REMEMBER YOUR WHY!
My father and grandfather introduced me to running when I was 12. My father saw running as a way for our family to heal from our chaotic and traumatic life with our mother. In our small town, there were no community resources for my father to turn to for help, so exercise and nature and lots of love started the healing process for me. Fast forward to age 59 and several ironman events later, as well as 22 years of teaching in a district that I love, and I see how my life has had a very different trajectory than my mother’s and I believe it is because of the kind, compassionate, and empathetic colleagues, friends, community members, and students I have been lucky enough to have crossed my life path with. Connections matter!
I am no stranger to failure… competing in an ironman takes nearly a year of training and there is no guarantee that I will finish or make the time cutoffs for the swim, bike, or run. Two years ago during Ironman Mont Tremblant, I lost 20 minutes hiding in a port-o-potty with other competitors because a microburst hit just as I was ascending one of the steepest climbs of the day. In Ironman Ireland, the cold sideways rain pelted me and triggered my Reynauds so bad that I could not feel my hands or feet… only 10 miles into the bike, I crashed into a telephone pole and had to be taken away by ambulance to the medical tent where I was served tea and cake and was stitched up by a handsome Irish doctor. In Ironman Maryland, I was only 6 miles from finishing, but I pulled out because I was not able to eat or drink for most of the second half of the race; the jellyfish stings on my feet, hands and legs made me too nauseous to take in nutrition on the bike leg of the race. I successfully finished Ironman Texas, Ironman Mont Tremblant (3X) Wisconsin 2017, and Ironman Maryland 2018 and countless 70.3s. Training gets you to the starting line, but there are variables like storms, heat, mechanical failure, and injuries that without a purpose and a positive mindset, will most definitely end the day prematurely. Knowing that I committed to raising funds for a local organization that would positively impact the community that supported me over the years. Fueled with my WHY helped me raise over $7,000 for Westborough Connects in 2023 while training for Ironman Texas.
Life is all about the ripple effects. We lean on others through difficult times; we seek out resources; we gain strength when we know we are not alone; we feel hope when we know we are heard; we need connections in our communities now more than ever. In fact, as our world seems to be more polarized and fragmented, I draw upon Mr. Roger’s famous quote, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” In our Westborough community, there are helpers who need our help. Westborough Connects is a community connector, connecting people of opposing views, religions, genders, ages, demographics, and much more to give us all hope… They are the helpers Mr. Rogers so eloquently referred to.
I competed in Ironman Texas knowing my WHY with each and every stroke, pedal, and step I took was for an organization that has touched so many lives. Donations poured in over the weeks leading up to the Ironman. From the wee hours of my first swim stroke into the murky waters of the Woodlands canal with 3,000 other competitors, to the long, lonely bike portion on the Hardy Toll Road Highway; to the evening crowds lining the marathon course and finally, to the finish line, I never wondered why I signed up for an Ironman. I never doubted my purpose or myself. Know your WHY and expand your positive reach!
