This is a paper my sister Johanna wrote for Time Out for Women. ( it was written a few years ago but is a great read still today)

 

 

 

Two years ago in March my dad took his life. It was the hardest trial I've ever faced. It felt as is someone had kicked me in the stomach. I didn't sleep through the first week. In fact, because of my knowledge of the after life I kept waking up hoping my father's spirit was in my room and that I could see him smile at me one more time. I remember driving to the hospital to say my final good bye to my dad and on the radio was general conference. President Eyring was giving his talk, "mountains to climb". It was as if he were talking right to me. I knew that my Heavenly Father was aware of me and my situation. I never thought this could happen in my family, especially my dad he was so strong and I looked up to him in so many ways. How was I unaware of my dad and how much he was hurting inside? Why didn't I hug him the last time I talked to him? So many unanswered questions my heart ached. It almost seemed taboo to talk about how he died, and at first I didn't. If people didn't already know I told them it was a horrible accident. Everyone assured me things would be alright in the eternal perspective. I needed to know for sure and it didn't seem like people had answers for me just comfort. I finally had to realize it was out of my hands and Heavenly Father loves all his children and yes one day I would see my dad again. 

My dad was an athlete so his body was very healthy. Because of the way he took his life it left him brain dead and they were able to harvest all of his vital organs, including his heart which is very rare. I tried to be happy someone else's dad was going to be saved, but I was still struggling. One person wrote how grateful he/she was to receive this gift and that he/she would pay this blessing forward. 

For the funeral my siblings and I were asked to write down stories about my dad. My brother wrote about a time when he and my dad were in a duathlon together and my brother was so happy because he actually beat my dad at the run. He got on his bike and rode as fast and hard as he could. But my dad was a very strong cyclist and caught up to my brother. My brother Jason wrote,"but to no avail! My dad caught me on the bike, and as he flew by, offered five words of wisdom that have stuck with me to this day, "shift to a higher gear!" This bit sage advice is how I have been trying to live my life. It's also how I think my dad was trying to live his. Always pushing to be able to shift and to spin the next higher gear." We adopted this motto in our family. My sister and I have vinyl stickers on our car! We wanted to take this tragedy and turn it into something positive. We didn't want to dwell on how horrible it really was. We have been trying to push ourselves out of our comfort levels and continually shift and spin to the next higher gear. 

A month later I completed a half marathon I was supposed to run with my dad, and I ran another one on his birthday a few months later. My running had new purpose. I ran for my dad. I ran to heal. I ran to be better. 

 

Last year I decided to buy a bike. As a kid I watched my dad race his bike and I always wanted to race like him. It was so exciting to watch my dad race up gigantic hills and cheer him on as we drove by in the car! This summer I'm planning on riding my first 100 mile bike ride. It's hard for me to really grasp how far that really is! I've been working really hard riding hills and completing long, very long rides! Some days it hurts and I speak to my dad and tell him today I really don't like this I'm hurting and I don't know what to do!  He always knew what to do. I'm fortunate to have a few of his friends teach me what my dad taught them, and be able to ride with my step mom who says my dad taught her everything she knows about cycling. She believes that my dad has his hand on my back pushing me and making me stronger.  I run and ride for my dad and to push myself to do things I never thought I could do. 

I have a firm testimony of the afterlife and that our spirits live on. I know my dad is watching over me. I may not be able to see him but I can feel his love for me and I know he is proud of who I am. 

 

Shift to a Higher Gear Ride

 

Hello everyone!! My name is Corrine. I teach indoor cycle class here at my local university. I totally love it. I started just over a year ago at this time.  I shifted my gears last year and tried something I had never tried before. I knew that it was going to be hard and take a lot of work but I knew if I just kept going I could make it and at the end I would be stronger and better.

 

Let me explain. You see in March of 2012 I got the worst phone call of my life. My dad, my hero, had lost his battle with depression and he had taken his life. My earth shattered!!! I was broken. I was sad!  I didn't know how to deal with these deep physical feelings that I was having. It was hard. VERY HARD!!  My brother shared a story at the funeral about how he was beating my dad in a race one time but not for very long. My dad quickly caught my brother on his bike and hollered out, "Jason shift to a higher gear!!"  Why would he yell this to my brother?  Well you see on a bike if you can push a bigger gear and keep you cadence up you will actually travel faster down the road than if you sit in that smaller easier gear. If you can train your body to push a bigger gear you will be faster and stronger. 

These words resonated with me and I felt like I needed to do something with them.  What?  It took me awhile but I finally figured it out. I needed to do something that I had always wanted to do. It was going to be really hard and require me to shift to a higher gear. I told my husband of my plans on my birthday in December of 2013.

I started down my path not really knowing how this was going to work out.  I got certified as a group fitness instructor. (that is another great story that I should share sometime) I certified then to be an indoor cycling instructor. Then I saw it.  In the newspaper of all places. HELP WANTED!! Indoor cycle instructor University of Oregon.
I thought about this for a week. Should I answer the ad?  They would never call me back. I am not qualified. I did it anyways. I typed up a resume and cover letter and sent it in. I got a phone call. I got an interview. I got an audition. 

I got an audition???? Holy crap now what?  I have never even taught a single class EVER!!!  I worked hard for a week then I showed up and gave it my all.  

 I GOT THE JOB!!! I think they were a tad bit desperate but guess what I got great reviews. They offered me more classes the next term and it is now my one year anniversary and they have given me more classes!!!

 

So this ride I designed with all of that in mind. I call it my shift to a higher gear ride. I teach my class about trying to push a higher gear and that is the theme for the whole ride. I also share my story with them and encourage them to find someway to shift gears in their own lives. 

shift to a higher gear

the ride

 

 

 

 

 





I promise this is healthy

I had fun last week linking up my post and reading others. I loved reading others posts. I was so excited to post again that I couldn't wait to hear what they wanted up to post about. Then as I laid in bed this morning a whole post came to my mind. I knew that I had to post this. Jessica it may not be about my 10 fave foods and at first it may not even seem a post about health. BUT PLEASE read all of it. If at the end you don't think it fits what you want I will understand if you delete me but I have to write what I feel.

Last week Jessica from the fit switch gave an instagram challenge around the lornejane way of living. It was Move Nourish and Believe each day. It was lots of fun. You can check out my photos from last week at my instagram here. I really enjoyed it. It made me look at my days differently than before and let me tell there were few days last week that were crazy!!! Then yesterday I was up getting ready for a busy day of meetings at the university. As I was getting myself and my family out the door I got a crazy text message saying my brother in law and 2 nephews had been hit by a drunk driver the night before and that one of my nephews was in ICU. WHATTTT!!!! Instantly I called my family to see what was going on.

The Story:
On Sunday evening my bro in law and his 11year old and 6 year old where driving on the interstate in a truck pulling a utility trailer. A woman who had been drinking plowed (literally) into the back of them. This caused my bro in laws truck to roll and her car as well. As they were rolling my 6year old nephew came out of his seat belt and somehow my brother in law and 11 year old nephew where able to hold on to him with all the commotion so he didn't fly out of the truck. My brother in law walked away with broken bones and pretty beat up. The 6 year old is totally and completely fine has a few bruises and is scared. The 11year old has some bruised lungs. He stayed one night in the ICU for observation but will be going home today. He did lose the tip of one finger

SO WHY IS THIS HEALTHY???

Lets put this all together now. I laid in bed thank the God I believe in for protecting my family and I couldn't help but think of the move, nourish, believe motto. So here goes:

Move:  Move everyday like it could be your last. Move everyday and be thankful for the healthy beautiful body you have been given no matter how it has come packaged. Move everyday to use the wonderful blessing of a body we all have been given. Move to help others on their way. Move to enjoy those you love most!!

Nourish:  Nourish your body with only those things that will up lift you body and make it better. Forget about those substances that will impair your movement and your judgments. Nourish you your soul and take time to be with those that you love most and nourish those relationships.  With social media now days even those that we love that are far away we can contact so easily each day.

Believe

I believe in Angels. They are always with us. How could an 11 year old who is in the midst of a car crash have the mind and the strength in him to grab his little brother and hold on to him. How could a grown man who is scared and afraid being tossed and beat up in a car have the strength himself to hold his son in the car. I believe they had help to keep them all safe. I believe that even if we don't see the angel and some days we wonder where they are that they are still there. I believe if we take a minute and look back on our lives we can see the many times angels have stepped in to help us and then there will probably always be those times that we never knew an angel had helped save us or protect us.

To sum it up: 

1.  Move your body everyday and be thankful you have it.
2.  Nourish your body with only those things that will uplift it       and make it better. Nourish those relationships that matter most.
3. Believe in angels

These thing will help you continue to enjoy those healthy foods you enjoy and will only make you feel more fit and happy.

Thanks for reading today. I know I will enjoy reading yours.

Keep shifting gears. Corrine

being fit means.....

My name is Corrine. I am not a professional blogger, but I am a mom, runner, cyclist, group fitness instructor, and a friend. I also have some big fitness and personal goals set for myself and I love the idea of having a #fitfam to help me along my journey.


Being fit means...
     Being fit means a lot to me. Its what makes me, "me." Let me explain. I was born the third child. I came out a fighter. (may have to do with the 3rd child syndrome.) I had two amazing siblings to keep up with and I was not going to be left behind.

 I loved basketball. I was always the point guard. Yep that's me going up for a layup.

 Oh my word look at those bangs!!!

I played softball and waterskied and tried out some volleyball. I was the first kid on the block to have a mountain bike and I rode it without a helmet down a big hill called big daddy!!

I loved it.

Then I hit those awkward years and my confidence melted away. I shied away from the things that I loved for fear that I wouldn't make the team and that others would make fun of me. So I quit!!!!! WHAT!!!!

 

Never will those words be allowed to stop me from doing what I love. NEVER SAY QUIT!!

So now days I tell myself try it who cares if you fail you never know you may end up loving it!!!

   So now being fit truly is my way of life. I can't imagine my life without being active in some sort of capacity. I love to run, and bike and water ski!! This year I set a goal to become a fitness instructor and now I teach cycle and core and flex at the university if Oregon and I also teach PIYO my new found love.

 

Like I said at the beginning I have some big goals in store and would love to join this #fitfam so we can help each other reach our goals.

 

So excited to link up with you

Corrine

Its me again!!!

 

Oh my word its been awhile. I thought I would never do this blog thing again. However the other day I was reminded of journaling and thought at least the blog was my way of journaling what I am doing.


JOINED A CHALLENGE OR TWO??
Its time for me to shift up gears and start working a little bit harder. I met my goal for this year which is AWESOME, but I can't stay stagnant. Gotta keep moving up!!
This week I am starting two different challenges that my spunky, joyful, energetic friend over at thefitswitch.org is putting on. For the next 7 days on instgram I will be showing ways I am moving, nourishing and believing in myself. Sounds fun to capture myself in photo. Although I may have to learn the art of taking a selfie!!!!    You can follow me at instagram at : http://instagram.com/bellcw


The next challenge starts tomorrow so come on back. I have some big goals ahead and I have 2 more challenges that I think will help jump start my path.

runners and spectators my view of Boston

     So, like all of you as soon as I heard about Boston I was shocked and saddened and almost a bit angry. Someone had taken a dream that I have had and  added some ugly to it. I thought how awful for these people that had been hurt or killed and how terribly sad I was for their families. I felt really bad for the runners who had literally worked their butts off to make it to Boston and not get to cross the famous finish line with a cheering crowd.
     I have seen and been reading a lot of peoples thoughts on this tragedy. I love how in so many ways runners are coming together to show the world that runners rule. Runners are strong, competitive ,loving, and loyal to our sport and to our fellow runners.
I love this picture that my friend posted on facebook even though the person who made it spelled smart wrong.:) 

Running is my sport and Boston is my dream race. I want so badly to earn my stripes and cross the finish line at Boston.

 

However, with all the things that I have been reading I haven't seen a post to thank our spectators.

As far as I can tell the majority of the injuries that day happened to those that were standing on the sidelines cheering on the runners.

This is my tribute to the spectators:

I can remember fondly spending many weekends standing on the side of a road somewhere waiting to catch a glimpse of that yellow helmet, or that flashy bandanna that my dad use to wear. As I waited I cheered for all those that went by and even handed out water and high fives. I remember the excitement that I felt and I wanted to cheer these people on. I loved it when I finally spotted that helmet or that bandanna and I would scream and yell with pride: "GO DAD!!!"

Then it was my turn to be in the race. I remember one of my first 5K's that my mom actually talked me into running. In the last 100 meters of the race there was a woman in front of me and I remember all these people yelling "GO GO GO!!" So, I did.  I passed her not knowing that I had just been the overall woman's leader. The crowd helped me win the race and a new pair of shoes.

The first marathon I ever did I remember well. There were people almost along the whole route and when I had to stop and slow down they cheered me on and yelled things like" you can do it!" "keep going 1033"(my bib number).  I still remember this young girl at mile 24 or 25 yelling "Pain is temporary, Pride is forever!!"  I could have kissed her but instead I gave her a high five. I needed her at that point because I was exhausted. I remember the feelings and the sound as I rounded the corner to the finish line. People were lined up and down the side of the street. The cheers were so loud  they echoed off the walls of the building. I felt like crying, and I might have just a bit, but my feet no longer hurt at that point and their cheers literally carried me across the finish line.

Thank you spectators for that day!!

These spectators are what we runners need in our lives. These spectators are the ones that buoy us up while we train for months. They let us go run for hours at a time week after week. They let us schedule these hours into our lives and theirs as well. These spectators listen to us as we tell them how great or how yucky our run was that day. The cheer for us when we tell them we had a great run and they help us work out our aches and pains as they come.

These spectators stand on the side of the road with food and drinks and signs waiting in anticipation to help us and cheer us on. They stand on the side of the road waiting for who knows how long just to catch a glimpse of us run right by them. 

These spectators are the strength we need when we don't think we have any left.

We love and need these spectators no matter who they are, and no matter what race we are trying to run in life.

 

So, this year I will continue to run. I have even contemplated doing another marathon and work super hard to earn my wings and fly to Boston.I would love to earn my stripes and cross the Boston finish line. However, I am going to try harder to love and appreciate those spectators in my life a little more this year. I need them.

 

May we all run and appreciate the spectators in our lives more this year. Do this in dedication to those that were at Boston cheering on our fellow runners. They showed up for us and tragedy hurt them.  They are the ones that we runners need to pay tribute to this year. So as you run give those high fives, say thank you to those standing on the sidelines,and appreciate those that are the spectators in your life.

 

Remember to shift to a higher gear.

Corrine

 

PS. if you have a spectator you appreciate please share this post anyway you can.

 

A Year Ago Today...

Today marks the day one year ago that I last saw my dad alive. He was helping me choose a water bottle out of his extensive collection for my sister in law for her birthday. I remember standing at the front door ready to leave his house and oh how I wished I would have hugged and kissed him and told him how much I love him. I know he knows I love him. 

I heard this talk (above) by Henry B. Eyring on the way to the hospital as I was going to say my final good bye to my dad. I will never forget this talk as I felt he was talking just to me. Saying the exact words I was feeling at the time. I will never forget that car ride. I can see it so clearly in my mind today. To me this is a reminder that there is a God and He is mindful of me. 

I write today instead of the day he passed because this is how I remember my dad. A man who was healthy and strong, full of life. 

Josie