Remembering Mer......

So all through the year I often think of Meredith Hagan my very first trainer that I got when I started going outside of the house to do exercise. Her and Suzie Opie are owners of Phat Chicks and they offered a free trail class to Momstown. As soon as I saw the name I loved it!...tried the class, loved it more, ....met Meredith and Suzie, loved them and signed up right away! Meredith was a beautiful amazing person from the inside out. In my first year of healthy living (2010) I told her how I was going to do a Triathlon that Sept, "I can help you!" she said to me.....she never got the chance. On a beautiful day in April of that year Meredith was out on Kings Rd on her road bike training for the full Ironman she planned to do when she was 40 (she was currently 36) she hit a strange spot on the road flew off her bike and into an on coming car.....Meredith died the next day from the injuries....I still cry when I have to type this. Although I have known Meredith longer in death then I have in life her presents in my life for those brief 6 months has impacted me SO greatly and the fire that she helped light still burns strongly inside me today. She loved being active and feeling awesome, she loved helping others to be active and feel awesome. Still daily I often bring Meredith with me as I head out for a race or go help a client or friend....I think to myself, "Mer would have liked this" or "Mer would be proud of this"...or "This would have made Mer smile"....I am unable to look at her picture everyday but I have it on my dresser upside down and every once and awhile I turn it over and look at her and remember...... I have my pink ribbon ready to be tied on my new bike, I use that pink ribbon as my way of bringing her 'with me' when I'm out there. She use to always wear a pink head band in her hair....but it's not just her that I am bringing, it's her friend and partner Suzie Opie too. Those two together were a force of awesome I tell ya! I felt so empowered to do the imposable workouts they put in front of me. Many times they would explain the workout and we would look at them like WTF!!! and they would smile and say, "You can do this!..it's going to awesome!"...and guess what...I did do it and it WAS awesome! They believed in me before I could believe in myself.....it's that feeling of empowerment and confidence that the pink 'Mer' ribbon represents to me. Just yesterday I got to dress up and head down to Toronto to meet Fred DeLuca the founder of Subway (which I'll tell you about in another blog!!) I put on the 'Meredith' bracelet that her sister had made. It has the beautiful jewels and her tattoo that she had on her which represents 'double happiness' as I put it on I felt like I was bring Meredith with me, "Meredith would think this is awesome" were my thoughts. So now I am heading into the weekend of her race, it is this Sat and you can register all the way up until the day. It's a really fun run and a great route on the trails of Mountsburg. It's called the Inspiration run, they have it around her birthday every year. I will hopefully be doing the 5k walk this year. I feel like I will be able to do it and I am excited that it will be my first race after recovering from the medical issue from having the baby. I plan to do it but know that if I have to stop at some point or can't finish it's ok....at least I am trying...and that wold make Meredith smile....she had a beautiful smile.... I hope you are living in YOUR awesome today! xo