TICK-TOCK! TICK-TOCK!

It is absolutely mind boggling that the CB&I triathlon is one week away. It is further unbelievable that it has been a year since I accepted Nathan’s challenge to do this. It is also unfathomable to contemplate the amazing things that have been done by Team Inspiration Texas or the number of folks that we have touched. I want to sincerely thank every person that has been with me or followed me on this journey. It is because of each of you that the improvement in my quality of life has been enormous. It is unlikely that I will set any land speed records next week. I honestly don’t care what my time is. I know one thing. The only thing that is important. I WILL finish. Considering that a year ago, I was facing using a walker full time just to walk, finishing is all that I want. In fact, it is overwhelming to me. And now I am bib number 382!!! WOW!

It is my hope that we can continue to reach out and touch many and improve YOUR quality of life. This is just the beginning. See where we go next!

Good luck, KEEP TRYING and my best,

-Trace

ANOTHER WORD I HATE

We have talked about how much I hate the word can’t. Last week, I found another word that shall from this moment forward cease to exist. That word (cover the kids’ ears) is the word doubt. Thanks to Jim, I attended my first open water swim with Coach Dana Lyons and the uber athletes of Finish Strong Racing. These amazing men and women have completed more Iron Man races and other major athletic events than years I have been alive. I could not figure out why I was nervous on the way to the Lake. I mean, I have been swimming in rivers and lakes my entire life. Maybe it was stuffing myself into a wetsuit for the first time in my life. Maybe it was not wanting to completely embarrass myself in front of men and women who would laugh at the pathetic third of a mile I would swim. (They didn’t.) I don’t know what it was, but the second I started swimming, that ugly thing called doubt crept into my brain. It is the same word that appeared after the Light the Night Walk and after my first couple of bike outings where team members had to bring cars to pick me up on the side of the road. Let’s just say my swim that day was UGLY. That is being kind. Jim was in a kayak next to me and kept calmly telling me to relax. Difficult when you cannot see or breathe! Okay. My first open water swim is now out of the way. Maybe simply for comic relief, but Dana has been gracious enough to allow me to attend the weekly open water swims through the CB&I. Now that I have erased the word doubt from my vocabulary, my future swims promise to be most enjoyable. Thank you Jim, Dana and Finish Strong Racing for the encouragement and support!

Get rid of the words can’t and doubt from your vocabulary. They only slow you down!

Good luck, KEEP TRYING and my best,

-Trace

ADDENDUM/PROGRESS REPORT

As I suspected, last night's open water swim was AWESOME! It is so important to try the unknown before it matters! Bring on the swim!

The people around ME

I want to follow up on Jim’s last blog and tell you how important YOU are to those of us with MS or other challenges. I wish that everyone had folks like Nathan, Jim, Trisha, Lynn and every member of Team Inspiration supporting them. They have truly been the key to my progress. Nathan has walked with me as early as 5 am for a year. He has studied how the MS affects me and takes great care in preventing me from doing things that are stupid and which will ultimately affect my success, even when I am not smart enough to catch myself. Jim has encouraged me more than I can ever explain, never touting his own major athletic accomplishments, but rather focusing on mine. He has shared his great wisdom with me on so many levels. Trisha has made me stronger than I ever thought possible. Lynn shares our story with others, creating positive energy that is truly monumental. In less than a year, these people have become my best friends and it feels like I have known them all of my life. All of this and every member of Team Inspiration provides me with the positive reinforcement absolutely required for success. Selflessness is the first word that comes to mind when I think of any person on this team.

The CB&I is now only a month away. I am constantly reminded of some extremely critical factors. First, Nathan gave me a year to get ready for this. If I had decided to do this triathlon a month or two from when he gave me this challenge, I would certainly have set myself up for failure. When we fail, we are likely to not keep trying or try again. I have learned patience. Great patience. They have reminded me how important each baby step has been in getting me where I am. My entire team has kept me positive. They force me not to dwell on a weak performance, but rather to focus on the improvement. I made a comment to one of my teammates recently about how I did not want the event to be closed down when I cross the finish line like what happened during the Light the Night Walk. He told me that the only important thing in what I had just said was “when I cross the finish line.” How true. I thank each and every person on Team Inspiration for taking this journey with me. It is an amazing ride. And it will just be the first of many, many adventures to come. We will wait until after the CB&I to unveil the next one but rest assured there will be more. We are just starting.

The point of this is to orchestrate your own success by surrounding yourself with folks that are positive, supportive and encouraging. You CAN do this. Remember – CAN’T NEVER DID ANYTHING!

Good luck, KEEP TRYING and my best,

-Trace