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Showing posts from April 28, 2019

Smudla, we will always love you

Feb 15th, 2003 - April 30th, 2019 May 30th, 2006. 8:11pm. I received an email from Karel, letting me know that he was looking forward to meeting me the next day on a group bike ride. At the end of his email, Karel made sure to let me know that he had a roommate....who was a girl......named  Å  mudla. He sent me the following two pictures. Å mudla is the Czech translation for Dopey from Snow White and the seven dwarfs. After getting to know Karel a bit more over the summer, I realized the Smudla and Karel shared a very special bond. Three years before I met Karel, he was working three jobs. Trying to make a life for himself in America, his work was exhausting. There really wasn't a lot to his day except for working and trying to get a little sleep between jobs. There was very little money for food or clothing and there certainly wasn't any bike riding. Not able to speak much English, Karel didn't have many friends. The day after Valentines day in Georgia, b

Appreciate your body image

We all come in different sizes and shapes based on our unique genetic make-up. However, it’s common to turn to exercise to change the way that you look. Some athletes may desire a body composition change to help improve endurance, speed, strength, power and agility. Others may want to improve health. While health and performance may be of interest, athletes are often heavily invested in appearance - wanting to look leaner or more like the idealized image of an athlete in their sport. Keeping in mind that athletic success cannot be predicted based solely on body weight and composition, athletes come in vastly different body compositions. Because no two athletes are alike and sports invite athletes of all different sizes and builds, your body weight should not be your sole focus for sport enjoyment.  Due to pressure from society and coaches, it’s not uncommon for many athletes to have body image struggles, despite not being overweight or over fat. In turn, many athletes resort to u

Are you enjoying your athletic journey?

For athletes, it's easy to make an event the only focus in your life. But, in doing so, it's easy to become single-minded as you become laser-focused in pursuit of your goal. In turn, you forget what truly matters - the journey. Life is busy and stressful. Without even realizing it, you may find that you are never living in the moment but instead, constantly thinking about your future.  When I approach my training/workouts for the day, I am driven by the experience. In other words, I never waste a workout - no matter the day or the training session, there's always something to look forward to and I feel grateful for the ability to train. I don't think about the outcome, but the process.  Motivated for self improvement, the journey is what I love. The little decisions, nailing the basics and having fun are very important to me. This doesn't mean that I don't have goals and I don't work hard but my athletic goals don't dictate my life.  App