Sometimes things happen for reasons. We don’t always understand them at the time however.
I started my journey to becoming a triathlete in a rather odd way to some. I started by downloading the couch to 5k app to my phone. I had no idea at that time what a triathlete really was or distances required or anything. I started to do the program and asked friends what to do on the “off days” as I was over 300 pounds and wanted the weight GONE asap. Several suggested biking. So I got a bike and went to work. That’s when someone said if you run and bike… can you swim? Umm well I did when I was a kid, was my response. And the answer came back then do a triathlon. And blindly I went at it with no real idea of what I was now jumping head first into. I’d like to say it was easy but honestly that would be a lie. There have lots of set backs but I’ve also set higher goals then I ever thought possible. Right now the biggest one is to complete a full Ironman distance race.
Its kept me going through some pretty rough stuff lately. Most notable is 8 brain surgeries that happened over a span of 104 days.
Nothing like having a hole (well 2 in my case) drilled into your head to add some perspective to life for you. During those hospital stays- some of which were 3 weeks long I would get up as much as possible and walk the hall way…back and forth. It was to the point the nurses started to comment about what I was doing and why. My answer was I need to keep moving so I don’t loose too much as I train to be an Ironman. I became known among the staff that that was my goal. My neurosurgeon encouraged it, supported it, reminded me of it when I was feeling really bad and in a bad place emotionally.
What was even more emotional was that there were patients on the neurology unit that were there for what they called “far less than what I had been too” …which I’ll never really understand how one compares what one has endured to another person’s journey. You know what if you are a patient in the hospital – unless it was an “easy” delivery of a healthy baby… guess what it just sucks!
So anyways, I’m walking and walking and walking and other patients being nice would ask how are you and that… and soon it got around that I was walking to train for my Ironman. I’d have trouble sleeping at night and be there walking. After the last surgery I had a walker and yes still at it… and still saying “one day I’m going to be an Ironman”.
Soon I noticed other patients would start walking more and more with me. I soon had a group and we regularly walked the floor together.
It was a great group. We’d chat and a few times people would ask us what we were doing. And the reply was “this is Kelly, she’s training for an Ironman. We are helping her and pacing her.”
