On Sunday morning I took my road bike outside for a spin. About an hour and fifteen minutes into the ride, my back tire blew. POP! I have had more than a handful of flat tires the last six months or so, but this was the first time the tire exploded. I was able to slow down safely, assess the rubber pancake behind me, pull off to the sidewalk, and start the “flat-fixing” routine. Surprisingly, I was not upset at all. Once I took a closer look at the beat up back tire, I knew my ride was done. Next, I called Marion, and asked him to pick me up.

In the meantime, I swapped out the tube, pumped up the tire with air, remounted the wheel, all of which went quicker and smoother than ever before, and loaded the bike up in the back of my Jeep when Marion rolled up minutes after the task was complete.

Once we arrived home, I tested the tire’s integrity by pumping it up to its full PSI, and quickly noticed the tube was bulging out of the tire, that’s not good, so I reached for the valve to deflate it, but it was too late, the tube exploded right in our living room.

I am glad I followed my gut and pulled the plug on the ride when I did. In fact, I felt content that I used the opportunity to practice my flat-fixing skills, and as a location scout to show Marion where I want to fly our drone for future movie shoots.

However, I don’t know if I would've been so forgiving of myself a year ago, or even three months ago. I have been stressed out to complete workouts to perfection that I stopped enjoying them, let alone appreciating them. I had been grinding myself into a hole for months, stubborn about the reality that I was not improving anymore, but dwindling my physical and emotional fitness everyday. Still, I clung to the hope that running the LA Marathon would rescue me from my funk. And it did, but not at all how I thought it would.

I needed to feel the strain in my glutes, hamstrings, and lower back for days after crossing the finish line to truly comprehend that stopping to repair and rebuild my body was not quitting, or a sign of weakness, but rather doing the work in order to grow stronger and faster for years to come.

Stretching my glutes at T.R.I. Physical Therapy.

During my first Physical Therapy appointment with Dr. Alanna Grey of T.R.I Physical Therapy, I saw in the mirror that my body was literally lopsided, and I needed her help to fix it.

I have been dedicated to everything she has asked of me in and out of her office for the past two weeks. I've integrated mobility exercises that I never made time for in the past, but now play a starring role in my daily routine in order to strengthen my glutes, improve my posture, and relieve stress on my flared sciatic nerve. Thankfully, I feel much better. I am ready to run, but my patience is improving with age, so I will wait for her green light before I hit the streets.

In the meantime, I will ride Simone carefully outside, ride my Trek ferociously inside, pump some iron, jump rope, and stretch some stretch cords all in the pursuit of gaining fitness for life, and future adventures to live and share.

The song and video choice this week is Justin Bieber's new tune, Intentions. I am not a huge fan of Justin, but he knows how to produce a catchy pop song, enjoy.:)