i started a blog

Well… I started a blog.

After changing “themes” seventeen times, reviewing all the photos of myself over the last year to find the ones I “approve” and incorporating feedback from family/friends… it’s live. I think the hardest part so far was what to write for the first blog post. How do you make your first post SO engaging that people want to come back and see what else you have to say? After minimal research, I settled on sharing what I I’d like to see on this blog and what I hope it will become.

If that isn’t interesting, hopefully you all just like me enough to come back.

So, the blog….

Super tactically — it’s a way for me to keep you all up to date during my ride across the country this summer. When I get back in August, no one will need to ask me how the ride was, because you’ll all be following along on the blog, right!? 😉 I can only share the same story a few times, before it becomes, “yeah I went for a long bike ride. It was hard, but good.”

From a sharing perspective — I’ve been looking for an opportunity to share my experience with Type 1 and open-water swimming. I’ve thought about starting a blog before and just haven’t pulled the trigger and wondered whether or not others would be interested in my experience and what I had to say. To be honest, the number of people in the world that are living with Type 1, AND participating in open water marathon swimming, is low.  Starting with Bike Beyond seems like a great opportunity to start sharing my life and experience with Type 1. Since diagnosis, I’ve tried to keep a positive outlook about the affect this disease has on my life and what I want to accomplish. I’m working hard to make sure I never say that I couldn’t accomplish something because of Type 1. I genuinely believe it has allowed me to do some things I might not have done without the diagnosis (case in point: Bike Beyond). And, I want to share these opportunities so others may be inspired to pursue extreme opportunities and challenges that they are interested in… Type 1 or not.

Long term — maybe I keep this thing going. I’ve got a long list of swims I want to do and having a place to share my experience and capture those moments is ideal.

Finally, it is important to me that you all know I’m real. I feel accomplished to have completed some of the swims I have, and VERY LUCKY to be in a position to have been able to complete those goals both physically and financially. At the same time, I’ve been through diabetes burnout multiple times (and I’m only on year 7…), I’m a TERRIBLE runner (not all athletic activities come easy to me), my diabetes management isn’t perfect, and I don’t have the body of a triathlete. I work hard to accomplish what I’ve done and I’ve given up a lot for it. I want to share a story that you can relate to and show people that have incredible challenges in front of them, that they can work through those challenges.

Okay fine… also, one of my top 5 “Strengths Finders” strengths IS…. positivity. So, I do have that going for me ;).

I really do hope you enjoy what I have to say, follow along during the ride this summer and find something in what I have to share that can inspire you. And, if none of those are true… then for real, don’t ask me how my bike ride went. Serious inquiries only 😉

Happy Friday!

-a