Looking Back on 2009

This year has certainly had its ups and downs. I started the year some lofty goals, I like to aim high!

February I injured my back mountain biking. The results were devastating to my 2009 Adventure Racing plans since biking or kayaking was impossible (actually sitting was impossible). I tried acupuncture, chiropractor, physical therapy, spinal epidurals all to no avail. The Neurosurgeon recommended surgery and I had 90 days to decide before I permanently damaged the nerves.

March found me laying in the back seat of the car on most weekends so I could train in the Blue Ridge Mountains for the race in Switzerland. I flew to Maine to learn to snowshoe in the White Mountains; this was my new sport for 2009. I loved it and couldn’t wait to try it in Swiss Alps

April I am on my way to Switzerland to race in the Untamed Switzerland 3 Alpine stage race (One of my lofty goals for 2009). I could do this race since it had no biking or kayaking. My doctor thought I was crazy but he injected my spine with a slow release steroid before I left to help me get through the race. Switzerland was amazing; we climbed snowy peaks and did torturous descents. Our team raced hard and finished 4th. I made new friends and even got in a quick trip to Germany

May My back injury has not improved and my right leg is losing all of its strength. I am scared but I decide to have surgery and am on the operating table the week after I return from Switzerland.

June and July Recovery from back surgery is no joke. I sit only to drive to and from work for 3 months. I pray for a full recovery. I travel to Tampa to see Lorraine get married.

August I welcome my 7th grandchild, baby Tanner, it was a rocky road for him and his parents (but all is well now). I travel to New England to work on the support staff for the Untamed New England race since I still can’t race. We have a great family vacation in Rodanthe. The surf is going off and Jesse surprised us, returning from South America to join us. I am finally released from the doctors care and I begin hard core training, I want to race in September

September I decide to put my back to the test. We race in the 18 hour Back Bay Blitz adventure race. We finish first place over all, with almost a 2 hour lead from the second place team. I could bike and kayak and run for 18 hours straight with no pain, well no back pain that is.

October and November I travel to Peru to join Jesse for a few weeks of adventures. We do a 4 day bike, raft, hike to Machu Picchu (another lofty goal for 2009). I can see why Machu Picchu is one of the 7 wonders of the world; it is the most amazing site. We spend a week in the Amazon jungle. We catch and eat piranha, we swim in the Amazon with pink dolphins, we catch a caiman and I hold him, we catch a sloth I take him on a boat ride, we see tarantulas, birds, snakes, suffer 100 degree weather, and the unmentionable Ayahuasca. It is a true adventure of a lifetime.

 

December closes 2009 with lots of memories both good and bad. It has been a year with lots of love, tears, and fun with my family and friends and hopes for an even better 2010.