Day 28

So here I am....

In Rocky Point, Mexico with my dear friends the LaPan's enjoying New Years. I am walking without a gimp as of the last three days and am feeling very positive with my recovery. It has been 28 days exactly. I saw my podiatrist/surgeon this morning and she told me about some rehab that I need to start, but I am doing really well. I even rode a spinning bike yesterday for 25 minutes!

Tomorrow is NYE. It has been a great year. I am grateful.

To all a great New Year's Eve and Go Georgia...UGA!

Stitches are out!

So my stitches are out and the ace bandage is off! I am going to start my self-rehab Sunday. I was told by my AMAZING doctor that I need a few more days till the suture wounds close up, but I have to start wiggling my purple toes. My foot is so purple it's crazy, but the swelling has gone done significantly. Two weeks to the day....day 14...I am right on track!

Have a great weekend!

AA

Day 10

Saw the doctor today. She said the wound is healing well, but I am too swollen. I have honestly not been icing enough. I am getting around better each day, but I guess it's back to ice and less movement. She said if I want my stitches out by Friday the swelling has to come down. So it's only been 10 days, but these ten days have seemed like an eternity. I am getting achey everywhere from just being so immobile and sedentary. I have to be good until Friday bc I want these stitches out. The stitches make my foot feel so tight. I have purple and blue toes and it looks crazy. I can't even imagine getting this foot into a shoe anytime soon! Day by day....

Day 5

Friday, December 3rd....I finally had surgery to remove the Morton's Neuroma that had been driving me crazy for six months. It is now December 8th and I am able to put enough weight on my foot to not HAVE to use crutches. I am still pretty immobile, but at least I can transport a glass or plate from the kitchen to another room.
I really can't thank my mom enough for coming out to Arizona to get me through surgery. I know that my family is the type of family that doesn't let each other down and ALWAYS pull's through for one another, but she was simply a LIFE-SAVER. I know that my recovery is off to such a great start because of her caring and help. She left this morning, but she left knowing that I am on the road to recovery. And a shout out to my Dad for being so understanding that I needed her more than he did! As well for checking in on me daily.
My friends have also been amazing...Aaron, Brandi, Kristen, Krista, Wendy, and Jen have all stopped by or called to check in on me. And my step-dad Barry has been great and supportive from a far.
So here I am again...grateful.....grateful for the many blessings in my life. I hope I can be back on my feet by the end of the month. I am sooooo dying to know what it will feel like to take steps without the neuroma there. Supposedly it was two inches thick....how gross! Will I be able to put on my bike and running shoes again without that feeling???? God-willing I will! Day by day...stitches out next Friday!

XO
ACA

ISPA 2010

ISPA stands for the International Spa and Fitness Association. It is a finely run organization based out of Lexington, Kentucky that services the Spa and Fitness industries via conferences, trade shows, education and meetings. They have a board of directors and task force members who volunteer their time to serve, as well as administrative staff in Lexington.
Every year the conference is held in large facility hotels that can accommodate an expo floor as well as meeting space. I just got back from the conference which was held at the Gaylord Resort in Maryland. There were over 1,100 attendees and about 75 vendors on the expo floor. I was there with the company I work for, Tara Spa Therapy. It was my first show out of five that I have attended as a sales manager for a vendor, not as an operator of a Spa.
I of course feel strongly about my company, or I would not choose to work with them. We are a natural Aromatherapy and Ayurvedic based line that provides trainings, professional and retail products to our accounts. We have some of the finest spas and wellness centers in the world using our products and doing our treatments. And it looks like after this conference we will have several more spas added to our list!
But to highlight some of the noteworthy new lines at this years show were:
La Bella Donna: natural and mineral makeup
Kumani Essentials: natural hair, face and body line using shea butter as a prime ingredient
Teatulia: new fair trade tea line with many Ayurvedic and Chinese herbs as ingredients
Neuma: natural hair care line
Project Iris: natural t-shirt clothing line committed to world issues and fighting malnutrition

Have you ever heard of Doc Hendley and his company Wine to Water? If not, you have to check out what he is doing! His speech was so inspiring on being an everyday bartender and stumbling on a path of helping to get third world countries clean water. He spoke at the conference and I was in tears.

The world of Spa, natural products and healthy lifestyle's are exciting and rewarding industry's to be involved with. If this interests you at all I encourage you to check out the ISPA website and maybe become a member. As well, we have the Green Spa Network and my passion, NAMA, the National Ayurvedic and Medical Association.

To health and wellness.

AA

Gratitude

"I see myself as everything. I love myself as everyone"

I have a lot to be grateful for. I have loving parents who want the best for me. I have friends who give me joy each and every day. I am working in a professional that suits and challenges me. I live an a comfortable home that is safe and quite.

I want to reside in a place of gratitude. I need to stop and smell the roses more. I have been focusing on an achy body so much lately that it has taken too much space in my brain. I have been moody because I am not working out as much, and I have too much antsy-ness to deal with.

Paramahansa Yogananda, a revered spiritual leader from India once said, "at best, the body is a nest of troubles". I think he is trying to say, you have to rise about pain and discomfort. There has to be joy from a deeper source.

I am leaving for Santa Barbara, CA tomorrow for a wonderful work trip. I have the opportunity to work with a very talented Ayurvedic Bodyworker, (who also works for my company), and train the massage therapists at the Barcara Resort and Spa. We are training on two massage modalities that unblock energy and relive pain and tension in the body.

I am grateful.

Happy Halloween!

Life in the Slow Lane...

So as I blogged last time, I am working with some feet issues. And I have to say after tracing back my first foot injury to today, it really has been a long, often painful journey. But, I am feeling more confident with new approaches and learning to take life in the slow lane.
I have gone from riding my bikes four-five times a week averaging about 200-250 miles during my heaviest training weeks, to riding three times this month for a total of 82 miles. And I haven't been on my bike in two weeks. Running is out of the question for another few months, and walking could hasten my recovery.
I have come to the realization that I was forcing my body to do what my mind and spirit wanted. And that was often too much for my body to handle. Now some could say that my training was not all that much, because it was mainly riding and swimming for the past four months. But, I had a stress fracture one one foot that caused plantar fasciitis to develop, (since I continued to beat on my foot running), and a Morton's Neuroma (trapped nerves) on my other foot b/c of the compensation from the stress fracture and so much biking. So training at that level was too much in my case.
I have also come to the realization that we don't stop until there is a trauma or event that forces us too. When our bodies feel good, we get used to not listening, mostly because there is nothing screaming at us. But when working to build thresholds we train harder and force by the inherent nature of that training. In turn, weaker areas start to breakdown, stronger areas grow and injuries can occur because of the created imbalances. So in our typical fashion we begin to tune out those body signals we don't want to hear until we are forced to listen. Obviously I was not listening.
So my new "life in the slow lane" approach is reading, studying, spending time with friends, some swimming and daily yoga and mediation. I like this feeling of slowing down. I like reconnecting with my breath that I was always chasing down when I was competing in triathlons and training hard. I do think that balance is a great thing to strive for, and I will be ready to jump back on my bike and lace up my running shoes again. But for now, I am moving slow and re-establishing my inner peace.
BTW I discovered a awesome new toy...the Yamuna Foot Wakers. If you want to improve the function of your feet and awaken all the muscles that hold us up every day try this out! Get it with the video so you have a tutorial. And I forewarn you...it hurts! But you will be thankful when you start to correct any misalignments occurring that could potentially lead you down the road I am traveling on now.
Until next time I am working on cultivating and practicing Ahimsa, (Sanskrit word for nonviolence towards self and others).
Peace, health and happiness.

Morton's Neuroma

OK....so I had this pebble feeling in my left foot about a year ago each time I went out for a run. I started to wonder what in the heck was going on. Then it turned to a burning, stabbing sensation when I was riding my bike. After seeing my podiatrist and doing an MRI it was diagnosed as a Morton's Neuroma. The journey of the past five months goes like this....orthotics...cortisone shot for neuroma....other foot begins hurting....second cortisone shot for neuroma....take out my orthotics in case they were the cause of my other foot hurting.....twelve sessions with two different PT's for both feet....third cortisone shot yesterday for neuroma......surgery scheduled next Tuesday.....MRI scheduled for other foot tomorrow.

In the past two years I really started training hard for triathlons. I have identified myself as a triathlete. I am a triathlete. Now I am seriously contemplating this identity. Maybe I am not meant to push myself so hard. Maybe doing my daily exercise is good enough. I used to be a yogini. I used to be a yoga teacher and student first. Now that is second. Maybe yoga is a better path for my mind and body. But I don't like having no choice in the matter! My ideal workout week would be yoga x2 riding x3, swimming x2 and running x2. Yes that might sound like a lot, but I have always done a lot. I used to be in yoga class eight-ten classes a week before I moved to Arizona and found triathlons.

So I have been contemplating pulling out of the races I have signed up for over the next ten months. If I get this surgery, my Podiatrist said I can be back to the activities I love in 4-6 weeks. I have to make my decision my Friday.

I had so many plans to fundraise for the cancer my mother passed away from through all of my races this year. Maybe this is just a slight set back, and I can get to the fundraising after the Nov. half marathon I will not be racing in. I hope so. Actually, I really hope this third cortisone does the trick, and the MRI comes back with just some random inflammation.

I will keep you posted!

Flagstaff, AZ

So here I am...it's the last afternoon in my rented Flagstaff, AZ apartment. I am lamenting on the great month I had here. I am headed back to Phoenix...100+ temperatures tomorrow for the remainder the summer.

This month I realized....

1) I love road riding way more than mountain bike riding. I did 17 rides in 30 days and 1 was a mountain bike ride. Now why do I own a beautiful full suspension bike? I am seriously asking myself that question right now.

2) My friends are so much fun. I already knew that but they train and play hard, are kind, funny and genuine.

3) I am self-sufficient. I like being an independent women who takes chances and most of the time lands with both feet on the ground.

4) I am six weeks post second time stress fracture on my big toe and am cleared to start running again. I resisted the temptation to try running and it worked. My half-marathon training program with the Sun Sistas begins in August and I am ready.

5) Flagstaff is a super cool place, full of nice (yet random and mostly high) people and great outdoor offerings.

6) Fourth of July is my favorite holiday....still.

7) Rainbows are so cool

Flagstaff AZ....I'll be back next summer.

Thanks for reading,

Amanda

Why you should care....

So here is my first post.

I am to introduce myself, my cause, and give you a reason to want to read my blog. My name is Amanda and I am a 35 year young woman currently residing in Scottsdale, Arizona. Vocation.....I have been in the Spa industry since college, but recently made a move to work for a mentor of mine. The company is Tara Spa Therapy and we sell and provide Aromatherapy and Ayurvedic treatments and education for Spa's around the world. Our products I am proud to say are organic and environmentally friendly. I work from home but get to travel to my amazing accounts.

My family is on the East Coast, and I am on the West. I am trying to establish myself in many ways....navigating the best way I can through this amazing journey called life. I can't say that I am a great writer, but I aim to get better and have always read and journaled. Now, I will be doing this on-line....with people actually reading my posts...scary!

I have always been active...partly because I am so antsy and have to get out of my head, and also b/c I love the feeling of being healthy and athletic. I am a yoga teacher and have practiced for 11 years. I mostly practice and teach Bikram Yoga, but I love all Yoga. Since I moved to Arizona almost three years ago I have started training and competing in Triathlons. Both my father and step-father were triathletes and runners (step-dad still is running God bless him) and I have done a few races prior with my step-dad, but never a Triathlon. Since May of 2009 I have done 4 Sprint Tri's and 3 Olympic's. The feeling after every event is always different, but at the same time, always a great feeling of accomplishment.

I have met some of my greatest friends training and competing in these events. I feel very blessed that my life has taken me to this place. So, in this group of wacky, fun, sincere, hard-working triathletes I met Krista LaPan. She is like a soul sister to me. And after I begged her to do my first 1/2 Ironman with me (she is getting ready to do her 3rd Ironman in Canada with her husband in one month) in California, she took the opportunity to flip the script and ask me to do a full with her and her husband three months after Oceanside. We are registered and will be competing in the Coeur D'Alene Ironman on June 28, 2011. I am in over my head, but will love and hate it all at the same time. At least they will be there to support me as they have done this race two times prior.

So in order to not seem completely absorbed, and to find a true meaning for me in this huge adventure of training that is soon to begin, I have decided to put a cause to my events. I will be fundraising for Multiple Myeloma.

Why Multiple Myeloma....my mom. My mother, Patty McCarthy-Donaldson passed away in June of 1999 when she was only 52 from MM. This cancer, especially 11 years ago was downright nasty. In short, MM causes the large bones of the body to break as the blood becomes to thick. The treatments were nill when my mom was sick, and clinical trials were just starting. She suffered tremendously, as did those who loved her. She was sick for about four years total. Now plenty of people live and function with this disease, but there is no cure, just treatment options. My goal is to raise as much awareness and money as I can while I train for these two events in her memory. Her birthday was April 18th, two weeks after the 1/2 Ironman in Oceanside, CA and her passing was June 17, less than two weeks before the full Ironman in Coeur D'Alene.

I will be completing a memory page soon that will have all the fundraising details for MM. I am proud to say that MM gives 93% of all donations directly to the research and one day cure of this disease.

I will be blogging how this process of fundraising is going, my training and how that is going, health and nutrition tidbits and other random week to week adventures.

They say that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Thanks for reading....until next time.

XOXO

Amanda