06/01/2026
My body doesn’t always let me race the way it wants to, but coaching has given me another way to stay in the sport I love. The reason I couldn't race? Having a genetic connective tissue disorder. Without rhyme or reason I just injury myself and I'm down for the count. I've had too many surgeries :(
Today is the last day of May. And I'd be remiss if I missed hEDS & mental health awareness month. So I wanted to do a combined post highlighting some of my amazing athletes that I get to coach, and an awareness post.
First up, let's do the happy, awesome athletes post! While I love to race and it brings me so much joy to push my body, push my limits and see how fast/far I can go, it's not always going to happen. But these athletes did. I'm proud to say that I coached Ryan and Jessica to overall wins at the FingerLakes Tri Silver today. They kicked butt! Jessica even had a 19min PR! Amy, kept smiling the whole race and finished 4th in her AG. And Abby, doing her first Olympic Triathlon took 1st in her AG. Wow everyone. It's a joy to coach you.
Getting to coach also means I get to bring the boys, and we get to volunteer which is in my opinion important for them/us. They need to see that reaching your goals takes hard work, sometimes pain and a no quit attitude. Plus that you need some help and encouragement from friends along the way. They worked at the finish line handing out medals, socks and drinks. And got ice cream as a treat.
Awareness time: hEDS is hypermobility Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.
hEDS can include symptoms like:
• joint hypermobility and instability
• frequent injuries, subluxations, or dislocations
• chronic pain
• fatigue
• dizziness or autonomic issues
• GI issues
• headaches
• anxiety, nervous system dysregulation, and mental health challenges (ADHD, Autism)
• feeling like your body is unpredictable from day to day
All in all, it can really stink :(
What i want to say for awareness is-a lot of us with invisible conditions look normal. But we really have to fight through a lot. Some days I grieve what it would be like, but then I realize I'm still truly blessed. I'm able to do so much. It just might be harder and I might get injured a lot more. But I won't let that stop me. Others have it worse off, and if someone says they are struggling with an invisible chronic condition, it's easy to not believe them or think they are lying. Some might be. But I promise, others aren't.
Hopefully you'll see me racing very soon. Unfortunately i'm not quite there yet. But at least I'm upright and mobile :)
