Tales From the Bench

"When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves." -Victor Frankl

Hi everyone,

I'm back! Florida was amazing. I had such a good time and made a ton of great memories with my teammates. This was our first year together as a team, so we came into the tournament with varied expectations and experience at such a high level (this was the slow pitch World Series). Well, I won't leave you in suspense any longer...out of 92 teams in the tournament, we finished THIRD in the whole country! How incredible is that? We came in knowing we were good, but nothing could have prepared us for the amazing run we had together.

As you probably remember, I was having hamstring problems coming into the tournament. I had been resting and rehabbing it for about a month and keeping my fingers crossed that I would be healthy for the World Series. My doctor gave me the OK to play, saying I should be fine as long as I stretched out ahead of time.

We arrived on the field the first day and it was INCREDIBLE. There is no way to explain how thrilling it was to drive into the Disney Wide World of Sports complex and realize, "Oh my God. I am going to play here!" Those of you who know me well know that softball and Mickey Mouse are two of my favorite things EVER, so this was like a dream come true for me.

I stretched out well before the game, I iced and heated and did everything I was supposed to...then I took a deep breath and started to run. It felt FINE! YAY! I was so excited. I ran faster and harder, turned corners, ran backwards, and it still felt fine. I was feeling optimistic heading into the game, even though in the back of my mind I feared having another hamstring snap once the game started.

The game started, I got up to bat for the first time, and felt great. The fields were immaculate, the sun was shining...it was so awesome. I swung at the first pitch, hit the ball, and started my sprint toward first base. About three steps into it, I felt that dreaded snap again. It was my hamstring. NOOOOOOOOOOO!

I hobbled over to first base and started stretching the leg. My teammate asked me if I was OK and I said, "I'm fine," even though I wasn't fine. I wanted to be fine and I was hoping the injury wasn't as bad as it had been last month. I stayed on first base and tried to stay in the game. Once the next person hit, I tried running to second and my leg was KILLING me. If you have never torn your hamstring before, it's hard to explain how painful it is. Basically, no matter how hard you try to block out the pain, it it excruciating. You literally can't run, even if you try. My other teammate called time out and took me out of the game. It was one of the worst feelings I had in a long time. I immediately started crying; not because of the pain in my leg but because I was heartbroken. I knew that I wouldn't be able to play in the rest of the World Series.

I don't really know how to explain the feeling of being taken out of the game. You might think I am being a bit dramatic by saying I was heartbroken, but I really was. I was also angry, I'm not going to lie. Imagine something you love to do more than anything else, and then imagine someone telling you that you can't do it. That's how I felt! Like I said before, playing in the World Series (in Disney World!!) was such a huge thrill for me, so to have that taken away in a split second was like being kicked in the stomach. I was so sad. And I don't know how to say this without sounding like a jerk...but I don't know what it feels like not to play. I have been lucky enough in my athletic career to always play. I have never sat on the bench unless I was hurt. And as much as I respect all of my teammates, regardless of who plays or who doesn't...I don't feel comfortable on the bench. All I know is being on the field. So this was terrible for me.

I lost it for a few minutes, but I soon realized that crying wasn't going to help my team. It would only be a distraction, and no one needed that. So, I tried to catch my breath and focus on what I could still do: cheer on my teammates and be a positive presence in the dugout. It was definitely hard to do, especially during that first game, but I tried my best and was able to stay as positive as I could. My teammates knew how hard it was for me, and they were all so supportive and tried their best to keep me up. I will never forget that!

For the rest of the tournament, I played the role of super-hyper-crazy-cheering-wild-coach-teammate. I put my sadness aside and decided to be the very best teammate I could be. I never stopped cheering, I used every crazy motivational trick I could find to help keep my teammates going and fired up. I never sat down, I never shut up, and I loved every minute of it! I was able to pinch hit in a few key game situations, and I think that helped me feel like I was contributing a little bit, but for the most part, I was on the sidelines being Cheer Girl.

If I could go back in time, I would obviously not have chosen to be hurt. I would have stayed healthy and played in every game. However, given the situation I was dealt, I feel very thankful for the experience. I experienced the whole tournament from a very different perspective than I ever had. When you are on the field in the middle of the action, you don't really get to appreciate the little details of every play...or the efforts of each athlete...or the emotion involved with the ups and downs of the game. Usually, you are so focused that you zone out some of the little things. Because I was on the sidelines, I got to see every move, every play, every at bat from my teammates. I got to watch them run on and off the field every inning, high five each other, and prepare for every game together. It was not only enjoyable and exciting to watch them, but I also learned so much about the game by having the chance to watch them so closely. I always knew I had talented teammates, but I had no idea just how remarkable they were before this weekend. Most of my teammates were tired or sick or run down or injured in some way, but they all played as if they were in perfect health. Running for extra bases, diving for balls, sliding into other players, and sacrificing their bodies just to win the game. They played hard, but they always played fair. They were all good sports and stayed positive, even when the game or the calls were not in our favor. They never gave up and always believed that we could pull together and win. It was awesome! I feel like I became a better softball player during the tournament, even though I hardly stepped on the field. And I know that being positive on the sidelines made a big difference to my teammates. They thanked me after every game and mentioned that I was a factor in helping them stay positive and focused. I wasn't looking for any thanks, but I have to tell you...it felt good to be recognized!

This opportunity not only helped me as a player, but also as a coach. I coach a high school softball team, and I expect a lot out of my players. I tell the girls that everyone on the team is valuable and that everyone contributes, no matter how much they play. And to be honest, I get frustrated when the girls on the bench don't seem to be cheering or involved as much as I think they should. However, after my experience in Disney, I have such a better appreciation for the girls who have to sit on the bench all the time. I never really understood how difficult it is to have to stay up all the time when you don't get to be involved in the action on the field. As silly as it may sound, I never realized how hard it was to yell for two hours straight! Yikes! :) I think when I go back to my coaching job in the spring, I will have a much better perspective on all of the athletes on the team, not just the ones scoring the runs or striking people out.

I am so proud of my teammates for what they accomplished on the field in the World Series, and I am happy that I got to be a part of it. It was an unforgettable experience.

QUESTIONS FOR YOU: Have you ever had an experience not go exactly the way you wanted, but you figured out a way to make the best of it? How did you do it? Tell us about it!

Flying South

Hi everyone,

I'll be taking a small hiatus from blogging...tomorrow, I'm heading down to Florida with my softball team to play ball in Disney World! Yay!

Please send us happy thoughts for a safe trip, good weather, healthy hamstrings, and hopefully lots of wins! I can't wait to tell you all about it when I get back next week! :)

Clip, Clip

"To read without reflecting is like eating without digesting." -Edmund Burke

I subscribe to a few different magazines and like to read them when I find a spare minute. A couple of them are about women's fitness/health, and the other one is my absolute favorite, Oprah Magazine. Don't laugh! It's awesome! I love it because it is filled with great articles, motivating stories, and lots of practical and fun information that usually seems to relate to my own life. I don't ever watch Oprah's TV show because of my schedule, but I'm telling you...her magazine ROCKS!

Whenever I read a magazine, I usually find some good tips or ideas. Sometimes I jot down a book title or website I read about, and sometimes I will rip out a picture or ad for something that piques my interest. Then, knowing me, I usually lose the note or toss out the piece of ripped paper. Oops!

I recently came up with a brilliant idea. OK, I think it's kind of brilliant. I am going to start keeping a little binder of inspiring things I find in my magazines. Good quotes, exercise tips, delicious recipes, fun articles, etc...I'm going to cut them out and keep them in a little notebook. Then, I can look back on them later if I ever need some motivation, new ideas, or just something good to read. I figure it's also a good way to get the most out of my subscriptions.

OK, so maybe this isn't the most exciting idea of the century, but I thought it was a neat little way to keep some inspiring words of wisdom nearby. I also thought I might share some of the better clips with you on the blog. Sound good? Yay!

QUESTIONS FOR YOU: Do you have a regular resource (magazine, website, TV show, etc) that provides you with good ideas, inspiration, etc? What is it? Do you keep anything like a journal, notebook, or scrapbook? Tell us about it!

It's a Stretch

"Whenever I feel like exercise, I lie down until the feeling passes." -Robert Maynard Hutchins

Hi everyone,

First, a little housekeeping: I know some of you have told me you are having trouble posting comments. I don't know what to tell you except THANKS FOR TRYING and KEEP TRYING! :) If anyone has any magic tips, please share. I am loving the comments that are coming in so far and would love even more!

OK, now I need your help. This is kind of a random question but I need some help. I have had problems with muscle pulls my whole life...whether I have been in the best shape of my life (working out every day, stretching beforehand, working with trainers, etc), and when I am not in such good shape (ahem, that would be lately!). I usually pull my hamstrings and/or groin area. Ha, ha. I said groin.

Sorry. Back to my problem. So I have had several different coaches and trainers and doctors and teammates over the years showing me different ways to stretch and stay loose, as well as how to treat sore muscles. Some things have worked more than others, and some things have been stranger than others (some of you might have read my other blog post about the horse liniment!). Unfortunately, no matter what I try, I have still had some serious muscle pulls/tears that have set me back a while.

My most recent one happened a couple of weeks ago in a softball tournament. I was running the bases and suddenly I felt a huge snap in my right hamstring. It was one of the worst ones I have ever experienced. I ended up on the ground rolling around like a big baby...but it really hurt!

I have been seeing the doctor a couple of times a week to get treated, so I am making some good progress toward healing. I am crossing my fingers I will be ready to play in my tournament in Florida next week. So, here is my question...maybe it's just a bunch of weird questions. I will throw them all out there and feel free to answer any that make sense to you:

-How do you stretch out before exercise/activity/sports?
-Do you have any good stretches for your lower body?
-Do you do more dynamic or more static stretching?
-Do you know any good magical tricks for treating a sore hammy?

I would love any feedback you have! Thanks, blog pals! :)

The Little Things

"There is always, always, always something to be thankful for." -Author Unknown

Today I went into a store for a few little things. The store is called Fiske's and it is one of the coolest, cutest stores I have ever been in. They sell crafts and stickers and stuffed animals and books and penny candy and lots of other cool little trinkets that I absolutely LOVE. If you don't know already, I am a sucker for stickers and office supplies and pens and stuff like that. So I was already excited just to walk in the store...

I picked up a few things (including some Blow-Pops...OK, when was the last time you had one of those?), and the nice woman at the counter bagged my items up. I got back into my car and put my paper bag on the car seat. As I looked down, I noticed something about the bag...can you see it?

It says Thank You. I know...not a big deal, but I looked closer and noticed that the "Thank You" was stamped on the bag. It didn't look like it was made in a factory or by a machine, either. I realized that the people at Fiske's probably stamp each individual bag at the store. It was a homemade Thank You bag! How cool is that?

For some reason, this little bag really made my day, because it was a little gesture that really made a difference. And even if I'm just crazy and the bags were pre-stamped in some giant warehouse, I'd like to believe someone somewhere thought to make the extra effort to put "Thank You" on the bag.

OK...so what's the message here? I guess it made me think of a couple of things:

-I really love small, independent, family-owned businesses like Fiske's. They just seem more homey and fun than the giant chain stores. It's even better when the business shows customers it cares with little gestures like the thank you bags.

-Saying thank you ROCKS! It's not just about the bag, or the store...I'm talking about how life's little gestures like saying thank you can really make a difference in someone's day. I try to thank people when they help me and when it fits the situation. Other little things that I notice: when I am walking down the street or down a hallway, and I pass by someone, I really love when someone smiles or says hello instead of looking down or pretending I'm not there. I know that some people have a different comfort level in social situations, and sometimes it's hard to even say hello...but yikes! I would much prefer to get a smile than get ignored, right?

Other little things like holding a door, helping someone carry heavy bags, stuff like that all counts and all matters. So if you do these little things out of habit, I think you rock! You might not notice it, but you probably make a lot of people happy throughout the day. So...THANKS! You deserve a thank you bag! :)

QUESTIONS FOR YOU: Do you have a favorite little store or place that rocks? Tell us about it! Also, what little things make you happy throughout the day?

One Step at a Time

"Make your feet your friend." -J.M. Barrie

How far do you think you could walk in one day?

Five miles?

Ten?

How about twenty six?

Today, for the sixth year in a row, my husband and his mom participated in the 26.2-mile Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk. It is an awesome event that helps raise money and awareness for cancer treatment and research. People sign up to walk (you can choose to walk part or all of the 26.2-mile marathon route) and then they ask friends and family to sponsor them by donating money. Last year, the Jimmy Fund Walk raised over six million dollars to help fight cancer...pretty amazing, huh?

Words cannot describe how great it feels to participate in an event like this one. I have done the Jimmy Fund Walk twice, in 2004 and 2005, and it was incredible. Over 8,000 people participate in the walk, so you are constantly surrounded by people who are cheering, saying hello, and providing support and encouragement. Hundreds of friendly people volunteer to work at the event, so every few miles you are greeted by folks who want to help you, keep you hydrated, and provide praise and high-fives. Family and friends of walkers stop along the route with signs, offering thanks to everyone who passes by. Every mile along the route is marked by a large sign featuring a child with cancer. This is probably the most inspirational part of the walk; each sign shows the child's name, a picture, and information about the child. Seeing a smiling face every mile provides that much-needed boost of energy, particularly as the course progresses!

Another motivating image is seeing the diverse group of people who participate. As I watched from the sidelines this year, it was great to see the different groups of people who came out to walk. I saw teams of young girls, probably around ages 14-16, all walking together with huge smiles on their faces. Isn't it nice to see young people showing such selflessness and caring, joining together to raise money for a great cause?

I also saw older folks, some who looked as old as 70, walking at their own pace, many of them completing the entire 26.2 miles. One woman walked with a cane, as her partner walked alongside her, holding her hand.

My husband told me that he crossed the path of a young man who chose to participate in the 3-mile walk option, which started at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and ended with the other walkers at Copley Square. The man walked the entire three miles despite being on crutches.

Young, old, healthy, sick, fit, overweight...thousands of people walked for a very good cause today. Some of them walked for the first time, others have participated in this walk for over ten years. As they crossed the finish line, they were greeted by music and food and a festive celebration that they very much deserved. I was so proud of my husband and his mom...and for the thousands of other people who gave up their day (not to mention their muscles, aching feet, etc) for a worthy cause.

Even though I am "retired" from the walk, being in the middle of the celebration was definitely inspiration to get up and start moving again. I haven't been doing very well with my exercise regimen lately, and I really needed something to kick me back into gear. It got me thinking...if 70 year old people can walk 26 miles, then what is my excuse for sitting on the couch every night? And what about those people who would give anything to get out of bed, or out of a hospital room, and just walk outside? So many of us (me included) are blessed with good health and yet we waste it by just sitting around, putting things off. or saying we don't have time for exercise. Well, I am hoping to put my foot down (literally and figuratively!) and do something about it. Time for exercise! Tomorrow, I am going to get home from work and take a walk. I don't have any specific goal as far as distance...I just want to get outside and move around. Maybe I will walk the whole time, maybe I will run. Who knows? All I know is that I hope it will be Day One of a new, healthy, exercise routine. Wish me luck!

QUESTIONS FOR YOU: Do you exercise? What is your routine? If you have a regular regimen, how do you stay motivated to keep going? (I'm looking for inspiration here, people! HELP!) :)

Beaming

"A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg, even though he knows that you are slightly cracked." --Bernard Meltzer

Today was another awesome day, for a bunch of reasons.

I'll start off with a question: Have you ever had someone let you know when you don't look so good? You know, like...

"Wow, you look exhausted."

"Are you sick? You look sick."

"Geez, you look terrible!"

I think we all have experienced this, right? And it always seems to happen when you are feeling especially crummy and nasty and grubby...and you really didn't need someone to remind you.

On the other hand, isn't it great when someone tells you that you look good? Especially when you are feeling particularly sharp or sassy, or you are busting out a new piece of jewelry or hairstyle or outfit (bonus if you got any of it on mega-sale!). As much as I love compliments on clothes and jewelry, they are nothing compared to a different kind of compliment I got today. Someone I hadn't seen in about a month gave me some feedback on how I looked, saying I seemed...

-more relaxed
-less stressed
-like I was "beaming" compared to a month ago

OK, hands down, that was WAY better than having someone tell me that my shoes rock!

It was a great thing to hear, especially since I have actually felt that change in the past month or so. I don't think the person was just humoring me, either...so I appreciated that someone else noticed a difference in me. I hope it continues!

I also had a wonderful dinner with two good friends tonight. I hadn't seen them in about a month, either, so it was great to reconnect. They are two hilarious ladies from school who were awesome supports when I worked there. Their rooms were always great places to stop by after school and hold legendary "vent sessions." More than anything, they were always there for a good laugh and a constant support system. Oh yes...and they also share my love of delicious food! Bonus! We had a great visit at Olive Garden (mmmmmmmmm, unlimited breadsticks.....) and caught up on life. It was one of those situations where the time apart did nothing to hinder the conversation or the connection, because the friendship is so strong that time apart doesn't really matter. I was really blessed at my school job to meet a handful of special friends like that. When I think about possibly returning to school in a year, the friendships of my colleagues are certainly at the top of the"pros" list. Anyway, it was a great dinner and I can't wait to see those lovely ladies again!

Hmm...I was actually going to finish up with something else today, but I think I'll save it for tomorrow. Looking back on what I wrote, I think that is plenty for one day! So here's my Doogie Howser "moral of the story" part of the blog:

-Getting a sincere compliment feels great. Don't ruin it by rejecting it ("No, I don't look that good...I need to lose more weight...etc")...I am guilty of this sometimes. I am trying to get better at accepting compliments, saying thank you, and believing them.
-Giving a sincere compliment feels great, too...and it can make someone's day (it made mine today!).
-Good friends rock. Plain and simple.

...and so do unlimited breadsticks! :)

QUESTIONS FOR YOU: OK, people. Time to start commenting...don't make me beg! I want to know: How do you receive compliments? Do you accept them, minimize them, get embarrassed, etc?

Also...what do you love most about your friends?