On Concussions, Triathlons, and Overcoming Adversity

Sometimes, if you look out the corner of your eye, you might see your life zip by in a blur. You’re moving so fast with family, work, home and all sorts of responsibilities that the days just meld one into the other. Holidays go even faster, discernable only by the shape of the chocolate. But then, once in a while, a Big Day pops up. Then you must stop for a moment. Those are days to enjoy and recall.

I had such a day this past weekend. After an accident just about four years ago (8/31/06), I achieved a longtime goal. I finished a short triathlon. This accident of mine occurred when I was out training for another triathlon, the last of the season. I was jogging and, thanks to my dog/running partner, had a run-in with an immovable object. The result: a concussion and its long-term aftereffects.

During this long ordeal of mine, I had a goal that kept me going. I wanted to complete a triathlon again. That seemed tricky for a while. For the first few months, I could barely walk and spent much time sitting in a chair. Then, slowly, I was able to do more. I won’t bore you with many details, but I do vividly recall riding in a car early on, seeing someone jog by, and thinking that I may never be able to do that again. I have always enjoyed being active, so that bothered me. It took forever to be able to just walk around the block, and then longer and longer distances. I couldn’t run because it felt like the top of my brain was hitting the inside of my skull. Not comfy. I couldn’t swim for at least a year, and probably longer. Who knows? It was only last summer that I was able to ride my bike again due to balance difficulties. Such is life with a mild head injury.

Throughout this time, I never gave up on the thought that someday I would return to tri. In fact, it became my main motivation to keep working and looking forward. I had “TriMom” plate frames on my car, which I never took off the whole time (with a brief exception of about a month). I firmly believe in remaining positive through any adversity and looking only forward. With whatever life throws at me, I refuse to lose. I bet on myself every time. I never, ever give up.

The payoff was this past Sunday. I completed a super sprint triathlon. It was a .25 mile swim, 8 mile bike ride, and 2 mile run. In reality, I would have been happy to complete any portion of it. I thought I’d be able to do the swim and most or all of the bike, but thought that, realistically, the run just wouldn’t happen. I was prepared to stop at any time if need be. Lo and behold, I was able to complete all of it, although I walked the last part. What a surprise.

This was one of those Big Life Moments. A time to hit the pause button. A major achievement for me. To go from wondering if I’d walk much or very well to completing a short tri – and all the difficulties and successes in between - is astounding to me. I’m just thrilled, and so thankful for my family, friends from throughout my life, families of some, neighbors, colleagues, and everyone else who supported me all these years in various ways. If there’s one thing I’ve learned for sure, it’s that the people in your life are what really matters.

My long-envisioned picture in my mind of standing on a beach with a number written on my arm, waiting for the swim to start finally came to pass. Four long years after that accident while training for a tri, I finally got a major piece of my life back. And that is sweet.

So whatever life throws at you, always bet on yourself and never, ever give up. Might take days, might take years. You can just never give up. Inch-by-inch, day-by-day, small successes add up. Then one day you find yourself standing on a beach with a number written on your arm. The payoff for these big achievements is larger and more rewarding than anything you might ever imagine.

Woohoo!

There’s another super sprint coming up in August that I’m planning to sign up for. And my family and I are going to sign up for a sprint tri in a couple of weeks; we’ll be a relay team. Off we go…

Update: October 5, 2010
We finished the relay tri in late July. We ended up in third place in the relay out of seven teams, so got some medals! I’ve never had to stay around to get medals before, so that was exciting. We were just two seconds off from getting 2nd place. Two seconds! We couldn’t believe it. The person handing out the medals even noted that, increduously (and good-naturedly, of course). Oh, it was fun. My son ran, my husband did the bike, and I swam. I probably veered off course just a tad for two seconds during the swim. You know how that goes!

For the last tri for me – the last super-sprint of the season, I again completed it. This time, though, I was able to jog through most of the run portion, so cut my time considerably from the first one. Back to the old “just want to finish it” to “want to beat my time from the last one” all in one season. It’s great to be back in tri, for sure!

Update: October 26, 2010
This post was included as one of the “My Story” entries on USA Triathlon. Thank you USA Tri! Here’s the link:

USA Tri: On Concussions, Triathlons, and Overcoming Adversity

Update: October 11, 2011
The story has been removed from the USA Tri site. They redesigned the site and removed a number of older stories. So, if you were looking for it, it’s no longer there. And if you saw it there previously and are wondering about it, that’s what I know.

…………………..

Update: August 18, 2011
Well, here we are in another tri season. My concussion is history at this point and my tri work continues. Earlier in the season, I completed my first Sprint tri, and plan to do another shortly. I hadn’t finished a Sprint before, so it’s nice to have graduated to the next level. Life is good…

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