Hey Fit Radio! My name is Pam. I’m a 50-year-old mom, fitness enthusiast and lifelong runner. My dad first took me out running when I was 11. I ran 2 miles without stopping and thought it was the greatest thing ever. Since then, I’ve run 15 marathons, 8 half marathons and a handful of other races. Read more to learn about me and my fitness journey with Fit Radio!
The Accident
While training for a race last year, I got hit by a car. I was very lucky as I didn’t break any bones or have any brain damage. My mouth got the brunt of it. I lost a total of 6 teeth. 3 at the accident and 3 had to be pulled. This has required 4 major oral surgeries. It will take 18 months total before my mouth is complete.I am a group fitness instructor and personal trainer. I had to quit my jobs and work on healing myself. I couldn’t give to others while I myself was healing. It’s been a far rougher road than I could have imagined. After the euphoria of being alive wore off, the reality hit. I couldn’t do what I love which is coaching. I’ve been working for 20 years and it was really tough to stop. Part of your self-esteem is your job. It was a hard adjustment. I was able to modify working out, but couldn’t run for 6 weeks after the accident. After every surgery, I had to take time off from exercise to let my body heal. This was tough mentally as exercise is my stress relief and always has been. In the past, I’ve never had problems getting motivated to run. I LOVE to run. I’ve coached clients for the half marathon as well as the marathon. Running has been easy for me my whole life.
The Game Changer
After the accident, my motivation was at an all-time low. I couldn’t get excited about going out for more than a mile or two. Running felt like a chore. Never in my life did I think I’d ever say those words. I stumbled on Fit Radio 6 months ago. At first, I was excited about the feature that gave you your time and distance. In my accident, my Garmin got crushed so this feature was awesome for a running geek like myself. Then I discovered the outdoor running/coaching feature. This was the BIGGEST game changer for me. Running by myself was no longer a chore, it was fun. Not only was it fun, I was working really hard. Much harder than I would on my own. I’ve had some of my best workouts ever with this feature. 40 minutes goes by in a flash. I also travel a lot and am stuck working out in hotels. Last time I was away, I used the treadmill coaching feature. Again, this was GREAT. I do intervals on my own but nothing like what Fit Radio designs. I could even bear to do intervals 2 days in a row because the workouts were so enjoyable. With both the indoor and outdoor workouts, I really cannot say enough great things about the coaches. Their upbeat positive attitude really helps keep me going. Just when I think I’m done, they tell me to push it and not give up.
What Now?
I just finished my final surgery 2 weeks ago and am once again training for the race that I didn’t get to run last year. It’s almost been a year now and I’ve got to say there have been so many positive things that have come out of the accident. For one, I’m not dead. My motto in 2017 is Better than Dead. Not joking. I had to stop working but I did get to start a website-www.theperfectbalance.guru. For many years I’ve wanted to come up with workout videos, recipes, and give advice about food and fitness. I never would have done this if I was still working.I have 20 years worth of knowledge to share. I’ve also written some ebooks. This has been so amazing and fun for me to do. I honestly think my mission in life is to help people on their health and fitness journey. With my website, I can reach more people which is awesome. This is the silver lining to this accident.
I’ve had so many people tell me that they don’t know how I do it. How I stay so positive in such an awful situation. Life is better when you’re happy and positive. These are choices. I made the choice to be positive. I have my health, my family and now a new future. Sure I could have been Debbie Darkcloud- but that would have been a miserable experience. So many great things have come since my accident – I choose positivity every single time.
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