08/09/2026
Today was a reminder that it’s okay to slow down and appreciate the small wins and the journey it took to get there…if you had told me 8 months ago I would be the type of person who casually wakes up before the sun rises with the intention of pushing a Half Marathon (13.1 miles) at 3 in the morning just for fun…I would’ve laughed and said that’s crazy.
But when you start hanging around people where these kinds of things are the norm, they start to feel possible. Not only possible but just another day we get to move our bodies and feel blessed to be able to do so, even more so together!
“Say what you do, DO what you say!”
If there is anybody who embodies this quote and lives it every single day it’s Coach Dan. I remember coming to my first hybrid athlete class in mid December after having been diagnosed diabetic back in October some time only to ignore it just for it to catch up to me a few months later where I got sick. It was in that moment I knew I needed to change something, and so I did. You made me feel like the goals and things I wanted were possible again and it was that first class back in December that lead me on that path.
What lead was a journey of rediscovering what I was capable of even living in an area where adaptive sport isn’t the norm. Getting to be a small part of your 50th birthday celebration was one of the highlights of my year and something I will take with me for the rest of my life. Special shout out to Prity Gomez thank you for saying yes and pushing me to come with you…Having your company this morning was also a huge highlight and there was nobody I would’ve rather done this alongside but you.
Thank you Dan Sil for being who you are, its because of coaches and people like you who lead by example day in and day out that people begin to believe in themselves again even after years of self doubt and feeling like those “good days” were behind me when in reality there was still so much left in the tank! You just have to surround yourself with the right people and those people will carry you through the pain, the soreness, and as you would say “celebrate the sweat!” Happy Birthday brother, much love 🫡
