds but we are on top for all medals. Yeah USA!

I've been at the pool for the majority of the time the past 2 days. I've gotten in to warm up and swim about 3 times and I am feeling better in the water. Hopefully by tomorrow I'll be feeling great and ready to swim myself into finals. I am hoping I am feeling a little better by tomorrow. I have been loosing my voice for the past few days and originally I thought it was becasue I was screaming for my teammates so much but yesterday came the runny nose and headache and such. I saw the doctor here and got some things that should make me better by the morning.

Two days ago now my sister, Amanda, and her husband, Gavin, came into the Olympic Village and yesterday Dick and his brother, Mark got to come in. There are a limited number of visitor passes each athlete can get so I have limited it to family coming in. I wish I could bring all 20 of my family and friends in but that wouldn't work too well. It was great to spend more time with my family and show them around the village a little bit. There's actually not too much to show but they saw my room, the dining hall and got to see what it's like inside here. It was great to see them and I'm looking forward to my parents coming this Sun.

Today is Sept. 11th in Beijing. I think when I post this it will still be the 10th in the states. With all that is going on here, I am embarrassed to say that I didn't realize it until this morning. I hope all of us can stop for a moment today and remember the lives of those lost on this day 7 years ago. It is with their lives and those lost since then that we can enjoy the liberties that we have today. As I walk around the Olympic Village I have such a sense of pride being a part of team USA. I am honored to wear the red, white and blue and will think of all those today who represent the US in a different uniform.

TOmorrow is the big day. It will be a good one, I know that. Next time I write will be with how well my race went. Until then, I get to watch my teammates race tonight and I know they will make us all proud.

GO USA!

Day two

2008-09-08T07:41:00.002-06:00

Well...today was a little better than yesterday. I did get a best time by about .7 seconds which I was happy about. I would be happier if I went a bit faster but a best time is what I was going for so I will be happy with that. I obviously didn't make it to finals...again...but Friday is my best race and I am going to focus on that. The goal is to make it back to finals. I'll start there...

As they did yesterday, my teammates blew the competition out of the water in finals. Once again, world records were broken, national anthems played and I was a proud member of the US Paralympic swim team. Hopefully on Friday I'll be down there in the pool also.

Now I have three days off until my next race and I am going to focus on just trying to relax and get the 'good feel' in the water back. Ive been missing it these past couple of days so hopefully with a 3 day break I'll be feeling great by Fri.

ANother day down. I'll be back cheering for everyone tomorrow.

GO USA!

Day One

2008-09-07T07:46:00.004-06:00

This is going to be a short one again as my bed is calling my name. First let me say that opening ceremonies was incredible. Walking into the stadium, seeing the sold out crowd and trying to soak it all in, saying it was awesome is an understatement. We stayed for about 45 minutes after we got in there and since I was in a wheelchair we had amazing seats. I wish we could have stayed for the whole thing but we got out and back here by 11pm. It worked out well.

Today was the 100 fly. Unfortunately, I don't have any exciting news about my race to speak of. In fact it was quite the opposite but I'm putting it behind me. I have to say I was quite caught up in the moment of being here. Walking out to the starting area and seeing my 20 family and friends in the stands was one of the greatest moments I have experienced. I felt so lucky and so honored to have them all here. After the race I saw my time and was a bit disappointed that it wasn't a personal best. But seeing everyone up there cheering me on regardless of my time made it all OK. I got out of the pool and just tried to soak it all in. When I got back to my room it set in that I really really wished I had done better. Just to prove to myself that I could do it. I know I am capable of doing better, of doing a lot better, it just wasn't my day. Two more races to go... tomorrow the 100 free and then Friday is the big one, the 400 free. They will both be better than today.

Again, I can't name names but my teammates tonight did outstanding. I was so proud to be a teammate and part of the USA. Since I didn't make finals I was up in the stands and screamed my head off. World records were set, national anthems were played and amazing things happened. It was awesome.

ALong with the success of my teammates, the highlight of my day was seeing my family and friends at the cube. They came in before finals and I got to talk with them for about a half hour. Many much needed hugs were had and I'm looking forward to seeing them tomorrow. The 20 of them are the greatest cheering section in there. At least to me they are. They have flags and signs and shirts and banners. They are amazing.

Time for bed now. It's late and tomorrow is another early morning.

GO USA!

Again, I can't name names here but my teammates

It all starts tonight

2008-09-05T22:26:00.004-06:00

I am going to try and be quick here so I can get to napping before the opening ceremonies TONIGHT. Yes, tonight..it is finally here and I couldn't be more excited.

The past few days I have been feeling real heavy and real slow in the water and was getting a bit discouraged. My shoulders seemed a little too sore. However, today I felt much better and I know tomorrow will be even better so I am pumped about that. We got our heat assignments and in the 100 fly I am heat 3, lane 7, next to a teammate of mine and the infamous South African. I'm not supposed to be saying names here so you'll have to figure it out on your own. My goal is to do my best, obviously, and to make finals. To be top 8 and make finals I have lots of time to drop but I can do it. I know I can.

Tonight we leave for opening ceremonies at 6:30 which is much much later than we thought. Gives us time to eat, take a nap and relax before we go. I am so excited to walk into the stadium, I get goosebumps even thinking about it.

For all those back in the US, I will be on a segment with ABC news and Bob Woodruff either Sunday or Monday night. Keep a look out if you like. And a picture on the NY times website: http://olympics.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/05/the-starting-line-the-benefits-of-the-paralympics/?scp=1&sq=Melissa%20Stockwell&st=cse

I need to nap now so I can get some rest before we leave. Just being here is such an honor for me and everything I have dreamed of for these past 3 years starts tonight. I have so much pride walking around the village as part of the USA and I know the rest of my team and I will make our country proud as the competition gets under way. Thanks for all your support and GO USA!

BEIJING!

2008-09-03T06:50:00.003-06:00

What can I say, this place is incredible. Everything about it. I don't even know where to begin other than I thought this place was pretty cool when I saw it on TV. It didn't do it justice as everything is just awesome. I feel as though I have to pinch myself to remind me that I'm not dreaming and that I am actualy here. Here in Beijing.

We got here yesterday and as we flew in you could see the organized and structured building structures and it all looks so neat. As we drove out of the airport we passed these thousands of perfectly spaced planted trees. Everything is so clean. Even the highway was spotless. We got to the village and it feels like we are in a resort. Everything from the rooms, the landscaping, the volunteers that jump up to do anything and everything you'd ever need, the food, it's all fantastic. Our rooms have 6 people in tham, 2 to a room with 2 bathrooms. I really enjoy my suitemates. For practices we have about a 5 min. walk to the bus terminal where we have about a 10 min ride to the pool. Our practice times vary depending on the day but we are still going twice a day but doing very very little in the second workout. We are trying to get adjusted to the prelim/ final schedule.
The dining hall here is absolutely enormous. It has any type of food you could imagine. Really, think of anything and I bet they have it. I don't know how many people it seats but probably 5,000 or so. It's huge.

This morning we practiced at the water polo pool and to get there we drove a little further so we got to see a bit more of the city. At 6:30am there were people out flying kites on these things that would be parks if they had grass but they are concrete. People out riding their bikes which are everywhere, doing Tai- chi. We drove past this really cool totem pole and cool thatched houses. And it's all SO clean.

The water cube left me speechless. Seeing it from the outside is one thing but walking in and seeing where we will swim the biggest reaces of our lives brought tears to my eyes. It is incredible. We swim in the competition pool for the first time tomorrow. There is a practice pool too which we have swam in a few times which feels fast. I bet the competition one is even better...

The big thing here is pin trading. I had no idea this went on but it's like wildfire. We got about 15 pins each to trade and I wish we had 100's of them. Everyone wants the pins from every other country. It's fun and I gladly take part in it.

I have taken many pictures but due to the super strict blogging guidelines I'm not going to post any. It was recommended that we do that to be on the safe side. I can, however, e-mail pictures which I will do in the next day or two to all of you on my long e-mail list that get e-mails from Dick or I some times.

Dick and my family and friends get here on Friday. I am really looking forward to seeing them. Even though it will be a wave from the stands, I'm excited.

As usual, it's time for me to go to bed now. I didn't get much sleep last night and I felt it today so hoepfully I can sleep better tonight.

Good night!

Beijing Bound. Literally....

2008-09-01T07:39:00.006-06:00

We are loading the bus to leave for the plane in about 2 hours. I can't believe the time has actually come and we are going to be in Beijing in the Olympic Village later today. We have had such a great time here that it's as if we've been on vacation. Going into Beijing with a relaxed mind set and already accustomed to the weather and time change is awesome. We couldn't have asked for a better pre- Beijing trip. Now it's on to bigger things...

Yesterday we had a farewell dinner and a big thank you to everyone that has helped us out this week. It was a good time and they had these Japanese style karate/ drummer people that were put on a pretty cool performance. As we leave tomorrow I think we can ll say we've gotten a good taste of not only life on Kadena, but the island of Okinawa as well. It is a place I would definitely recommend. Here are a few pictures from us all of dressed up in some of our cool clothes that we wore to the closing dinner last night. We looked like quite the team. Here is another with my sponsor Shelley and I. She was awesome. She gave me my first gold medal...:) It's a 'medal' hello kitty necklace that is also a notebook. I may wear it everywhere I go...

I also got to talk to my parents last night which was nice since I haven't had the chance to talk to them since I've been here. I can't wait to see them and the rest of my family and friends in Beijing.

I tried the fancy LZR suit in the water yesterday for the first time. It was fantastic. Really fantastic. I think part of it is mental after seeing how fast the Olympians went wearing the suit and just feeling fast before you get in the water. But whatever it is, it helps and I can't wait to wear it in my races.

The bus left this morning at 5am for the pool. It was an early morning just trying to get a swim in before we left. We took a last team picture before we left the pool this morning. I've never swam outside much but I really enjoyed it. Even this morning when it was still pitch black when we got in the pool.

The next time I'll write I'll be in Beijing.Once we get there hopefully I'll be able to sleep from all the excitement. At trials I barely slept a wink because of all the excitement.

Until next time I'm Beijing Bound. For real this time.

GO USA!

Almost off to China,

2008-08-31T05:55:00.005-06:00

Today I got to go off post and I learned some things about the people here on Japan. First, they don't take your money (or CC) with their hand. They have this little silver tray that they put it on. Even when we went through the Starbucks drive through (yes, they have them here) they give you a silver platter thing and bow to you as you put your CC on it. I found that quite strange. They also have a bunch of strange superstitions some might call them. Many of them which are really cool. Everywhere you go they have these two dogs called shi- shi dogs. One has it's mouth open, the other closed. When you pass by the closed on it takes all the good and bad omens away from you. Then when you walk by the open mouthed one, it goves you back your good omens. These dogs are EVERYWHERE and any souvenier shop has these dogs on any item you can imagine. They also have these things that you can hang by your door and you touch it every time you leave to bring you luck, or maybe good omens...I'm not sure, but something good either way. ANother thing, they all seem to be avid scuba divers and when by the ocean (which is everywhere) they go to the seawall and actually jump over the wall into the ocean to dive. ANother thing I have yet to see but can only imagin how hilarious it is, is when kids cross the street they are taught to raise both arms over their head and run acrosss the street. I guess it makes them look bigger?? I haven't seen it but the way my sponsor descibes it, it's got to be hilarious. I'm keeping my eyes peeled until we leave.

We got to go off post today and I went with my sponsor around the island a little bit. We drove to this awesome beach area and walked around a bit. Then we went up to this lighthouse surround by these rocks and it was gorgeous. We could barely see the outline of some of the other islands and on a clear day it's got to be spectacular. Then we went down to this blocked off street area that had all these Japanese stores and restaurants. I got some shi- shi dogs (of course) and we ate at this steak place. I got this hamburger steak that was so so tasty. My sponsor is awesome and she spent the day taking me to all these palces. It was great.

Tonight we had skit night and we all did these skits. Most were pretty funny. Then we got the schedule for the next few days. We have to pack our bags tomorrow. Weird. I got some butterflies in my stomach when they were taling about going to Beijing on Tues. In 48 hours I will be in my room in the Olympic Village. ANd I may have even swam in the water cube by then. Wow is all I have to say.

It's bedtime for me yet again. Here are some pics of my trip around the island. Especially of the shi shi dogs and my sponsor and I with a huge one of them. There is also one of the toilets that were in a shop. Thankfully there was a 'normal' one for handicapped used that I gladly used...
Good night for now.

A good day

2008-08-30T06:43:00.005-06:00

Today I swam in the South China Sea. We got the chance to go to the beach and most of us gladly went along. It was beautiful and the weather was perfect. I'm not a huge fan of the ocean so I didn't get in it too much but I sat by the water for quite a while and took it all in. The sunset was beautiful. There was a military type beach BBQ for dinner and they they brought all 4 of us vets along with the swim team. I met some nice people and had a good time. It was great day.

The past few days have been pretty good ones. Yesterday we got to go in a KC135 simulator and take- off and land and fly around a bit. That was real neat. They also had a static display of an F-15. We weren't allowed to go in it but we got to get close and take pictures which was good enough for me.

Tomorrow we get to go off post for a few hours. I think I am going to go with my sponsor and do some shopping and hopefully get some sushi or something. We got to see a little more of the island today when we were driving to the beach but I'm looking forward to seeing more of it tomorrow.

We leave for Beijing on Tues. Only 2 more full days here. It has gone by so fast. Swimming is going as planned. We are tapering so doing less yardage and less intensity sets and we are only in for 1.5 hours or so. SInce we are doing less we all have a bit more energy but it is important that we do what we can to rest. It's all part of the taper...the part I struggle with is trying to eat less. Since we aren't swimming as much, we aren't supposed to eat as much but I Really like food and it's so good here. The cookies at lunch are especially tempting.

Opening ceremonies are a week from today. I think I've decided that I am going to go. I think I would be really disappointed if I didn't. I am going to try and use one of my teammates wheelchairs so I can sit down instead of be on my feet the whole time. As much as I would love to walk into the stadium it's a good compromise to staying off my feet. I just can't resist the feeling I know I'm going to get when I walk in the stadium for the first time wearing the USA uniform. I get chills even thinking about it and can't pass it up. It will be fantastic.

Here are some pictures from the pool, the F-15 and the beach.

It's bedtime for me now. I'll probably write once more before we leave for Beijing. Good night.

Okinawa...again

2008-08-27T18:30:00.006-06:00

I can't believe it is Thursday already. Our whole team has been together now for over a week now which seems hard to believe. I know we still have the biggest events to come and a few more weeks but it is going to go by fast. I'm trying to soak it all in...

We are pretty much in a routine here in Okinawa. A typical day is like this:
6:30- wake up
7:30- load the bus for the pool
8-10- swim
11- talk to Dick..:)
12-3- lunch and hang out, relax, watch a movie, etc...
3:30- load the bus for the pool
4-6- swim
7-10- dinner, see our sponsor, hang out
10ish- bedtime

I have seen my sponsor a few times and I really like her. We are the same age and have a lot on common. I went to dinner with her 2 nights ago to this Brazilian Steakhouse place where they cook the food in front of you. It's called Teppanyaki. I had some Kobe beef and it was tasty. Last night I met with my sponsor again and had a really cool experience. She is a flight nurse and last night she was helping load a mission that was flying out to Hawaii. I got to go and see them load the plane and get into the cockpit and such. It was a KC135 aircraft and is usually used for re- fueling missions. It was huge. The pictures posted here are of me in the cockpit and one of me in the engine. I asked 5 times to make sure the plane would not be turned on while I was sitting there... It was real neat just seeing how they load for a mission like that and seeing the airfield. It renewed my desire to learn how to fly which I promised myself I will do someday.

Between the track and field team and the swimming team here at Kadena there are 4 wounded vets, 2 of us from Iraq. I am the only one on the swimming team. Yesterday the 5 of us went and had a question and answer session for a few hundered new air force personnel. That was pretty neat too.

I also posted a picture of the pool we train at every day. I am getting more used to the humidity and such, it doesn't seem so bad anymore and the pool is real nice. It is almost pleasant at night. They have these huge fruit bats here that come out at night. They are almost double the size as a bird would be.

I am really enjoying myself here so far. Everyone is so nice and so helpful. I really can't think of anything else I would need. I'll post more pics and write more later.

And if you like, check out these link: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/e60/columns/story?columnist=thompson_wright&id=3552762
or
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1593382/20080822/id_0.jhtml

Okinawa

2008-08-25T05:28:00.003-06:00

Well, I'm here. Here in Okinawa Japan at Kadena Air Force base. We left on Sat morning and had quite the long flight over here. We flew for 5 hours, stopped to re- fuel in Anchorage, Alaska and then flew the 8.5 hours to Okinawa. The flight wasn't long but wasn't too bad. Since it was a chartered flight there were 300 seats for only 120 of us. I got two seats to myself so I got to stretch out a bit which was nice. As we flew into Okinawa the sun was setting and seeing all the islands with the sun was gorgeous. It was like something you would see in a magazine or on a postcard. It was awesome. As soon as we landed and the doors were opened I could feel the humididty and I think I was sweating before I got off the plane.

From the moment we got off the plane we felt at home with the help of all the soldiers and airmen here. Everyone is so friendly and helpful. We were driven to the Shogun inn where our bags were brought to our room. We each have our own apartment style room with a bedroom, living area, kitchen and bathroom. Then we got assigned to a sponsor who greeted us once we got off the bus, showed us to our room, had some snacks for us and gave us their number to call if we need anything. Mine is an Air Force nurse and I think we are going to go to dinner tomorrow night. Last night after we checked into our rooms we had a dinner at the Officers Club which is right across the street. We were all exhausted and ready for bed long before that but I think I ended up in bed around 10:30ish.

This morning came early as we had to be at dinner at 6:45am. Breakfast and lunch is going to be at the Officers Club every day and dinner is on our own. After breakfast we loaded the bus to go to the pool for the first time. It's about a 15 min drive to the pool on Fosters Marine base. We have to go off the base to get to the pool so we got to see a little of life outside the post. The pool is nice, it's a 50 meter outdoor pool so suntan lotion is a neccessity for sure. SInce it's outside the water gets pretty hot so they have these sprinkler things that shoot cold water to cool down the pool. We swim from 8-10am and the load up to come back for lunch. Then we were back there from 4-6. I think today will be a pretty typical day. ALl the folks here at Kadena are really doing all they can to make us feel at home. Our rooms, the food, the service all really can't be beat.

Being here has really made me miss the Army. From getting off the plane to being back on a post and the lifestyle in general. I couldn't be happier that Dick is going to be back in the Army after medical school. I see the men and women in uniform and a part of me wishes I was still one of them.

I spent a while trying to figure out how to call out from my room and talk to Dick. I finally figured it out so we got to talk for a while. I think we figured out the times so we can talk everyday at about the same time. I miss him. I also have internet in my room but the signal is pretty weak so it's on and off but it works for me.

I have been up all day and can't wait to get to bed tonight. That's where I'm headed now. I'll write more when I can.

One more...

2008-08-22T12:23:00.002-06:00

OK, I couldn't resist one last post to put some pictures up. We had our team picture today and these are some of my teammates and I. The jackets that we are wearing are our team jackets and these are the ones we'll be traveling in.

We did just hear some exciting news. There is a rumor that NBC may be broadcasting 3 hours of Paralympic coverage a day including highlights. If this is the case, there will be many emails being sent out and hoepfully word will get to you all as to when that would be shown. This is a huge step for the Paralympic movement and would be awesome. SO, stay tuned...

I am all packed and ready to go. Tomorrow will be an early morning. I'll be up at about 4:30am to get in a quick swim from 5-6 before eating some breakfast and getting on a bus for the airport. I think our flight leaves around 9.

If I am able I will try and post some other pics throughout the time I am away. There are really strict blogging guidelines and I can't post and pics that show a sporting event taking place or opening ceremonies. And when I write, I can only talk of myself and not my teammates. So I'll have to be careful with that.

This is definitely it for now as I have to pack my computer up in a few hours. Thanks for all your support. I am so lucky to have the family and friends that I have.

GO USA!

Processing

2008-08-21T16:12:00.001-06:00

Well, this is it. The time has come and as we get ourselves all geared up to leave on Sat there is such a mixture of emotions. The rest of our team flew in yesterday and we processed and got the coolest USA gear EVER. We went from station to station getting our opening and closing ceremony Ralph Lauren uniforms, our podium wear, various workout tops and bottoms, 4 pairs of shoes, sweat pants, rings, luggage, and it kept coming and coming. To say I was overwhelmed is an understatement. As I came back to my room and laid it all out on my bed I guess you could say it all started to sink in a bit. Then we went to the pool and got all of our Speedo swimsuits and parkas and even more clothes. I’m pretty sure at this point I could be set for a long while wearing only the new clothes that we got. It’s pretty cool.

At the pool yesterday we had to try on our new suits to get them altered as they have to take off the left leg of my suit and sew it up. We were lucky enough to each get the new Speedo suit called the LZR. If you watched any of the swimming these are what most of the swimmers were wearing. It took me a solid 25 min. to get into it and at one point I had 2 people helping me. It was so difficult to get on and once it was on, I can’t say it was easy to breathe…but if it makes me go faster I’ll take the extra time to get it on right. It was pretty funny as I was all red faced and sweaty by the time I got it on. I think that could have been my workout for the day.

Today we had a bunch of meetings all about Beijing and media and other topics. There were a number of speakers that spoke to the fact about how honored we should all be to be representing the USA. It started to sink in a little more at this point. I think all along it’s going to sink in more and more and then once we are in Beijing it’s just going to hit me. I still don’t think I’ve grasped the magnitude of what my teammates and I are about to go do. When I think about it it seems as though I’m thinking of someone else. Then I have to pinch myself and realize that I too, am part of Team USA. How cool is that.

So we leave on Sat for Okinawa, Japan and the Kadena Air Force base. We will be there for about 10 days and on Sep. 2^nd we will fly into Beijing. Opening ceremonies are Sep. 6^th and my first day of competition is the 7^th. Since my first day of competition is the first day I am really torn on whether to go to opening ceremonies or not. I feel like I can’t go to the Paralympics and not go to the opening ceremonies. I can only imagine that walking into the stadium as one USA team wearing the red, white and blue has got to be an amazing, pride filled, unforgettable experience. I have been told by many that it is a highlight not to be missed. On the other hand, I don’t want to jeopardize my race the next day. It will be a big decision for me and I’ll have to wait and see what I feel at the moment.

I can't believe it's here already. The time is NOW!

5 days!!!!

2008-08-18T20:00:00.006-06:00

We are REALLY coming down to the wire now. Today is Mon, on Wed the rest of our team comes in and we start processing and then we leave on Sat. And then we are on our way to what is bound to be a fantastic month.

I was in Chicago this weekend and had a great time as usual. Watching Michael Phelps win his gold medals was nothing short of incredible. The greatest Olympian ever...imagine having that title...

It was extra hard to say goodbye since I really won't be seeing Dick again for another month. I will see him in Beijing but how much I will see of him, whether just waving from the stands or perhaps a lunch is yet to be seen. All I know is that it will be small amounts of time we will get to spend together, if any. It made it better knowing that the next time I would be in Chicago would be for good. As much as I have enjoyed the ride here and am looking so so forward to the next month, I am ready to get back to Chicago and see Dick everyday and start a somewhat normal life.

I have decided not to start back up with my work at Scheck and Siress until Jan. There are so many things that are already on the calendar once i get back. Between weddings, visiting long overdue family and friends, speaking engagements, triathlons, marathons, plus some much needed relaxing, it will be a welcomed 3 month break. Plus Dick and I just bought tickets to spend the New Year in Rome with some friends to start the year on a good note.

In practice we have begun a bit of a taper. Our practices are a little shorter and the intensity is down a little. I say a little, because tonight's practice was quite the difficult one. A lot of sprinting with little rest made it challenging but good.

I have been receiving quite a bit of good luck mail and I appreciate all of it. Thanks to all who have sent it along. Especially the one I got today, it made me smile..A LOT. thanks snoop:)

I had dinner with the Stockwell family tonight for the last time until I get back. Dick's parents, grandma, cousins and aunts and uncles have been so supportive since I have been out here. I have been lucky enough to see most of them quite a few times and always enjoy my time with them. Thanks Stockwell family!

We just finished watching the movie Miracle and it's time for bed. I'm going to go to bed dreaming of the impossible, as that seems to be the theme with the Olympics and the movie we just watched...

I'll write again after we start in- processing and get all our cool U.S.A. gear on Wed.

Good night!

10 days!!!!!

2008-08-13T15:39:00.004-06:00

The countdown is at 10 days...10 days until we leave. The rest of our team comes in a week and we begin our busy days of in- processing where we get all the Team USA suits and uniforms and meetings on various things. I have begun to pack my things for the big trip. I've been back and forth to the store a few times and have a good start. I can't wait to get all of our Team USA stuff. For those watching the Olympics (which should be ALL of you) we will be getting similar items as to what you see on TV.

Now for some chat about the Olympics. I have been more inspired, more motivated and so in awe of everything I have seen thus far. From the incredible Michael Phelps among all the other awesome swims, the gymnastics teams taking bronze and silver, beach volleyball, the diving...I think this may be the best Olympic year yet. I am particularly fond of the gymnastics and the swimming (obviously). The swimming is so good to see before we leave as we take note of what we see help someone win (or lose) and can implement it for ourselves in practice. You see what people say is impossible become possible and reality. You see the underdogs touch out their competition, the favorites not even landing a spot on the medal podium...the greatest lesson that anything can happen is so apparent here. Amazing things happen in the Olympics and I can't wait to see what awaits for me.

I have been asked a few times about the prelim/finals process of the Paralympics and I will attempt to explain it here. It is similar to the Olympics except there are no semi- finals. Every event that I swim (which is 3) will start the morning off with a prelim swim. I don't know the exact number of people that will compete in the morning, but it could be into the 20's. The top 8 times from the morning make it into finals in the evening and that is where your morning times place you in a lane assignment. Typically, the fastest morning swim will be in lane 4, then lanes 3 and 5 and so on. As far as medals go, once you make it to finals, other than your lane assignment, your time doesn't count so it's all about how you compete in the evening.
So you know where I stand, my best world ranking right now is the 400 free and I am 8th. In the 100 fly I am 16th and in the 100 free I am 20 something. To make it back to finals I will have to post either my fastest swims or a few seconds faster than my fastest. Making it back to finals would be a huge acheivement for me and I am confident I will drop enough time to make it back to finals. That is goal #1. After that comes the race for the medal and as we've witnessed in these Olympics, anything can happen.

IF you have any other questions about how things work leave me a note and I will make sure to answer them.

I hope, like myself, you are all watching the Olympics and are becoming as inspired as I have been. It seems I am dreaming when I see the water cube and imagining myself swimming there in a little over three weeks. It will be fantastic.

GO USA!

In Awe

2008-08-10T17:00:00.004-06:00

As I sit here and watch the Olympics I am in awe of what I see. These athletes, so many having trained all their lives for this moment, are so inspiring that I want to go to Beijing now. Watching Michael Phelps win his first gold medal last night almost put me in tears. Here you have a guy that may possibly one of the best athletes of all time and he still gets emotional when winning his first medal in Beijing and wishes he could find his mom in the crowd. He is such an incredible athlete, stretching the limits more than anyone ever has. I am pulling for his 8 gold medal streak...

I woke up this morning and was so excited about everything, watching the Olympics, going to the Paralympics all I could do was sit on my bed and smile. I just didn't know what to do with myself. I finally decided to search the NBC Olympic site for a while, reading all the articles I could find. After running a few errands I am back here in my room anxious to watch them tonight. 36 more minutes...

The opening ceremonies was incredible, I can only imagine the feelings of pride I am going to have when I walk into that stadium. I hope that our opening ceremonies are similar to the Olympic ones. To see all that in person would be amazing.

After watching all this coverage I am beyond ready to start practice this week. I just want to get in the pool and swim. I know our whole team will be even more motivated and excited than ever. Tje Olympic spirit is in the air!

33 min now. I'm going to go sit in front of the TV just in case they start early....I don't want to miss a thing.

GO USA!

Olympic Spirit

2008-08-07T21:39:00.005-06:00

I am in quite the Olympic Spirit this week as everyone should be since they start TOMORROW! There are these Olympic brochures lying around the OTC and I read one last night before I went to bed and was so excited I couldn't get to sleep. I can't believe that I am actually going to the Paralympics.

This week's practices have all been going well, especially today's. I was so happy about my times in practice both this morning and tonight that it stretches the imagination to imagine how fast I can and will go in Beijing. I have to admit that I am feeling a bit of 'medal pressure'. People keep telling me how awesome it will be when I medal and I think, well, what if I don't? It seems to be a common theme for people who wish me luck to mention a medal in there as well. I know a lot of times they don't know what else to say but it definitely registers in my mind every time. This is only my 7th post on here and I've think I've mentioned a few times already so it is obviously something that is on my mind a little. I try to take it in stride and take a few breaths and let the nervousness pass over me. I'm going to do my best, no doubt about that. And if a medal is meant to be, so it is meant to be. Only time will tell that one.

I had an interview with a Japanese news crew today. They are so interested in the story that they are planning on flying down to SC to interview my parents as well. Apparently, they are really going for the family angle which is fantastic since the support I've had from my parents has helped get me to this point.

I already packed my bags to go home next weekend. I guess you could say I'm a little excited to go home, even though it's another quick trip. As I did before, I am stuffing 2 bags to 50 pounds to bring back. Southwest still allows the 2 bags at no charge. I've started packing up my room so I at least have a start on it when I get back. It's weird to be thinking of being done and back here but it will come up quick as everything always seems to do.

Hopefully you'll all be as glued to the TV this weekend as I will be. After all, the Olympics are only every 4 years!

Take Pride

2008-08-04T21:15:00.005-06:00

My weekend was absolutely fantastic. It was our first time back in Chicago in over 2 months and we walked into an extremely hot house smelling of mustiness. After many hours it cooled off and we were able to clean it up, unpack and organize some things. It was so nice to be back in our house with all of our stuff and be together for a weekend. I have to admit that it is hard to come back to the OTC and my dorm room after being back there. It makes me realize how much I have to come back to after Beijing. First and foremost, Dick, but just the comforts of home and getting back into work and being able to hang out with our Chicago friends...it is something I am looking forward to.

Opening ceremonies are a month from the day after tomorrow. I think it set in a little bit how close it was when I was saying goodbye to people and they were wishing me luck since I won't see them again till after the games. It is sooooo close I can't believe it. I am going to be ready. With a good taper I feel I could be ready now. I am just so excited and honored to be there in the first place I can't wait to see what will come of it all. It's bound to be something good.

You should all go to the website www.takepride.com and check out the t-shirt labeled 'Stronger' Take Pride is an organization that makes shirts based on stories of soldier's coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan. They have many shirts that tell some awesome stories through the artwork on the shirts. This last shirt is my own, based on my story and has been in the works for a few weeks. I love the outcome and I, of course, think you should all buy one...:) 20% of the proceeds go to the Wounded Warrior Project which is an organization I am a big part of. I serve on the board if directors and they have helped me significantly in pursuit of my swimming goals. Check it out and let me know what you think, hopefully you like the t-shirt as much as I do.

A funny story from today. I was at the post office, wearing shorts and this older lady came up to me started rubbing my back and asked me how someone as young as me had lost their leg. I was in a bit of a hurry so I used the quick version story...' In Army, In Iraq, roadside bomb, lost leg' She was obviously a bit surprised and moved in for a hug and then kissed my neck. I have to say that the situation was quite awkward and lesson learned: don't go around kissing strangers necks...

I am l0oking forward to the week and hoping it will be a good one. Hope you all have a good one too.

Chicago bound

2008-07-31T22:22:00.004-06:00

It's our coach Jimi's birthday tomorrow and he says he has a special Jimi Flowers birthday workout for us tomorrow so I'm a bit nervous as to what it entails. But whatever it is, it will be OK, since after practice tomorrow I am going back to Chicago for 2 WHOLE days of no swimming. Whatever am I going to do???
Jimi is giving our whole team the weekend off to go home a last time before we go to Beijing and has given us strict instructions NOT to swim. It will be a much needed break to let my muscles rest as I was beginning to think they were getting over worked this week.
This won't be the last time I go home, as I get a special trip to Chicago to see Dick one last time in a few weeks so that will be nice. This is the first time either Dick or I will be back to our house in Chicago for 2.5 months so hopefully everything is still in place. We had a friend checking in on it and we've had nothing unusual mentioned so hopefully that is the case.

This week went pretty good. Practice was especially hard all week and I doubt tomorrow will be much better. Today we did the dreaded 6 100 sprints as fast as we can from the block. We did these before trials as well, each week doing one less and as much as they hurt they give us a good idea as to where our times are. If we are getting good times here in practice, then it's left to the imagination as to how much more time we can drop when we are rested, shaved, tapered, etc...and the imagination can drop lots of seconds. My 100's were OK this time around, nothing spectacular. However, this week I did have the best and the worst practices that I have had in months. Both encouraging and discouraging but I try to put the latter one out of my mind...I mean everyone can have a bad practice every now and then right??

As I mentioned before, this week was the week of interviews. NBC, EPSN and MTV today. I'm not sure when they are all to air but I will keep you posted. As I know, Lou DObbs is still scheduled for tomorrow night but we'll see about that.

We just got back from a lovely dinner at the Stockwell household with Dick's parents and extended family. I have thouroughly enjoyed my time here in CO and getting to see Dick's family as much as I have as they are always a fun group to be around. They spoil me with all sorts of food and treats that I shouldn't be eating. Unfortunately when it comes to sweets and any sort of chocolate I lack the willpower to say no.

It is late and i need to get to bed now. Jimi's secret practice starts an hour earlier tomorrow meaning that the alarm will go off at 5:09 instead of 6:09 so it's bedtime for me.
Have a great weekend!

Oh and this picture in the upper right is a cool picture that was taken by the militarytimes.com people. It's one of my favorites...

Lou Dobbs

2008-07-28T13:20:00.002-06:00

So, the Lou Dobbs piece was not on last week (sorry to all those that watched) It has again been postponed till this Fri. but has been postponed 5 times now, so no guarantees...

The drive went well. We left Sat after my practice and drove to Kansas City and then on to St. Louis in the morning where I flew back to CO around noon. Dick is close to the ending point of Fayettville, NC and will stay with a good friend of ours there tonight. Then the long awaited arrival of Brother is tomorrow. We are all excited to have him back home. He recently bought a plane ticket to Beijing as well. I think that makes the count 15 people and I can't express how lucky I feel to have so many people take the time and spend the money to come watch me compete. I really do have the most amazing friends and family.

The Air is Rare

2008-07-25T21:29:00.002-06:00

The Air is Rare....at 7250 feet that is what was written on the wall at our swim meet at the Air Force Academy today and yesterday. I did the 200 free, the 200 IM, the 200 fly and the 400 fly. Unfortunately, I have no exciting news to report. I did drop some time in my 200IM but I rarely do that event so that is too be expected. The 400 free and the 200 fly were especially rough, whether it was the lack of air or just being tired I don't know. Most likely a combination of both. That was our last meet before Beijing and I was hoping to do better but I;'m OK with it. I'm confident in our training and what I can accomplish in Beijing.

Dick finished up with camp yesterday and got here last night. Tomorrow we start the drive to Kansas City, KS and then onto St. Louis, MO where I will fly back to CO on SUnday. It should be a fun drive. Really, I like road trips, especially with DIck who I haven't gotten to spend near enough time with lately so I am looking forward to it.

Next week is filled with a number of media interviews. ESPN, NBC and MTV. I think they will be more frequent now that the games are approaching. I'll try and keep you all posted as to when they will be airing.

This past Wed. I helped teach a swim clinic for some visually impared kids and for some blind disabled vets from Iraq. It was the first time I have ever tried to tach any sort of swimming and I really enjoyed it. I admit I didn't know what I was doing exactly but they all seemed real receptive too it. Working with the wounded vets was a great experience. There is an obvious connection with them right off the bat and I enjoyed myself. It actually made me miss the Army a little bit.

Time for bed now so we can get up and make the long drive tomorrow. Have a good weekend!

5 weeks

2008-07-20T22:18:00.004-06:00

5 weeks till we leave and head to Beijing. 5 weeks, that's it. I like to say that it has come up fast but in reality I've known it was coming all along. It it just so close now. Every practice has counted since I arrived here at the OTC and it's now that I start to look back and reflect wondering and hoping that I made the most of them all.
When it comes to the Paralympics I am constantly asked if I am going to medal. Do I want to? Of course. Do I think I can? Yes, but I know it will be tough. My S9 class is so competitive and thanks to Natalie Du Toit of South Africa I would have to drop 40 seconds in my best event the 400 free to win gold. Yes, 40 seconds... To be in medal contention it would be a 20 second drop. I dropped 17 seconds at trials and I know it can be done. I'm just gonna try my hardest to get to the wall before my competitiors. That's all I can do. And regardless of the medal outcome I know I would have done my best and I'll be happy with that. I have been imagining myself on top of the podium hearing our nationl anthem and I get goosebumps and all worked up even thinking about it. As much As I love to think about it and imagine it, it will come down to how fast I can go in China. I'll be ready.

I had a great weekend with Dick. He heads back to Chicago in 2 weeks to start back up with school. I can't believe the summer is almost over. Brother is getting back from his year long tour in Iraq in a little over a week. Next weekend DIck is driving the 26 hr. trip from CO to NC to bring him his car. I will be joining him for half the trip so next Sat after practice we'll drive to Kansas City and then on to St. Louis the next day where I will fly back to CO. Fun road trip!

I am looking forward to practice this week. I look forward to it most weeks. It's on Wed or Thurs when I get so sore that I begin to look forward to the weekend. But it's the beg. of the week so I'm excited.

Test

2008-07-17T21:51:00.000-06:00

test