Is this a blog? Maybe, do people still blog? Anyway, this is mainly a place to share my thoughts, training, races, and everything in-between.
I would like to be up front about something, I am not a writer, or a language and grammar expert. If you are picky about proper grammar, and punctuation, then you'll probably be extremely frustrated and angry with any of my posts. Sorry, but this isn't a resume, or something super professional. Most of the time I'm just writing directly from the brain, which, sadly, doesn't work as well as it used to - hello traumatic brain injury. You have been warned 🙂.
Of course, the words, thoughts, and views I post on this site are my own, and they do not represent the views or feelings of anyone, or any organization I might associate myself with. There, warned again 🤗.
In September, I challenged myself to achieve a perfect month, closing all three rings every day. Being a triathlete who is actively training, you would think this would be a breeze since I workout every day, closing the exercise ring is guaranteed. It’s not as easy as you would think.
Read MoreIdaho is one of the leading states to enact anti-trans (women) legislation. Banning female trans kids from competing in women’s sports, denying trans people access to trans healthcare like hormone replacement therapy and surgeries, just to list a few.
Now that I’ve raced both an Ironman and a locally organized triathlon in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, I can see how the spectacle Ironman has over the host cities and not necessarily in a positive way. Ironman draws people from all over the world, bringing different cultures, ideals, etc… to the host locations that quickly overshadows and hides the true colors of this host cities/states culture, ideals, and political stance. I experienced it firsthand.
Read MoreRegardless of how prevalent the struggles with mental health are, these people still deal with the unfortunate stigmas attached to them on a daily basis and should be taken seriously without being ostracized, shunned, attacked, or discriminated against. People who stigmatize others who battle with mental illness generally lack the understanding.
Read MoreI’ve recently started my very first podcast called Hi, My Name is Life! It’s a show about life and the unique stories that come out of it! The podcast is available where pretty much all podcasts are found!
Read MoreI wish the final stage in my journey of becoming "who I was meant to be" went according to plan. I wish it was going to be the first thing after my accident to come easy and go according to plan. But, like everything in my life since 2015 this final step was a constant fight to the bitter end. A fight that I would raise my sword high up in the air in victory. Sadly, that wasn't my reality.
Read MoreIn March of this year, I moved out of the city and away from the gym (mentioned above) where I've been for the past three years. I moved into Seattle proper. New city, new gym. Going into this new gym I felt like it would be the same experience as before. I would take the same approach that I used at my last gym; the same level of confidence and respect. For the most part, everything was fine. I go in, change, do my workout, shower, change and leave. I was feeling positive. This validated that I am truly part of the tribe and at the very least tolerated in that locker room. I was rolling high!
On April 3rd things suddenly shifted and not in a positive way.
Read MoreI guess you may or may not know that I finally had my bottom surgery in October … Woot! You might have read my previous post, two years in the making, which I shared the journey that I had to take to even make the surgery happen. It was some tough stuff but I got through it. Anywho, here I am about seven weeks post-op and it's been some roller coaster of a ride!
Going into the surgery I had a general idea of what to expect afterward, at least that's what I thought. Geez was I in for a freakin wake-up call, Jesus! I'm going to get to some of the things I wasn't prepared for that you might find interesting, as it was for me.
Read MoreIn a matter of weeks, one of the biggest changes in my life is going to happen. A change that will finally make me feel whole inside and out. This single moment has been two years in the making… Well, I don't know if "in the making" is the correct phrase to use but hopefully you know where I'm coming from.
Of course, I'm talking about my upcoming vaginoplasty in October. Getting to this day has been quite the journey of sacrifice and perseverance. It's a testament of fighting to overcome the darkness that is mental and behavioral health, seeing all of your hard work and dedication pay off!
Read MoreSo, yeah… In my last post I said the site would be updated more frequently. Sorry about that! My life has been a bit chaotic to say the least.
I’m getting things back into gear, so let me fill you in on all the things I have in the pipeline!
Read MoreI wanted to take a moment to share some words about this amazingly outspoken woman. I was already a listener to the Ironwomen podcast when Sara posted about looking for an intern to help out Live Feisty Media … At this time I was done with my Iron(wo)man, and still recovering from my TBI. I wanted to apply. I wanted to be involved with something important. I also knew Live Feisty was an all women team, and a very loud voice for equality for women. I was scared to death to apply because I had no idea how she would react to a trans woman, let alone a brain-damaged one to boot.
Read MoreIt’s been quite a while since I’ve posted anything on my website. Like, it’s been six months! I truly do apologize, and I hope to bring more content here shortly.
It’s certainly not because I haven’t been doing any that’s worth writing about. It’s been a very busy six months in the life of Erin, to say the least. There are three main reason's why I haven’t been posting anything, and I would like to take this time to share with you those reasons
Read MoreIt's been a pretty busy couple of weeks. I recently took an internship opportunity with a fabulous media company, Live Feisty! It allows me to explore a brand new field that I've never worked in before; podcast media, and journalism!
I work on their newest podcast (released today), If We Were Riding. Right now I just edit the show, but I hope to expand my responsibilities with the show, and company in the future!
If We Were Riding, is a triathlon-ish podcast. It's an extension of a newsletter written by one of the hosts, Kelly O'Mara. The hosts, Sara and Kelly, talk about topics in the newsletter, and expand on those topics with their own personal experiences, and perspectives.
If you enjoy swimming/biking/running, and think equality for woman in sports is important, and would like to a little inside baseball of a professional triathlete ... Give it a listen!
Read MoreThis last year has been an amazing year. My continue progress with my brain injury recovery, entering the world of triathlon, training and finishing my first Ironman! One thing has always weighed heavily in my head. It has felt like I've been living two separate lives; my everyday life, and my athlete/athletic life. You're probably wondering by now...
What's so different?
Read MoreIt's difficult to understand brain injuries until you have one, and it's a club you really don't want to be a member of. It's a type of injury that is fairly easy to identify with a number of common symptoms, such as, difficulty remembering new information, difficulty thinking clearly, fuzzy or blurred vision, dizziness, headache, sensitivity to noise and/or light, issues with balance, drastic mood swings … just to list a few. Determining the extent of damage, and it's long term effect, on the other hand is extremely difficult. Unless you have a brain bleed, nothing is visible on MRI or CT, two of the most common methods of imagining the brain. It's really a new frontier for the medical world. We simply can't wait for people suffering from brain injuries to die, in order to physically look at their brain and see the CTE, or other damage that's a result from head injuries. They're just starting to gather the data, and test how to find these problems while the person is still alive, which can lead to better rehabilitation, and change any many full contact sports/jobs.
This single event changed my life, and the lives of everyone around me forever.
That was two years ago, and here we are today. I'm still recovering, still healing, still learning limits and how to adjust my life to accommodate my on going TBI and symptoms.
Read MoreThis Sunday marks the end of a nine month journey to becoming an Ironman finisher. So much work, blood, sweat, and tears to finally reach this point, and it's amazing how far I've come. It's best to talk about what pushed me to make Ironman Coeur d'Alene my goal.
Back in 2015, while riding my bike home, I was hit head on by a SUV. For someone reason, the woman who was driving this SUV decided on that day, and that time to cut a corner, and plow right into me. I've been told that I was thrown off my bike a good 30 to 40 feet ... every part of my head took the blunt of that distance covered. If it wasn't for my helmet, I would have been dead on the scene.
Read MoreYou are my faithful companion.
You are my best friend.
You are my family.
You play the role of protector of myself and my family.
You comforted me during my lowest of lows.
You celebrated with me during my highest of highs.
You have the gift of sensing people that would be good for me, and who I shouldn't have around.
You are gentle, and took the loving abuse of a baby, and now toddler.
You're irreplaceable.
I love you so much.
You will be missed so much ... I miss you so much.
Feb 2006 to April 17, 2017
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