Happy New Year

Tonight is New Year's Eve and in typical fashion I am spending it in the Pediatric Emergency Dept, where I am a nurse (Now just one day a week!!!). This is a holiday I celebrated when I was young, and as an adult it is actually just as fun spending it in "the big house" as I like to call it. I work with many amazing people, and as much as I am phasing out of hospital nursing, I will always keep my foot in the door. The feeling of teamwork when a trauma rolls in at 3am is in itself exhilarating. And I have literally seen it all. From amputated arms to, well I should stop there. This kind of conversation is always a fork dropper at Christmas time when someone begs me to tell them ED stories.

As we approach 2007 I am so full of hope and so full of excitement. I can't really say that at midnight some enlightened feeling will overcome me, but I can say that I look forward with gratitude. It's been a wonderful 2006 and I can only hope for the same in terms of family, friends, career and triathlon.

But I have always been taught by my Dad to see the glass as half full. Even when things were at their worst and I was at my sickest, I saw the bright side. So I continue to see the bright side.

This year I uncovered alot about myself, I peeled away the layers. Tonight I sit here a more connected person, to myself, and to the world. I am more authentic than I have ever been and I feel like someone opened the gates and let me out!

So Happy New Year to all of you, may 2007 be the year you find your own inner light. And let it shine my friends, let it shine!

:-) Mary Eggers

Weekly Check-up

First recovery week under the belt, and things feel well. A total of 13 hours of easy didn't feel quite that easy as I am recovering from pneumonia. Fortunately I seem to acquire pneumonia once a year (pediatric emergency nurse...), that gives me the "bragging rights" (aka stupidity) to be able to train through it. Lightly of course, no interval stuff here.... okay except in the pool. I have convinced myself that as long as I get an equal amount of rest, then training is permissible.

The pneumonia has resolved, I am breathing easy, down to a few coughs a day, and feeling much better. There is always that strange sense of victory, kind of like when you drink an obscene amount of liquor as a college student.... you know it is horrid for you but you live to tell..... that's the way I finished the week.

Cresting the New Year I am looking forward to a slower work schedule, as I drop to one day a week in the pediatric emergency dept. This allows me to focus on my boys, the Ironman year, my business and my yoga teaching. And trust me that's an empty plate for me.

A quick review of systems here:

Swim: Felt terrific in the pool despite being sick. Got to train in between Heidi Grimm and Kelly Bergkessel this week, so that it in itself is awesome. Got an extra swim in this week also :-) Good for a recovery week.

Bike: oddly low mileage for me on the bike, again that's what recovery is for. I am utilizing the spinning bike and the trainer on which I can measure slope, cadence, speed, and wattage. I haven't paid much attention to watts this week.

Run: Just 3 runs this week, 5 miles and 2 X 10 miles. All easy pace. I am savoring the grey winter days that I missed when I was injured last year. The cold crisp air and the snow is finally here.

Yoga: Made it to 3 classes this week, and almost have my forearm balance away from the wall.

Strength: Finally widdled my functional strength training program down to the exercises I love and that work within the timeframe.

Nutrition: Eating well, aiming for 5 fruits and vegetables per day. I began a course of pro biotics this week, recommend to me by my naturopath. I will check weight next week, but all feels well.

Next week brings specific workouts, and an increase to 15 hours. My Thursday 3:30 ride on the trainer is something I actually am looking forward to. A year ago I was in the Boot, and now I am not. That is progress.

So Happy New Year to all of you, I hope it brings with it everything you dream of! But for now, time for a quick nap before I hop on the bike.

:-) Mary Eggers

Breathe

"Inhale lift.... exhale fold forward....... inhale to standing....... exhale fold forward......... inhale lift halfway....... exhale vinyasa......"

She teaches us to breath cues, we have all done the poses and the sequence thousands of times, but nothing can match or replace the sound, synergy and energy of 40 people moving and breathing together.

I stand in between Abby and Angelo tonight, and it is if the three of us are dancing to the same song, our asanas move together, our energy is blended. It's a connection that does not require words, or explanation. It is a connection that just takes place within four walls, and on top of a yoga mat.

Within my practice I was taken to the edge. I know with progress there is pain. With joy there is grief. With happiness there is sorrow. With each push there is a pull. Every action has some sort of reaction. Maybe it lies within our physical self, and maybe it lies within our metaphysical being. For me tonight it happened in both places. Yet other Thursday nights I feel like there is a cork blocking my connectivity to myself and to my fellow students.

The heat was terrific, ninety and climbing. The sweat was dripping and without the music it sounded like rain was falling.

"The winds of grace are always blowing........ you just have to raise your sail...."

Tonight I raised my sail. I floated from bakasana into headstand back into bakasana, I felt myself float from there into chattarunga like I was a feather. My forearm balance felt effortless, like nothing in the world could weigh me down.

And as we all laid together in Savasana, forty sweat drenched bodies lying on the floor, in silence breathing. The hamster wheels in our minds stopped. It was as if we were lying in the eye of the storm where there was stillness, clarity, and presence. Nowhere but here in a world where we are used to being everywhere but here.

Equanimity in it's most true and raw form.

Breathe.

:-) Mary Eggers

Walk through the fire my friends.......

Every one's a buzz with new year's resolutions. You see it everywhere you go, reinvent yourself, discover a brand new you, out with the old in with the new........

How about we change our thinking. Why are we always trying to change who we are, forget what we are about, become someone else. Is it because we are that unhappy with who we are right here and right now?

Everything we need, everything we want to be, everything we need to get there... we already have. We don't need to develop inner strength, we have it. We don't need to develop confidence, we already have it. They are hidden.

If you have seen the movie Shrek, then remember back to the scene where Shrek explains to Donkey, that Ogres are like onions. They have a lot of layers.

Well so do we.

How about this year instead of trying to change who we are, let's uncover who we are. Peel back the layers, push back the clouds that hide the sun, clear the mist. Your most beautiful strong self has always been there. Through our life we have somehow learned the art of squashing our own light. We have somehow put clouds in the way of our sun. The way out of this is not to walk away from it, it is to walk INTO it. Step into the fire.

"If you want to heal, you've got to feel"

How many times have you been through something in your life where you want to be numbed from it, don't' want to think about it, you want to run from it? Think of how your true healing happened. It happened when you stood in front of it, and bravely walked through it. You felt the pain, you felt the burn, and guess what. You lived, you survived, you came out the other side. And you came out of it better, stronger, healed.

So whatever is standing in your way as we ring in this new year, make the resolution to walk through it, rather than away from it. Walk through the clouds and you will find the sun. That light has been shining all along, it never has dimmed. It just has been clouded.

So get your shine on friends, and let this be the year that you shine brightly and brilliantly!

:-) Mary Eggers

Reconnecting

I had such a lucky morning today. Beginning with Masters Practice, which begins at 5:45am. My friends Kelly Bergkessel and Heidi Grimm were in town and thus in the pool with me. The Stud Lanes were loaded to the brim, and we had a terrific workout. It was awesome to see how much Heidi has improved in her swimming.

Later on we gathered at the Bagel Bin for breakfast, and I got the chance to catch up with Heidi and share some good conversation with Kelly and some of the other team members.

So much happens in the pool that doesn't need to be communicated. for 6 years I have shared some intense moments with these people, in the form of intervals. Pushing each other to our personal best, laughing with each other, attempting insane drills, you realize how connected you become with one another. But then you realize how little you know about them above water.

That's why taking the time to reconnect over a coffee and a bagel is so wonderful. Knowing more about your team mate, other than their favorite suit, brings it home for me. I know they are pushing to hit 1:10 for a 100 freestyle because they are training for an event, or preparing for a business presentation. That feeling of success carries with them all day long.

As 2006 draws to a close, take the time to reconnect. With old friends and with new friends. Those people you might not notice otherwise, often they have an amazing story. Those people you hurt with, laugh with, they are more than just people in your lane. You are part of a community, and that is irreplaceable.

All Systems Go

The preparation phase of training has officially been completed. The past four weeks I have been rejoined with my coach Doug Bush http://endurancefactor.com/, and all has been going well. My volume has ranged from 9-13 hours, I am feeling good, and best of all my Achilles tendon feels terrific. I have not been able to let go of my "Achilles tendon fear", but I hope that will come soon.

We are taking somewhat of a recovery week this week, of just about 12 hours, and then with the beginning of the new year we dive into some very specific training. Please remember how long it has been since I have been in really specific training. As I stumbled through injury last year it was "ride by the seat of my pants" training. Just getting to each starting line was in itself the victory.

Along with a return to training I have set some specific goals for myself. I think that many times when we set goals we need to say them out loud. For me that makes it real, holds me accountable, and then whether I hit the exact goal or not, I am not afraid to put myself out there.

So here is the 2007 list of goals:

My A Goals are:

1. I had my body fat tested in Florida, I'd like to get down below 10% (I am currently 12%)
2. Gulf Coast 1/2 Ironman: Sub 5 hours and nail nutrition
3. Eagleman 1/2 Ironman: Sub 4:50 and nail nutrition
4. Ironman Lake Placid (best time here is 11:23) goal time is below 11:45)
5. Ironman Florida: Sub 11 hours


My B Goals are:

1. Capture as many local titles as I can (depending on how many local races I do! HA HA!)
2. 1/2 Marathon time sub 1:40

The structure of my week essentially remains the same. I swim 2-3 times, bike 4-5 times, and run 4-5 times. I strength train using functional strength programs 2 times a week and I practice yoga 2 times a week. This will be the first year I can have a concrete training schedule, I am very used to the shuffle.

Most importantly in my training is the space between my ears. Emotionally, mentally I am in a very good place. I feel clear, I feel focused, I feel ready. That is for me the most important aspect of any program. Walk through this training with doubt and fear and it will surface on race day.

On race day I am completely unaware of my competition. Frankly I don't care who is in the rack with me. Afterwards I do look through results as I admire the faster competitors, definitely. But when I am racking my bike and donning my wetsuit, I feel like I am in the eye of the Storm. The world can swirl around me but I am here, right now, with my task at hand. If that means I win, I win. If that means I get my butt kicked, then I get kicked. The only thing I can control is how I react to what happens to ME in the race. I can not always control pace, weather, drafting, etc. But I can control what I do with those circumstances.

I am looking forward to, and craving a few weeks cresting 15 hours per week. I am looking forward to early morning rides on the trainer, I am looking forward to trudging through snow. It all means one thing...... I am on my way back.

:-) Mary Eggers

Treasure

"Good morning Mommy." Luc pried my eyes open at the sleep in hour of 8am. To me waking at 8am is like normal people sleeping in until noon. But I have been sick the past few days with bronchitis, self diagnosed and treated of course. I am after all a nurse and everyone knows we don't GO to the doctor when we are sick! Antibiotics? Heck no, I have to have a SERIOUS infection! HA HA!

"Mommy we have to play with my train!" he cheered pulling my hand and pulling me out of bed.

Ah yes, Christmas was a success. We spent Christmas at my parents house about an hour away. Their house has become Grand Central Station for the holidays and I love it. My sister and her fiance were home from France, and my aunt was in from Pittsburgh. During the day random people stop by, and there is an overload of cheer and good food.

I was very good on the cheer and food, I even dragged Amy and Yann out for a run on Christmas Eve and a long run on Christmas Day.

A magical moment happened at 3am. Luc stole into our room and crawled into bed between us.

"Daddy." He said waking my husband.

"Hmmmmm?" Curt moaned.

"Daddy have you been good?" Asked Luc.

"Of course I have." Curt replied. I giggled inside. As Luc settled himself back into slumber, he softly began to sing to himself .

"Better watch out, better not cry........"

Nothing can replace the magic in our son's eyes as he descended the stairs on Christmas morning. Santa had set up a train for him, all he had been asking for was the Polar Express. He screamed in delight as he realized he HAD in fact been good, and that Santa in fact HAD bought him his train!

Since we have arrived home I think the train had traveled 3,000 miles. The Polar Express has captured all of our hearts. It represents the magic of Christmas, the possibilities of what may lie ahead, and it brings us together. Under the Christmas tree we hover, watching it go round and round and round..........

Dirt Girl

Three hours, 6 crashes, no broken bones, log hopping, tree hugging, switchback mastering, hill descending, and I have finally earned the title of "Mountain biker". It has been a long time coming and a long time earned, and while I still have a long way to go, I came come far according to my husband.

If you have not been to Dyer Road Mountain Bike Park http://victormtb.com/ then take off your "road mind" and get over there.

How lucky can I be on a Sunny Thursday in December, just a few days form Christmas, with temps in the 50s? Spending three exhilirating hours with my husband traversing trails I may not have done alone.

At one point I was riding down a steep incline and realized that my front brakes were failing, I looked at a bunch of trees and then before I knew it I was stuck. Front tire down, rear tire up, leaning head first into a bunch of small trees. Midair almost! Thrilling!

Five minutes later my bar end hooked a tree as I flew over the handlebars and landed on my back. Luckily my shoes came unclipped.

The trick for me is to let go of my road mind. The crashes will happen, yet they are not going to happen at 25 mph, along a busy road. They happen at 11mph at most, and the soft roots around cushion your fall. I learned how to jump big logs, I learned how to grab onto a tree if I thought I was not going to make the turn. And gasp, I didn't die, my arm did not get ripped off, and I found myself screaming in joy as I descended hills that at the top...... I could not see the bottom of because it seemed to be concave.

What a wonderful way to spend the morning with your spouse, and a wonderful way to spend a three hour ride. When given the choice between computrainer and sunshine, I will pick sunshine every day. Allowing myself to let go of wattage, cadence and heart rate to breathe fresh air and spend time in the quiet silence of nature...... it helps restore and recharge me in ways I can not describe.

So now I am a bona fide mountain biker, or so they say. Hooray! Here's to new adventures!

:-) Mary Eggers

Cookie Day

Tell me there is something more beautiful than the eyes of a child that believes, and I will argue till I am blue in the face. It doesn't have to be that they believe in Santa, just that they believe in a world and a higher power, something out there exists that is greater than they are..... we can even call it magic.... is magical in itself.

Right now there are Rudolph cookies baking in the oven, set to be complete when the yellow school bus arrives. His eyes will widen to the size of saucers as he realizes that yes, without snow Christmas is still coming. How will he EVER survive TWO MORE DAYS OF SCHOOL?

Remember when that felt like an eternity?

I clearly remember Christmas morning, my father stating that no one comes down the stairs until his inspection is complete. Oh the power he must have felt as he casually brewed their morning coffee, turned on the lights, sat in his easy chair. Of the feeling of power he must have felt when he finally declared it was all right to come down. The time that elapsed was five minutes to him but in our Santa believing minds it was a good three years long! Down the long staircase we descended, how we ever made it through all of those Christmas mornings without injury because of that is another Christmas miracle.

Santa always came as long as we believed. And to this day I still do.

It is with magical wonder and unshattered, undoubtful, uncensored belief that our little boy embraces Christmas with every ounce of his soul. We don't shower him with gifts, but we have taught him that the gift is in giving itself.

I want him to always feel this hope, this happiness, this excitement. I want to bottle it up and freeze it for a day when we all need to be reminded. I want some of that for myself. My husband claims he learns it form me, but I don't think so. Our little boy somewhere, somehow has discovered the bright light that is shining brightly within him, and he shines like the sun. He is my little sunshine and I want that to be preserved forever.

Little does he know that in 10 minutes when he exits his bus and bids goodbye to his friends, I have an afternoon of Christmas cookie making in store for the two of us. It will be too much sugar, M&M's and Hershey kisses. Mouthfuls of cookie dough and belly aching at the end of the day.

But years from now I want him to remember as he creates this same memory for his own children. A time when he and his Mommy made cookies together, and licked the spoons clean and made snowmen from cookies dough.

That's what little boys are made of.

:-) Mary Eggers

Combat Swimming 101

I swim with the Rochester Area Masters Swim Team (RAMS) at the Harley school on Wednesday and Friday morning. Unbelievably this is my 6th year under the guidance of Lorie Rick, the best swim coach on earth. Our team is divided into 3 groups: Floaters, Boomers and Studs. Floaters are the beginners, Boomers are the middle, and Suds are the fast group.

I have been a happy member of the Boomers for a good five years. Being the fastest Boomer, I have often been prodded to take the leap into Stud world, however I grew comfortable in my lead role as Boomer Queen. My 100's on 1:20 were comfortable, and I got complacent.

Since September I have gotten on the school bus as I finally made the jump into the Stud Lane. I have resided happily in this lane ever since as I am seeing an improvement in my times. Going from line leader to caboose was not as hard as I thought it would be. No longer am I in charge of counting lengths, 100's, keeping track on the pace clock, etc. Now I essentially swim for my life and hope for a break.

Last week I had a breakthrough set. We were assigned 6 X 125 on 1:15. In my mind I had the idea that I would be sprinting a 700, which was just fine with me. However after the first 125 I was at the wall with plenty of time of a drink and a goggle clearing. Whew! I made it, progress!

The move to Studville has not come without it's initiation. Two weeks ago I walked away from practice with a black eye, black enough to gain concern form society. It was innocent enough, I was coming up for a breath during breaststroke when Bill was flying in the other direction, not taking a breath. The beck of his left hand met midair with my sweedish goggle, which sent me reeling into space for just a few seconds. I managed to pull together to finish the set and practice though!

Last week we were doing a set of 75's in which the first 25 was a sculling drill. As I sculled my way down the length I felt a pair of feet on my head, using me for a little push off. While that sent me back a little bit I did make the interval. Progress!

That same practice Erik Grimm knocked my right paddle off three times, I got accidentally swum into, and then over.

Now one might think that our swim team is dangerous and physical, it really is not. Things can happen when you swim in close quarters and it is the fault of three of us who regularly don't pay attention. Bill tends to swim with his eyes closed, and Erik and I have wide swings.

Remember we are triathletes also and these little moments go a long way when the gun goes off and 2000 hyper triathletes run into the water together. A hit to the head.... not a big deal. Swum over.... heck I do that every day... shoulder lock....... I can recover from that quite easily.

So it is the bigger picture we need to remember when faced with these combat like situations. They too can be fun, they too can be learning experiences, and when I have good swims in 2007, I will thank the guys for the ride on the bus!

:-) Mary Eggers

Person of the Year

Time magazine announced that I am person of the year for 2006. I have always wanted to be person of the year, but for other reasons than they happen to outline.

I don't want to be person of the year because I work hard. I don't want to be person of the year because I won a race, or overcame something within my life.

I want to be person of the year privately, and anonymously for the things that I try to do to help the world become a better place. I don't want public accolades for being named person of the year. I just want to sit back with my morning cup of java, and see that something I have done has helped to make some one's life better, but I don't want that person to know it.

Oprah used to call them Random Acts of Kindness. Perhaps she still does. Whatever you'd like to call them I do them every single day. Nothing brings me out of myself and my ego faster than doings something for the sake of just doing it.

Are we so motivated by outside influences, attention, accolades, that unless we get something in return, we will not give?

I challenge you to give it a try. Today do something unannounced, unnoticed, small enough to be just that but big enough to make some else's day a better one. See how it makes you feel. Notice that making someone else's day a bit brighter, in turn makes your own inner light begin to shine more brightly. And it feels good to do something for someone else, without all that is attached.

:-) Mary Eggers

The Gang

This morning we had our fourth Ironman Team meeting, and perhaps our biggest one yet. What I can't get over, is how many incredible people we have on this team. Once a room full of strangers a few years ago has become a room full of friends and family. Some old family members and some new inductees. All with the same vision, all working towards the same goal.

In many way we are all working towards the same goal. Not necessarily the Ironman finish, but the lifestyle. Being healthy, feeling good, becoming fit. The faster, the finish line, the win.... that all comes much later.

A few of us converged on the canal at 6:30 am for a 90 minute run. We looped back to pick up the rest of the group at 7am, and it was awesome. Our group is bigger than the Oven Door Lite group that we cross paths with as they head the other way. People are asking me "Why IS this group you are running with Mary?". My answer is quite simple. I tell them "I am running with the best people in the world."

Aside from conversation I am seeing incredible progress. I am seeing strength come forward. Not just physical strength, but mental strength. I am watching people grow and in reality it has very little to do with me. While I write and organize the programs, these athletes are the ones who are completing the miles. They are the ones who are putting in the work.

As I came home this morning I felt so amazingly blessed to be able to do what I love. To help people reach their athletic dreams. It might seem frivolous on the surface, but it is so much further beyond a simple athletic dream. While it is just that on the surface, deep below we are all creating a better future for all of us. We are being healthy, we are pushing limits. We are believing in ourselves. And that is easy to find on the playing field. One day however they will take that belief in themselves to the board room, to the operating table, to another place. And they will know how to tap into it, they will know how to move beyond self doubt, and they will know how to take the chance.

In turn their children will learn the exact same lesson. Setting goals, failing, getting up, trying, succeeding....... it is a lesson that is priceless.

:-) Mary Eggers

Shattered

Sometimes I use a training session or my yoga practice to wrap my head around something seemingly impossible. More often than not I do that. In my line of work I see the unthinkable, I bear witness to the unimaginable, and recently there was a day where just that happened.

One night a week I am a pediatric emergency nurse. Things are crazier than you think here in Rochester NY, and people use the Emergency Dept for more things than you'd imagine. From stuffy noses to all out trauma, I have literally seen it all. Amputated arms, death, thrush. Name it I have been there.

Sometimes at night I like to play a game. When there are more nurses than patients on duty I declare that we have "won". We don't "win" often, but when it happens it is just nice.

On a recent night a single mother brought her young son in with a tummy ache. He was under five years old with eyes as bright as the sky and hair that made you think he belonged on a surf board. Of all things he deal with the most I would declare abdominal pain and difficulty breathing as our two top issues. So a tummy ache was just up my alley.

While I wasn't his nurse I was very aware of his care. Typically we look for things like appendicitis of gastroenteritis. When things point in the direction of an appy or don't seem to be clear, we will send the patient for a CT.

This darling little boy despite his pain was a ham. He giggled, he wiggled, he made his mommy smile. He drank the CT contrast and did throw some up when I happened to walk by. I told mom that he had drunk enough and disposed of the rest, declaring it was fine to do so. I noticed her eyes full of hope and love for this boy.

Thirty minutes later I was staring at the CT of the little boy with tears in my eyes. I looked over to their room, through the glass they were snuggled together in the stretcher watching the movie Cars. Maybe he was telling her what he wanted to ask Santa for. Tears rolled down my face and the faces of my colleagues. Our attending took a deep breath and walked into their room, closing the glass door behind him. As he sat down I knew what was happening.

The CT showed a large mass in the boy's belly, known most commonly as a neroblastoma. To the layman we can say a big tumor in the stomach, and this type was not good. I watched as the wave of doom crashed upon this single mother and her little boy. Replacing Christmas wishes and sledding downhill, would be surgeries, chemotherapy and a small hope of survival.

It wasn't good.

I remember afterwards as my eyes locked with the mothers, I just wanted to hand her my life and everything that was good in it. She didn't ask for this. He did nothing wrong and here they were now with a time line and hope shattered. Lives shattered in three hours.

And here I was worrying about my latest workout or what to buy my family for Christmas. This just might very well be this family's last Christmas.

The past few days this boy has been on my mind and in his prayers. Something his Mother told me is also sticking with me "God gives us only what we can handle." Why does she have to "handle" this? Why can't she handle a vibrant boy and "handle" roughhousing in the kitchen and "handle" him eating cookie dough.........

We are all so very blessed to be where we are in our lives. W have all overcome our own set of hurdles, or are overcoming them as we speak. I think what we need to remember is that when we are given things to "handle" we should not handle them alone. There is a world of love out there and any problem in the world can be handled with love.

At least that's what I came up with during my 2 hour ride this afternoon. We don't have all the answers, especially to what is fair and what is not fair. But we do have love. And no matter how big or horrendous the mountain seems, we do not have to climb it alone.

:-) Mary Eggers

Commitment

There comes a time in a season or in a life when you must sit down and 110% commit to something you have set out to do, when you have set a goal. I have seen many goals set in many lives, and I have seen many goals never attained.

This year I have set the goal to complete 2 Ironmans. Ironman Lake Placid and Ironman Florida. My goal within each of those 2 races is to race my best. I don't know if that means sub 11 hours, or plus 12 hours. I will know what that will mean on race day.

As I have begun to ease into training, my first three weeks are complete. I have been getting in 85% of workouts, which I expect this time of the year as the holidays draw near. I know in January that percentage will be 100% if not 110%. Missing a few workouts here and there is not a big deal, it is the whole package that really and truly matters.

What I love about the Ironman, and distance racing in general, is that it pits me against me. When it is me on the starting line, it takes away the clouds, it takes away the fluff. For those hours it is me and myself. I can break through my fears, the things that hold me back. It is me, truly and honestly.

As I have committed to this goal, I have committed to so much more. To being healthy in mind, not just being healthy in body. And as I walk along the tightrope of just enough and too much, I am glad to be along for the ride.

:-) Mary Eggers

Coming Back

Coming Back
2006 was somewhat of a difficult year for me athletically, yet professionally it was a great year. The business grew, our athletes did well, however I was hampered by an injury. About a year ago I partially tore my Achilles tendon and subsequently spent 12 weeks on crutches. Sure I finished 3 half ironmans including the inaugural 70.3 world champs, but I was just a shadow of my former self.

Three weeks ago I began the journey back. After a quick offseason I have rejoined my former coach, I have begun training and I feel wonderful. Perhaps this injury was the best thing to have ever happened to me. I was getting a little arrogant I think. This time things are different, I have perspective, I have humility, and I have discovered that I still have heart.

Here in upstate New York things are strangely warm. While we should be three feet under in terms of snow, we are in the 50's. Today I took the opportunity to spend my long ride on my mountain bike, on some trials in the amazing Dryer Road Mountain Bike Park, here in Victor New York. I adore the off-road life this time of year. It's easier on the body and especially easier on the mind. The crunching of leaves, the cool crisp air, it all makes for a few hours of peace and tranquility in a world that doesn't offer that too often. For this piece of time I am grateful.

So here is to 2007, a comeback year. May it bring what it will, and all of the lessons with it.

:-) Mary Eggers