Saturday, January 19, 2013

Dear Kansas: A Love Letter from Sum Mo Payne

Dear Kansas,
NO! No, wait…
Dear Iowa,
Phew, I do not know how to tell you this but you almost killed me. Iowa you were the first state to make me want to give in. Numerous times I had to dig DEEP inside to push myself across your state. I was able to find inspiration in the folks that push through life daily with MS and just kept skating for them. Somewhere around Carol, Iowa I realized I would not give in but that next year I would come WAY more prepared. 
So I started making a mental log. I wish I could have a pen and paper along while we skate for all the thoughts that go through my head. And not to mention the funny stories Dubbs and PBR tell along the way. You would be shocked to know what we talk about. Well I guess if you know us you probably wouldn't be shocked in the least. –I digress- back to my mental log, I realized that I did not train as well so I went through what I didn't do to be prepared and then how I would do better for the Kansas skate. Cross training I thought would be my drug of choice since South Dakota weather gets icky and it gets hard to skate outside, although I skated 12 miles on Thanksgiving Eve with PBR and Tigre Force, that is not normal. My next change to be ready for 2013 sk8 was eating clean and portion control. 
As of today January 18, 2013, I have stuck to my promise, and many good benefits have come from this new lifestyle. First I have dropped 20 pounds. RAD! And I feel like a spring chicken again. I have noticed myself feeling all sorts of awesome all the time. It has not been easy and I do not love:
Run 1 lap around the track, do 10 burpees
Run 1 lap around the track, do 10 knee to chest jumps
Run 1 lap around the track, do 100 crunches
Repeat for up to a mile
I hit my running goal without my brain saying “this is dumb, running is dumb.” And now I can do three pull-ups (don’t judge me). From years of roller derby, I could crack nuts with my thighs but until recently I wasn't so worried about upper body strength. But I can do 3 pull-ups, now!
Now 128 days out, I have raised the bar on myself and have some new goals I hope to hit before the skate. I will report back on how much of a difference this "clean"  life style has made after Team Iron Feet rolls all over Kansas.
Love,
Sum Mo Payne