Get Inspired

I was thinking back about the reason that I started swimming. Or the reason I started running. Heck, the reason I started eating better and attempting to be a healthier better me. I realized that I did all of this not only because I knew it was good for me, but because I was inspired by others. It doesn't matter who inspires you to be a better person, but I think, as a people, we need to find inspiration in others. And then, we need to turn around and tell them how lucky we are to have them in our lives. Today, I want to tell you about the people that inspired me to be healthy.

Susan Lacke

One of the reasons I wanted to talk about my inspirations was because of something posted on my facebook wall by this woman.

Susan Lacke: I'm so glad you have taken to swimming like a fishy. It makes sense, 'cause that's what your vagina smells like.
Erin Hennen: The love I feel from you is palpable. And by that, I mean I can still feel the STD from your last visit.
Susan Lacke: That's what they call herpes "the gift that keeps on giving."

To an outsider, this conversation is ridiculous. Hell, to me it's ridiculous. But not only did I laugh out loud, I felt a ton of pride. This woman inspires the shit out of me. She is my sisters best friend and I spent a lot of time with her while they were in college, bar hoping and smoking like it was going out of style. Then one New Years, she decided it was time to change. She was going to run a 5k. And she did. And less than two years later, she completed her first Iron Man. Now, an Iron Man is NOT a goal of mine, but good lord, when this woman puts her mind to it, she can complete anything.

And, on top of all the crazy training she did, she also got her doctorate. She is now a full time writer and has columns in many different publications including No Meat Athlete and Competitor. (check out her articles, I adore them http://susanlacke.com/writer.html)

Susan inspires me every day to keep trying. Mainly because I fear that if she finds out I'm slacking, she'll fly up here and kick my butt. She's scrappy.

Meghan Boyle

While Susan was busy becoming a running freak, she not only inspired me, but she also inspired my sister. Meghan and I have always been bigger girls. Once our metabolism started slowing down, the pounds came much easier. The first huge inspiration from my sister came in 2007 when she moved to London, by herself, to finish her last semester of school. When she landed at Heathrow, she had to figure out how to get herself and all of her belongings to her new home, in a city she had never been to before. Brave doesn't even begin to describe this adventure. If my sister was brave enough to start a new adventure, so was I.

Not only did she move to a new country, she dropped a crazy amount of weight. This is probably because she was broke and had to walk all the time, but nonetheless, it started her on a healthy lifestyle. She dropped more than 80lbs. Not only did this woman inspire me to go back to school and get my degree, but she inspired me to be healthy. Meghan ran a 5k a month last year and is now training for her first 10k. All of this with a knee issue that has plagued her since childhood.

I love these two twat-waffles so very, very much. Even though we call each other terrible names.

Find someone to inspire you. It doesn't matter if you know them, or you've just read about them. Realize that you can be just like them if you try. But also realize that you still get to be you, which makes it even better :)

The Kindness of Strangers

I am having the best day ever.

I had a swim workout this morning, but instead of my usual 6:30 am start, she needed to meet at 6:00. No big deal, I thought, it's only an extra half hour.

It is a big deal. For some reason, seeing a 4 on your alarm clock instead of a 5 makes it that much harder to get up. But I did. I hauled ass, got myself and the dogs ready, and made it to the gym on time.

It was a tough workout, but I felt great at the end. My trainer has gotten to the point where she doesn't get in the water with me anymore, but instead walks along the top as I swim to watch my technique and give me pointers. It feels like a real swim practice :)

I finished and heading to the showers for my normal post-workout routine. As I was drying my hair and putting on makeup, a woman tapped me on the shoulder and said, "I can see the difference."

I must have looked slightly confused and she followed up with, "I haven't been here in about a month, and I kicked myself this morning when I saw you and saw how great you look. Good job, keep it up."

It was hard to keep the tears from welling up in my eyes. I thanked her profusely and told her that she made my day.

As I got into my car, with a huge grin on my face, I realized something.

I see myself every day. I look in the mirror every day. So I don't see those subtle changes in my body that someone who hasn't seen me for a while will notice. That wonderful woman gave me a
boost of confidence and motivation to keep going, which was definitely needed on this extra early morning.

So today, if you see someone you haven't seen in a while, or even someone you see every day, pay them a compliment. When they look in the mirror later, it might remind them of the goal they are working towards. It will at least brighten their day :)

Learning to Sink or Swim

Literally. I am learning how to not drown in a pool and maybe, just maybe, to become a decent swimmer.

I started swimming in February. I knew that I was going to have yet another foot surgery and working out on land was becoming increasingly difficult with the foot pain I was experiencing. So, I talked to the lovely people at the WAC and they recommended a personal trainer at the WAC - Menomonee Falls. My trainer, Jess, has become one of my favorite people ever. But more on that later.

When I first mentioned to people that I was getting swimming lessons, the repeating question was, "You don't know how to swim?"

Yes. I know how to swim. But like any other sport that I do infrequently, it ain't pretty. I hadn't used many of the muscles needed for swimming before and there was no way I could just jump in and start swimming laps. The closest I have ever been to lap swimming was managing the boys swim team in high school. And let's be honest, I was just doing that for the hot guys in skimpy clothing.

The first few weeks were in the non-lap pool and it was a lot of jogging down and back, some basic front crawl, the kick board and fun cardio exercises. I had to take a break for a few weeks for my foot surgery but when I got back into the pool, I was ready to kick some major butt.

At first, I would head to the WAC over my lunch break, but I started going before work instead. I loved how I felt when I got into work after my workout. I was wide awake, and the endorphins streaming through my body made me a very pleasant person. I was feeling really good about myself. I was actually doing a front crawl down and back and had ditched the kickboard completely. I was learning how to breathe better under water and I was starting to feel like I was getting the hang of things.

Then we moved to the lap pool.

First, let me tell you, the lap pool is MUCH colder than the other pool. Like "Holy God, why am I in this water?" cold.  My first laps down and back seemed to take forever. This pool was longer and my body knew it. But a funny thing happened after a few workouts. It started to feel easier.

We started to move on to my technique. I was doing drills to keep my arms a little closer to my body and really get a good pull with every stroke. I was not only doing freestyle, but was starting to incorporate back stroke and breast stroke.

Then the strangest thing ever happened: I went to the gym, on my own. No personal trainer appointment. No class. I just went and swam. Not once, but twice. In one week. I swam four times in one week, two by myself. Now you may think that this does not deserve and award, but it totally does. I am not a go-to-the-gym every day kind of girl. I usually get a gym membership, go for a month. Stop going, and cancel my membership a year later.

That's when it hit me. I am addicted to swimming. I absolutely love it. Much of that has to do with my super awesome swim instructor. As I mentioned before, I adore Jess. She motivates me and makes me feel accomplished with every workout.

Last Saturday I got a new tattoo which means no swimming for a week. I woke up, naturally, at the time I would for swimming almost every day. My body really wanted me to get back into the pool. So, today I did. And I did a workout similar to what people who are on a swim team do at most practices. I hurt all over, but mentally, I feel like a rock star.

I still put on my swimsuit and feel self-conscious about how I look, but I think every girl feels that, no matter her size. The difference between me and most of those other girls? I realize that it doesn't matter how I look in my swimsuit. I'm not there for compliments. I'm there to kick ass and become a great swimmer. Which will lead to the next goal I have, competing in a triathlon. Just one step at a time.