By 9 o'clock last night I was hopping around on one foot because the pain in my ankle was bordering on unbearable. If anything so much as touched it I winced. After four ibuprofen, a large bag of ice numbing my propped up foot, Modern Family on the television and my two girls waiting on me hand and foot (literally) I started to think I could get used to this it was much worse than I had initially thought.
When I woke up this morning the bruising was up but the swelling and pain were down significantly. Regardless, I decided that attempting to pound my way through a boxing class was probably not in my best interest so I cancelled with Laura in lieu of a trip to the doctor. I'm sure it's not broken, but I damaged it somehow and figure I should probably get it figured out before I spend the entire day traipsing through Williamsburg on the Woodbrook Elementary Fifth Grade Field Trip (and no, contrary to popular belief, I did NOT 'conveniently' sprain my ankle two days before a trip on a bus with 50 screaming 11-year-olds).
While I was laying in bed last night I started to feel angry about this possible setback. I had really just started to feel I was back in the workout groove and had finally gotten over the weight loss plateau (eight pounds in the past few weeks!). And now this? I know, I know, I'm being overly dramatic. After watching Kevin Ware's broken leg and incredible reaction to it a million times during March Madness how could I possibly be feeling sorry for myself with a silly sprained ankle? I don't know, but the fact of the matter is, I was. Then I remembered the Facebook post that Laura had posted, ironically, yesterday. I loved it so much I immediately wrote to her asking if she would be willing to be a Guest Blogger on Finding Amy...Again so that all of you could feel as inspired by her as I (and so many others) do. Thankfully she said yes, so instead of my whining you can all hear her beautiful words today instead!
So...click here (she deserves her own post, don't you think?)
Today I have a special treat for you - a Guest Blogger! Meet Laura Conklin, one of the incredible trainers at Clay. Laura has a long list of qualifications (BS in Health & P.E., NSCA Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist, CrossFit Games Finalist, US Army Reserve Military Police, years of training experience, etc) but for our purpose it's most important to note that she is a kick-ass trainer who has a knack for bringing her clients to an entirely different level. Our boxing sessions have made me believe that I'm bad ass (I'm a blonde haired, blue eyed, 40 year old mom from White Bear Lake, Minnesota, we all know I'm about as bad ass as a kitten, but she convinces me otherwise!). And if all that isn't enough - her dog's name is Scout!
A reminder about life...from my mountain bike and the trail, with love:
As I entered the woods today on my bike, I could feel my balance was
off and my legs felt a little tired. But, a beautiful day, out in the
solitude of the woods, riding with Scout by my side could never be a bad
ride, no matter how my body felt.
I found myself hesitating in areas I normally don't, slipping in others, throwing
a foot, etc., etc. Then came a decent sized hill with moderate
technicality. Today, that 'moderate technicality' seemed more like the
'hill from hell'.
I hit it as I always do, but today, I
wondered if I would make it to the top without coming off. About
halfway up, as I was heaving a lung and my quads on fire, I took my eyes
and focus off the trail in front of me and looked up at how much I had
to go and how steep every part of it was. The only thing that went
through my head in that moment was "holy shit". That moment of
negativity taking even more energy from my body. I immediately returned
my eyes to the trail, rocks and logs I was dealing with, and just kept
pedaling. Within moments, I was at the top, enjoying a nice downhill.
What hit me is how life can be exactly like that. 'Off days' can take
challenges/struggles and make them seem harder to deal with than other
days. Little mole hills can become mountains. And, taking your eyes
off what's right in front of you, what's in the moment, can cause things
to seem momentarily overwhelming.
My advice, keep pedaling and
face one thing at a time. You'll be at the top before you know it,
"woohooing" an awesome downhill! :)
Enjoy the ride...!
