Getting Outside

Denver 2015 - Cherry Creek Park

As many of you know I travel a lot for my job. I go from one end of the country to the other. North to South then East to West and I travel by train, planes and automobiles. These trips include hosting events and meetings. Often times friends and family will ask did I get to see this when I was away? Or did I get to go here or there? Unfortunately these trips are not meant for being a tourist. I do take advantage of being in some towns by staying with family and friends so I can save money on my budget but I also get to catch up with people I love and miss.

However, there is one thing I always do when I am away. I always take a little bit of time for myself and get my workouts in. While running or walking through a city I purposely map out a route so I can see some sights. In San Francisco it was Presidio Park and Alcatraz; in DC it is running on the Mall in the early morning and in Chicago it is running along the River Walk. You can see so much when you head out for a workout. It is a cheap, easy and healthy way to be a tourist.

When I am in Boston, if my overnight stay has me near the Financial District, there is a 3 mile route that I run that I call my "history tour". It takes me by the cemetery where Sam Adams is buried; past the state house; through the commons; onto Milk Street (Where Ben Franklin was born) and finally along the warfs and the harbor. I often think I should right all my routes down and share them with people if they plan to visit the same areas I do. When in DC one of my favorite places to run is along the Mall. If you get their early enough you can see the sun rise over the Capital and the Washington Monument.

I thought about this recently when staying in Denver. The hotel where I was staying was on a great recreation trail. This trail was miles and miles long and was soooo active no matter what time of day. I took advantage of the fact that I could exit the front door of the hotel and literally be steps away from the trail. I find it takes me some time to become used to the altitude in Denver, so this trip my workouts were walks in order to get through them. However, I was moving and enjoying being outside in Colorado.

I highly recommend this to everyone when they travel. You have to get your workouts in and being on a treadmill in a hotel "fitness center" is never fun. Get outside and see the city, explore what it has to offer and take some time for yourself. My travel schedule usually has me working out in the morning and it is a beautiful and peaceful time to enjoy the area.

Chicago - Running along the River Walk

San Francisco - 2015 The view of Alcatraz from Presidio Park

Washington, DC 2015 - An early morning run on the Mall

Boston - 2014 The view of the Pru

Approaching the one year anniversary ... not a time to celebrate

Friday will be a year since I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. This year has been a roller coaster and on so many days it feels like an uphill battle. I know what many of my friends are thinking, "hills build character". If that is the case then I have built a lot of character within the last 365 days. I will never forget that day as long as I live...the day I heard you are a diabetic. As I have shared with you in the past I was never warned with being pre-diabetic and at that point I had lost 25 pounds and I was an active individual. Since that day I have been scared, angry and overwhelmed. I have lost an additional 10 pounds and I completed a 5K open water swim (3.1 miles) and a half marathon in Brooklyn. I am currently training for another half in April and a 65 mile bike ride in June. I also have my sites on two triathlons and I want to do the open water swim again.

However, in the last few months I have been very lackadaisical towards my diabetes. I have been lazy when it comes to checking my blood ... and when I do my numbers are high and this makes me upset and discouraged. The bathroom scale has not moved much in either direction and this can be frustrating. I continue to move and feel great when I am working out but this doesn't seem to be helping the big problem. I am not saying that I am giving up on it, because I do love the workouts but sometimes you ask yourself I am doing this why?

I feel like I am a hamster in a cage on an exercise wheel going no where!! I am trapped.

Is she frustrated, you ask ... yes I am. I am stuck in a very large corn maze and I can't get out. I am not looking for sympathy, just sharing my frustrations.