I am a SPARTAN!

I have been told numerous times how blessed I am in regards to the state of my Cystic Fibrosis condition. I now more than ever realize what everyone is talking about. I not only have overcome such damaging obstacles, but I have overcome them with pride, passion, and a smile. I have had a rough year and unfortunately stopped my workout routines all together in order to focus on regaining my life and mental stability back. I have noticed over the months that my breathing has gotten worse because I stopped working out. In the past 9 months I was hospitalized twice. I made a promise to myself about 2 months ago when I was sitting in the hospital that after being released and fully recovered I would start my routine with working out back up. It was a slow start, however I am proud to say that I am regaining my strength and endurance back one workout at a time. I have an amazing boyfriend by my side helping me gain my strength back. He is a workout freak and he always guides me in the right direction. It helps having someone by your side wanting the same things you want. We both encourage each other to eat healthy, drink plenty or water, take our vitamins, and exercise daily. I had mentioned to him one day that I was interested in running a 5K to start out with. That it would give me a goal to work towards. After coming home from work that same night he said that he had signed us up for the Spartan Sprint. I had no idea what this Spartan Sprint thing was and I was even more unsure about it because I had just started back at the gym. I didn't want to over exhaust myself too soon. However, he had mentioned that his friend and his wife were doing the race as well and we would be doing it as a team and not so much as a race. I instantly felt better about the situation. After doing my own research about the race I was even more pumped and excited. Turns out the Spartan Sprint is one of 3 races they hold. The Spartan Sprint is the first of the 3 meaning it has the lowest miles and lowest obstacles. However, 3 plus miles and 15 plus obstacles doesn't sound like a start to me, but I said I was game and when I say I am going to do something I follow through. Needless to say the Spartan Sprint was something I will never forget. It was the most physically challenging thing I had forced my self to do in years. I am happy to say I finished the race holding hands with my boyfriend. If it were not for him there I am unsure I would have made it to the finish line. Towards the end he was literally pushing me through the mud, mud that feels like quick sand. The first obstacle of this race was jumping over a 3 foot flame and landing in a mud hole. That's just the tip of what else we had to do. However, it wasn't about the obstacles it was about completing the obstacles, running with fuel, experiencing this with my boyfriend, and being able to tell everyone about how proud of myself I am. Before we even finished we were already talking about how we wanted to do the next race. I am officially a SPARTAN! Never giving up and never backing down. Ready for what's next and fighting with fuel. 

YOU CANNOT FAIL

You Cannot Fail, a book I have been wanting since it came out last fall, a great friend of mine got for me for my birthday this past month. When I got it in the mail I was shocked she remembered that I wanted that book. I had already read the first page by the time I was closing my front door. I couldn't wait to read the book from cover to cover. Hoped into bed and started reading, its a simple read about 20 pages or so, but in those 20 pages, I reflected back on my life in a way that I had never done before. I finally grasped the idea that I was "different" than everyone else. As Jerry Cahill explained, "I went to bed later than everyone else and woke up before everyone else". I learned that as a person who has CF I have to work harder than everyone else. I have to stick to my plan, my routine and my order. Maybe that's why I am so organized and a perfectionist about every aspect in my life. I took a step back and realized how much I have accomplished with such obstacles that have been thrown my way. I have never given up, I have never backed down, I have always done what I wanted, I have lived my life as if it were my last day. I learned that CFers are all composed of the same attributes, we take each day as it comes, we live each day as if it were our last, we try to make a difference in others lives, we are outgoing, fun, STRONG, independent, spontaneous, fighters, problem solvers, and try to take on the world and for the most part succeed. Nothing ever seems to BIG to handle and having a terminally ill disease gives us the attitude we need to survive. Despite not only having CF, I was faced with many other obstacles in my life, divorced parents, multiple schools, an absent father, depression, torn apart families, deaths, supporting myself at a young age, trying to make friends, and learning about life the hard way ALL while trying to figure out how to take care of a disease not many knew much about. I look back and hate the fact I wasn't given the option to take full care of myself because of the other obstacles that were standing in my way, but I have never once given up on all that. I have pulled through and have finally seen the rainbow on my side. While reading this book I realized how proud of myself I was, if no one was going to tell me, I was going to tell myself and I made a promise to continue to tell myself how proud I am of me everyday, because what I have gone through to what I have become are two totally different beings. While reading this book I also realized that I have not hit the tip of the iceberg of what Cystic Fibrosis will soon do to my body. I have been so lucky in my struggle with CF, although I know that one day CF will tear me apart inside and this will reflect on the outside however, I know I am ready whenever that time comes to face CF head on with the battles and struggles it will create. I know I won't give up easily and I won't go down without a fight, but I know I have come such a long way and have such a long way to go. I know that every day I wake up there is a new struggle to over come but with the constant attitude that I cannot give up, that I have no other option but to face the issues, I know that I will get through whatever God thinks I can handle. I know that there is nothing too big for a CFer like me to knock back down.