Wednesday, October 11, 2017

A Familiar Journey Begins

Setting goals for 2018 has begun!  I will be training to compete in Figure and also running another half marathon.  These two goals came about in a way that makes them feel "meant to be".

The half marathon I am running is the Dam to Dam in Des Moines.  I have ran this race before and it is my favorite half marathon.  Starting off out in the country and heading into Des Moines, it is such a beautiful run and fairly flat.  The community is always out supporting the runners and I get to run with family and friends.  This is the last Dam to Dam half marathon which really pushed me to decide to run it.  I am sad the race is coming to an end but I look forward to running it!

After fully deciding on my goals I was hit with another little speed bump.  I had a bad cold and decided to go to a walk in clinic a couple of weeks ago.  The doctor said I had a virus but became concerned because my right thyroid was swollen.  In 2011 I had a biopsy done on a nodule in my thyroid, it was benign and I haven't had any issues.  My labs all came back normal so the doctor scheduled me for an ultrasound the next day.  The day after the ultrasound I had an appointment with an ENT because there were two nodules in my thyroid.  The decision was made to remove my right thyroid, I am having the procedure done in November.  When the doctor removes the thyroid they will test the nodules for cancer and if either is cancer they will also remove the left thyroid.  Thankfully the chance of cancer is very slim and the hope is that my left thyroid will be able to fully function with the right thyroid removed.

It was a bit of a shock to me going from having a bad to cold to needing surgery to have my right thyroid removed.  The cold kicked my butt for the past two weeks but I finally started feeling better and made it to the gym last weekend for my first workout with the gal who will be competing with me next year.  It will be her first competition and I am so excited to be on this journey with her.

My attitude is back to "me vs. me" and that is where it needs to stay.  I have been tired and felt a bit beat down this year.  Learning to keep moving forward has been something I am working on without quitting.  Knowing I have a partner in this prep makes me more excited to compete again.  There is just something about surrounding yourself with positive, strong, good people and Tracy is exactly that type of person.



 There is a lot of work to be done, I feel quite a bit weaker from so much time off from weight training but I know the strength will come back.  Running has been on the back burner for quite a while and I will have to be patient with my progress but it will feel good to get back at it!

Tuesday, September 12, 2017

We Own A Gym!

Hard work, perseverance, dedication, sweat, uncomfortable situations, hard conversations, humbleness and even more hard work led to my husband and I accomplishing a massive dream, we took over ownership of the gym my husband was the GM for!

Kyle started as the GM for Kosama Cedar Rapids 2.5 years ago.  He worked his butt off to take a gym that was struggling and turn it into a huge success.  The owners, who happen to be two of the best human beings ever, saw his drive, work ethic, success and decided to offer ownership of the gym to us.  It didn't take Kyle and I very long to say YES!


We knew we were taking a huge step, one that honestly I didn't think would ever be possible.  Kyle's dream has always been to own a gym and after years of working in various areas of the fitness industry it is still surreal to say that we do in fact own a very successful gym.  I am still working full-time for the Teamsters Union where I have been for 16 years in October.  My job has allowed Kyle a lot of flexibility over the years to move around jobs trying to find the right fit.  Without Teamsters Local 238 our family would not be in the position we are, now I just spend more of my free time at the gym :)

Our daughter Bella was over the moon when she found out.  She loves working out there, she is proud of her dad and I, we have taught her that hard work really does pay off as long as you are honest, humble and grateful for every experience that gets you to your dream.


Kosama is a group fitness gym we work with kettle bells, kickboxing, TRX, plyo boxes, battle ropes, big tires, the list goes on and on.  Our K-Performance program trains athletes from all walks of life.  We work with high school athletes to college athletes to adult athletes, all walks of life wanting that extra push.  Kyle's passion for fitness is felt throughout our gym which has become a fitness family.  Our trainers are phenomenal, they listen to plans, share their unique ideas and thankfully we all work well together.  Now we haven't gone without some bumps and bruises we did have a terrible experience with someone we had complete trust and confidence in, that person ended up stealing and deleting client lists (thank goodness for surveillance cameras) acted out at Kyle during his final two weeks and made things so painful.  I have never felt so betrayed in my entire life, we learned a big lesson from that situation.  Our trainers also learned from that experience, the shock from the actions taken, the arrogant attitude, the complete disrepect and they stood behind us through it all.

We have thankfully moved forward and are thriving, having that negativity gone has made such a huge difference.  I am so proud of our gym, what we represent and I cannot express enough how awesome it is to go to a class full of wonderful people who are happy to be there and excited for the days challenge.

Kosama Cedar Rapids is our home away from home and our members are our family.  From mud runs to races to our own Kosama games and coming up a Kosama strength competition, we've always got fun challenges planned!

I haven't blogged in a long time and now seems like the time to start up again.  Currently I am training to compete again next spring and will be training with one of our members through our K-Performance program.  We are excited and looking forward to this big adventure, I truly can't wait to be up on stage again!