My First Sprint Triathlon with Ulcerative Colitis

Hello,

I have ulcerative colitis. I’m starting to train for my first sprint triathlon and wanted to contribute with a journal detailing my nutrition and training.

I’m training with Team Challenge here in San Diego for the TriRock Sprint Triathlon on September 11, 2011. I’m raising funds for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis programs.
Thanks for reading!

4/16/2011 Saturday:

Had my first Team Challenge training session today! Met up with the TC Half Marathon team at Lake Miramar for what I thought would be an easy, beginner level run. I ended up running around the whole lake, about 5.5 miles! I have never run that far in my life! But to be honest, I did take a few walking breaks - maybe 2 or 3. But I did complete the first mile in under 10 minutes, which I felt was good for me being a non-runner and everything.

The greatest part of the training was the people and the collective energy everyone contributed to the day. I have never been around so many welcoming and supportive people. I have never been around so many other people afflicted with Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis before.

I began the run with a girl that was diagnosed with Crohn’s 14 years ago when she was 9 years old. She has a younger sister that has been recently diagnosed with Crohn’s as well. We ran with a woman that has lived with Crohn’s for over 30 years. I then met up with a guy whose wife was diagnosed with Crohn’s AND ulcerative colitis! He is training to raise awareness about IBD in her namer and in the process he’s lost 40lbs of unwanted weight. One of the coordinators also had ulcerative colitis but you would have never known it from her effectious enthusiasm and joy!

Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis somehow gives you an opportunity to choose how you want to live you life. You can give in to the pain and frustration. You can stop living your life and be a diagnosis from then on, always living with the scare and fear that can come with this disease.

Or you can choose to start living again! To live for the best that is available. To live to be as healthy as possible while always enjoying and appreciating each day. Talking and running with my new friends out there today showed me that there really aren’t any physical limitations in this life. I say that knowing all too well the physically dibilitating effects that UC had on me. But I also say it with respect to the strength of the spirit and mind. I’m excited to see where this new challenge will take me…